New Stake in Guatemala

On November 4th, the Church created a new stake in Guatemala City, Guatemala.  The Villa Nueva Guatemala El Frutal Stake was created from the Guatemala City Villa Hermosa and Villa Nueva Guatemala Stakes and includes the following six wards and one branch: The El Frutal 1st, El Frutal 2nd, Margaritas, Petapa, Ribera del Rio, and Villa Canales Wards and the Santa Elena de Barillas Branch.  The new stake becomes the first new stake created in the Guatemala City area since 1999.  The Church discontinued one stake in Guatemala City within the past decade: The Guatemala City Monte Maria Stake in 2008.

Congregational growth in Guatemala City has been stagnant for many years and will likely result in the Church discontinuing a couple more stakes and creating a couple more stakes within the next decade due to LDS population shifts and low convert retention rates.  With only four wards, the Guatemala City Utatlán Stake may be consolidated with neighboring stakes and the Guatemala City Mariscal (nine wards) and Guatemala City (nine wards) Stakes may divide to create new stakes.