The Church reached 30,000 official congregations
this month for the first time in its history. This milestone has taken a significant amount of time to reach due to decelerating congregational growth rates in the 2000s and early 2010s. The number of official congregations reached the
10,000 milestone in 1979 and the 20,000 milestone in 1992. Congregational growth has slightly accelerated in the mid-2010s although both numerical increases and percentage growth rates remain significantly less than in the 1980s and 1990s. In additional to official
congregations, hundreds, if not thousands, of semi-official member
groups also operate throughout the world.
For more information on LDS congregational growth rates, please refer to this article on cumorah.com.
8 comments:
We only need 86,000 more for the Second Coming. Exciting times.
I am excited about the 30,000 congregation level being met.
I note that Joseph posted on 11 December that there are 22,546 wards and 7,449 branches (total 29,995 with 24.8% are branches)
Inside the United States and Canada there are 12,565 wards and 2,069 branches (14.1% branches)
Outside the United States and Canada there are 9,981 wards and 5,380 branches (35.0% branches)
While the United States and Canada have had growth, most of the growth since 1992 must have come from outside.
I wonder what the ratio of wards and branches was in 1992. I suspect we have a higher fraction of wards today than in 1992.
Mike-
35% of official congregations were branches in 1991, whereas 37% of official congregations were wards at year-end 1993. So I take it, it is fair to say approximately 36% of official congregations were branches in 1992 when the Church reached the 20,000 congregation milestone.
Thanks, Matt. So, the number of branches have gone up about 450 since 1992, while the number of wards have gone up about 9550.
Some branches are bigger than wards, but most are smaller.
The growth in wards (almost 75%), is pretty significant.
I wasn't trying to be glib or disrespectful, but I truly hope we reach out to more communities and create thousands of more stakes and wards and branches.
We need more missionaries and temples: and active members who serve and pay tithing.
Stay faithful in the Lord.
Note that the 30K number includes sensitive units, and by the official report were still 2 short.
Districts 11, Wards 4, Branches 91
At the current rate we should reach 30k non-sensitive congregations at the beginning of March.
Unit update
22 Nov
Tabatinga Branch, Brazil Manaus Mission (11 Branches, 2 Districts, 11 Stakes)
6 Dec
Tucson Arizona South Stake (1 Branch, 6 Wards)
Tucson Wilmot Branch (Correctional Facility)
Cienega Ward
Corona Ward
Los Reales Ward (Spanish)
Midvale Ward
Vail Ward
Valencia Ward
Trigales Ward, Quetzaltenango Guatemala West Stake (1 Branch, 9 Wards)
13 Dec
Katoka Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake (6 Wards)
Katoka 1st Ward
Katoka 2nd Ward
Katoka 3rd Ward
Malandji Ward
Ndesha 1st Ward
Ndesha 2nd Ward
Taipei Taiwan North Stake (5 Wards)
Peitou Ward
Shihlin Ward
Taipei Ward (English)
Tanshui Ward
Tienmu Ward
Buffalo Ward, Springfield Missouri Stake (1 Branch, 9 Wards)
Carburn Park YSA Ward, Calgary Alberta Bow River Stake (9 Wards)
El Carmen Branch, San José Costa Rica Toyopán Stake (2 Branches, 7 Wards)
Lagomar Branch, Macaé Brazil Stake (4 Branches, 4 Wards)
Mountain Vista Ward, Queen Creek Arizona South Stake (7 Wards)
Wylie 4th Ward, Richardson Texas Stake (1 Branch, 11 Wards)
YTD 625(12.50/week 50) +11 (Net 7) - Total 34,188(+8)
Africa 174, 27.8% (+1) - Total 1768 (+1)
America North 144, 23.0% (+5) - Total 9330 (+1)
America Central 44, 7.0% (+2) - Total 3919 (+2)
America South 58, 9.3% (+2) - Total 6344 (+1)
Asia 20, 3.2% (+1) - Total 929 (+1)
Europe 27, 4.3% (0) - Total 1716 (0)
Pacific 48, 7.7% (0) - Total 2729 (0)
Utah & Idaho 110(88), 17.6(14.1)% (+1) - Total 6913(5700) (0)
Totals no-sensitive (Net 5)
Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
Global 25 149 418 3,166 547 22,545 7,358 34,208
Us/Can 10 81 131 1,596 10 12,567 2,068 16,463
US n/a 73 124 1,548 7 12,230 1,919 15,901
Utah n/a 15 10 580 1 4,696 330 5,632
Canada n/a 8 7 48 3 337 149 552
Out 15 68 287 1,570 537 9,978 5,290 17,745
With Sensitive
Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
Global 25 149 418 3,166 558 22,549 7,449 34,314
This is exciting. Do we also understand that after years of decline (apparently down to around 30% as of 2014) that our activity rate is now also once again increasing?
The Lord's work is progressing and the world will be blessed for it.
(Appreciate your good work, Matt).
Some of the branches created in my stake in Detroit in the 1990s would have been created as groups under current guidelines I am pretty sure. I would not be surprised if this would apply to branches created in other areas at the time as well.
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