Africa Central Area Details

Details on the new Africa Central Area released, with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. https://www.mormonnewsroom.co.za/article/africa-central-area-office-to-be-in-nairobi--kenya

Creation of the Africa Central Area Announced

Today the Church announced the creation of the Africa Central Area, effective August 2020. The new area will be organized from a division of the Africa Southeast Area, which includes countries from Sudan in the north to South Africa in the south, and countries from Mauritius in the east to Cameroon and the Central African Republic to the west. Information on what countries will be assigned to the new area has yet to be released, albeit it appears most likely that the area will include countries from Sudan in the north to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and Tanzania in the south, to Somalia in the east and Cameroon to the west. Kinshasa, DR Congo appears the logical headquarters for the Africa Central Area as it is the city with the most stakes (11) in Central Africa and East Africa where the only operating temple is located in these region (one temple is also announced for Nairobi, Kenya). The DR Congo is also the country in the region with the largest population with 85 million people, suggesting that placement of area headquarters in this nation would provide for more resources allocated to this area where rapid Church growth has consistently occurred since the Church's initial establishment in the mid-1980s. The establishment of the new area will provide for significant increases in resources to this region of Africa in regards to manpower, financial resources, and attention by international Church leaders regarding missionary work and outreach expansion.

The Africa Central Area will be the Church's third Africa-based area of the Church. The Church organized the Africa Area in 1990 (later renamed Africa Southeast) followed by the Africa West Area in 1998. North Africa was assigned to the Middle East/Africa North Area upon its creation in 2008. Additionally, it appears highly likely that the Church will organize a Nigeria Area in the foreseeable. The Church has reported its most rapid growth in Africa in West Africa during the past decade. Currently, the Church in Nigeria is approaching 200,000 members, 700 congregations (wards and branches), 58 stakes, 18 districts, seven missions, and two temples (one announced, one in operation).

History of the Church in West Africa Video

Click here to watch a 46-minute video regarding the establishment of the Church in each country in West Africa. This video was created to commemorate three milestones: the 40th anniversary of the the 1978 Revelation regarding Blacks and the Priesthood, the 30th anniversary of the creation of the first stake in West Africa, and the creation of the 100th stake in West Africa. Furthermore, the video provides membership information for several countries where no LDS membership information is provided on www.mormonnewsroom.org. This data appears current as of April 2018 as this was the last time membership, congregation, and organization data were provided on the Africa West Area website. These countries include:

• Senegal - 74 members 
• Guinea - 56 members
• Mali - 42 members

LDS Growth in West Africa - Review and Projections

Today I posted an article on cumorah.com that provides a review of LDS growth trends in West Africa and projections for future growth within the coming 15 years. Click here to access the article. Here are some figures from this article that I found particularly interesting:

• The annual number of convert baptisms has nearly tripled since 2010 from approximately 10,000 in 2010 to 19,993 in 2013 to 23,000 in 2014 and approximately 27,000 in 2016.
• Membership has increased proportionally throughout the area within the past 20 years (e.g. 57% versus 52% in Nigeria, 29% versus 25% in Ghana, 5% versus 6% in Sierra Leone, 3% versus 4% in Liberia) although Cote d’Ivoire has been an outlier (6% versus 12%). 
• There are few members and no official church presence in Burkina Faso, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Niger, and Western Sahara. The combined population of these countries as of 2016 was 58.0 million, or 15.8% of the total population of the Africa West Area.
• Forty-nine percent (47%) of congregations in West Africa operated in Nigeria in 2016, whereas 26% operated in Ghana. The remainder of West African congregations functioned in Cote d’Ivoire (17%), Sierra Leone (5%), Liberia (3%), Togo (2%), Benin (1%), and Senegal (0.1%).
• In early 2017, the Church reported 340 cities and towns with an official LDS presence including 192 in Nigeria, 91 in Ghana, 41 in Cote d’Ivoire, seven in Sierra Leone, four in Benin, three in Liberia, one in Senegal, and one in Togo. As a whole, the number of cities with an LDS presence in West Africa increased by 233% between 2001 and early 2017.
• Provided with the range of estimated membership by the year 2030 per low (e.g. 5% for Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone; 7.5% for Liberia; 10% for Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, and Benin) and high (e.g. 10% for Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra Leone; 15% for Liberia; 20% for Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, and Benin) growth rates given historical growth trends, projected LDS membership by nation for the year 2030 is as follows: Nigeria (300,000-600,000), Ghana (145,000-275,000), Cote d’Ivoire (150,000-500,000), Sierra Leone (35,000-67,000), Liberia (30,000-80,000), Togo (15,000-50,000), Benin (10,000-34,000), Senegal (1,000-2,000), Guinea (1,000-2,000), and Mali (1,000-2,000). 
• The Church may operate as many as 30 missions in West Africa by 2025 and 37 missions by 2030 given historical growth trends in the number of missions for the region.
• The Church may operate as many as 264 stakes in Nigeria, 120 stakes in Ghana, 72 stakes in Cote d’Ivoire, eight stakes in Benin, eight stakes in Liberia, eight stakes in Sierra Leone, and eight stakes in Togo by the year 2025 given historical growth trends. 
• The Church in West Africa may operate as many as 13 temples by the year 2030 if the average temple administers 38 stakes given projected stake growth trends.  
• The Church will continue to remain a small minority in West Africa as a whole and in individual nations for many decades to come even if high projections for growth rates are maintained due to the comparatively small size of the LDS Church at present. Membership may constitute as high as one percent of the population in a few nations by the 2030s.

