Monday, August 27, 2018

Updated Country Profile - Yemen

Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Yemen. Civil war has resulted in a serious humanitarian crisis in Yemen as four-fifths of the population is in need of immediate assistance. Latter-day Saints have lived in Yemen since as early as the 1970s.  Yemen is assigned to the Manama Bahrain Stake although it is unclear whether any members currently live in the country. The following paragraph is from the country profile and describes the current religious freedom conditions and Yemen, and prospects for an LDS establishment one day:

The government does permit meetings for non-Muslim religious groups, which likely indicates that any LDS gatherings would likely not be met with government interference. However, non-Muslims have been the focus of increased violence and persecution in recent years. Meetings would likely have to be done in private in order to avoid any potential threats. The Church is barred from the proselytism of Muslims, rendering all but a few thousand inhabitants legally unreachable by potential missionary efforts. There are no legal procedures for religious groups to obtain government recognition, which may discourage an LDS establishment one day if conditions improve and no formal process for the registration of religious groups is established. Rebel-controlled regions experience less religious freedom and will be likely unsuitable for any LDS activity among foreigners until government control is restored.

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Updated Country Profile - Libya

Click here to access our updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Libya. It is unclear whether there have been any Libyan Latter-day Saint converts although it is possible that a few Libyans may have joined the Church in Italy. There has been no known LDS presence in Libya since the early 1970s when the remainder of United States military personnel were withdrawn following the rise of Qadhafi to power.

See below for the Future Prospects section of the country profile entry in regards to the outlook for an LDS establishment one day:

Improving political relations with Western Europe and the United States, prospects for more foreign investment by Westerners, and greater tolerance for Christians to worship than during the Qadhafi era create an optimistic outlook for a permanent future LDS presence among nonnatives once the civil war ends. However, ongoing political instability, significant degradation of the economy and the country’s infrastructure, and religious violence pose significant barriers for a Church presence at present. Furthermore, uncertainty with the outcome of the civil war indicates that religious freedom conditions may deteriorate once political stability is achieved. Libyans living abroad present the greatest opportunities for the Church to gain native converts although it is unlikely many of these individuals would ever return to Libya one day given societal restrictions on religious freedom and emphasis on conservative Islam.

Friday, August 24, 2018

Percent LDS by US State

See below for the percentage of church-reported membership as of year-end 2017 by state and the District of Columbia. Population figures were obtained from www.citypopulation.de. These population figures are census estimates as of July 2017.
  1. Utah 67.39% 
  2. Idaho 26.23% 
  3. Wyoming 11.61% 
  4. Nevada 6.13% 
  5. Arizona 6.10% 
  6. Hawaii 5.20% 
  7. Montana 4.80% 
  8. Alaska 4.53% 
  9. Washington 3.90% 
  10. Oregon 3.72% 
  11. New Mexico 3.33% 
  12. Colorado 2.70% 
  13. California 1.94% 
  14. North Dakota 1.49% 
  15. Nebraska 1.30% 
  16. Kansas 1.30% 
  17. Texas 1.25% 
  18. South Dakota 1.22% 
  19. Oklahoma 1.22% 
  20. Missouri 1.16% 
  21. Virginia 1.13% 
  22. Arkansas 1.04% 
  23. West Virginia 0.93% 
  24. Iowa 0.90% 
  25. North Carolina 0.84% 
  26. Maine 0.82% 
  27. Georgia 0.82% 
  28. South Carolina 0.81% 
  29. Kentucky 0.79% 
  30. Alabama 0.77% 
  31. Tennessee 0.76% 
  32. Florida 0.75% 
  33. Vermont 0.74% 
  34. Mississippi 0.73% 
  35. Maryland 0.72% 
  36. Indiana 0.67% 
  37. New Hampshire 0.65% 
  38. Louisiana 0.64% 
  39. Minnesota 0.59% 
  40. Delaware 0.57% 
  41. Ohio 0.53% 
  42. Wisconsin 0.46% 
  43. Michigan 0.45% 
  44. Illinois 0.45% 
  45. Connecticut 0.44% 
  46. New York 0.41% 
  47. District of Columbia 0.41% 
  48. Pennsylvania 0.40% 
  49. Massachusetts 0.40% 
  50. Rhode Island 0.39% 
  51. New Jersey 0.37%

Updated Country Profile - Saudi Arabia

Click here to access our updated country profile for Saudi Arabia. The Church has operated a stake in Saudi Arabia for approximately three decades which originally serviced the entire Arabian Peninsula until 2011. Today the Manama Bahrain Stake services LDS congregations in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Yemen. The Church may have as many as 1,500 members in Saudi Arabia that assemble in approximately 10 congregations. All LDS activities are conducted in private due to religious freedom restrictions. Most Latter-day Saints in Saudi Arabia are Westerners or Filipinos.

