Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Updated Country Profile - Maldives
Click here to access our updated Reaching the Nations country profile for the Maldives. Given religious freedom restrictions and a highly homogeneous, tight-knit Muslim population spread over approximately 200 islands, prospects for an LDS presence appear unlikely for many years or decades to come.
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According to an article in the Deseret News Rwanda has a proposed bill that would evidently require all Christian and Muslim clerics to obtain a university educarion before preaching.
The RNS based article avoids making it totally clear what this law means. The explanation makes it sound like the LDS church could not operate as we know it. Same for basically all Evangelical Protestants and especially Pentecostals.
It appears the law may be a move by the historically dominant Catholic Church to suppress Pentecostalism.
It is not clear what sort of university credentials work from the article or if this applies to all preaching.
For Rwanda: Could four years of high school seminary count? Maybe the Lord will call those who have some institute credit or retired institute or BYU religion professors to serve missions there. For lay leadership, enroll all members in institute and seminary. Increase the Pathway program and use the perpetual education program there. Regardless, the church will find a way to operate within the law.
Aba Nigeria Umuola Stake
- Ogbor-Hill Top 1st Ward downgraded to Branch
Aba Nigeria Ogbor Hill Stake
- Ogbor-Hill Top 2nd Ward downgraded to Branch
Port Harcourt Nigeria West Stake
- Egbelu Branch created
Durban South Africa Stake
- Phoenix Branch upgraded to Ward
Johannesburg South Africa Stake
- Midrand Branch created
- North Riding Ward discontinued
Busan Korea Stake
- Daesin Branch discontinued
- Yeongdo Branch discontinued
- Sujeong Ward renamed Busan Ward
Madrid Spain Central Stake
- Aranjuez Branch upgraded to Ward
Huánuco Perú Amarilis Stake
- Micaela Ward discontinued
Roswell Georgia Stake
- Cumorah Branch (Spanish) upgraded to Ward and renamed Magnolia Ward (Spanish)
- Norcross Branch (Spanish) discontinued
Hingham Massachusetts Stake
- West Bridgewater 2nd Branch (Haitian-Creole) discontinued
- West Bridgewater 1st Ward renamed West Bridgewater Ward
Interesting updates, Gnesileah. I hand't considered the fact that, when some stakes split, wards that carry a similar or identical name to the new stake might remain in the old one. (I was specifically referencing what you shared about the Ogbor Hill Top 1st and 2nd wards above). Do we have any idea how the number of total congregations (wards & branches) that were referenced in the 2017 Statistical Report have been affected by all of these changes? Just curious. There has seemed to be a lot of changes identified as having occurred this year. Always great to hear of these changes. Thanks again for continuing to share these updates.
I have to admit the Rwanda law is unclear to me. Is it a regulation on the leader of a congregation or everyone preaching. If the laster, there might be a way to get the whole presence of our Church in the country counted as one congregation. The law seems to be mainly aimed at attacking free standing Pentecostal Churches. There is also always the hope that such ill guided laws are never passes.
However it is not law yet in Rwanda. It is only a proposed law. Since the church is well organized from the top down, we may be able to get away with the area presidency or mission presidency or stake presidency having the education requirement. Local ward and branch leaders or missionaries may be able to work under the "educated" leader. However the church has been encouraging education anyway. We also have a great church education system for youth and young adult religious education. The is also no age limit on institute attendence. My hope is that institute would count for the religious education requirement for church leaders. Ap personwho is successful at a blue collar job should be able to lead a ward or branch. But maybe a work around is having an educated counselor at his side or having stake/district president or mission/area president preside over him.
Can we see any growth in future?
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