New Era of LDS Expansion in West Africa

I recently received a report that the Church in West Africa will organize its first branch in another previously unreached nation within the Africa West Area in the immediate future. Although the source did not disclose the country where this branch will be created, Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso appear to be the most likely possibilities. The Church within the last 18 months has created its first branches in Senegal (May 2016), Guinea (June 2017), and Mali (July 2017). The opening of branches in these nations has been the greatest coordinated effort of the Church to expand into previously unreached countries since the Church organized official branches in the former Yugoslav republics during the early 2010s (e.g. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Montenegro). The seven countries within the Africa West Area without an official LDS presence currently include Burkina Faso, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Niger, and Western Sahara.

Ten New Stakes to be Created in West Africa during the Remainder of 2017

A recent article on the Ghana Mormon Newsroom site indicates that the Church in West Africa expects to organize 10 new stakes in the Africa West Area before the end of 2017. Earlier this year, missionaries reported that the area presidency indicated that the Church is expected to reach 100 stakes in West Africa in 2018. As there are currently 80 stakes in the Africa West Area, it appears that there will be approximately 90 stakes in the area by the end of the year. So far, the Church has organized five new stakes and four new district in the Africa West Area during 2017 according to my count (see right column of blog for complete listing of new stakes and districts organized during the year) although the recent article on the Ghana Mormon Newsroom site states that there have been 11 new stakes and districts organized during the year thus far.

The following stakes in West Africa appear most likely to divide within the next six months. New stakes created from the division of these stakes may account for some of the 10 new stakes to be created before the end of the year:

• Aba Nigeria North (11 wards, 2 branches)
• Aba Nigeria Ogbor Hill (10 wards, 5 branches)
• Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon North (12 wards)
• Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon South (13 wards)
• Accra Ghana Adenta (11 wards, 5 branches)
• Freetown Sierra Leone (11 wards, 3 branches)
• Lomé Togo (14 wards, 3 branches)

The following districts in West Africa appear likely to become stakes within the next 6-12 months:

• Adzope Cote d'Ivoire (7 branches)
• Akamkpa Nigeria (9 branches)
• Asaba Nigeria (7 branches)
• Bo Sierra Leone East (5 branches)
• Bo Sierra Leone North (7 branches)
• Bo Sierra Leone West (7 branches)
• Daloa Cote d'Ivoire (8 branches)
• Ekpoma Nigeria (10 branches)
• Kenema Sierra Leone (8 branches)
• Ogwashi-Nsukwa Nigeria (12 branches)
• Paynesville Liberia (11 branches)
• San-Pedro Cote d'Ivoire (7 branches)

Rapid LDS Growth in West Africa Continues

The Church in West Africa continues to experience unprecedented growth. Area leadership estimates that the Church in West Africa will reach 100 stakes by 2018. This indicates that there may be as many as 25 new stakes organized in West Africa during the next 18 months. Growth has been driven by increasing numbers of convert baptisms, leadership development, and increases in active membership. For example, church membership in West Africa increased by 10% during 2016 - the third highest annual membership growth rate for the region since 2002. Thus far in 2017, the Church in Nigeria has reported a net increase of 28 new wards a branches - more than any other country in the worldwide church for 2017 thus far. If this rate of congregational growth is sustained for the remainder of 2017, there may be as many as 100 new wards and branches organized in Nigeria. Since the beginning of 2017, the net increase in wards and branches by country has been as follows: 10 in Cote d'Ivoire, six in Ghana, four in Sierra Leone, one in Benin, and zero in Liberia, Senegal, and Togo.