Thursday, August 23, 2018

LDS Membership by US State in 2017, Percent LDS Membership Growth by US State in 2017

I have received recent inquires about the number of Latter-day Saints in each state in the United States. See below for a list of all states in the United States (plus the District of Columbia) ranked by church-reported membership for year-end 2017. Locations listed in bold do not have an LDS temple announced or in operation.
  1. Utah - 2,090,401 
  2. California - 767,252 
  3. Idaho - 450,347 
  4. Arizona -  428,069 
  5. Texas - 353,317 
  6. Washington - 288,515 
  7. Nevada - 183,638 
  8. Florida - 156,724 
  9. Oregon - 153,955 
  10. Colorado - 151,433 
  11. Virginia - 95,379 
  12. North Carolina -  86,132 
  13. Georgia -  85,363 
  14. New York - 82,361 
  15. Hawaii -  74,278 
  16. Missouri - 71,212 
  17. New Mexico -  69,627 
  18. Wyoming - 67,275 
  19. Ohio - 61,966 
  20. Illinois - 57,111 
  21. Pennsylvania - 51,765 
  22. Tennessee - 51,050 
  23. Montana - 50,420 
  24. Oklahoma - 47,852 
  25. Indiana - 44,876 
  26. Michigan - 44,849 
  27. Maryland - 43,721 
  28. South Carolina - 40,608 
  29. Kansas - 37,780 
  30. Alabama - 37,487 
  31. Kentucky - 35,125 
  32. New Jersey - 33,726 
  33. Alaska - 33,492 
  34. Minnesota - 33,012 
  35. Arkansas - 31,254 
  36. Louisiana - 29,787 
  37. Iowa - 28,160 
  38. Massachusetts -  27,576 
  39. Wisconsin -  26,753 
  40. Nebraska - 24,945 
  41. Mississippi - 21,725 
  42. West Virginia - 16,933 
  43. Connecticut - 15,870 
  44. North Dakota - 11,244 
  45. Maine - 10,947 
  46. South Dakota - 10,626 
  47. New Hampshire - 8,771 
  48. Delaware - 5,527 
  49. Vermont -  4,625 
  50. Rhode Island - 4,177 
  51. District of Columbia - 2,848 
See below for a list of states and the District of Columbia ranked in order by membership growth rate for the year 2017. The 10 states with the most members in this list are indicated in italics:
  1.  District of Columbia +3.26% 
  2. Rhode Island +2.63% 
  3. Delaware +2.35% 
  4. Tennessee +2.04% 
  5. Arkansas +1.82% 
  6. Vermont +1.69% 
  7. South Dakota +1.68% 
  8. Texas +1.49% 
  9. North Carolina +1.45% 
  10. Wisconsin +1.37% 
  11. Massachusetts +1.37% 
  12. Idaho +1.29% 
  13. Utah +1.19% 
  14. New Hampshire +1.19% 
  15. Arizona +1.18% 
  16. Missouri +1.17% 
  17. Florida +1.16% 
  18. Georgia +1.12% 
  19. Oklahoma +1.06% 
  20. South Carolina +0.97% 
  21. Minnesota +0.90% 
  22. Ohio +0.77% 
  23. New York +0.76% 
  24. New Jersey +0.74% 
  25. Nebraska +0.73% 
  26. Alabama +0.67% 
  27. Nevada +0.56% 
  28. Montana +0.55% 
  29. Kentucky +0.49% 
  30. Hawaii +0.47% 
  31. Indiana +0.46% 
  32. Maryland +0.43% 
  33. Michigan +0.42% 
  34. Kansas +0.39% 
  35. Washington +0.38% 
  36. Connecticut +0.23% 
  37. Pennsylvania +0.19% 
  38. Virginia +0.19% 
  39. New Mexico +0.01% 
  40. Oregon +0.01% 
  41. Iowa +0.01%
  42.  Illinois +0.00% 
  43. North Dakota -0.11% 
  44. Maine -0.28% 
  45. West Virginia -0.28% 
  46. Colorado -0.30% 
  47. Wyoming -0.34% 
  48. Louisiana -0.49% 
  49. California -0.55% 
  50. Mississippi -0.57% 
  51. Alaska -0.94%

