Who is in the leadership can set an important tone. That’s a hard standard though because each person has different spiritual gifts. I’ve seen leaders who had the gift of charity or who were very good with people and I’ve seen others who were less socially-oriented but had other amazing talents that were also needed.

Alongside leadership circles – the most general decisive factor is the people who are in the ward. Some wards feel warmer than others. That is a reality.

Still, I think in every ward/branch I’ve ever been in, there have been people and families who became lifelong friends.

That is one of the main reasons (among many) that I love the church.

I wouldn’t base it on leadership, because that changes. I just bought a house and know much about my ward and the ones surrounding, and chose to stick in my ward for a variety of reasons. Here are some:
1–smaller than a few of the surrounding ones
2–fewer student families; I know that sounds mean, but students are transient and tend to be rather insular and not very invested in their wards–I didn’t want to deal with that long term
3–Youth programs come and go (and I hate suburbs, which is where the “good,” which mostly means big, ones are) but I was happy to find several strong and permanent families with similarly aged children to my own–they will make a nice cohort.
4–I prefer locals to inter-mountain west long-term visitors (those who are only out for a few years and are going back), but you really can’t avoid them entirely. (I am such a snob.)
5–I like diversity of all kinds: Church experience, nationality, age, language, racial, economic, etc. I look for it. I am very pleased to be in the unit that hosts the Spanish and ASL contingents–that wouldn’t have been a deal-breaker, but it is a nice bonus.

Maybe it’s just because all my formative years were spent in tiny branches on the East Coast where commute times can reach up to 90 minutes, and where there’s maybe one person attending who wasn’t converted in the last ten years, and where I was the entire Young Men’s program… but I’ve never once thought about ward shopping when I’ve moved. Anywhere I’ve ended up, I’ve lifted where I’ve stood, to take President Uchtdorf’s phrase. If the ward is “strong” (whatever that means), then I must need them. If they’re not, then they must need me.

True that I only kind of ward shopped because I was already living in the same city and decided to stick with the ward I was in. If I was moving to a new city/area cold, I would just look for somewhere to live and go from there.

Along with a couple of others, I’ve never even considered ‘ward shopping’. I count myself fortunate to live within 15 minutes of a ward building, regardless of who else attends. To my view, the whole ‘social circle’ part of church is so far down my list of concerns as to be laughable. I’ve attended student wards, family wards, singles branches and small country branches, and as long as I can renew my covenants and continue my spiritual growth, I’m happy.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting the feel for various wards when moving to an area and you have that option. While leadership changes, the “character” of a ward doesn’t change as quickly. There is a “rich ward” in our stake, which happens to be the biggest ward, but we chose not to buy in that ward because we wanted more economic diversity. I also think it’s fine to look to see if the ward has a tradition of a functioning youth program.

These programs exist because the brethren believe they help the youth. Why not look for one that’s working?

When it comes to evaluating youth programs, however, you need to look at more than size. I’ve seen lots of big but really BAD youth programs. Especially when it comes to the young mens’ program.

You need to have actually functioning scouting units at all levels and a scouting-supportive bishopric. Look to see if you have leaders who are Wood Badge trained and whether your ward has a history of leaving trained leaders in place. That will tell you a lot about the kind of program you will have.

I’m with Adam. I feel like “ward shopping” is contrary to the principles of the gospel and the ideals of achieving Zion. Not that I don’t sympathize with our desires to join wards with robust programs – we are in a smaller ward that struggles in some ways, and it can be very frustrating at times. While we envy other wards in the stake with what appear to be strong programs, I would never dream choosing my place of residence on that basis.

Just as I have no patience for trained musicians who are “too good” for ward choir, I would have very little patience for an LDS family shopping for a ward that suits their needs. That thinking is totally backwards, in my opinion.

Sandra and I usually had to focus on finding a large enough house for rent (for however many kids we had at the time) that we could afford and that was either within driving or public transportation distance to work. We pretty much just accepted whatever ward we found ourselves in as a result.