Africa West Area Projects 16 New Stakes in 2016

Senior missionaries serving in Ghana recently reported that Africa West Area leadership predicts a total of 16 new stakes to be organized in the Africa West Area during 2016. The Africa West Area includes seven countries with an official LDS presence including Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo, and Sierra Leone. Thus far, there have been two stakes organized in the Africa West Area in 2016: the Mpintsin Ghana Stake and the Cotonou Benin Stake. Therefore, it appears that as many as 14 new stakes will be created by the end of the year in the Africa West Area.

Below is a list of 38 stakes and districts in the Africa West Area that appear likely locations for the formation of new stakes.

• Cote d'Ivoire
• Abobo Cote d'Ivoire East Stake (12 wards)
• Cocody Cote d'Ivoire Stake (11 wards)
• Daloa Cote d'Ivoire District (8 branches)
• Port-Bouet Cote d'Ivoire Stake (12 wards)
• San Pedro Cote d'Ivoire District (7 branches)
• Ghana
• Abomosu Ghana District (7 branches)
• Accra Ghana Adenta Stake (9 wards, 4 branches)
• Ashaiman Ghana Stake (9 wards, 3 branches)
• Assin Foso Ghana Stake (9 wards, 4 branches)
• Cape Coast Ghana Stake (13 wards, 1 branch)
• Koforidua Ghana District (9 branches)
• Kumasi Ghana Bantama Stake (11 wards, 6 branches)
• Kumasi Ghana Dichemso Stake (10 wards, 8 branches)
• Twifu Praso Ghana District (7 branches)
• Liberia
• Monrovia Liberia Bushrod Island District (9 branches)
• Monrovia Liberia District (6 branches)
• Paynesville Liberia District (6 branches)
• Nigeria
• Aba Nigeria Ogbor Hill Stake (10 wards, 5 branches)
• Abeokuta Nigeria Stake (10 wards, 1 branch)
• Abuja Nigeria Stake (14 wards, 1 branch)
• Asaba Nigeria District (7 branches)
• Eket Nigeria Stake (11 wards, 3 branches)
• Ekpoma Nigeria District (10 branches)
• Ijebu-Ode Nigeria District (8 branches)
• Ikot Ekpene Nigeria District (7 branches)
• Ile-Ife Nigeria District (11 branches)
• Nsit Ubium Nigeria Stake (10 wards, 4 branches)
• Ogwashi-Nsukwa Nigeria District (7 branches)
• Onitsha Nigeria District (11 branches)
• Port Harcourt Nigeria East Stake (14 wards)
• Port Harcourt Nigeria West Stake (11 wards, 2 branches)
• Yenagoa Nigeria District (8 branches)
• Sierra Leone
• Bo Sierra Leone East District (7 branches)
• Bo Sierra Leone West District (8 branches)
• Freetown Sierra Leone Stake (10 wards) 
• Kenema Sierra Leone (7 branches)
• Kissy Sierra Leone District (9 branches)
• Togo
• Lome Togo Stake (9 wards, 7 branches)

Exponential LDS Growth in Africa?

On February 12th, the Church published a news release on its mormonnewsroom.org website in regards to rapid LDS growth in Africa. The news release coincided with information on the groundbreaking of the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple. In the news release the article states:

"Indeed, the Church in Africa has grown exponentially in the past 30 years — a fact surprising even to those who understand best the culture and complexity of this vast region of the globe — whether they are leaders and converts living and serving in Africa, or those who have come to Salt Lake City to help guide the affairs of the global Church."

Some additional noteworthy points in the article include:

"In 2014, more than 12,000 people joined the Church in Southeast Africa (about 4 percent of growth Churchwide) and 24,000 people joined in West Africa (about 8 percent of the 296,000 converts around the globe)."

"To appreciate this rapid growth, historical context helps. In Africa 30 years ago, the Church had 137 separate congregations and about 22,000 members. Today, there are more than 1,600 congregations and half a million members — that’s 11 times more wards and branches and 20 times more members than in 1985."

"What’s more, the Church will soon have a new missionary training center in Accra that can train 400 missionaries at a time to support the faith’s global missionary force."

