A big difference is that LDS services do not include in-depth teaching. Different men of the body are called up to prepare a small message and often testimonies are given. Most Protestant churches have pastors who spend hours and hours a week preparing a detailed message to be taught on Sunday. I used to teach/preach and could easily spend 20 hours preparing for a one-hour teaching. That is hard to do with a full-time job and a family. I was just a lay teacher who also filled in for the pastor at times. The pastor had many additional responsibilities. There is a lot to be said for going through a 3 years seminary or Bible college education to prepare for ministry. You can't be going to college for an engineering degree while going to seminary. Full-time ministry is the work you are preparing for. My pastor is a very learned man who is an excellent preacher/teacher. I am grateful the church can pay him to be full-time.
However, I think American churches are sometimes too big and too focused on their facility. We all want big buildings with lots of classrooms and room for Sunday school, youth activities, the sanctuary, etc. Yet, most of those buildings sit empty 5+ days of the week. We end up needing a large staff to manage all the things the church offers.
When I first became a Christian, I went to a church that met in an old Grange hall. Eventually, that building was sold so we had to move. We then met in the local high school auditorium. Everyone had to pitch in to setup chairs and sound equipment and tear it down after the service. We had no permanent facilities but that was such a close-knit group of believers! I can't think of anything we lacked. We kept our kids with us in church. They learned to sit still and were not a major distraction. I spent time with them every day going over Scripture and praying. I have nothing against children's classes or ministries, but parents need to be the primary teachers of their children and if you're doing a good job at home, children's ministries are not essential. I don't know what the early church did but they did not have dedicated facilities and paid staff. Paul did say a minister deserves support but he himself did not accept it.
If the government ever eliminates tax-exempt status for churches and deductions for church contributions, I suspect many an American church will be in trouble financially. Sadly, many Christians won't give as much if they can't deduct it from their taxes. There may not be money for all those paid staff positions. I am not LDS and think their theology is way off but I do admire how they share facilities where 2 or 3 wards share one building. That makes a lot more sense than every church having to have their own building especially smaller churches that only have one service.