LDS Church Growth Reddit

Today I created a subreddit to stimulate discussion and conversation about the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in a format more friendly to reader posts and discussion (https://www.reddit.com/r/ldschurchgrowth/). Please comment and share links pertinent to the study of LDS Church growth. I am still getting the page set up. Your feedback and suggestions would be appreciated! Of course I will continue to make posts on this blog going forward, but I figured this would be helpful for more frequent news and information submitted by interested readers.

New Stakes Created in the Philippines (2), Ghana, South Carolina, and Spain; District Reinstated in Argentina

Philippines
Two new stakes have been recently created in the Philippines.

The San Antonio Philippines Stake was organized from the San Antonio Philippines District on August 5th. The new stake includes the following four wards and two branches: the Cabangan, Castillejos, San Felipe, and San Marcelino Wards, and the San Antonio and San Narciso Zambales Branches. It is likely that the San Antonio and San Narciso Zambales Branches have also advanced into wards but that the official directory has not yet been updated this information. All six congregations in the new stakes are designated as Ilokano speaking. The original San Antonio Philippines District was organized as a district in 1993. There are now three stakes in the Philippines Olongapo Mission located in Balanga (organized in 1991), Olongapo (organized in 2017), and San Antonio (organized in 2018). Furthermore, local members indicate that the Dinalupihan Philippines District may become a stake in the near future.

The Tolosa Philippines Stake was organized from the Tolosa Philippines District on August 12th. Information on which branches have advanced into wards is currently unavailable. There were 10 branches in the district prior to its organization as a stake.

There are now 104 stakes and 71 districts in the Philippines.

Ghana
A new stake was organized on August 12th.

The Swedru Ghana Stake was organized from a division of the Winneba Ghana Stake. The new stake includes the following four wards and six branches: the Oboden 1st, Swedru 1st, Swedru 2nd, and Swedru 3rd Wards, and the Aboso, Asikuma, Breman Brakwa, Odoben 2nd, Swedru 4th, and Swedru 5th branches. It is likely that one or more of the branches in the new stake were upgraded to wards or will be upgraded into wards within the immediate future since there are only four wards in the new stake. Furthermore, the Winneba Ghana Stake currently has only four wards and one branch. It is likely that the Winneba Ghana Stake had the Ansaful 2nd Branch advanced into a ward, or that additional wards have been or will soon be organized.

There are now 24 stakes and 10 districts in Ghana.

South Carolina
A new stake was organized on August 19th. The Fort Mill South Carolina Stake was organized from stakes in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Information on which wards have been assigned to the new stake remains unavailable, but members report that the stake was organized from a division of the Charlotte North Carolina South Stake and the Gastonia North Carolina Stake. This marks the first time in 15 years since a new stake was organized in South Carolina when the Greenville South Carolina East Stake was organized.

There are now seven stakes in South Carolina.

Spain
A new stake was organized on August 12th.

The A Coruña Spain Stake was organized from the Santiago Spain District and the León Spain District. The new stake includes the following congregations: the El Ferrol, Gijón, La Coruña, Oviedo, Vigo 1st, and Vigo 2nd Wards, and the León, Lugo, Orense, Ponferrada, and Santiago de Compostela Branches. The new stake is the Church's first stake to ever be organized in Gacilia - an autonomous region in northwestern Spain that traditionally speaks the Galician language. Two branches were discontinued in the process of the new stake being organized - namely the Avilés and Benavente Branches in the former León Spain District.

There are now 15 stakes and 2 districts in Spain.

Argentina
A district was reinstated in Argentina on July 15th.

The Reconquista Argentina District was organized from a division of the Rio Parana Argentina District (renamed the Goya Argentina District). The reinstated district includes the following three branches: Reconquista 1st, Reconquista 2nd, and Vera Branches. The district was likely re-divided to reinstate the Reconquista Argentina District because there are no foreseeable prospects for the area to become a stake within the foreseeable future.

