Thursday, June 13, 2019

Updated Country Profile - Federated States of Micronesia

Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for the Federated States of Micronesia. The Church has reported moderate growth in the country since its initial establishment in the mid-1970s. Today, Church-reported membership constitutes six percent of the national population. Since 2000, the greatest growth and progress has occurred in Pohnpei where the first stake in the country was organized in 2014 despite only four branches on the island in 2000 (today there are five wards and four branches). The Church in Chuuk has reported inconsistent progress and no new branches organized since the mid-1990s. However, the Church has tried for many years to strengthen the Church in Chuuk to organize a stake in the foreseeable future. See below for the future prospects section of the article:

The Church has achieved moderate growth in the Federal States of Micronesia despite high church activity and discipleship in other Christian denominations. Much of this growth has come with the Church concentrating large amounts of missionary resources on a nation with a small population that has been historically receptive to Christianity, and the greatest recent successes have been overwhelmingly concentrated on Pohnpei. Receptivity of the Church has varied by island group in recent years, with Pohnpei exhibiting the strongest receptivity and church growth as evidenced by the number of congregations increasing from four to nine since 2000, and other island groups showing little or no growth. Self-sustaining church growth in the coming decades will require less reliance on foreign full-time missionaries in an era of limited missionary manpower to staff island nations of just a hundred thousand like Micronesia. Consistent increase in the number of priesthood holders and the development of fully functioning branches entirely staffed by local members will be required for the district in Chuuk to become a stake over the medium term. Congregation planting approaches in Chuuk and on Pohnpei may lead to greater increases in active membership and national outreach. The few congregations on Yap and Kosrae make branches vulnerable to dissolution unless active members do not emigrate and active membership remains stable or increases. Outreach in the outer islands such as Mortlock Islands, Namonuito Atoll, Nomwin Atoll, Pulusuk, Ulithi Atoll, and Woleai Atoll may occur in the foreseeable future if primarily headed by local church leaders and mission leadership. However, many of these remote, sparsely populated islands will likely remain unreached for years or decades to come if any Church presence is established at all one day.

38 comments:

  1. Today, the "Batangas Philippines Stake" #2138212, that was reported by Matt, organized last sunday, has appeared on Classic Church Maps site.

    https://classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/#ll=13.67363,121.198004&z=11&m=google.road&layers=stakecenter&q=Batangas%20Philippines%20Stake&find=stake:2138212

    with Batangas 1st and 2nd Wards, Bauan, Rosario and San Jose Batangas Wards, and Ibaan Branch assigned.

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  2. Also the new "Fortaleza Brazil Temple" #1153854.

    https://classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/#ll=-3.747862,-38.461074&z=18&m=google.road&layers=temple,stakecenter&q=Fortaleza%20Brazil%20Temple&find=temple:1153854

    And the Fortaleza Brazil Dunas Stakecenter relocated to new building adjacent to the temple grounds.

    https://classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/#ll=-3.744361,-38.461439&z=13&m=google.road&layers=temple,stakecenter&q=Fortaleza%20Brazil%20Dunas&find=stake:2118157

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  3. These are the 32 Stakes and 5 Districts reassigned from the Recife Brazil Temple to the new "Fortaleza Brazil Temple District", as per the Classic LDS Maps site.

    Stakes (32)
    521108 Belém Brazil
    523607 Belém Brazil Cabanagem
    527270 Belém Brazil Cidade Nova
    1461370 Belém Brazil Entroncamento
    1461176 Belém Brazil Icoaraci
    617466 Castanhal Brazil
    1012061 Imperatriz Brazil
    523801 São Luís Brazil
    2070618 São Luís Brazil East
    542695 Caucaia Brazil
    514756 Fortaleza Brazil
    1412396 Fortaleza Brazil Benfica
    496979 Fortaleza Brazil Bom Jardim
    520926 Fortaleza Brazil Bom Sucesso
    1073869 Fortaleza Brazil Castelao
    522147 Fortaleza Brazil Ceará
    2118157 Fortaleza Brazil Dunas
    472700 Fortaleza Brazil East
    527297 Fortaleza Brazil Litoral
    1011502 Fortaleza Brazil Messejana
    516562 Fortaleza Brazil Montese
    527203 Fortaleza Brazil South
    517968 Fortaleza Brazil West
    471461 Juazeiro do Norte Brazil
    524506 Maracanaú Brazil
    2064804 Maracanaú Brazil North
    499366 Mossoró Brazil
    1411578 Pacajus Brazil
    492000 Sobral Brazil
    522538 Teresina Brazil
    486620 Teresina Brazil Horto
    2076942 Teresina Brazil Planalto

    Districts (5)

    2133172 Araripina Brazil
    617490 Barcarena Brazil
    2046504 Carajas Brazil
    439797 Parnaiba Brazil
    1104187 Sousa Brazil

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  4. A couple of notes here: First, Matt, thank you for this report. The Church continues to grow at varying sppeds in different areas, and I am convinced that when the people are prepared, significant growth will occur in Micronesia. I am grateful that there will be a temple in Yigo Guam to serve the Saints in that region.

