New Stakes Created in Utah (2), Alaska, Ghana, Indiana, the Philippines, Pennsylvania, Portugal, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe; Stake Discontinued in Idaho; Districts Discontinued in Portugal (2) and Ecuador

Utah

Two new stakes have been created in Utah.

The Lake Point Utah stake was organized on February 7th from a division of the Stansbury Park Utah Stake. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Adobe Rock, Big Canyon, Brigham Park, Lake Point, Oquirrh Mountain, Porter Way, and Rockwood Wards. The new stake is the Church's 12th stake in Tooele County.

The Orem Utah YSA 4th Stake was organized on March 14th. The new stake was organized from a division of the Orem Utah YSA 2nd Stake and the Orem Utah YSA 1st Stake. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Orem YSA 14 (Spanish), Orem YSA 17th Ward, Orem YSA 19th, Orem YSA 21st, Orem YSA 23rd, Orem YSA 32nd, and Orem YSA 33rd Wards. 

There are now 617 stakes and two districts in Utah.

Alaska

A new stake was created in Alaska on March 28th. The North Pole Alaska Stake was organized from a division of the Fairbanks Alaska Stake (organized in 1979). The new stake includes the following five wards and two branches: the Badger Road, Delta Junction, Eielson, Fairbanks 3rd, and North Pole Wards, and the North Slope and Salcha Branches.

There are now nine stakes in Alaska.

Ghana

A new stake was organized in Ghana on April 18th. The Abura Ghana Stake was organized from a division of the Cape Coast Ghana Stake and the Yamoransa Ghana Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and two branches: the Abura 1st, Abura 2nd, Abura 3rd, Green Hill, Nkanfoa, and Ntranoa Wards, and the Akotokyer and Brafoyaw Branches. The new stake is the Church's third stake in the Cape Coast metropolitan area which appears the most likely candidate for the Church's third temple in Ghana one day. 

There are now 27 stakes and 10 districts in Ghana.

Indiana

A new stake was organized in Indiana on April 11th. The Fishers Indiana Stake was organized from the Indianapolis Indiana North Stake and the Lafayette Indiana Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Fishers 1st, Fishers 2nd, Fishers 3rd, Kokomo, Lawrence, and Noblesville Wards. The new stake is the Church's fourth stake in the Indianapolis metropolitan area and the first new stake organized in Indiana since 2007.

There are now 12 stakes in Indiana.

The Philippines

A new stake was organized in the Philippines on March 21st. The Imus Philippines Stake was organized from a division of the Bacoor Philippines Stake (organized in 2012). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Buhay Na Tubig, Imus 1st, Imus 2nd, Imus 3rd, and Medicion Wards. There are now 118 stakes and 60 districts in the Philippines. 

Pennsylvania

A new stake was organized in Pennsylvania on March 28th. The Gettysburg Pennsylvania Stake was organized from a division of the Chambersburg Pennsylvania Stake, Colombia Maryland Stake, and Frederick Maryland Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and one branch: the Carlisle, Fairview, Gettysburg, Hampstead, Hanover, and Westminster Wards, and the Cumberland Valley YSA Branch. 

There are now 13 stakes in Pennsylvania.

Portugal

A new stake was organized in Portugal on March 28th - the first time a new stake has been created in Portugal since 2002. The Almada Portugal Stake was organized from the Setubal Portugal Stake and the Madeira Portugal District. The new stake includes the following five wards and two branches: the Almada, Barreiro, Costa da Caparica, Montijo, and Seixal Wards, and the Camacha and Funchal Branches. Moreover, the Church also discontinued the Algarve Portugal District as part of the new stake's creation. Three branches in the former Algarve Portugal District were advanced into wards. These changes resulted in no more districts on the mainland of Portugal. 

There are now seven stakes and one district in Portugal. The sole remaining district in Portugal is in the Azores.

Ukraine

The Church organized its second stake in Ukraine on April 25th - nearly 17 years after the creation of the first stake in Kyiv. The Kharkiv Ukraine Stake was organized from the Kharkiv Ukraine District and the Ukraine Dnipro Mission. There were 10 branches within the boundaries of the present Kharkiv Ukraine Stake immediately prior to the stake's creation. Information on which branches have become wards remains unavailable. The creation of the new stake appeared to be years in the making as the present-day boundaries of the stake once included another district based in Dnipro and there were several additional branches within the former two districts which were gradually consolidated to create larger congregations. There are now two stakes and three districts (four if Crimea is included) in Ukraine.

Zimbabwe

The Church organized a new stake in Zimbabwe. The Bindura Zimbabwe Stake was organized from the Bindura Zimbabwe District. The new stake includes the following six wards and three branches: the Aerodrome, Bindura, Chipadze, Chiwarido 1st, Chiwarido 2nd, and Chiwarido 3rd Wards, and the Avilion, Trojan, and Retreat Branches. The Church in the Bindura area has reported some of its most rapid growth in Zimbabwe during the past decade. The Bindura Zimbabwe District was originally organized in 2012 with four branches.

There are now eight stakes and two districts in Zimbabwe.

Ecuador

The Church discontinued the Jipijapa Ecuador District. Originally organized in 1988, the Jipijapa Ecuador District has experienced no increase in the number of branches for decades. The three branches that previously pertained to the district are now assigned to the Portoviejo Ecuador Stake. 

There are now 42 stakes and 5 districts in Ecuador.