However, when we moved from Dallas back to the DC area (having already lived there before), we did make a conscious choice to move into the District itself, rather than back to either Virginia or Maryland (both places we had lived before). The reason was that during our 18 months in Dallas, we had lived in a ward that had over 600 members, including over 70 kids in the YW/YM program, and where we were all pretty much just faces in a crowd. We very much wanted to move into a branch, where we could be of service and where our kids couldn’t “hide out”.

We ended up in the District of Columbia Branch (later to become the Chevy Chase Ward), which remains our all-time favorite ward/branch. We were there for six years; it’s been four years since we moved to Colorado; yet when we visited the Chevy Chase Ward last month, it felt very much like coming home. So if you’re going to ‘ward shop’, I strongly recommend you look for smaller, struggling congregations — they’re the ones that need you the most and that will bless you the most. ..bruce..

Diversity is wonderful. Our little ward in the south has a pleasant amount of diversity. It would be really nice to have pews in the chapel and more than 10 women in RS, though. The geographic boundaries are so large that we’d have to move nearly an hour away to get into another ward, so I guess we just got lucky. If we ever move somewhere with a large number of saints, I’m not sure if we’ll ward shop or not. My parents always did in CA and AZ.

1. fdsa – why don’t you want an independently wealthy bishopric?

2. danithew – great point I have found so many good friends in the Church as well.

3. sbanks – yep good point. I think kids definitely need a good peer group too…

4. ESO – locals and non students are two of my criteria

5. bbell – agreed on more youth more kids

6. The Only True and Liv­ing Nathan – in circumstances like you grew up in, I think it becomes binary – one is either strong or gone…

7. Sam B. – sounds like a great area you live in.

8. ESO – I am ok with ward shopping, nothing wrong with that.

9. que­uno – fair point

“Feels right” suggests a slightly different approach, as in allowing the spirit to play some role in the decision-making process. I don’t believe that was suggested as part of the approach OP (my apologies if I missed that…if so, I’m with you – there could be a right ward at the right time). I just feel like those that are looking for the programs that will support them are taking the wrong approach. We are “called to serve,” not to be served. Just my opinion – I realize others feel differently (and again, I can definitely understand the desire to be part of a thriving ward, having been in both strong and weak wards)

I also have philosophical problems about the clustering of wealthy Mormons, student wards, etc. but this is simply reflective of our demographic composition. I think we could do a lot of good if most of us would get out of the ‘burbs and into communities where we aren’t strongly represented. I don’t waste a lot of emotional energy about this since it’s far beyond my control. Funny I’ve found a lot to say about it here.

L-d:

I think it largely depends on the percentage of student couples/families in the ward, and their attitudes. Also, it may depend on where in the US you are.

I’ve seen the tremendous impact that student families have in places like State College, PA. I know of one stake in SLC where if you have children, you are assigned to one of the only two wards in that stake with a functioning primary, no matter were you live (although that stake probably doesn’t have a lot of young “student” families).

When people are moving to a new place, I have no problem with them visiting the various wards in the area and using their impressions as factors in deciding where to live, specifically.

That said, “ward shopping” in an area where you already live in an attempt to find a ward you like better than your current one (without moving) irritates me. I recognize that there are sometimes extenuating circumstances; but, in general terms, I confess to judging people that needlessly “ward shop.”

One of the few Church sponsored studies the results of which have been published by the Church was reported in December 1984. It measured a number of factors that related to future activity levels of young men, the most important of which was their parents.

It also noted that some factors seemed to have no relation to future activity levels:

“Some factors have little effect on whether a young man marries in the temple or goes on a mission: the distance he lives away from the meetinghouse, the number of young people in his school who are LDS, whether his parents were converts, his father’s occupation, or whether his mother is employed. Characteristics of the ward’s activity program—whether the ward sponsors athletic teams and events, schedules ‘special’ activities for youth, or implements Scout programs—while contributing to the general spirit of the ward, seem to have little effect in and of themselves.”