In addition to the news release, the Church also posted a video providing additional details on LDS growth in Africa. In the video, Elder Joseph W. Sitati of the Seventy stated:


"As we look to the future, this controlled growth will enable the Church to grow in a way that if that had not happened, the numbers would be much higher than what we have today. But I think the Church would be much weaker."

The Church has indeed experienced rapid growth in many areas of Sub-Saharan Africa within the past three decades. The most rapid growth has occurred in Nigeria, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), and Cote d'Ivoire. More than half of LDS membership in Africa resides in these four nations. During the 19-year period between 1995 and 2014, LDS membership increased from 28,000 to approximately 130,00 in Nigeria, 14,000 to 62,031 in Ghana, 5,300 to 42,689 in the DR Congo, and 2,800 to 27,052 in Cote d'Ivoire. Between 1995 and 2015, the number of stakes increased from three to 33 in Nigeria, two to 15 in Ghana, zero to 13 in the DR Congo, and zero to nine in Cote d'Ivoire. Rapid congregational growth has also occurred in all four of these nations within the past two decades, suggesting that commensurate "real growth" has occurred in these nations in regards to increasing numbers of active members. The Church in Cote d'Ivoire has recently experienced some of the most rapid expansion of the Church into previously unreached areas ever witnessed in modern church history. Significant increases in the number of West African and Congolese members serving full-time missions has warranted the Church to build a new MTC in Ghana with approximately quadruple the capacity of the original Ghana MTC constructed in the early 2000s.

Despite this progress, LDS growth in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be extremely limited. Overall growth trends have appeared much more modest than the "exponential" growth claims in the recent LDS news release. Here are some figures that support this argument:

• LDS membership exceeds 20,000 in only six of the 30 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa where there is an official LDS presence, namely Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, DR Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Zimbabwe. Most the population in these six nations does not live in an area where an LDS congregation operates. Entire regions of these nations have absolutely no LDS presence whatsoever. In the DR Congo, the entire northern half of the country was totally unreached until the creation of the Kisangani Branch approximately one year ago. In Ghana, two administrative regions have no official wards or branches. There are approximately 100 cities in Nigeria inhabited by 100,000 or more people that have no LDS congregations, most of which are located outside of traditionally Muslim areas. Five of the 12 administrative districts in Cote d'Ivoire remain unreached by the Church.
• The Church in Sub-Saharan Africa reports fewer than 10,000 members in 20 countries where there is an official LDS presence.
• LDS membership and congregational growth rates are best described as linear or cubic in nearly all African nations.  
• The Church in Ghana and Sierra Leone reports the highest percentage of Latter-day Saints in the population among African nations - a mere 0.25%, or one LDS member per approximately 400 people.
• LDS growth trends over the past two decades have been slow or stagnant in seven nations, including Angola, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, and Tanzania.
• Four or fewer cities have an LDS presence in 17 Sub-Saharan African nations.
• There are 12 Sub-Saharan African countries where there are no official LDS congregations that operate despite sufficient religious freedom to conduct proselytism and no legal barriers for the Church to obtain government recognition. 
• Six Sub-Saharan African nations with an LDS presence - Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, and Tanzania - are inhabited by over 10 million people each have no LDS missions headquartered within their geographic borders.

A lack of international church resources allocated to Africa, combined with a conservative interpretation of the Church's "centers of strength" policy, appear the primary causes for an extremely limited LDS presence in Africa today. The interpretation of this policy has vastly differed between the Church's two African administrative areas during the past six years in particular. The Church in the Africa West Area has maintained some of the most successful and efficient policies governing LDS growth in the worldwide Church as evidenced by the organization of the first LDS branches in more than a dozen cities in Cote d'Ivoire during 2015. Recent congregational and membership growth rates have reached as high as 20% in some West African nations with good convert retention and member activity rates reported. However, the Africa Southeast Area has typically implemented policies that have stifled growth. For example, dozens of locations in the DR Congo have groups of isolated Latter-day Saints or prospective members that have been denied permission to organize official branches. The Church in Tanzania reports only six branches despite an LDS presence for over 20 years. The previous area policy that required proselytism and church services to be conducted exclusively in English rather than Swahili was a significant barrier for growth. No LDS mission operates in Ethiopia despite significant language barriers between mission leadership in English-speaking Uganda and an Ethiopian target population of nearly 100 million. Inadvertently, this conservative implementation of the centers of strength policy in the Africa Southeast Area has restricted LDS missionary resources into a handful of select locations, some of which have never matured into true centers of strength despite decades of proselytism, such as Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Blantyre, Malawi; Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania; Maseru, Lesotho; and Windhoek, Namibia.