Idaho

The Church discontinued a YSA stake in Idaho. The Pocatello Idaho YSA 2nd Stake (organized in 1998) was discontinued and consolidated with the Pocatello Idaho YSA 1st Stake (renamed the Pocatello Idaho YSA Stake). The sole YSA in Pocatello now contains eight wards. The Church has discontinued 11 YSA wards in the Pocatello area since 2012 - six of which had previously pertained to one of the two YSA stakes before the stakes were consolidated in March 2021.

There are now 134 stakes in Idaho.

Updated Country Profile - Ukraine

Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Ukraine. The Future Prospects sections of this article sums up the current challenges and opportunities for growth:

Ukraine would seem to be, in many ways, a fertile field for missionary work. Western Ukraine is pluralistic and very tolerant of religions; many people are deeply religious; alcohol and tobacco use, although prevalent, are less ubiquitous than in Russia; people are generally open and approachable; and there is very little anti-Mormon activity. Elder Andersen of the Twelve stated in 2009 that “the temple will be a blessing to Ukraine” and that “people will join the Church here by the hundreds and thousands.”[60] However, much remains to be done to accomplish this ambitious mandate. Contemporary growth rates in Ukraine for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have fallen significantly below rates in stagnant Western European missions in the mid-1990s.[61] Contemporary missions are now baptizing only as many people in a year as were baptized in a month through much of the 1990s. Low convert retention and member activity and heavy dependence on the North American church for funds and missionary manpower remain major challenges. Moreover, political instability and war in Russian separatist areas have posed significant challenges for the Church that have all but erased ambitions for a stake in Donetsk one day. Efforts to organize stakes in additional cities continue to experience setbacks and frustration. Only Kharkiv appears likely to have a stake organized within the foreseeable future, and this seems only possible with the addition of branches from the former Dnepropetrovsk Ukraine District and other outlying mission branches in northeastern Ukraine. The Church continues to rely on full-time missionaries to open new cities for missionary work, yet the number of Ukrainian missions and number of missionaries assigned to Ukraine has declined in recent years, limiting the needed manpower to start new congregations in unreached cities. Although essentially all mission branches have native members who serve in essential leadership positions, most of these outlying congregations have less than thirty active members despite most of these cities having a Church presence for two decades or longer. Emigration of active members away from Ukraine and low birth rates in the Church remain significant challenges for the stability of the Church in the long-term. Dramatic changes in the current dynamics appear unlikely in the medium term.

New Stakes Created in Brazil, Georgia, Guatemala, and the Philippines; New District in Armenia; Stake Discontinued in Germany; Districts Discontinued in Brazil, Germany, and Ukraine

Brazil
A new stake was organized in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil on May 20th. The Santa Cruz do Sul Brazil Stake was organized from the Rio Grande do Sul Brazil District (originally organized in 1994) and Cachoeira do Sul Brazil District, and portions of the São Leopoldo Brazil Stake. Information on which congregations are assigned to the new stake is currently unavailable although it may be as many as 10 congregations. The Cachoeira do Sul Brazil District was organized in 1986 and included four branches before it was consolidated with the newly organized Santa Cruz do Sul Brazil Stake.

There are now 25 stakes and 6 districts in Rio Grande do Sul State, and 270 stakes and 38 districts in Brazil.

Georgia
A new stake was organized in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Coal Mountain Georgia Stake was organized from the Sugar Hill Georgia Stake and the Roswell Georgia Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and two branches: the Coal Mountain, Dahlonega, Fowler Park, Laurel Springs, Pilgrim Mill, and Sharon Springs Wards, and the Blairsville and Murphy Branches. There are now 10 stakes in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

There are now 17 stakes in Georgia.

Guatemala
A new stake was organized in western Guatemala. The Sololá Guatemala Stake was organized from the Sololá Guatemala District. Most of the seven branches in the former district, which was organized in 1979, appear to have become wards although information on which branches became wards remains unavailable. The new stake is located within the homelands of the Kaqchikel people. There are now four stakes located within the Kaqchikel homelands.

There are now 49 stakes and 14 districts in Guatemala.

Philippines
A new stake was organized in Mindanao, Philippines. The San Francisco Philippines Stake was organized from the Trento Philippines District (organized in 1999). The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Prosperidad, San Francisco, Santa Josefa, Trento, and Veruela Wards, and the Rosario Branch. The new stake marks the first time in over two decades since a district has become a stake in Mindanao. There are now 12 stakes and 17 districts in Mindanao.

There are now 102 stakes and 73 districts in the Philippines.

Armenia
A new district was organized in northern Armenia on April 15th. The Vanadzor Armenia District was organized from a division of the Yerevan Armenia District. The new district includes three branches: Alaverdi (member group recently organized as a branch), Gyumri, and Vanadzor. Additionally, a member group may also continue to operate in Margahovit. The decision to divide the Yerevan Armenia District, which used to be stake from 2013-2016, suggests that the mission may be exploring opportunities for leadership development and outreach expansion in northern Armenia, and/or there are no realistic prospects for the Yerevan Armenia District to become a stake again in the foreseeable future. There are now two districts in Armenia.

Germany
One stake and two districts were discontinued in northern Germany during May 2018. The Neumünster Germany Stake (organized in 1981) was discontinued and consolidated with the Hamburg Germany Stake, marking the first time in LDS history that the Church has ever discontinued a German-speaking stake. Additionally, the only two districts in Germany, the Oldenburg Germany District and the Neubrandenburg Germany District, were discontinued. Retained branches in the former Oldenburg Germany District were reassigned to the Hamburg Germany Stake and the Hannover Germany Stake, whereas retained branches in the Neubrandenburg Germany District were reassigned to the Berlin Germany Stake. Emphasis on reducing the amount of members needed to fill leadership positions in order to free resources and reduce member burnout appeared primarily responsible for the changes. For example, most of the branches involved in the changes reported less than 20 active members for two or three decades. More information on the changes can be found here (NOTE: article is in German).