    The second thing I wanted to note is that the Fortaleza Brazil Temple district as currently comprised will be split again to one degree or another whenever construction officially gets underway on the Belem Brazil Temple. With the other temples in Brazil that are either announced or under construction, there are quite a few with a larger-sized district. With that in mind, I am convinced many new Brazilian temples will be needed in the near future and announcements will be made for several such temples over the next 3 years or less.

    And finally, with my continued thanks to Matt for allowing me to continue to share such updates, I wanted to note that I have published quite a bit more content on my blog in the last several days and weeks. You can read any of that newest content at the web address below:

    https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/

    I should also note that I am anticipating the announcement of arrangements for at least one other temple groundbreaking is likely to occur prior to the end of this month, with the actual groundbreaking set to occur in August. Based on information I have found from a variety of sources, I am anticipating that a total of 5-8 other temples will have their groundbreaking ceremonies occur during the second half of 2019. Nothing is official until we have actual announcements of such things, but based on what I am hearing on my end, that's a ballpark range for the number of additional temples which may have a groundbreaking this year. And that is without taking any surprise announcements into account. I hope all of this information is helpful to any who read it.

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  5. Yesterday's Deseret News Faith section had a report on the recent Southern Baptist Convention that puts our 2018 overall growth in perspective. It reports that the Southern Baptists, the nation's second largest Church, with 14.8 million members, had a loss of 192,000 members in the latest reporting year. It also stated that the Catholic Church in the US has gone from 81.2 million members in 2005 to the current level of 76.3 million members.

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  6. Here is an interesting development - Jehovah's Witnesses reported a net decrease of approximately 500 congregations in the United States in 2018.

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  7. Well, I wouldn't get too cocky over these other church's declining numbers because if our Church calculated membership in similar manners, they would look far less impressive. I know of no other church that counts members who have unknown addresses, who are assumed alive until 110 years old, and who have not attended church in decades, that are all still counted as members year after year. Other churches simply do not count members like this.

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    Replies
    1. I disagree somewhat. The strength of the Church is measured much more in congregational growth trends than it is in the number of self-affiliated members who may or may not be actively participating in religious life. While different faiths may have different standards of what constitutes a congregation, and when one is to be opened or closed, it serves the purpose of comparing overall trends probably better than even the raw "active member headcount." Simply because standards for activity are so different.

      What I'm reading into these numbers: the number of Latter-day Saints in the U.S. is slowly increasing, while the number of active JW is decreasing (possibly more quickly due to rapidly ageing membership).

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  8. Fe de Errata :

    Yesterday, I forgot to add 1 Stake ad 1 District to my post of the new "Fortaleza Brazil Temple District" assigned units. Verified in Classic Church Maps site.

    From Campinas Brazil Temple, in Tocantins State, the "Palmas Brazil Stake" - 545236, reassigned to Fortaleza Brazil Temple (temporarily). I had on my list assigned to the future Brasília Brazil Temple District, and had evaded my radar as prospective Fortaleza Brazil Temple assignment.

    Also from Recife Brazil Temple, in (west) Bahia State, the "Barreiras Brazil District" - 2055317, reassigned to Fortaleza Brazil Temple (temporarily). For same reasons sited previously.

    Making Fortaleza Brazil Temple totals : 33 Stakes and 6 Districts (temporarily), (disclaimer from James Stokes), until both the Brasília and Belém Brazil temples are completed construction.

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  9. Hey, Chris. I was curious about your note on the units that have been temporarily reassigned to the Fortaleza Brazil Temple district. I know it has been somewhat common for some stakes to be reassigned to other temple districts temporarily while a renovation closure is in effect for the temples to which such units are assigned. Do you know why the stake and district you mentioned above have been temporarily reassigned to the Fortaleza Brazil Temple? And if you do, what would need to occur before those stakes could return to their originally-assigned districts?

