Brazil
A new stake was created in Brazil on January 26th. The Santa Maria West Stake was organized from the São Gabriel Brazil District (organized in 2001) and the Santa Maria Brazil Stake (organized in 1993). The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Rosário do Sul, the Salgado Filho, the Santa Marta, the São Gabriel, and the Tancredo Neves Wards and the São Pedro Branch. The Church has sought for many years to divide the Santa Maria Brazil Stake which had 10 wards and one branch. The new stake is within the boundaries of a previously discontinued stake, the Rosário do Sul Brazil Stake, which operated from 1995 until 2001. There are now 27 stakes and four stakes in Rio Grande do Sul State. Santa Maria appears a likely location for a temple, as there is only one temple in Rio Grande do Sul located in Porto Alegre. A temple in Santa Maria could service 11 stakes and one district.
There are now 288 stakes and 37 districts in Brazil.
Cote d'Ivoire
A new stake was created in Cote d'Ivoire on February 2nd. The Adzope Cote d'Ivoire Stake was created from the Adzope Cote d'Ivoire District (organized in 2016) and the Akoupé Cote d'Ivoire District (organized in 2017 and discontinued when the new stake was organized). The new stake includes the following four wards and five branches: the Adzope 3rd, the Affery 1st, the Affery 2nd, and the Akoupé 1st Wards and the Adzope 1st, the Adzope 2nd, the Adzope 4th, the Adzope 5th, and the Adzope 6th Branches. The four original branches in Affery were consolidated into two wards, the two branches in Akoupé were combined to make a single ward, and no branches were consolidated in the city of Adzope. Both district branches in the two districts were discontinued, which occurs whenever a district that has a district branch is organized into a stake. This new stake has followed the pattern seen with many other recently organized stakes in Cote d'Ivoire, such as in Gagnoa, Man, and San Pedro. Although it is discouraging that these districts have not been able to become separate stakes (which has appeared to be due to the significant slowdown in Church growth in the country during the past five years), it is nonetheless encouraging to note that these cities had no organized branches prior to approximately 10 years ago, and thus, there has been significant growth and leadership development in these nascent areas for the Church. The Adzope Cote d'Ivoire Stake is the first stake to be created in the cities to the immediate north and east of Abidjan that are outside of the metropolitan area.
There are now 22 stakes and nine districts in Cote d'Ivoire
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo)
The Church organized a new stake in Kinshasa on February 9th. The Kinshasa DR Congo Limete Stake was organized from a division of the Kinshasa DR Congo Stake (organized in 1996) and the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo Masina Stake (organized in 1999). The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Kingabwa 1st, the Kingabwa 2nd, the Limete 1st, the Limete 2nd, and the Ndanu 1st Wards and the Ndanu 2nd Branch. The new stake is the Church's 15th stake in Kinshasa to be organized.
There are now 33 stakes and three districts in the DR Congo.
Hawaii
A new stake was created in Hawaii for the first time since 2014. The Puna Hawaii Stake was created from a division of the Hilo Hawaii Stake (organized in 1968). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Ka'u, the Kea'au, the Pahoa, the Waikahe 1st, and the Waikahe 2nd Wards. The Church has experienced steady growth on the western half of the Big Island of Hawaii, and there were only seven wards and one branch in the Hilo Hawaii Stake for many years in the mid-2000s. The neighboring Kona Hawaii Stake also appears likely to divide soon, as this stake has grown to 10 wards and one branch (up from eight wards in the mid-2000s).
There are now 17 stakes in Hawaii.
Idaho
A new stake was created in Idaho on January 12th. The Idaho Falls Canterbury Park Stake was organized from a division of the Idaho Falls Taylor Mountain Stake (organized in 1996). The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Bristol Heights, the Carriage Gate, the Castlerock, the Gem Lake, the Park Taylor, the Stonebrook, and the Victorian Village Wards. There are now approximately 20 stakes in Idaho Falls.
There are now 143 stakes in Idaho.
Liberia
A new stake and a new district were created in Liberia.
The Thinker Village Liberia Stake was organized on February 2nd from a division of the Paynesville Liberia Stake (organized in 2017). Approximately 1,500 attended the conference to create the new stake, and each stake now has approximately 2,000 members which is the minimum required to create a stake. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Boys Town, the Duport Road, the Gbengbar Town, the Outland, the SKD Boulevard, the Thinker Village, and the Voker Mission Wards. There are now seven stakes in Monrovia - all of which have been organized within the past decade.