There are now 14 stakes in Germany.

Ukraine
The Church discontinued the Dnepropetrovsk Ukraine District (originally organized in 1999, discontinued in 2011, reinstated in 2016) and reassigned its branches to the Kharkov Ukraine District. It appears that the change may have been made in preparation to create a second stake in Ukraine.

There are now four districts and one stake in Ukraine.

Unprecedented Consolidation of Missions in Eastern Europe/Southeastern Europe

The Church announced last week that the following missions will be discontinued in Eastern Europe and Southeastern Europe this July:

• Bulgaria Sofia
• Greece Athens
• Romania/Moldova
• Russia Samara
• Ukraine L'viv

After these missions are merged with surrounding missions in the region, the number of missions in Eastern Europe/Southeastern Europe will decrease from 20 to 15. The remaining 15 missions in the mission will include:

• Adriatic North
• Adriatic South
• Armenia/Georgia
• Baltic
• Central Eurasian
• Czeck/Slovak
• Hungary Budapest
• Poland Warsaw
• Russia Moscow
• Russia Novosibirsk
• Russia Rostov-na-Donu
• Russia St Petersburg
• Russia Yekaterinburg
• Ukraine Dnepropetrovsk
• Ukraine Kyiv

Information on which countries will pertained to realigned missions remains unavailable. However, it appears likely that the Central Eurasian Mission will include Turkey, Bulgaria, and Greece. Missionaries report that the Ukraine L'viv Mission will be consolidated with the Ukraine Kyiv Mission. Missionary activity will continue in all of the countries where mission consolidations are scheduled to occur. However, there may be fewer missionaries assigned to these countries after these changes go into effect.

As I mentioned in my post last week that announced changes to LDS missions this July, the Church in Eastern Europe and Southeastern Europe has experienced some of the slowest growth in the worldwide Church during the past decade. To put things in perspective, there is a total of approximately 65,000 Latter-day Saints on church records for Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and Central Asia combined after approximately 25-30 years of consistent proselytism in most countries within this region. Member activity rates for the region as a whole appear to be approximately 20-25%. Most countries in the region report annual membership growth rates of 2.0% or less. Of the 27 countries in this region that currently have at least one official ward or branch, the Church reports more than 10,000 members in only two of these countries: Russia and Ukraine. Sixteen of the 27 countries in the region report official LDS memberships of less than 1,000. In countries where the least growth has occurred such as Greece and Serbia, the number of full-time missionaries that have ever served in these countries since they opened to proselytism has exceeded the number of converts ever baptized in these countries. In areas of the world that report rapid LDS growth such as in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Church generally maintains approximately one mission per every 15,000 to 20,000 members. Areas of the world that experience slower growth report larger numbers of members per mission. For example, in 2016 the Church in South America reported an average of 42,231 members per mission, whereas the Church in the United States reported an average of 52,738 members per mission. In contrast, the Church in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and Central Asia maintained approximately one mission per every 3,250 members in 2016. If the ratio of members per mission most recently reported in South America were applied to Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and Central Asia, there would need to be only two missions for the entire region.

The Church's efforts to begin proselytism in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and Central Asia during the late 1980s and the 1990s numbers among the most proactive and methodical observed within the worldwide Church during the last century. The Austria Vienna East Mission (organized in 1987) and the Finland Helsinki East Mission (organized in 1990) began proselytism efforts in the region until these missions could later be relocated to Ukraine and Russia in 1992. The number of missions headquartered in the region increased from zero in 1986 to six by 1992 and 16 in 1997. Many of the countries in the region reported moderate to rapid growth in the 1990s, especially in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Hungary, and the Baltics. For the most part, moderate or rapid growth has never occurred for the Church in several countries such as Poland, Serbia, Greece, and Moldova. Furthermore, the longer the Church has maintained a missionary presence in most Eastern European and Central Asian countries, the slower growth rates have become.

The decision to close approximately one-quarter of the missions in Eastern Europe/Southeastern Europe and Central Asia has appeared warranted for many years due to low productivity. Effective strategies for missionary work require allocation of the greatest amounts of resources to target the largest populations that exhibit the highest receptivity to the LDS Gospel message, meanwhile continuing to target less receptive populations with fewer resources. The closure of five missions in the region this summer does not indicate a "throwing in the towel" type of mentality that the Church is taking for this region after frustratingly few results, but rather a wiser appropriation of resources to the region particularly in regards to mission administration. The Church in Eastern Europe and Central Asia will likely continue to maintain a disproportionately large full-time missionary force in comparison to the number of cities with an LDS presence, number of congregations, number of converts baptized, and number of members due to the large size of target populations for proselytism, long distances between cities with an LDS presence, low activity rates, and need for outside assistance with basic church administration needs in many locations. Moreover, more mission resources are also needed to effectively proselyte individual countries in local languages and in order to avoid overwhelming logistical challenges in regards to the assignment of full-time missionaries.

The closure of additional missions in Eastern Europe appears likely within the foreseeable future, particularly in Russia. It seems likely that the Russia Moscow and Russia St Petersburg Missions may combine one day, as well as the Russia Yekaterinburg and Russia Novosibirsk Missions into one mission. However, it will be imperative that the Church continue to maintain consistent proselytism programs in local languages in order to prevent even further deceleration in growth, and in case conditions improve one day and population become more receptive to LDS proselytism efforts. Moreover, it is also possible that the Church may reestablish some of the missions discontinued in the coming years and decades if local populations become more receptive or there are large increases in the number of members serving full-time missions. Bulgaria and Romania appear the most likely countries to have a mission reestablished one day given their large populations and comparatively larger LDS memberships compared to surrounding nations.