    Also, with the Rio de Janeiro Temple anticipated to be dedicated in the first quarter of 2020, and with the groundbreaking for the Brasilia Temple now seeming to only be a matter of time, along with information still pending for both the Belem and Salvador Temples, I am anticipating that the composition of the 7 current temple districts will shift dramatically within the next few years, and that is without considering other prospective Brazilian cities which are likely to get a temple soon.

    There certainly seems to be a lot to consider as far as current and future Brazilan temples, and I look forward to seeing other developments in that respect. Just some additional thoughts from me, for what they may be worth.

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  10. Hello again, everyone! With the rededication of the Oakland California Temple being held today, this weekend marked two major changes in format for future public temple dedications or rededications. Articles released by the Church News and the Newsroom between last night and now indicate that the change in the youth devotional from now on will be to have only the senior apostle and his wife represent the Church in speaking during the youth devotional. The junior apostolic companion and his wife will host a panel discussion with youth from the temple district Saturday afternoon to address and brainstorm solutions to issues faced by youth in the temple district, and local leaders or members, including those involved with making arrangements for the open houses, youth devotionals, and dedications or rededications will, at the discretion of the Brethren, be asked by local leaders to speak at the youth devotional.

    On the Sunday that marks a temple's dedication or rededication, several general Church leaders may still be in attendance from Church headquarters, but the participation of all general leaders except the senior Brethren and their wives will be scaled back in favor of giving local members (youth, temple workers, and other members or local Church leaders within the district) will now be given opportunities to speak during each of the dedicatory services. The Church News and official Newsroom have provided the following articles on this weekend's events and these adjustments:

    https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-oaks-rededicates-oakland-california-temple

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2019-06-16/3000-youth-welcome-president-oaks-elder-bednar-to-devotional-prior-to-oakland-temple-dedication-50145

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2019-06-16/oakland-california-temple-rededication-president-oaks-bay-area-50150

    I have taken the opportunity to provide additional analysis, context, and insight into these adjustments on my blog, and you can find that at the following web address:

    https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2019/06/breaking-temple-news-oakland-california.html

    This is another inspired changes, which I am convinced will greatly enhance the dedication weekends for local members of the Church living within the districts of these temples. Hope this information is helpful to you all.

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  11. Did anyone see Rick Satterfield's post this morning?

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  12. That's exciting news for the Belém Temple! I'm assuming we will see a Newsroom announcement with an official rendering any day or week now. Hopefully Brasília will follow not too long after.

    With that groundbreaking set, that just leaves Harare as the last 2016 (and oldest) announced temple to not have a groundbreaking announced. A newsroom article several months ago mentioned Elder Andersen meeting with the vice president of Zimbabwe and noted that construction is estimated to begin sometime later this year.

    After that, there are four more 2015 announced temples yet to begin construction. Plans for Saratoga Springs are already underway and the other three temples appear to have sites purchased (Brasília, Greater Manila, and Nairobi).

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  13. Hello again, everyone! If I may be permitted to do so, I wanted to share some thoughts here about temple groundbreakings which are possible during the final half of 2019. First, I was pleased to see the news about the Belem Temple groundbreaking, which I caught and reported on not long after it was first shared on the Church Temples site. That announcement was not anticipated for a couple of reasons: First of all, it seemed more likely that the Brasilia Brazil Temple would be the very next to have a groundbreaking. Secondly, the details were confirmed in a letter to priesthood leaders sent out by the Brazil Area Presidency. Insofar as I am aware, this is the first example where the area presidency's announcement became widely available to the public in advance of an official announcement being made either on a country Newsroom page or the official English Newsroom.

    Secondly, with the site location and groundbreaking arrangements acknowledged, there has not yet been information released about the design of this temple and the construction time-frame within which it is anticipated to be completed. Thirdly, and as previously noted, this marks the third temple in a row from among the group of temples that were first announced in April 2016, and given Elder Andersen's statement to the Vice President of Zimbabwe, it appears that temple's groundbreaking could occur anytime between late September and the end of the year.

    But above and beyond that, the information to which I have access right now appears to point to the idea that the Belem temple will be on the smaller side, and, if that is the case, construction on it could wrap up sometime in 2021. Having noted these things relating to the Belem Temple, I also wanted to note a few other things. With the Belem groundbreaking now having been scheduled, I have information indicating that groundbreakings are highly likely or nearly certain during the second half of 2019 for most of the following temples:

    Brasilia Brazil, Greater Manila Philippines (for which confirmation of an official name is pending), Richmond Virginia, Nairobi Kenya, Harare Zimbabwe, Saratoga Springs Utah, and possibly also the Bengaluru India, Auckland New Zealand, and Puebla Mexico Temples. Sites for each of these temples have either been confirmed, identified, or at very least have had a general confirmation that land has been procured for them.

