New Stake in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Last Sunday a new stake was created in Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic (DR) of the Congo.

The Kisanga DR Congo Stake was organized from the Katuba DR Congo Stake and includes the following seven wards and two branches: The Gecamines 1st, Gecamines 2nd, Katuba 3rd, Kisanga 1st, Kisanga 2nd, Mampala, and Plateau Wards and the Kasambalesa and Kipushi Branches.  The new stake becomes the Church's third stake in the Lubumbashi area.  The Church organized the first two stakes (Lubumbashi and Katuba) in 1997 and 2009, respectively, and the Church realigned these two stakes as a result of the creation of the new Kisanga stake.  All three stakes currently have seven to eight wards.  I estimate that approximately 0.41% of the city population of 1.73 million is LDS.

Prospects appear highly favorable for the organization of additional wards following the creation of a third stake.  However, inadequate numbers of current meetinghouses - which are often too small to meet the current size of wards in the city - pose a significant barrier to greater growth.  The Church recently instituted a new meetinghouse construction program which has potential to ameliorate this need.

There are now 12 stakes and three districts in the DR Congo.  Missionaries report that the Kananga DR Congo Stake will divide in the near future to create a second stake in that city.  The first stake in Kananga was organized only two years ago.