Mission Consolidations/Creations - 46 Missions to be Affected

I have received a report that 46 missions will be affected by mission consolidations and the creation of new missions this July.

At most recent report, the following missions will be discontinued this July:

• Australia Sydney (two missions to be consolidated into one)
• Bulgaria Sofia (to be combined with the Central Eurasian Mission)
• Mississippi Jackson (to be combined with Louisiana Baton Rouge and Texas Dallas)
• New York New York (two missions to be consolidated into one)
• Ohio Cleveland (to be combined with three surrounding missions)
• Russia Samara (to be combined with Russia Rostov-Na-Donu)
• Ukraine L'viv (to be combined with Ukraine Kyiv)
• Washington Federal Way (to be combined with surrounding missions)

The consolidation of these missions has appeared needed for many years due to historically low numbers of convert baptisms, and often few missionaries assigned to these missions and other nearby missions. For example, missions in Bulgaria and L'viv have had few missionaries assigned for many years and report extremely few convert baptisms. Also, it appears that many of the missions created to accommodate "the surge" of missionaries serving in the mid-2010s due to the lowering of the age of full-time missionary service may be consolidated - especially in the United States. These missions primarily created in 2013 represented a quick-fix to accommodate tens of thousands of more missionaries serving, most of which were from the United States, within a short period of time. As the Church in the United States has the greatest infrastructure to accommodate such a rapid and temporary increase in the number of full-time missionaries, it is unsurprising that these mission consolidations have occurred now that the double-cohort of missionaries has passed. Moreover, the decision to close these missions will likely indicate a shift in resource allocation from less productive areas of the world (e.g. North America, Europe, industrialized nations in Asia and Oceania) to more productive ones (e.g. Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, industrializing nations in Asia).

At most recent report, I have received reports of the following missions to be created this July:

• Philippines Cabanatuan
• Utah Layton
• Zimbabwe Harare

If you have any information about new mission creations or mission consolidations, please comment.

New Stakes Created in Argentina, Arizona, Australia, Benin, Bolivia, the Czech Republic, the DR Congo, Nigeria, Tennessee, and Utah; District Reinstated in Ukraine; Stake Discontinued in Idaho; Districts Discontinued in the Czech Republic and Papua New Guinea

I have gotten a bit behind with all of the new stake creations. Here we go!

Argentina
The Church organized a new stake in Cordoba Province on May 8th. The Bell Ville Argentina Stake was organized from the Bell Ville Argentina District: The new stake includes the following five wards and four branches: the Arroyito, Bell Ville, General Paz, Lamadrid, and San Francisco 1st Wards, and the Las Varillas, Leones, Marcos Juárez, and San Francisco 2nd Branches.

There are now 75 stakes and 29 districts in Argentina.

Arizona
The Church organized a new stake in the Mesa area on May 1st. The Mesa Arizona Flatiron Stake was organized from a division of the Apache Junction Arizona Stake (renamed the Peralta Trail Arizona Stake) and the Mesa Arizona Salt River Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Boulder Mountain, Ironwood, Ocotillo, Signal Butte 1st, and Twin Knolls Wards, and the Adobe Branch (Spanish).

There are now 105 stakes in Arizona.

Australia
The Church organized a new stake in the Sydney area on May 1st. The Sydney Australia Prairiewood Stake was organized from a division of the Liverpool Australia and Sydney Australia Fairfield Stakes. So far, confirmation is available for only four of the wards assigned to the new stake: Green Valley 1st, Green Valley 2nd (Samoan), Prairiewood 1st, and Prairiewood 3rd (Samoan). It is likely that one or two additional wards are assigned to the new stake.

There are now 40 stakes and eight districts in Australia.

Benin
The Church organized its first stake in Benin on April 24th. The Cotonou Benin Stake was organized from the Cotonou Benin Stake. Missionaries report that the new stake includes eight wards and six branches. However, there is currently only confirmation on four branches that have become wards: Cococodji, Fidjrosse, Finagnon, and Menontin.

There is now one stake and no districts in Benin.

Bolivia
The Church organized a new stake in southern Bolivia on May 15th. The Tarija Bolivia Tabladita Stake was organized from a division of the Tarija Bolivia Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards: the Central, Cuatro de Julio, Panamericano, Senac, and Tabladita Ward. Tarija now numbers among four other cities in Bolivia where the Church operates at least two stakes within a single city.

There are now 28 stakes and eight districts in Bolivia.

Czech Republic
The Church organized its first stake in the Czech Republic on May 15th. The Prague Czech Republic Stake was organized from the Prague Czech Republic and the Brno Czech Republic Districts. The new stake includes the following six wards and seven branches: the Brno, Hradec Kralove, Jicin, Ostrava, Prague, and Plzen Wards, and the Ceske Budejovice, Jihlava, Liberec, Olomouc, Trebic, Uherske Hradiste, and Zlin Branches. As part of the creation of the new stake, the Brno Czech District was discontinued.

There is now one stake and no districts in the Czech Republic.

DR Congo
The Church organized its fourth stake in the Kasai Region of the central DR Congo on April 24th. The Mbuji-Mayi Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake was organized from the Mbuji-Mayi Democratic Republic of the Congo District. The new stake includes the following six wards and two branches: the Bipemba, Dibindi, Diulu, Misesa, Muya 1st, and Muya 2nd Wards, and the Tshikama and Tshitenge Branches. Mbuji-Mayi will also headquarter the Church's third mission in the DR Congo this July.