    And I am not ruling out the odds that there could be others that have a groundbreaking as well. Time will tell. But with a total of 9 temples which have now had a groundbreaking ceremony held or scheduled, it wouldn't shock me in any way if several temples in addition to those I listed were to have a groundbreaking as well.

    We have seen President Nelson attack the queue of announced temples from both ends and in the middle. One other note here from me: Of the 20 announced temples which I have not mentioned by name in this comment, 7 have also had a confirmation of either the site or potential candidate site(s) where those temples could be built. Newest among that group of 7 is the Antofagasta Chile Temple. New information I received today notes member speculation that a Church-owned site may be the spot for that temple.

    I fully anticipate that much more temple news is in store. This year, the Church will have done much to clear the queue of temples under construction and announced, and I have a feeling there is much more to come in that respect. Hope this information is helpful to all who read it. My thanks once again to you all.

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  14. Open house and dedication dates announced for the Durban South Africa Temple. The temple will be dedicated on February 16, 2020.

    https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/durban-south-africa-temple-open-house-dedication-dates

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  15. Update on assigned Stakes / Districts to the Fortaleza Brazil Temple District (possibly due to language and distance issues), reassigned from Abba Ghana Temple District :

    1 Mindelo Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) Stake
    2 Praia Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) Stake
    3 Sao Filipe Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) Stake
    4 Assomada Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) District

    but the 2nd Cape Verde District in Espargos, remains assigned to Accra Ghana Temple.

    According to Classic LDS Maps.

    At least for next 3 months until Lisbon Portugal Temple dedicated 09/15.

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  16. Wasn't Cape Verde always assigned to Madrid?

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  17. Ryan, it appears that some sources still list the Cabo Verde units under the Madrid Spain Temple district. As far as those units being reassigned to the Fortaleza Brazil Temple district, if and when further verification is provided about that, it will likely be because the Fortaleza Brazil Temple is just under 500 miles closer to the Cape Verde Saints. Lisbon is actually roughly 200 miles further away from Cabo Verde than Fortaleza Brazil is, but if it's cheaper to travel further, that could explain why the Cabo Verde units would subsequently (and still temporarily) be reassigned to the Lisbon Portugal Temple. Any current or subsequent temple district reassignment would also be temporary, only lasting around 2 years or so following the dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple, at which point, the Praia Cabo Verde Temple is anticipated to be dedicated.

    That being said, it is intriguing to watch how the Church assigns units anywhere to any given temple district. I am sure there is far much more to that process than we might recognize or realize. And I am glad I don't have to make those kinds of decisions. I also believe that within the next 2-4 years, we are looking at a completely different composition of many, most, or even all current temple districts. It will be interesting to see all of that unfold.

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  18. It is interesting to see how other Churches are approaching missionary work. This is a report of the Seventh day Adventist church in inter America who plan to baptise 200,000 people by June 2020! They plan this through what they call total commitment, which is members,pastors and church leaders to work together. The Seventh day Adventist church is much bigger than the LDS church with other 21 million members and about 25 million attending. Last year they baptised 1 and a quarter million people and have 160 thousand congregations.

    https://news.adventist.org/en/all-news/news/go/2019-06-15/in-inter-america-leaders-unveil-soul-winning-plan-to-baptize-more-than-200000-in-12-months/

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  19. Tony, you are correct, from imformation found at adventist.org, but there are a couple of factors to consider. First, with paid clergy, churches and companies (what we'd call branches and groups) can be opened in many locations and served by ministers who work in more than one location.

    This can result in church planting as a big means of growth. Next, with a huge network of medical and educational institutions, the members are less likely to become secularized and will maintain a high level of commitment and dedication. Also, the church has very little representation in the first world nations. Only about 5% to 6% of the church membership is in the US and Canada, and about 1% in European nations. Then in Africa there are approximately 9 million members, 6 million in Latin America, and over 2 million in India and China

    Many rural congregations exists with very few members, unlike our small branches which close for lack of adequate staffing of auxilliaries. For example the SDA Church in my hometown in Washington had 15 to 20 members 50 years ago and now numbers only around 30 members. On the other side of the spectrum are huge churches with up to 2000 members and more. These are usually located in centers of membership strength, such as Walla Walla, Washington, where a major SDA university is located. The largest SDA Church has 7000 members and is in China with a female pastor.

