Church Growth News

Makeni, Sierra Leone opening for missionary work

For the first time in about seven years, full-time missionaries will open an additional city in Sierra Leone to formal missionary work this March.  Located in central Sierra Leone, Makeni is the second largest city without LDS missionaries and has had a small number of members that have met for church meetings as a group under the Freetown Sierra Leone Mission Branch.  Missionaries report that as many as four branches or congregations will be organized in the coming month or so in Makeni as rapid membership growth has occurred.  Currently LDS missionaries and congregations function in Freetown, Bo, and Kenema.  The Sierra Leone Freetown Mission includes Sierra Leone and Liberia and its 60 elders assigned to the mission currently baptize approximately 100 converts a month. 

Cities opening for missionary work in Liberia

Full-time missionaries report that two additional cities in Liberia will open for missionary work in the coming months.  Currently LDS missionaries only serve in Monrovia.  In the late 2000s, branches were organized in Kakata and Harbel, which appear to be the cities that will most likely open for missionary work.  I will provide details once they become available.

City opens for missionary work in Ghana

Missionaries have just opened Asokwa, Ghana for missionary work.  Located near the medium-sized city of Obuasi, Asokwa has no wards or branches and any Latter-day Saints in the city meet as a group.

City opening for missionary work in Tanzania

Full-time missionaries will soon be assigned to Mwanza, Tanzania which bring the total number of cities with an LDS presence to three in the country.  Mwanza is the largest city in northeastern Tanzania and offers favorable conditions for rapid church growth for Latter-day Saints . Some Latter-day Saints have moved to the city from the Arusha area in recent years.  Full-time missionaries will also begin teaching in Swahili for the first time in Tanzania rather than English, which will likely foster stronger church growth. 

Benin, Togo, and New Branches In Africa

Some exciting news from Africa regarding Church growth. The Church has had a presence in Benin and Togo for roughly 10 years and up until recently Benin had one branch and Togo had two. The Conotou Branch in Benin was split into three new branches a few months ago: The Gbèdjromédé, Mentonin, and Akpakpa Branches. A third branch in Togo was also organized recently, named the Hedzranawoe Branch. So now each country currently has three congregations each. However, the other two branches in Togo (the Lome and Tokoin Branches) will each be divided to create two new branches. Missionaries serving in Togo report that the soon to be five branches will then be organized into the first district in the country. Currently both countries are part of the Cote D'Ivoire Abidjan Mission.

New branches are also being organized currently in Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Kenya. There was rumor that the city of Mahajanga, Madagascar would be receiving its first branch right before the recent violence and political instability arose, but as of yet I have found no information that this has taken place.

Countries with the Most Members without a Stake Maps

Here are the maps; each green square represents one branch. If you click on the map, it will open in a new window and be much easier to view.