There are now 14 stakes and three districts in the DR Congo.

Nigeria
The Church organized a new stake in southeastern Nigeria on May 1st. The Ikot Eyo Nigeria Stake was organized from the Nsit Ubium Nigeria Stake (renamed Ukat Aran Nigeria Stake) and the Ibesikpo Nigeria District. The new stake includes the following four wards and six branches: the Ikot Ekwere, Ikot Eyo 1st, Ikot Eyo 2nd, and Ikot Eyo 3rd Wards, and the Ikot Akpan Abia, Ikot Ebre, Ikot Esen, Ikot Oku Iyan, Ikot Udofia, and Ndikpo Atang Branches. It is likely that one or more of these six branches have also been advanced into wards but this information may not be available due to delays in the Church updating this information. It is significant to note that Ikot Eyo is the location of the Church's first branch organized in Nigeria in 1978. The population of the local government area (LGA) of Nsit Ubium may be as high as 5-10% LDS at present due to steady growth within the past three and a half decades.

There are now 34 stakes and 19 districts in Nigeria.

Tennessee
The Church organized a new stake in Tennessee on May 1st. The Cookeville Tennessee Stake was organized from a division of the McMinnville Tennessee and Madison Tennessee Stakes. The new stake includes the following six wards and three branches: the Burgess Falls, Cookeville, Crossville, Jamestown, Lebanon 1st, and Tompkinsville Wards, and the Lebanon 2nd (Spanish), Livingston, and Sparta Branches.

There are now 12 stakes in Tennessee.

Utah
The Church organized a new stake in Utah County on May 15th. The Saratoga Springs Utah Mount Saratoga Stake was organized from a division of the Saratoga Springs Utah Crossroads Stake. The new stake includes the following eight wards: the Riverside 1st, Riverside 2nd, Saratoga Springs 7th , Saratoga Springs 10th, Sunrise Meadows 1st, Sunrise Meadows 2nd, Sunrise Meadows 3rd, and Sunset Haven Wards.

There are now 579 stakes and one district in Utah.

Ukraine
The Church reinstated a district in central Ukraine. The Dnepropetrovsk Ukraine District was organized from four mission branches that pertained to the Ukraine Dnepropetrovsk Mission. The new district includes the following five branches: the Dnepropetrovsk Livoberezhna, Dnepropetrovsk Pobedy, Dnepropetrovsk Tsentralny, Dnepropetrovsk Ukraine District, and Zaporizhzhia Branches.

There is now one stake and four districts in Ukraine.

Idaho
The Church recently discontinued a stake in Idaho. The Moscow Idaho University Stake was discontinued. Most wards in the former stake were student married wards and these congregations were consolidated with family wards in the Moscow area.

There are now 126 stakes in Idaho.

Papua New Guinea
The Church recently discontinued a district in Papua New Guinea. The Kuriva Papua New Guinea District was discontinued and all four branches in the former district were reassigned to the neighboring Gerehu Papua New Guinea District. Over 500 members attended the conference when the districts were consolidated (click here to access a news article on this conference). The decision to consolidate the districts appeared motivated from continued declining LDS growth in the Port Moresby area and a possible effort to organize a second stake in the region within the near future.

There are now two stakes and 11 districts in Papua New Guinea.

New Stakes Created in Alaska, Australia, Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, and Texas; New District Created in Ukraine

Alaska
The Church organized a new stake in Alaska on March 20th. The Palmer Alaska Stake was organized from a division of the Wasilla Alaska Stake. Information on which wards are assigned to the new stake remains unavailable. Prior to the division of the stake, the Wasilla Alaska Stake had 15 wards - the largest number of wards of any stake in the world.

There are now eight stakes in Alaska. 

Australia
The Church organized a new stake in the Brisbane area on March 20th. The Ipswich Australia West Stake was organized from a division of the Ipswich Australia Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Brassall, Darling Heights, Karana Downs, Somerset, Toowoomba, and Warwick Wards. The Brisbane Australia Centenary Stake was also realigned with the Ipswich Australia Stake. There are now 11 stakes in the greater Brisbane metropolitan area.

There are now 39 stakes and eight districts in Australia.

Brazil
The Church organized a new stake in the Fortaleza metropolitan area on March 20th. The Maracanaú Brazil North Stake was organized from a division of the Maracanaú Brazil Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards: the Jereissati 2nd, Maracanaú 1st, Novo Maracanaú, Novo Oriente 1st, and Novo Oriente 2nd Wards. There are now 15 stakes in the Fortaleza metropolitan area.

There are now 259 stakes and 38 districts in Brazil.

Ghana
The Church organized a new stake in southwestern Ghana on March 20th. The Mpintsin Ghana Stake was organized from a division of the Takoradi Ghana Stake and the Ghana Cape Coast Mission. The new stake includes the following five wards and four branches: the Kojokrom, Mpintsin 1st, Mpintsin 2nd, Nketsiakrom, and Sofokrom Wards, and the Daboase, Eshiem, Essipon, and Shama Branches. The Takoradi Ghana Stake numbered among the stakes in West Africa that has taken the longest to divide since the stake's organization in 1997.

There are now 16 stakes and 11 districts in Ghana.