“Key to Strong Young Men: Gospel Commitment in the Home,” Ensign, Dec. 1984, 66–68

It is interesting that the number of LDS youth in the same school is unrelated to future activity levels, as are the general characteristics of the youth programs, including how well organized they are (maybe Wednesday night basketball is really all the young men need). The study does not mention one way or the other whether the size, in terms of number of youth or “critical mass” has an effect on future activity levels, although that might be encompassed in the general conclusion that general characteristics have little long term effect.

I would note that during the time our children were in the youth programs, our ward’s youth went from 70 active YM and YW, when our eldest became a beehive, to about 15 active YM and YW when our youngest was a priest. I think the experience of our younger children was better, in part because our children tend to be reserved, and it is harder for a reserved child to “fly under the radar” when he is one of only two or three active priests than if he were one of ten. And as noted above, it is harder for clicks to form when there are only a handful of youth (although, conversely, it can be more difficult for friendships to form as well). Perhaps the advantages and disadvantages balance out. Or more likely, it depends on the ward, the peer group, and the child/teenager involved.

I think Orwell has got it right in #26. Ward shopping when you’re moving anyway is not the same thing as ward shopping as an excuse to move.

Ward shopping when you’re moving anyway is consistent with the “study it out in your mind” part of decision-making as a prelude to seeking personal revelation on a matter.

It’s certainly possible, perhaps even likely, that the Lord may have a specific ward, neighborhood, or even an address where he wants you to live. Or he may not. Absent revelation on the matter, putting the best interests of one’s children (whether in terms of school, neighborhood peers, or church environment) as the top priority makes sense to me. IMO, parents owe their children more than they owe anything in terms of service to fellow ward members. One’s own family comes first.

29. ESO – you hit it on the head for me. We found that some students were great when engaged and others just watching the clock. Unfortunately, when the student population in a ward hits 50% or more, the whole dynamic changes and I think the ward should be converted to a married student ward. That seems to be the tipping point in my limited experience. Of course, all this being said, I was one of those students once…

I’ve thought about purchasing investment houses in various wards in my stake (but within the same school zones). Then, whenever I get a calling I don’t like, or I don’t like my kids’ friends in the ward or there’s leadership I don’t like, I’ll just move my primary residence to one of the other houses.

Even better would be to buy a house in 3 different wards in the same building and switch every year so that you’re always on the 9:00 schedule (or whichever you prefer).

My husband and I just recently purchased our first home. Our one criteria when it came to “ward shopping” was that none of my family members were in the ward. We are on the east coast to the ward covers several towns. We relocated to an area near where I grew up (I have been away for about 10 years)and I wanted to be separate from my family. I was tired of being So-so’s daughter/sister. While we were temporarily attending my parents/siblings ward while searching for a home we didn’t feel like anyone was friendly towards us. It may be because I wasn’t “new” though I only knew about 1/2 the people in the ward from when I was growing up there. We love our new ward and though it may be inconvenient to not be on the same sunday schedule as my parents and siblings, we don’t regret it one bit.

Gee I will need to put a sign on our Bishop’s office door, “Bishop Wood Badge Trained!” Since only those parents who are fully supportive of scouting will understand this it should lead to our ward getting more than it’s fair share of scouter friendly families. Thanks for the idea Jota G!

Seriously, our family have moved about 8 times in 20 years and we have only ward shopped one time. This was when we were living in the Netherlands and the ward we would have normally attended only had 1 young woman so we copped out and attended the English speaking ward in Brussels (long drive but better for our 3 daughters, so we figured). I wonder though, if we had attended the local Dutch branch, perhaps that 1 young woman would have become one of my daughters very best friends. Quantity does not always denote quality. I think the Lift Where You Stand approach is best.

About 10 years ago we were house shopping due to job changed and wanted one area near work and recreation. But the ward building smelled bad–literally. It was old and I suspect moldy. The weekend we attended we did not feel welcomed and having teenagers we saw no youth there. But the clincher was B-A-D to dangerous high school…and we’d have put our kid sin private schools as did many in the potential neighborhoods.
We also were not to excited about the ward in the new building in the good school district. Ironically, a suddent shift in job assignments occurred and we did not move at all, to the choices were no longer an issue.