The Church recently organized its first district in the Central African Republic (CAR). The new Bangui Central African Republic District was created from the three mission branches in the capital city—Bangui 1st, Bangui 2nd, and Bangui 3rd (the latter two organized only a few months ago). The district is supervised by the Cameroon Yaoundé Mission. It is unclear when the new district was organized, but it appears to have been created on August 3rd or 10th. The Church has maintained a branch in Bangui for over 30 years and has experienced essentially stagnant growth for most of this time due to remote location, infrequent mission leader visits, and no assigned proselytizing missionaries until 2025.
This milestone makes the CAR the second nation in 2025 to receive its first district, following the creation of the Conakry Guinea District in March. Districts function similarly to stakes, with a district presidency overseeing multiple branches within their boundaries.
The organization of the Bangui Central African Republic District marks significant progress for the Church in the country. The creation of the district suggests that there is sufficient local leadership to staff both branch and district callings, with perhaps ambitions in the near term to organize additional branches in Bangui (population 1.68 million). As of year-end 2024, Church membership in the CAR totaled 281.
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This is an amazing development, Matt! Thanks for sharing it with us. My understanding from my mom (who's a native South African and has heard this from her friends with connections there, and from my "uncle" who just reported on his mission presidency experience a few months ago), is that the Church is having very unprecedented growth all through the continent.
So I think Africa is becoming a stronghold for the Church. With that in mind, I wouldn't be shocked if the Church has its' first native African apostle within the next decade, though I hope it happens sooner than that. Elder Dube's current membership in the Presidency of the Seventy would make him a prime candidate (as all of President Nelson's picks thus far have been from that group).
Anyways, thanks again for this great report.
It has officially been announced that a new stake will be created in Centerton Arkansas on Sep 14. While which units will end up where is currently unknown, it will primarily be a split from the Bentonville stake, with the Metfield Ward and Rogers YSA Branch of the Rogers Stake also being pulled in.
Right now Bentonville has 13 wards and no branches. Rogers has 9 wards, a YSA branch, and a Spanish branch, both branches currently cover both stakes. If there are no new wards created with the stake creation (could very well add more), it will leave 14 wards and a branch between the Centerton and Bentonville stakes, and leave 8 wards and a branch in Rogers.
A stake center for Pea Ridge was just added to the agenda to the Pea Ridge planning commission for October, with the rumor mill stating that the building is likely to be completed at the end of 2026.
Earlier this year I assumed they were just going to split Bentonville down the middle and then Rogers would also be close to being able to split down the middle as well. However the Berryville Ward was taken from Rogers to form the Branson Stake, and now two additional units are being taken for Bentonville, taking Rogers from 12 units to 9 within a single year. All three stakes will now be just about the same size. So if they do indeed intend to create another stake at the end of next year, there will be a lot more movement needed to make it work.
My guess is Bentonville will remain much larger than Centerton, and then when Pea Ridge is finished all the units that meet in the Bella Vista building will form a stake with Pea Ridge if membership numbers are sufficient. SO essentially a 2 to 3 split now, and then another 2 to 3 split with Bville and Rogers end of next year. If not, Pea Ridge may just have a stake center that doesn't function as such for a few years until membership quotas are hit.
For some context, Pea Ridge was a single branch as recently August 2021, and is now slated to have a stake center completed by the end of 2026.
Do you have any idea if the Centerton wards have attendance warranting a split?
I don't. Morningside and Highlands wards were both just created last November and are basically Centerton 4th & 5th, so it would surprise me if they were already ready for another split. If they did a total overhaul of ward boundaries in the stake I'm sure you could slice it to make it work.
Update on a historic chapel originally owned by the church in Washington D.C. https://www.deseret.com/faith/2025/08/13/washington-chapel-sale-plans-and-opposition/
Will the Postdam New York district be upgraded to a stake this year? Besides corrections districts and the MTC could get to a point that there is not a conventional district in the United States.
I think there are a couple of branches in Texas that are under the supervision of the mission. Not sure of any others. Enough branches get created than a district can be formed. They are still under the direction of the mission. However can have more independence.
