Two weeks ago, a new stake was created in Japan. The Tokyo Japan South (English) Stake was created from the Tokyo Japan South (English) and Honshu Japan Military Districts. The new stake includes the following five wards and two branches: The Misawa Military, Tokyo 1st (English), Tokyo 2nd (English), Yokosuka Military, and Yokota Military Wards and the Iwakuni Military and Zama Military Branches. The Tokyo Japan South (English) Stake was originally organized in 2003 with four English-speaking wards in the Tokyo area but was downgraded to a district in 2010. It is unclear whether the new stake is technically considered a reinstated stake or a new stake altogether.
There are now 29 stakes and 13 districts in Japan.
The Tokyo South Stake was originally organized on May 30, 1981. By 1996 when I served as a missionary in one of the wards in the stake, there were 2 Japanese wards (Shibuya & Senzoku Ike) and 3 English Wards (Tokyo 1, 2 & 3). The stake was discontinued on Feb 2, 2003 with a major reorganization of all wards in central Tokyo and the English wards became branches and were put into a new Tokyo South District. The district was "upgaded" to an all English stake with only 4 wards on June 1, 2003. Mormon ex-pat numbers fell and the stake was "down graded" back to a district on March 21, 2010. So now it seems they've added in the military branches and have made it into a stake again.
ReplyDeleteChurch growth in June and first half of 2012 from Church Directory of Organizations and Leaders:
ReplyDeleteJune growth in wards and branches + 8 (+ 38 W - 30 br) + 8 stakes ( + 10 stakes - 2) - 4 dist (-5 + 1); + 7 missions (+ 8 - 1)
US: + 0 (+2 W - 2 br), + 5 stakes + 0 dist., + 3 missions (+ 1 Nevada, + 2 UtSLC)
non-US: + 8 ( + 36 W - 28 br) + 3 st (+5-2), - 4 dist., + 4 missions (+5-1; + 1 miss. Ghana, + 1 Colombia, +1 Vanuatu, + 2 Mexico, - 1 Russia)
YTD (First half 2012): + 88 W&B ( + 168 W - 80 br) +29 Stakes ( + 32 - 3) - 7 districts (net)
US: + 39 (+67 W - 28 br), + 10 st. - 1 dist + 1 temple (Kansas City, Mo) + 3 missions
non-US: + 49 (+ 101 W - 52 br), + 19 stakes (+22-3), - 11 dist., + 1 temple (Manaus, Brazil), + 4 missions (+ 5 -1)
Greatest Growth Africa, + 50 W&B (+ 25 W + 25 br), + 4 stakes + 4 districts
Correction to Church Growth Totals:
ReplyDeleteFor the first half of 2012 there are 11 fewer districts Churchwide with one fewer in the US and a reduction of 10 in the rest of the world.
These reductions have come about by consolidation and status change from district to stake, as several stakes have been created from former districts.
This is also a major reason why the number of wards has increased and the total number of branches has declined.