With the announcement of three new stakes created on December 13th, the Church in 2015 has organized the largest number of new stakes since 1998. Accelerated stake growth in recent years has resulted from the organization of new stakes by dividing previously operating stakes and the advancement of districts into stakes. Slight accelerations in congregational growth rates have also prompted larger numbers of new stakes. Of the 66 stakes organized in 2015, 22 were created from member districts. In 2014, 20 of the 64 stakes organized were created from districts. The net increase of stakes in 2015 was lower than 2014 as the Church has discontinued seven stakes in 2015, whereas only one stake was discontinued in 2014.
District growth has also significantly accelerated in 2015. The Church has reported at least 32 new districts organized in 2015 - the largest number reported by the Church since 1994 when there was a net increase of 62 districts (and as many as 74 districts may have been organized in 1994). However, the Church has thus far reported a net decrease of three districts in 2015 as 13 districts were discontinued and 22 districts advanced into stakes.
These developments signal a modest improvement in "real growth" trends for the Church. It is important to note that the Church experienced its greatest numerical increases in stakes and districts during the late 1970s and in the 1990s notwithstanding fewer missionaries serving and fewer members of the Church. In the past couple years, stake and district growth has accelerated in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but has slowed or has stagnated in Latin America and Europe.
Final, official numbers for the number of stakes and districts at year-end 2015 will be available in April 2016 when the Church presents its annual statistical report.
The Church of Jesus Christ is slow and fast, and ultimately powerful. Is this the Kingdom of God on earth? Does it have the authority and the priesthood?
ReplyDeleteWe shall see.
I'm actually surprised that we aren't growing at a faster rate like many of supposed rumors by missionaries who said certain apostles and seventies during the age change that growth would be like we have ever seen before, millions etc etc. Especially if the supposed tribulation years are coming up according to some Mormons.
ReplyDeleteIris and Craig,
ReplyDeleteThe number of missionaries is projected to reach new highs in a few years; If we are returning to 90s era growth-- but with stricter standards to ensure the growth is real growth-- this may be the best time for real growth ever.
The brethren may be thinking in terms of decades.
My ward has seen real, solid convert propelled growth over the last 2 years. This may actually cause my ward to be split, which would make the new ward the only congregation in the Detroit Mission boundaries that did not have some precedent in a congregation created sometime last century.
ReplyDeleteGrowth is really tricky to gauge in terms of sheer numbers of overall members or missionaries or convert baptisms. Temple activity, unit numbers, and few measures like that show what the activity really is. I think robust numbers are fun to see but sometimes I think the wheat and the chaff will be surprising to us all. Many of the first will be last and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteUnit growth often reflects long term trends. My ward has one of the highest numbers of active members in my stake, but a member who just moved from Syracuse, Utah described out ward as relatively small.
ReplyDeletePart of me wonders if in some places new unit creations have been delayed by fewer new chapels built due to lower tithing reciepts when the US economy tanked and now that things are turning around new chapels will be built allowing for splitting of wards.
The last two Sundays in my ward of the boys passing the Sacrament only 25% were non-Hispanic whites. 2 of the boys were baptized last month (they are twins), those boys are African-American. 3 of the boys turned 12 in the last two months, 2 are twins. Those three are in one case a quarter Mexican, and in the case of the twins a quarter Cuban. Another boy is half-Korean. Of those 8 boys, 7 are either converts or have at least one part who is a convert. The eighth his mothers parents joined the Church after they married but before she was born.
Very interesting podcast, from an Orthodox Christian web radio station.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/lordsendme/fishers_of_men_and_the_mormons
In today’s episode, Fr John Parker addresses “becoming fishers of men” using Mormon practice as a catalyst to missionary work.
Unit Update
6 Dec (Stakes finally posted)
Aba Nigeria South Stake(1 Branch, 6 Wards)
Asa Amator Branch
Aba Central Ward
Eziama Ward
Ohabiam Ward
Osusu Aba Ward
Umungasi Ward
Umuocham Ward
Albuquerque New Mexico North Stake (6 Wards)
Academy Heights Ward
Bernalillo Ward
Cibola Ward
Enchanted Hills Ward
La Cueva Ward
North Valley Ward
Las Vegas Nevada Skye Canyon Stake (2 Branches, 6 Wards)
Beatty Branch
Indian Springs Branch
Centennial Pointe Ward
Egan Crest Ward
Grand Teton Ward
Providence Ward
Skye Canyon Ward
Valley Crest Ward
13 Dec
Las Vegas Nevada Shadow Mountain Stake (6 Wards)
Aviary Park Ward
Copper Crest Ward
Deer Springs Ward
Los Prados Ward
San Miguel Ward
Waterfall Ward
Daytona Beach YSA Branch, DeLand Florida Stake (2 Branches, 6 Wards)
Hazelton 2nd Branch (Spanish), Scranton Pennsylvania Stake (7 Branches, 5 Wards)
Torre Blanca Ward, Lima Perú Santa Isabel Stake (8 Wards)
YTD 632(12.64/week 50) +7 (Net 7) - Total 34,195(+7)
Africa 175, 27.7% (+1) - Total 1769 (+1)
America North 149, 23.6% (+5) - Total 9335 (+5)
America Central 44, 7.0% (0) - Total 3919 (0)
America South 59, 9.3% (+1) - Total 6345 (+1)
Asia 20, 3.2% (0) - Total 929 (0)
Europe 27, 4.3% (0) - Total 1716 (0)
Pacific 48, 7.6% (0) - Total 2729 (0)
Utah & Idaho 110(88), 17.4(13.9)% (0) - Total 6913(5700) (0)
Totals no-sensitive (Net 12)
Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
Global 25 149 418 3,173 547 22,500 7,358 34,220
Us/Can 10 81 131 1,600 10 12,571 2,066 16,469
US n/a 73 124 1,552 7 12,233 1,918 15,907
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 1,573 537 9,979 5,292 17,751
With Sensitive
Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
Global 25 149 418 3,173 558 22,554 7,449 34,326
If you take away the stakes disolved from the new Stakes created, last year had more new stakes than this! So not such a recored. Also Wards in Europe are on average about 70 active members.
ReplyDeleteLast year we netted more stakes, but a lot fewer districts. This was definitely a better year. If you really want to track growth by a single metric, track wards on a net basis.
ReplyDeleteThat's the best single gauge of how the church is doing.
Branches average about 1/3 the size of wards, so my preferred metric is wards + 1/3 of branches.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't through with the year yet and there are likely some stakes already created. When I had access to CDOL and was posting new stakes, districts, wards, and branches, I eventually opened the search aperture to 6 weeks, because some were taking a month to show up.
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