In areas were there are districts unless theee is a policy change, the Mission President or counselors have to sign temple recommends, interview people for priesthood advancement. Interview and set apart missionaries, conduct membership counsels.
If there are no districts in a mission than a mission President can give full time service to the missionaries under his care,
Doesn’t seem like there are very many stakes being discontinued. Districts becoming stakes causes a loss there. Only dissolved districts are reported here.
When a stake combines easy to have two functioning patriarchs there. Stakes downgraded to districts unless the patriarch moves have an ordained patriarch in there boundaries.
Stakes have multiple functioning patriarchs when there are large amounts of people requesting patriarchal blessings and one patriarchncant do them all in a timely manner.
Spencer...my son served his mission in New York Syracuse Mission. He served in one of the branches in the Postdam District. I was able to return to that mission with my son and we attended one of the branches in Postdam District. My son said that was a typical branch for that area. Sorry to say but Postdam has a long ways to go before it could become a Stake. The branches are very small.
It should be notes that many of the things done by a stake president in a stake are done by the mission president in a district.
The Edmonton Alberta North Stake, Edmonton Alberta Gateway Stake, and Edmonton Alberta Riverbend Stake all have a stake conference scheduled for the 20-21 September this year. With 12, 14, and 8 units respectively I think there is a strong possibility 1, perhaps two (if my dreams came true), new stakes get created in Edmonton next month. If the boundaries were different, and assuming this is what is happening, I think it would have just involved the North and Gateway Stakes, but their boundaries are seperated by the Riverbend and Bonnie Doon Stakes. The Bonnie Doon Stake is not scheduled for a stake conference until November, so it is possible that Riverbend is involved in any reorganization in order to avoid having a stake with split boundaries. Furthurmore, regsrdless of whatever happens in September, I think there is a strong possibily of a Tagalog/Spanish Stake in Edmonton forming in the not-too-distant future. There are already two Tagalog Wards and one Spanish Ward, all located within the Gateway Stake (heck, maybe that's the new stake that gets made in September haha) and both Tagalog wards were organized within the last four years. If the growth rate is maintained another Tagalog Ward would get organized in a few more years (the second one was just recently organized) and then a fourth in perhaps six to eight years from now. That would give the five wards needed for a new Stake. In my lay opinion, this means that eight to ten years from now, there could be anywhere from another two to four additional stakes in Edmonton, but already Southern and Central Edmonton are really pushing building capacity with the meetinghouses they have, and the Edmonton Temple is a small one built as part of the push for 100, with a temple worker discussing with me how the Edmonton temple, according to their statsitics, is the busiest temple in the world for ones that size, and is beginning to show the need for a second one, apparently. I think if Edmonton got another temple of similar size to the current one that would be amazing. So I think the next decade will bring a lot of exciting growth and news for Edmonton, the question is just how exciting it will be.
Oh also, one more thing, about language units in Edmonton. There has been significant growth in French work in the Edmonton Area. The first officially called French Speaking missionaries have been called this last trasnfer and are working all around the city, with there already being three French Sunday School classes in Edmonton (one unofficially, but is working to show sustainability so the teacher who is currently working off of an assignment, can be formally called) and five friends on date for baptism so far. There was some French pre-work being done in the mission last transfer with a different companionship working to show the mission president the viability of French work in Edmonton. A year or so ago there was a French Sacrament meeting held with city-wide inviations to all members interested in attending. I do not know what the numbers looked like for attendance. Lastly there is also the potential of a Mandarin Branch forming in the future. An official committee has been working for a few years now to hold events and activities to build connections and they are all very well attended. There are four mandarin missionaries in Edmonton and talks of forming a branch have ebbed and flowed the last couple years. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.
Recently interviewed by an Area Seventy at stake conference. Generally, when a stake patriarch is handling 50 blessings a year, a 2nd functioning patriarch can be called.
I still can't get over the fact that the church sold that chapel. It is so beautiful.
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