Despite these limitations, the Church in Africa has excellent opportunities for continued growth. These opportunities appear most likely to be taken advantage of in West Africa where sizable numbers of LDS missionary resources are allocated and where mission and area leaders regularly open additional cities to proselytism. Prospects for LDS growth in other areas of the continent also appear favorable, but the outlook for growth will depend on the Church assigning more missionaries to these areas, opening more cities to proselytism, and mission and area leaders engendering greater self-sufficiency in local church leadership.

Continued Progress in West Africa

The Church continues to rapidly grow in West Africa. A report from a senior missionary couple who serves in the area indicates that the Church in 2014 set an all-time record for the number of convert baptisms in the Africa West Area as over 23,000 converts joined the Church during the year. This marks the seventh year in a row that the Africa West Area has set a new record for the number of new converts baptized in a single year. Membership and congregational growth rates in West Africa have been approaching unprecedented levels that are reminiscent of the explosive growth of the Church in Latin America during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Here are some noteworthy LDS growth developments in the Africa West Area:

• Construction has started on a new missionary training center (MTC) in Accra, Ghana. The new facility will triple the capacity of the current Ghana MTC located in Tema, Ghana. The Ghana MTC has experienced steady increases in the number of missionaries it annually trains from less than 300 in the early 2000s to over 1,300 within the past two years.
• The following cities have had the first LDS branch organized within the past two months: 
• Abesim, Ghana
• Aflao, Ghana
• Bouake, Cote d'Ivoire
• Issia, Cote d'Ivoire
• Kugba, Nigeria
• Lakowe, Nigeria
• Snake Island, Nigeria
• The Church has continued to organize new branches in Sierra Leone despite the removal of full-time missionaries due to the Ebola epidemic. The most recently organized branch was the New England Branch in the Bo Sierra Leone East District.
• The Church reported significant net increases in the number of congregations in the following countries:
• Ghana (~40) - a 24% annual increase
• Nigeria (~40) - a 10% annual increase
• Cote d'Ivoire (~25) - a 35% annual increase
• Sierra Leone (~9) - a 30% annual increase

If membership and congregational growth rates remain stable in West Africa for the next decade, the Church may report the following statistics for year-end 2024. However, membership and congregational growth rates rarely remain stable for as long as a decade:

• Nigeria - 259,000 members, 1,078 congregations
• Cote d'Ivoire - 191,000 members, 1,950 congregations
• Ghana - 165,000 members, 829 congregations
• Liberia - 60,000 members, 63 congregations
• Sierra Leone - 45,500 members, 111 congregations
• Benin - 33,000 members, 152 congregations
• Togo - 24,600 members, 67 congregations

Click here to access statistical profiles on cumorah.com providing detailed statistics on LDS growth trends by country.

The Ebola Epidemic in West Africa and LDS Growth

I wanted to make a comment about speculation made by some regarding the impact of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa on the receptivity of native populations in the region to the LDS Church.

Although LDS growth has accelerated in West Africa within the past few years, this development has not appeared to have any direct correlation with the Ebola epidemic in the region. Recent rapid growth in Cote d'Ivoire as evidenced by the doubling of congregations in the Abobo Cote d'Ivoire stake in 2014 from eight to 16, the simultaneous organization of six branches in the city of Daloa, Cote d'Ivoire in early 2014, and accelerated national outreach expansion in Ghana appear to have no correlation with the recent Ebola outbreak. All of these recent LDS growth developments began before the Ebola outbreak did. The plans and approvals for the organization of new congregations takes months, and even up to a year, to be carried out, suggesting that these developments began before the Ebola epidemic.

Please see below to find links to the LDS statistical profiles to countries in the region. These profiles clearly show that accelerated growth began several years ago.