Kenya
The Church organized a new stake in Nairobi on March 20th. The Nairobi Kenya East Stake was organized from a division of the Nairobi Kenya Stake. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Kayole 1st, Kayole 2nd, Lucky Summer, Nairobi 1st, Nairobi 2nd, South B, and Zimmerman Wards. The organization of the new stake is a major milestone for the Church in Kenya and East Africa. Nairobi is the first city in East Africa to have had two LDS stakes organized. The new stake in Kenya is the Church's fourth stake to be created in the entire region of East Africa. With the organization of the new stake in Nairobi, prospects have improved for the announcement of a temple in Nairobi or Kampala within the foreseeable future.

There are now two stakes and four districts in Kenya.

Texas
The Church organized a new stake in the Dallas area on March 20th. The Sherman Texas Stake was organized from a division of the Allen Texas, Frisco Texas Shawnee Trail, and McKinney Texas Stakes. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Bonham, Celina, Durant, Melissa 1st, Melissa 2nd, Sherman 1st, and Sherman 2nd Wards. There are now 20 stakes in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area.

There are now 69 stakes and three districts in Texas.

Ukraine
The Church organized a new district in western Ukraine. The L'viv Ukraine District was organized from the L'viv Ukraine Mission. The new district includes the following seven branches: the Chernivets'ka, Ivano-Frankivs'ka, Khmel'nyts'ka, L'viv Ukraine District, L'vivs'ka, Luts'ka, and Rivnens'ka Branches. The new district is the Church's first district in western Ukraine ever organized, and is the first district to ever operate within the Ukraine L'viv Mission.

There is now one stake and three districts in Ukraine. 

New Stakes Created in Brazil, Nigeria, and Utah; New Districts Created in Argentina, Brazil, and Ukraine; Districts Discontinued in Malaysia and New Jersey

Brazil
A new stake was created on September 20th. The Sete Lagoas Brazil East was organized from the Sete Lagoas Brazil Stake and includes the following five wards: the Belo Vale, Curvelo, Interlagos, Nova Cidade, and Sete Lagoas 2nd Wards. The new stake is the second to be organized in the city of Sete Lagoas and is the 13th stake to be organized in Minas Gerais State.

A new district was organized from three mission branches in the Brazil Salvador Mission. The Barreiras Brazil District was organized on September 27th and includes the Barreiras 1st, Barreiras 2nd, and the Luis Eduardo Magalhaes Branches. The new district becomes the first new district in Brazil organized from mission branches since xxx.

There are now 256 stakes and 38 districts in Brazil.

Nigeria
The Church organized its sixth stake in Benin City on September 20th. The Benin City Nigeria Oregbeni Stake was organized from a division of the Benin City Nigeria New Benin Stake and the Benin City Nigeria Ikpokpan Stake. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Esigie, Igun 1st, Igun 2nd, Ogbeson, Oregbeni, Sokponba, and Ugbekun Wards.

There are now 30 stakes and 19 districts in Nigeria.

Utah
A new stake was organized last Sunday in South Jordan, Utah. The South Jordan Utah Midas Creek Stake was organized from a division of the South Jordan Utah Country Crossing Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Country Crossing 1st, Country Crossing 3rd, Country Crossing 5th, Country Crossing 6th, Country Crossing 9th, and Country Crossing 10th Wards.

There are now 577 stakes and one district in Utah

Argentina
A new district was organized on September 27th. The Punilla Argentina District was organized from mission branches in the Argentina Cordoba Mission and a division of the Córdoba Argentina Sierras Stake. The following four branches are included in the new district: the Cosquin, Cruz del Eje, Dean Funes, and La Falda Branches.

There are now 74 stakes and 30 districts in Argentina.

Ukraine
The Church organized a new district in the Crimean Peninsula on September 20th. The Simferopol Russia District was organized from the four mission branches in the Crimean Peninsula, namely the Bahate, Sevastopol, Simferopol's'ka, and Yevpatoriis'ka Branches. The Church previously operated a district that included these four branches from 2004 until 2007 that was called the Sevastopol Ukraine District. The Church reassigned these four branches to the Russia Rostov-na-Donu Mission several months ago due to the Russian occupation of the Crimean Peninsula. It is interesting to note that the Church has named the district the Simferopol Russia District instead of the Simferopol Ukraine District due to this recent political change.

There are now three districts and one stake in Ukraine (including the Simferopol Russia District) and two stakes and seven districts in Ukraine (including the Simferopol Russia District).

Malaysia
The Church recently discontinued the Johor Bahru Malaysia District. Organized in 2011, the district was previously organized from a division of the Singapore Stake. Only two branches have operated in the district since its organization. The two branches (Johor Bahru and Masai [Malay]) now directly report to the Singapore Mission.

There are now six districts in Malaysia.

New Jersey
I have confirmed that the Paterson New Jersey District was discontinued as part of the organization of the new Liberty Park New Jersey Stake. All three branches that previously pertained to the district are now part of the Soldier Hill New Jersey Stake.

There are now six stakes in New Jersey.

Three New Stakes Created in Costa Rica; New Stake Created in the Philippines; Districts Created in Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, and Russia; District Discontinued in Ukraine

Costa Rica
The Church in Costa Rica organized three new stakes in July.

The Liberia Costa Rica Stake was organized from the Liberia Costa Rica District. The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Cañas, La Victoria, Liberia, San Roque, and Santa Cruz Wards and the Nicoya Branch.

The Cartago Costa Rica Stake was organized from a division of the San Jose Costa Rica La Paz and San Jose Costa Rica Los Yoses Stakes and the Costa Rica San Jose East Mission. The new stake includes the following five wards and two branches: the Cartago, Paraíso, San Diego, Tres Ríos, and Turrialba Wards and the Los Santos and San Isidro del General Branches.