There are now 76 stakes and 29 districts in Argentina.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Updated Country Profile - Mauritania

Click here to access our updated country profile for Mauritania. Although the first known Mauritanian to join the Church was baptized in Turkey in 2014, there has never been an LDS presence in the country. The Future Prospects section of the country profile succinctly describes the outlook for a future LDS presence in the country:

Mauritania may be among the last nations to have an official LDS presence due to current laws forbidding proselytism, ethnic conflicts, the many restrictions placed upon non-Muslim groups, the strong influence of Islam on society, lack of native Christians, and perhaps only a few Mauritanian LDS converts worldwide. Establishing a humanitarian presence and engaging in clean water projects, literacy programs, and development projects in conjunction with other Christian groups or government agencies appears the most appropriate course of action for the future.

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Updated Country Profile - Western Sahara

Click here to access our updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Western Sahara. Occupied by Morocco for more than 40 years, Western Sahara is the Maghreb's least populated country with approximately 600,000 inhabitants. There have never appeared to have been any Sahrawi Latter-day Saint converts. There are no known Latter-day Saints residing in the country. With a homogeneously Sunni Muslim population and religious freedom restrictions imposed by the Moroccan government, Western Sahara appears likely to number among the last countries in the world to have an LDS presence established one day. 

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Updated Country Profile - Tunisia

Click here to access our updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Tunisia. The Church used to operate a branch in Tunis for foreign members. However, the branch appeared to close sometime in the late 2000s. Today, a member group may continue to operate in Tunis. There are no legal prohibitions for Muslims to convert to another religion. However, the government restricts Christian activities to approved houses of worship. Tunisians living in France present good opportunities for LDS outreach although few of these prospective converts would likely return to live in Tunisia if they convert given societal pressures to adhere to Islam. Tunisia also has the highest percentage of internet users in the population among North African countries, indicating opportunities for online Arabic-language teaching and proselytism efforts.

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Potential New Mission Districts

See below for an updated list of mission districts which I think are likely to be organized in the next couple years. Mission districts are analogous to stakes as they administer multiple branches (usually three to ten), but they have less independence in church administration and leadership than stakes. The creation of mission districts signals progress in church growth as it is an important step for the Church to establish a "center of strength" in a new location from a handful of mission branches into a more organized entity which has potential to become a stake one day. The creation of a district from mission branches suggests sufficient maturation in local leadership to provide a sizable number of quality leaders to staff both branch and district callings.

Potential new districts listed below were identified based on recent congregational growth trends, missionary reports on the number of convert baptisms and activity rates, and distance and location from other nearby stakes and districts. Previous lists are available for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017. Locations where there are fewer than three branches are included if there is a high likelihood that additional branches will be organized within the near future in order for a district to be organized. Given the rapid expansion of the Church in West Africa into previously unreached areas, the vast majority of potential new districts listed below are located in this region.

Like other administrative and congregational units, the creation of districts is approved by the First Presidency.  Information used to compile this list does not contain any unauthorized information and I take full responsibility for this work.

AFRICA (38)