    One missionary tool Adventists use is a multi-day missionary crusade in certain locations which result in large numbers of people joining the faith. Members are added by Professions of Faith in addition to baptisms.

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  20. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  21. I'd just like to note here that even though the primary focus of this blog has been growth developments as relating to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have always held with the guidance provided by two Church Presidents relating to other churchs (namely the Prophet Joseph Smith and President Gordon B. Hinckley). Among other things, Joseph Smith gave us the following pearls of wisdom:

    "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God, according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

    "A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges all over, anxious to bless the whole human race."

    He also shared the following roughly one year prior to his passing: "The Saints can testify whether I am willing to lay down my life for my brethren. If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a ‘Mormon.’ I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves."

    And from President Hinckley, we have the timeless invitation: "Bring all the good you have, and let us see if we can add to it." Moreover, we recently had a few examples of how our prophet, President Nelson, set the example in terms of recognizing good in other religions, and in hailing the good work done by those of other faiths. In March, in conjunction with the dedication of the Rome Italy Temple, he met with the Pope, and thanked the pontiff for the great work he has been doing to reach out to youth and children of the Church. He also hand-delivered a chceck from the Church to Muslim leaders to aid in the recovery of their people from the horrific attacks to the two mosques in Christchurch.

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  22. My point in mentioning this is that, if seen in the proper light, any religion helps the lives of the people involved to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. And I know of no general leader of our Church who would not be just as supportive of other religions as they are to the members of this Church. For that reasons, I would hope all people of any faith would find reason to rejoice at the growth developments of any religion, whether their own or others.

    And in that respect, I wanted to commend and thank Matt again for the tireless work he and David Stewart have done to cumorah.com, particularly the country profiles. As we continue to read those, I have been touched by the reports of the growth of all faiths which are mentioned by name in each profile. I am one who may not agree with principles taught or practices observed in other faiths, but that does not stop me from recognizing the good that any religious entity is doing.

    When I was in elementary school, and later on in both junior high and high school, I had the opportunity to interact with people who were atheist, nondenominational Christians, Catholics, Presbyterians, and Jehovah Witnesses, just to name a few of the examples that immediately came to mind. I may have spoken of this before, but with one of my best friends through the six years of secondary school being a Jehovah Witness, we had many opportunities to talk about our differing beliefs in a respectful exchange. At one point, his father passed away, and I was able to share with him my belief that death does not end one's life permanently.

    My family had to opportunity to have one of my older sister's Catholic friends taught by the missionaries in our home, and he was able to draw parallels between Church teachings and those of his prior faith. So I hope any one of us can see positive growth developments in any faith as equally worthy of celebration and commendation as are any and all of the developments Matt has reported here.

    Sorry for the long comment. Just wanted to pass these thoughts along, for what they may be worth.

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  23. One other thing, not relating to religious growth: Based on what I have heard since yesterday, I am assuming that official confirmation of the groundbreaking arrangements for the Belem Brazil Temple, along with the release of an artist's rendering and construction time-frame, may be released at some point within the next week or less. Barring anything unexpected, it seems likely that the temple will be a smaller one, and that the construction time-frame will be roughly 2-3 years, wrapping up sometime in late 2021 or early 2022. Hopefully the official release will be shared soon. Just wanted to add that, FWIW.

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  24. Reported today, 06/19/2019, on Classic LDS Maps, the "Ribeirão Preto Brazil South Stake" - 2134306 :

    with 5 Wards assigned :

    Bebedouro Ward - 323551
    Jaboticabal Ward - 530859
    Jardim Irajá Ward - 229490
    Parque Ribeirão Preto Ward - 229504
    Vila Virgínia Ward - 196355

    https://classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/#ll=-21.320985,-47.791849&z=10&m=google.road&layers=stakecenter&find=stake:2134306

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  25. The Church recently completed the translation of the Triple Combination into the Lao language: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/letters?clang=eng&id=16890&lang=eng&source=1&inline=true (LCR access required). Print copies will be available in November, but the electronic version can be downloaded now on the Library app.

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  27. Thanks for the report on the FSM. I served my mission there from 2013-2015 and the baptisms literally exploded from around 250 in 2012 to nearly 1,000 in 2014 under the inspired direction of President Mecham. I see Pohnpei developing like Kiribati and I hope a church school is eventually placed in the FSM. Chuuk struggles with priesthood holders and Guam's struggle is retaining youth and emigration. But I was so pleased to see a temple announced.

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  28. The islands of the sea are amazing places to see the Church grow. Religious growth of all kinds is good to see for Christ, for God, for better communities, virtues, and moral values.

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