The Guapiles Costa Rica Stake appeared to be organized from a division of the San Jose Costa Rica Los Yoses Stake. No information is currently available on which wards and branches have been assigned to the new stake.

There are now nine stakes and three districts in Costa Rica.

Philippines
The Church organized its first stake on Bohol Island on July 26th. The Tagbilaran Philippines Stake was organized from the Tagbilaran Philippines District. The new stake includes the following five wards and four branches: the Cortes, Dauis, Tagbilaran 1st, Tagbilaran 2nd, and Valencia Bohol Wards and the Baclayon, Duero, Jagna, and Pilar Branches.

There are now 94 stakes and 78 districts in the Philippines. 

Nigeria
The Church organized a new district in Ondo State, Nigeria on July 26th. The new district includes three branches that previously pertained to the Nigeria Benin City Mission, namely the Adeyemi College Road, Ondo, and Yaba Branches. The Church organized two of these three branches in September 2014. The organization of the new district signals a significant milestone in establishing the Church in many of the minimally-reached administrative states native to the Yoruba people. The Church previously operated a district in the nearby city of Akure that administered two branches in Ondo (one of which was later discontinued in the 2000s). The reassignment of Ondo State from the Nigeria Lagos Mission to the Nigeria Benin City Mission in 2013 appears to have been a significant catalyst in recent progress reversing stagnant or declining LDS growth in the area. A second branch was also reestablished in the city in Akure.

The Republic of the Congo
The Church organized a new district in Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo. The Pointe-Noire Republic of the Congo District includes four branches that previously reported directly to the Republic of Congo Brazzaville Mission, namely the Aeroport, Loandjili, Mpaka, and Pointe-Noire Branches. The new district is the first district to operate outside the capital city of Brazzaville.

There are now two stakes and one district in the Republic of the Congo.

Russia
The Church organized a new district in the Moscow area on July 19th. The Moscow Russia South District was organized from five mission branches in the Russia Moscow Mission, namely the Kaluga, Lipetsk, Smolensk, Tula, and Voronezh Branches.

There are now two stakes and six districts in Russia

Ukraine
The Church discontinued the Odessa Ukraine Tsentralny within the past month or two. None of the branches appeared to be discontinued and all now directly report to the Ukraine Kyiv Mission. The decision to discontinue the district in unclear, but is likely due to no foreseeable prospects for the district to become a stake within the foreseeable future.

There is now one stake and two districts in Ukraine

Ukraine Donetsk Mission Closes

It appears that the Church has officially closed the Ukraine Donetsk Mission by consolidating it primarily with the Ukraine Dnepropetrovsk Mission. Recent political instability appears largely to blame for the closure of the mission, although few convert baptisms and low receptivity also appear as added reasons for the mission closure. There are now three missions in Ukraine and 404 missions worldwide.

New Stake in the Dominican Republic; District Discontinued in Ukraine

Dominican Republic

A new stake was organized in the northern Dominican Republic.  The Navarette Dominican Republic Stake was organized from the Navarette Dominican Republic District and includes the following five wards and branch: The Esperanza, Mao 1st, Mao 2nd, Navarette 1st, and Navarette 2nd Wards and Sabaneta Branch.  The new stake once comprised two separate districts based in Navarette (3 branches) and Mao (4 branches) until these were consolidated into a single district sometime in the mid-2000s.  There are now 19 stakes and nine districts in the Dominican Republic.  Several additional districts appear close to becoming stakes, including districts based Azua, Barahona, and San Pedro de Marcoris.

Ukraine

A district was discontinued in Ukraine.  The Dnepropetrovsk Ukraine District was discontinued and branches in the former district are now directly administered by the Ukraine Dnepropetrovsk Mission.  At one time the district consisted of four branches in the city of Dnepropetrovsk and two in Zaporizhzhia.  Within the last couple years the two branches in Zaporizhzhia were consolidated into a single branch and one of the four branches in Dnepropetrovsk was closed.  Full-time missionaries serving in the mission report that the discontinuation of the district was prompted to allow local leadership serving in district responsibilities to focus their efforts strengthening individual branches.  Few convert baptisms and mediocre member activity rates have contributed to ongoing inactivity and leadership challenges in central Ukraine.  Notwithstanding these challenges in central and eastern Ukraine, the LDS Church in Ukraine appears to have the highest member activity rates in Ukraine (32%) among Eastern European nations with at least 500 nominal Latter-day Saints.  The Ukraine Dnepropetrovsk and Russia Vladivostok Missions are the only LDS missions worldwide which have no stakes or districts due to few members, low activity rates, and very limited numbers of local members capable of serving in leadership positions.

Update on Church Growth

Taiwan Reaches 50,000 Church Members

The Church News reported in a recently published article about the Church's 50th anniversary in Taiwan that Church membership in the country has reached 50,000. Today there are 102 congregations throughout the country, 10 stakes and two districts. Membership grows at a rate of around 4% a year and has increased by 20,000 in the past eight years. If membership growth rates remain constant Taiwan will have a projected 81,000 members in the year 2020.

11 New Stakes Created In June and Counting

It has been over a decade since we have had so many new stakes organized in so short a time frame. So far 11 stakes have been organized in the month of June, six of which were created from member districts. So far 25 new stakes have been organized this year.

The Church in Bosnia and Macedonia

The Church News provided interesting information about the Church in these two countries where the Church still has no official presence. It appears that both countries have groups established for members to meet in, but no branches. Macedonia only has one known family who are native Macedonians and Church members. Bosnia on the other hand had no reported Bosnian Church members and Church meetings consist of foreigners meeting throughout the country. Elder D. Todd Christofferson reminded members in Bosnia that they are laying the foundation for the Church in the future.