• Benin
• Cote d'Ivoire
• Ghana
• Liberia
• Nigeria
• Sierra Leone
• Togo

Recent Church Growth Developments in Africa

Members and missionaries continue to report encouraging LDS Church growth developments in Africa.  Some notable developments include:

• Preparations underway to open the Central African Republic and Gabon to missionary work
• The creation of two new stakes in Kinshasa, DR Congo in the coming months
• Plans to create additional branches in Angola and Togo
• Plans to create the first stake in Mozambique next year in Maputo
• The creation of a second branch in Rwanda
• The opening of two locations to missionary work in Sierra Leone (Waterloo and Rokel)
• The opening of a couple dozen new proselytism areas in Ghana, including the placement of full-time missionaries in several locations for the first time such as Abesem, Bibiani, Eshiem, and Mampong

Prospects for organizing additional missions in Africa next year are highly favorable.  Here are some locations for new missions that I think are most likely:

• Luanda, Angola
• Burundi/Rwanda
• Yaounde, Cameroon
• Central DR Congo (based in Mbuji-Mayi or Kananga)
• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Monrovia, Liberia
• Benin City, Nigeria
• Johannesburg, South Africa (second mission)
• Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Significant Developments for the LDS Church in Africa

Cities open for missionary work in Ethiopia

In an unprecedented move, LDS missionaries serving in Awasa, Ethiopia report that three additional cities in the Awasa area have had their first LDS congregations organized, doubling the number of cities in Ethiopia which receive LDS outreach from three to six.  LDS missionaries were assigned to Shashemene and a group was established a few weeks ago whereas groups were recently organized in the cities of Ch'iko and Wendo.  Missionaries report that dozens are currently investigating the church in these cities and that baptisms occur weekly.  Once newly organized groups in Shashemene, Ch'iko, and Wendo mature into independent branches prospects appear favorable for a district to be organized.  Awasa was opened to missionary work in 2010 and the Awasa Branch was organized in 2008 with less than two dozen members.  At present over 100 attend church meetings in the four cities in the region.  LDS missionaries have served in Addis Ababa and Debre Zeit for many years, where three branches and a group for Nuer-speakers operate.  There are now four branches and four groups in Ethiopia organized into one district.  There has been no recent word on whether an unofficial group continues to operate in Gambella.

First LDS branch outside of Angolan capital organized

The first independent LDS branch outside of Luanda was recently organized in the southern Angolan city of Lubango.  A group was organized in Lubango about a year ago and operated under the Mozambique Maputo Mission Branch.  The LDS Church in Angola also recently had its first district organized for the three branches in Luanda.  A group was also recently organized in the Viana, a suburb of Luanda.  There are now four branches and approximately four groups in Angola.  Prospects appear highly likely for Angola to become its own mission due to high rates of receptivity to the LDS Church, administrative demands on the Mozambique Maputo Mission, distance from Angola to Mozambique, and a large, relatively unreached population in Angola that has received very few LDS missionary resources.  The first LDS missionaries were assigned to Angola only a few years ago.

First LDS stake organized in the central interior of the Democratic Republic of the Congo


The Kananga Democratic Republic of Congo District recently became a stake, becoming the first stake in the country to be organized outside of Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.  The new stake includes five wards and three branches.  Enormous growth potential exists in the region and a third mission for the DR Congo based in Kananga, Mbuji-Mayi, or Luputa appears highly likely in the near future.  Missionaries report that missions based in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi are currently baptizing around 300 converts a month, with over 90% of converts being retained at least over the short term.  At this rate of growth, LDS membership may increase by between 7,000 and 9,000 in 2011 alone.  In late 2010, there were approximately 27,000 members in the DR Congo.

New branch organized in Uganda
A new branch was organized in the Jinja Uganda District named the Njeru Branch.  There are now six branches in the district.

New stake in Nigeria
The first new stake in Nigeria since 2007 was organized in Lagos.  The Lagos Nigeria South Stake includes five wards and two branches in the southern portion of the city.  The first stake in Lagos was organized in 1997 and a second stake was organized in 2005.  Several additional Nigerian stakes are close to splitting as all three stakes in Benin City have between 10 and 15 wards and the Port Harcourt Nigeria West Stake has 11 wards at present.  Nigeria has experienced recent growth in the number of districts as eight new districts were organized from late 2008 to mid-2010.  There are now 17 stakes and 21 districts in Nigeria.  Based on recent membership growth trends, LDS membership should number over 100,000 by mid-2011, becoming the first African country to have over 100,000 members.

Potential New Stakes in Africa

Here are some predictions for new stakes in Africa. If a country is not listed, it is because I find it unlikely to have a new stake created in it within the next 18 months. However, I am not suggesting all of these new stakes to be organized in the next 18 months, let alone the next five years. These areas have seen growth and are maturing, which would bring them closer to stakehood. Cities in italics currently have a district; cities in regular font already have a stake, but it is likely it will split.


