Heaton compares Church growth through having children versus growth through conversions.
Tim Heaton, "Vital Statistics," in James T. Duke, ed. Latter-day Saint Social Life: Social Research on the LDS Church and its Members (Provo: Religious Studies Center, 1998), 105–132
This article reviews available information about demographics of the LDS Church. Fueled by a high growth rate, the membership has increased at an exponential rate. Along with this growth, the distribution of members has shifted from a largely Utah-based congregation to an international church. High fertility has been an important source of growth in the United States, but an aggressive program of proselyting has become the major source of growth outside the Mountain West. Demographic characteristics of the membership vary widely across countries.