As part of a project for the Cumorah Foundation, I have been creating maps of major world regions and the status of LDS outreach by metropolitan areas with one million or more inhabitants. See below for a map of the metropolitan areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. Tegucigalpa, Honduras is the best reached metropolitan area (one LDS congregation per 16,700 people) whereas Havana, Cuba is the least reached metropolitan area (one LDS congregation per 2.2 million people).
View Major Metropolitan Areas in Latin America and the Caribbean in a larger map
Having served six months in the city of Concepcion, Chile, I know the city itself may have about 250,000 people only, but with the neighboring boroughs of Talcahuano, San Pedro, Tome, Penco, Chiguayante and others, it might be closer to a million. Does it not qualify for this map? San Pedro carries along the coast to other cities like Coronel, Lota, which might make the greater metropolitan area more worthy of qualification, although sometimes not counted in the Concepcion greater area.
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me of Mexico City where they're considered 7 missions in that area (if you count Cuernavaca mission which we did). Our areas were super small-only a couple of blocks because of the city's huge density. It is so easy to baptize there that the problem isn't baptizing but retention/conversion.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I digress, it still amazed me the more I left the center of the city, how many people had even seen missionaries. There is still so much work to be done and areas barely touched there! I reopened a branch in Indios Verdes there and two years later after the mission they had 3 sets of missionaries there. The harvest has barely begun in Mexico City. We haven't even scratched the surface, especially since most work is referrals. I barely knocked doors.
I served my mission in Tegucigalpa and it was, as was said, a very well-reached city. Some of my areas were just a few streets. At the time in 2004, ward membership was at its all-time low with an average of only 50 attending members per ward. However, in the few times I have been back there, the membership has grown immensely, for two main reasons I think:
ReplyDelete1. There was a real focus on working with church leadership and retention during the last half of my mission from the new mission president, and that focus continued. Preach my gospel was implemented and we got more free reign to work with members and less actives. For a lot of my mission, I spent more time activating members and teaching temple preparation classes, working with leaders, mission preparation, etc. than I did proselyting. That was back in 2005-2006. One of the wards I served in that had less than 50 active members almost quadrupled to over 200 active members, in large part because of a shift in focus to building up the ward rather than just baptizing.
2. The announcement of the temple back in 2006 brought a lot of new enthusiasm and its arrival has definitely accelerated real growth and real conversion throughout the city.
Doing a little bit more research on Concepcion: the city corporately has closer to 300,000 now (2014); the metropolitan area has another million. Total of 1.3 m.
ReplyDeleteI know that this map is very comprehensive, but there are 3 significant metro areas of Chile to be accounted for, covered by 7 total missions.
The three missions that do not have part of those three (Santiago, Vina del Mar, and Conce)are Antofogasta up north, Rancagua slightly south of Santiago (which may be included in the metro area of the capital) and Osorno down south.
Christopher, that is good reporting from Honduras, and likewise Craig about DF.
Wow, the Abobo Cote D'Ivoire Stake created another ward and branch last week!
ReplyDeleteThe Assomin Ward and Sodeci Branch, Abobo Cote d'Ivoire Stake, were created on 1 June. There are now 13 wards and 1 branch in the stake:
ReplyDeleteAbobo Ward
Agbekoi Ward
Agoueto Ward
Akeikoi 1st Ward
Akeikoi 2nd Ward
Anonkoua Ward
Anyama Ward
Assomin Ward
Ile Verte Ward
M'Ponon Ward
Plaque Ward
Quatre Etages Ward
Sagbe Ward
Sodeci Branch
The Celendin Branch, Perú Chiclayo Mission, was created on 1 June. There are now 3 independent branches in the mission:
Guadalupe Perú La Libertad District
Lambayeque Perú District
Celendin Branch
Chachapoyas Branch
Chota Branch
The Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon South Stake was created on 1 June. There are 6 wards in the stake:
ReplyDeleteAzito Ward
Coprim Ward
Niangon 1st Ward
Niangon 2nd Ward
Sideci 1st Ward
Sideci 2nd Ward
The Bo Sierra Leone East District, Sierra Leone Freetown Mission, was created on 1 June. There are 4 branches in the district:
Lewabu Branch
Messima Branch
New Barracks Branch
Sewa Road Branch
The Palermo 3rd Branch (English), Palermo Italy Stake, was created on 1 June. There are now 6 wards and 7 branches in the stake:
Catania Ward
Messina Ward
Palermo 1st Ward
Palermo 2nd Ward
Ragusa Ward
Siracusa Ward
Agrigento Branch
Gela Branch
Mistretta Branch
Palermo 3rd Branch (English)
Sciacca Branch
Sigonella Branch
Trapani Branch
The Philmont Branch (Seasonal), Pueblo Colorado Stake, was created on 1 June. There are now 8 wards and 4 branches in the stake:
La Junta Ward
Mesa Ward
Pueblo Ward
Pueblo West 1st Ward
Pueblo West 2nd Ward
Pueblo West 3rd Ward
Rye Ward
University Ward
Philmont Branch (Seasonal)
Raton Branch
Walsenburg Branch
Westcliffe Branch
The Winchester Branch (Spanish), St David Arizona Stake, was created on 1 June. There are now 8 wards and 2 branches in the stake:
Benson Ward
Elfrida Ward
Patton Ward
Pomerene Ward
San Pedro Ward
St David Ward
Willcox 1st Ward
Willcox 2nd Ward
Sunsites Branch
Winchester Branch (Spanish)
Italy seems to be doing really well the past couple of years! Here's hoping France will follow suit!
ReplyDeleteThe Buenos Aires Argentina Chacabuco Stake was created on 1 June. There are 5 wards in the stake:
ReplyDeleteAlmagro Ward
Nueva Pompeya Ward
Parque Chacabuco Ward
Parque Patricios Ward
Villa Soldati Ward
The Asakae Branch, Takoradi Ghana Stake, was created on 1 June. There are now 11 wards and 5 branches in the stake:
Chapel Hill Ward
East Tanokrom Ward
Kojokrom Ward
Kweikuma Ward
Mpintsin 1st Ward
Mpintsin 2nd Ward
Nketsiakrom Ward
Sekondi Ward
Sofokrom Ward
Takoradi Ward
West Tanokrom Ward
Apowa Branch
Asakae Branch
Eshiem Branch
Essipon Branch
Shama Branch