SIERRA LEONE

• Bo - 7
• Freetown - 10

GHANA

• Assin Foso - 8
• Koforidua - 10
• Takoradi

NIGERIA

• Eket
• Asaba - 10 (more likely to be divided into two districts instead of made into a stake)
• Enugu - 9
• Ibadan - 7
• Ile-Ife - 7
• Umuahia - 8

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

• Luputa - 6
• Lubumbashi (the single stake might be divided into three stakes since there are 15 wards in it)

KENYA

• Chyulu - 11

UGANDA

• Kampala - 10

ZAMBIA

• Lusaka - 7

ZIMBABWE

• Gweru - 7
• Mutare - 6

Stakes and Districts in Africa

One of the best indicators of growth and activity in the Church is the presence and increase of stakes. Africa now has 46 stakes and 41 districts. As you can see in the map above (yellow squares are stakes; green squares are districts), the Church is strongest in Nigeria and Ghana. Even in these two countries, members are found in "pockets" among a large population. Working in just one or two cities in an entire country allows missionaries to train leadership while building up a large member population. A returned missionary from Madagascar explain this was the case in his mission, with almost all the missionaries serving in Antananarivo. "Building centers of strength" was the motto for missionary work in Madagascar and is a method used in many other poor, unstable countries for security issues as well. This is one of the reasons why we can see now five stakes in the Kinshasa-Brazzaville metropolitan area, and not even a branch of the Church in cities with over 100,000 people in the surrounding region. Before a new city opens for missionary work and a branch established, there usually needs to be active members currently living there.

Recently some members of the Church and others in academia have criticized the Church for being too American/Western European in Africa and have stunted growth. Examples of attacks made are missionaries wearing suits, no drums being used in worship services and a lack of native culture being integrated into LDS beliefs. The Church does not prohibit members from taking part in cultural activities and traditions. It does seek to keep the doctrine of the Church intact as possible. Based on countless missionary blogs from Africa as well as around the world I have never encountered a statement like "if only we had drums in our worship services more people would join the Church here." The statements that I find center on wanting more senior couple missionaries to help train local leadership and compliants on travel between cities that constrain training and mission resources.

Something interesting that have developed in the past five years in Africa is a trail of stakes and districts stretching from the center of the DR of Congo to South Africa. Considering this area has a large population, it could quite possible prove to become the powerhouse of Africa in the Church in the coming 10 years.

Exciting developments in Africa

The Church has just given authorization for a branch to be created in Gulu, Uganda. This will be the first branch over 100 miles away from the capital, Kampala. Currently, a group functions in the city and has high attendance at Sunday meetings. The formation of a branch in this city has been delayed due to conflict in the region. Missionary activity has not been authorized for Gulu yet (as well as Rwanda which had its first branch organized in March).

The Mission President for the Uganda Kampala Mission has recently been given approval to look for member activity in the Sudan. Reports on member activity in this war-torn country are limited, but there may be as many as a couple hundred members meeting in the South of the Country (possibly in the vicinity of Juba). Many Sudanese refugees have been baptized in the United States (for example, a branch temporary functioned in Omaha, Nebraska in Nuer which is a language from this area). Some of these members have returned to their homeland. The southern part of Sudan is predominantly Christian, while the north is Muslim.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: An International Church

I wanted to take time to write concerning the demographics of the Church and what Church Leaders have said concerning its status internationally. President Hinckley and other General Authorities have in recent years declared that the Church's demography is spread all across the globe. President Monson stated in the past week in a press conference, "How grateful we are for the dedication, the faith and the strength of the people of this Church who now number more than 13 million in 176 nations and territories throughout the world. Our membership continues to grow steadily." Clearly the Church has spread itself accross the majority of the countries of the world. However, Church membership is by no means evenly distributed across the countries of the world.
Now for some statistics. A little over 84% of Church membership resides in North and South America (including the Caribbean) and almost 86% of the Church's stakes. Out of the 125 currently operating temples, 31 are outside of North and South America. The Church has established itself in every country in the Western Hemisphere (excluding Cuba) and the Southern Hemisphere (except East Timor, Rwanda, Burundi, The Seychelles, and Comoros). In Europe, the Church has a presence in every country except Macedonia and Bosnia (from what I have found).
This post is by no means criticizing anything Church leaders have said, but rather I am making a point that although we do have members residing in most of the countries of the world, most of the members live in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. Something I have found interesting is how well the Church has grown in island nations. For example, the country in Africa with the highest percentage of members is Cape Verde and is around 2% and the country with the second highest is less than 0.2%. The countries which have the highest percentage of members are island nations concentrated in the South Pacific like Tonga (46%) and Samoa (36%). The Church has grown the most in Europe in the British Isles with over 100,000 members more than the country in Europe with the second most members (Spain with around 41,000 members). The Philippines has the most members out of any of the countries in the Eastern Hemisphere with around 600,000. I believe this is a fulfillment of prophesy in 1 Nephi 19:16, "Yea, then will he remember the isles of the sea."