  • Afikpo Nigeria (6) [Afikpo 1st, Afikpo 2nd, Amasiri, Edda, Itim, and Ozizza Branches - all currently assigned to the Abakaliki Nigeria District]
  • Aflao Ghana (2) [Aflao and Dzodze Branches - both assigned to the Ghana Accra Mission]
  • Atta Nigeria (6) [Amakohia Ward and the Atta, Amaimo, Ogwa, Orlu, and Umundugba Branches - all currently administered by the Owerri Nigeria Stake] 
  • Bangolo Cote d'Ivoire (3) [Bangolo 1st, Bangolo 2nd, and Logouale Branches - all currently assigned to the Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission]
  • Blankro Cote d'Ivoire (3) [Blankro 1st, Blankro 2nd, and Blankro 3rd Branches - all currently administered by the Agboville Cote d'Ivoire District)
  • Bolgatanga Ghana (1) [Bolgatanga Branch - assigned to the Tamale Ghana District]
  • Bondoukou Cote d'Ivoire (1) [Bondoukou Branch - currently assigned to the Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East Mission]
  • Bonny Nigeria (3) [Asarama, Bonny, and Finima Branches - all currently assigned to the Okrika Nigeria District]
  • Bori Nigeria (3) [Bori, Nortem, and Sogho Branches - all currently assigned to the Okrika Nigeria District]
  • Buchanan Liberia (1) [Buchanan Branch - assigned to the Liberia Monrovia Mission]
  • Bujumbura Burundi (5) [Bujumbura 1st, Bujumbura 2nd, Bujumbura 3rd, Kalundu, and Uvira Branches - all currently administered by the DR Congo Lubumbashi Mission]
  • Danané Cote d'Ivoire (2) [Danané and Mahapleu Branches - both assigned to the Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission]
  • Duekoue Cote d'Ivoire (2) [Duekoue 1st and Duekoue 2nd Branches - both assigned to the Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission]
  • Francistown Botswana (3) [Francistown, Gerald, and Monarch Branches- all currently administered by the Botswana/Namibia Mission]
  • Gulu Uganda (2) [Bar Dege and Gulu Branches and the Kitgum Group - all currently administered by the Uganda Kampala Mission] 
  • Hohoe Ghana (2) [Hohoe and Kpando Branches - both currently assigned to the Ho Ghana District]
  • Issia Cote d'Ivoire (2) [Issia and Saioua Branches - both assigned to the Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission]
  • Kaduna Nigeria (2) [Kaduna Ward and Goningora Branch - both assigned to the Abuja Nigeria North Stake]
  • Kakanda  DR Congo (3) [Fungurume, Kakanda, and Kambove Branches - all currently assigned to the Likasi DR Congo Stake]
  • Kasambalesa DR Congo (4) [Bilanga, Golf, Kasambalesa 1st, and Kasambalesa 2nd Branches - all currently assigned to the Kisanga DR Congo Stake]
  • Kisangani DR Congo (2) [Kisangani and Wagenya Branches - both assigned to the DR Congo Kinshasa Mission]
  • Kitale Kenya (5) [Kitale, Mautuma, Misikhu, Naitiri, and Sikhendu Branches - all currently administered by the Eldoret Kenya District] 
  • Klerksdorp South Africa (3) [Jouberton, Klerksdorp, and Potchefstroom Branches - all currently assigned to the South Africa Johannesburg Mission]
  • Libreville Gabon (2) [Libreville 1st and Libreville 2nd Branches - both assigned to the Republic of Congo Brazzaville Mission]
  • Lira Uganda (2) [Adyel and Lira Branches - both administered by the Uganda Kampala Mission]
  • Man Cote d'Ivoire (3) [Doyaguine, Grand Gbapleu, and Man Branches - all currently assigned to the Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission] 
  • Matadi DR Congo (3) [Boma, Buima, and Matadi Branches - all branches assigned to the DR Congo Kinshasa Mission]
  • Meagui Cote d'Ivoire (3) [Meagui 1st, Meagui 2nd, and Meagui 3rd Branches - all assigned to the Soubre Cote d'Ivoire District]
  • Moriba Town Sierra Leone (3) [Mogbwemo, Moriba Town, and Mosenesie Junction Branches - all assigned to the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission]
  • Nelspruit South Africa (2) [KaNyamazane and Nelspruit Branches - both currently assigned to the South Africa Johannesburg Mission]
  • Nsukwa Nigeria District (5) [Adonte 1st, Adonte 2nd, Nsukwa 1st, Nsukwa 2nd, and Ossissa Branches - all currently assigned to the Ogwashi-Nsukwa Nigeria District]
  • Odoben Ghana (4) [Odoben 1st Ward and the Asikuma, Breman Brakwa, and Odoben 2nd Branches - all congregations currently assigned to the Winneba Ghana Stake]  
  • Okposi Nigeria (2) [Enechi Akuma and Okposi Branches - both assigned to the Abakaliki Nigeria District]
  • Sapele Nigeria (3) [Jesse, Oghara, and Sapele Branches - all branches currently assigned to the Nigeria Benin City Mission]
  • Sassandra Cote d'Ivoire (2) [Niani and Sassandra Branches - both currently assigned to the San Pedro Cote d'Ivoire District]
  • Tafo Ghana (3) [Maase, Osiem, and Tafo Branches - all branches currently assigned to the Koforidua Ghana Stake]
  • Techiman Ghana (4) [Dwumoh, Kenten, Krobo, and Vatican Branches - all currently assigned to the Ghana Kumasi Mission]
  • Ugep Nigeria (2) [Ugep 1st and Ugep 2nd Branches - both currently assigned to the Nigeria Calabar Mission]
ASIA (4)
  • Mumbai India (1) [Mumbai Branch - assigned to the India New Delhi Mission]
  • Tagudin Philippines (4) [Balaoan, Bangar, Luna, and Tagudin Branches - branches currently assigned to either the Candon Phillipines or San Fernando Philippines Stakes] 
  • Vientiane Laos (2) [Vientiane 1st and Vientiane 2nd Branches - both assigned to the Udorn Thailand District]
  • Yangon Myanmar (1) [Yangon Branch - assigned to the Thailand Bangkok Mission]
EUROPE (1)
  • Krasnodar Russia (3) [Krasnodar Tsentraly, Novorossiysk, and Sochi Tsentralny Branches - all branches currently assigned to the Russia Rostov-na-Donu Mission]
  • Reykjavik Iceland (3) [Akureyri, Reykjavik, and Selfoss Branches - all branches currently assigned to the Denmark Copenhagen Mission]
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (1)
  • Tefé Brazil (3) [Coari, Jutaí, and Tefé Branches - all currently assigned to the Brazil Manaus Mission]
OCEANIA (1)
  • Aoba Vanuatu (5) [Apopo, Lolotinge, Lovutialao, Navuti, and Redcliff Branches - all currently assigned to the Luganville Vanuatu District]