Recently Created Branches and Groups In Eastern Europe

A little over a year ago I reported on how the Church was aggressively opening new cities to the preaching of the Gospel in Eastern Europe. Only Mission branches or groups recently created are listed below. Meetinghouse locations and times are only available for both branches and groups on the country websites for Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Branches

Kaposvár, Hungary
Khmel'nyts'kyy, Ukraine
Kremenchung, Ukraine
Pärnu, Estonia
Szczecin, Poland
Zhytomyr, Ukraine

Groups/Dependent Branches

Shkoder, Albania
Pula, Croatia
Békéscsaba, Hungary
Szolnok, Hungary
Tatabánya, Hungary
Jelgava, Latvia
Gorlitz, Poland
Kielce, Poland
Torun, Poland
Zamosc, Poland
Craiova, Romania
Novo Mesto, Slovenia
Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Pavlohrad, Ukraine

City Opens For Missionary Work In Ukraine

Within the past couple months, missionaries have begun teaching the Gospel in the city of Zhytomyr, Ukraine. Located around 100-125 miles west of Kyiv, Zhytomyr received its first branch in the city as well. This is a significant development because it has continued the trend of cities opening for missionary work in Eastern Europe. Zhytomyr was also the city in Ukraine with the second most inhabitants without a branch or missionaries in the city (population 278,000). It is exciting to see this city open for missionary work and now 16 cities in Ukraine with over 100,000 inhabitants do not have a branch or missionaries. Other cities which have recently opened for missionary work in Ukraine include Khmel'nyts'kyy and Kremenchuk. Kremenchuk has not had a branch in the city yet considering there are less than 10 members who are active in the city.

Update on Church growth

New Congregations Created in Taiwan

A ward and a couple branches were created in Taiwan recently. The Nantou Ward and the Mingchien Branch were created in the vicinity of the city of Nantou. Growth in the region south of Taichung has been rapid, evidenced by a district maturing into a stake in the region (Chung Hsing) in 2004 and a new stake in Taichung organized last year. The Taitung 2nd Branch was created in the Hua Lien District, bringing the number of branches in the district to six. There are only two districts in Taiwan and 10 stakes. The other district, the Ping Tung District, has five branches outside of the southern city of Kaohsiung . The temple in Taipei serves only the members in Taiwan. The Kaohsiung Stake has gotten quite large and I imagine it will split within the next couple years. The yellow squares represent wards, the green squares represent branches.




New Branch in Lviv, Ukraine

Located in western Ukraine, the city of Lviv has around 1,000,000 people who live in the metropolitan area. Up to this point, only one branch existed in the city and recently it was divided. Again, this along with the new branch created in St. Petersburg suggests that the Church in working to gain new converts instead of gathering the active members (see earlier post about Church members per unit). The name of the new branch's name, the Sykhivs'ka Branch, comes from a southern suburb of the city.


Branch Created in St. Petersburg, Russia


Several years ago, the two districts in St. Petersburg were combined in preparation of a stake. The stake has not been organized as of yet, nor are there any stakes in Russia. I found it interesting that a new branch was organized in this city instead of allowing the existing branches to get larger to make wards in the future.

The Church in Eastern Europe

I wanted to take some time and write about the Church and Eastern Europe. The majority of the countries considered to be in Eastern Europe were opened for missionary work most recently in the early 1990s. Since that time, the Church's presence and spread into most of the largest cities, but with relatively few members. For instance, the country in Eastern Europe with the highest membership is Ukraine with around 10,200 members (out of 46 million people). However, the countries in Eastern Europe with the lowest Church membership (among countries with a Church presence) are Serbia with fewer than 300 members in three branches and Moldova with around the same number of members in two branches. There is a strong potential for future growth of the Church in Eastern Europe, especially because unlike many other places in the world, there are branches organized through these countries. If conditions change and people become more interested in religion, the Church is mobilized to need such a demand.

Below is a map of Bulgaria; a country which provides the best example of this phenomenon. Click on the map in order to see it more clearly. Each green square is a branch.

Notice how the largest city, Sofia, has several branches organized in it and that branches are scattered fairly evenly throughout the country.

Romania is another good example, and here's a map below.

Here are some exciting recent developments of the Church in Eastern Europe.

New Branches in the Baltic States, Eastern Europe and Georgia

Branches have recently (last 12 months or so) been estabished in the following cities.

• Jelgava, Latvia
• Parnu, Estonia
• Shkoder, Albania (see earlier post)
• Kosice, Slovakia
• Tbilisi, Georgia (second branch in city, the Avlabari Branch)
• Alexandria, Romania (last June)
• Pula, Croatia
• Subotica, Serbia
• Kremenchuk, Ukraine
  

Church Launches New Latvian Website

In the past week or so, the Church has launched a country website for Latvia. It is in Russian and Latvian, and is found at http://www.jezuskristusbaznica.lv/ .

Lastly, I wanted to conclude that the activity rate in these nations are actually not as low as you might think. The LDS Church News stated in the Church Almanac that there are over 1,000 temple recommend holders in Ukraine and the temple has been under construction in Kyiv for the past six months. Furthermore, there are two stakes in Eastern Europe: One in Ukraine and the other in Hungary. The Church is close to organizing stakes in St. Petersburg, Russia ; Kharkiv, Ukraine ; and Donetsk, Ukraine. As for Future missions, Serbia, Romania and Ukraine seem most likely. It will be interesting how soon missionaries will be placed in newly independent Kosovo. I imagine that Kosovo will be included with the mission in Albania, since the majority of the population is Albanian.