Here is a list of all of the countries in the Northern part of the Eastern Hemisphere with no Church presence. I define this as meaning no branches established and no membership reported. Countries in italics means that the country is predominantly Muslim (which tend to not allow other religions to proselyte or publicly practice).

ASIA

Afghanistan
Azerbaijan
Bhutan
Iran
Iraq
Kuwait
Kyryzstan
Maldives
Oman
Qatar
Syria
Turkmenistan
Yemen
Myanmar
Brunei
North Korea
Uzbekistan

Africa

Algeria
Burkina Faso
Chad
Eretria
The Gambia
Guinea
Guniea-Bissau
Libya
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Niger
Senegal
Somalia
Sudan
Tunisia

Update on the Growth of the Chruch

I am keeping up with my commitment to provide updates concerning Church growth from around the world.

Number of Translations of the Book of Mormon Reaches 106

Within the past month or so, the Church has finished several translations of the Book of Mormon. The new language in which the Book of Mormon was translated (which has never had an official translation before) was Yoruba, a language spoken by around 25 million people in western Nigeria. This is a much needed tool in this part of the world. Yoruba speaking areas of Nigeria have five missin districts organized in them and two stakes (both located in Lagos). Hopefully the Book of Mormon fully translated into Yoruba will be the stimulus to turn some of these districts into stakes soon.

The other language in which the Book of Mormon was translated in was Urdu, the most widely spoken language in Pakistan. Selections of the Book of Mormon were published in 1988 and now the entire Book of Mormon has been translated. Pakistan is home to one mission district and probably less than a 1,000 members. The Church does not publicly publish information about the Church in Pakistan due to the political climate there. The India New Delhi Mission was just organized a couple months ago and administers to Pakistan.

The Book of Mormon in Mongolian has just been released with footnotes in it. The original translation for the book was published in 2001. The Book of Mormon in Igbo, according to the http://www.ldscatalog.org/ site, is listed as a new item (even though it was translated back in 2000). It was probably either retranslated or footnotes were added.

Although not listed on any of the Church's websites, I have found out that the Book of Mormon translation in Serbian is getting close to completion. As for my personal predictions for new translations of the Book of Mormon to come in the next couple years, Iban, Malay, Burmese, Nivacle, Marathi and various African languages seem quite probable.

New City Open for Missionary Work in Albania

I just found out from a returned missionary that the city of Shkoder, Albania just opened for the preaching of the Gospel a couple months ago. There are four missionaries working in the city. Shkoder is the first city to open in the northern portion of the country.

Elder Uchtdorf Comments on Missionary Work in Africa

The Associated Press wrote an article about the growth of the Church and convert retention. The article is informative, not biased and provides interesting information from Elder Uchtdorf, an apostle of the Church, concerning missionary work in Africa. The article quotes him, stating

"Uchtdorf also said that in areas with fast growth potential, the church must grow "slowly and in a natural, healthy way" so that local congregational leaders are well grounded in doctrine. 'In some parts of Africa, we could baptize full villages,' said Uchtdorf, 66. "We could immediately explode our membership. We're going slowly to have sufficient leadership."

This provides much evidence to contradict the statement made by many critics of my faith that all we are trying to do is add members for numbers' sake. Areas of Africa which Elder Uchtdorf is alluding to probable consist for nations like Mozambique, DR of Congo, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone. It is very important for new converts to have capable leaders which are firmly grounded in doctrine and testimony in order to produce greater growth for years to come. The url for this article was http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g5oVE-Zihw_HRrBEzf1UbVyDSj6gD8UHMTF00

This is all I have for this update for this past month.