The Harbel Liberia District was created on January 12th from seven mission branches in the Harbel, Buchanan, and Tameque areas, including the Barclay Farm, the Buchanan 1st, the Buchanan 2nd, the Cotton Tree, the Dolo's Town, the Harbel, and the LAC Branches. The first branch in the area was organized in Harbel back in 2008. Over 900 attended the conference to create the new district. Harbel is the second city outside of Monrovia to have had a district organized.
There are now seven stakes and two districts in Liberia.
Montana
A new stake was created in Montana on February 16th. The Three Forks Montana Stake was organized from a division of the Bozeman Montana Stake (organized in 1979), the Butte Montana Stake (organized in 1953), and the Helena Montana Stake (organized in 1968). The new stake includes the following seven wards and two branches: the Belgrade 1st, the Belgrade 2nd, the Gallatin, the Sheridan, the Three Forks, the Townsend, and the Whitehall Wards and the Ennis and White Sulphur Springs Branches.
There are now 14 stakes in Montana.
Nigeria
A new stake was created in Nigeria on February 2nd. The Abuja Nigeria Karu Stake was organized from a division of the Abuja Nigeria Wuse Stake (organized in 2019). The new stake includes the follow five wards and three branches: the Jikwoyi, the Karu, the Masaka, the New Nyanya, and the Nyanya Wards and the Aso, the GRA, and the Orozo Branches. The new stake is the Church's fourth stake in Abuja, where a mission was organized in 2023 and a temple was announced in October of 2024.
There are now 79 stakes and 14 districts in Nigeria.
Portugal
A new stake was created in Portugal on February 16th. The Santarém Portugal Stake was created from a division of the Lisbon Portugal Stake (organized in 1981) and the Oeiras Portugal Stake (organized in 1989). The new stake includes the following five wards and three branches: the Alverca, the Bom Sucesso, the Carregado, the Santarém, and the Torres Vedras Ward, and the Abrantes, the Tomar, and the Vila Franca de Xira Branches. The Church previously operated a district in Santarém from 1991 to 2020, and the six branches that were part of the former district were reassigned to the Lisbon Portugal Stake or the Oeiras Portugal Stake in 2020.
There are now eight stakes and one district in Portugal.
The Philippines
The Malaybalay Philippines Stake was created on February 2nd from the Malaybalay Philippines District (organized in 1992). Nearly 1,200 attended the conference to create the new stake. All six branches in the district were organized into wards, including the Malaybalay 1st, the Malaybalay 2nd, the Malaybalay 3rd, the Maramag, the Quezon Bukidnon, and the Valencia Wards. There are now 16 stakes and 12 districts on the island of Mindanao.
There are now 132 stakes and 55 districts in the Philippines.
Virginia
A new stake was organized in Virginia on January 26th, 2025. The Brambleton Virginia Stake was created from a division of the Ashburn Virginia Stake (organized in 1995), the Gainesville Virginia Stake (organized in 2016), and the Oakton Virginia Stake (organized in 1963). The new stake includes the following six wards and one branch: the Algonkian, the Ashburn, the Brambleton, the Broadlands, the Sterling Park, and the Tall Cedars Wards and the Loudoun (Spanish) Branch. There are now 15 stakes in the DC metropolitan area.
There are now 23 stakes in Virginia.
Uganda
A new district was created in Uganda. The Lira Uganda District was organized from three mission branches located in the city of Lira, including the Adyel, the Lira, and the Odokomit Branches. The first branch in Lira was organized in 2011. The new district is the Church's third district to be created in Uganda within the past four months.
There are now three stakes and five districts in Uganda.
Japan
The Nagasaki Japan District (organized in 1982) was discontinued and consolidated with the neighboring Fukuoka Japan Stake. None of the four branches in the former Nagasaki Japan District were discontinued. The decision was likely made to consolidate the district with the neighboring stake to conserve leadership resources and perhaps for branches in the former district to become wards eventually. Stagnant growth or decline has occurred on Kyushu for decades.
There are now 22 stakes and nine districts in Japan.
Fiji
The Taveuni Fiji District (organized in 1997) was discontinued and consolidated with the Labasa Fiji District (organized in 2017 but which previously operated from 1989 to 2008). The realigned district is now called the Vanua Levu Fiji District. This decision was probably made due to a renewed effort to create a stake on Vanua Levu and surrounding islands. There are now 11 branches in the Vanua Levu Fiji District. No branches were discontinued with the closure of the district in Taveuni.
There are now four stakes and one district in Fiji.