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Updated Country Profile - Algeria

Click here to access our updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Algeria. Inhabited by nearly 41 million people, Algeria is the most populous country to have never had an official LDS ward or branch. Protestant Christians report that Algerians number among the most receptive peoples to Christianity among the nations of North Africa and the Middle East. A few Algerians have joined the Church in Europe. However, there do not appear to be any known native Algerian Latter-day Saints in Algeria. Government restrictions on religious freedom and cultural prohibitions regarding proselytism pose nearly insurmountable barriers for a future LDS presence. The greatest opportunities for growth will be among Algerians who reside in France.

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Updated Country Profile - Morocco

Click here to access our updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Morocco. The Church has held private worship meetings for decades and even operates a branch with 86 members in Rabat. However, very few, if any Moroccans have joined the Church in Morocco or abroad and membership is comprised of foreign members who temporarily live in the country. Unlike other North African countries, Morocco has a significant Berber-speaking population who may be more receptive to prospective LDS outreach one day in comparison to the Arab population. The millions of Moroccans in Europe present the greatest opportunities for outreach in Morocco within the foreseeable future given proselytism restrictions and cultural intolerance for Muslims converting to other religions in Morocco.

Monday, August 6, 2018

LDS Outreach Efforts Beginning in The Gambia and Burkina Faso

The August 2018 Africa West Area Presidency message noted that for the first time area leaders have begun to examine prospects to establish the Church in two additional countries in West Africa where no LDS presence currently operates, namely The Gambia and Burkina Faso. Although information in the article is extremely limited, Elder Terence M. Vinson of the Seventy reported that during his service in the Africa West Area presidency between 2013 and 2018, he has met with members of the Church in Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, Benin, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, The Gambia, and Burkina Faso. These countries appear to be listed in the order in which he has visited them, with the last countries listed being the countries he has most recently visited for the first time (e.g. Senegal, Guinea, and Mali are listened in the order in which the first branch was organized). The Church has never reported an official presence in The Gambia or Burkina Faso even though both countries experience widespread religious freedom and no known legal barriers that prevent an LDS establishment. Member groups may operate in Ouagadougou and Banjul, although no confirmation is currently available. Burkina Faso presents some of the greatest opportunities for growth given a sizable Christian minority and the recent growth of other proselytism-focused Christian groups in the country. Both Burkina Faso and The Gambia are directly administered by the Africa West Area and by the Africa West Area Branch. Both countries appear most likely to be assigned to one of the three Ivorian missions. The first member from Burkina Faso to serve a full-time mission began his service in 2014.

There are 20 million people in Burkina Faso, and 2 million people in The Gambia.