Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Pakistan. In comparison to the population, the Church in Pakistan has grown much more rapidly than in neighboring India. There are approximately 5,000 Latter-day Saints in Pakistan organized into 14 branches and three districts. The first stakes in Pakistan will likely be organized in the next five years. The Islamabad Pakistan District has almost reached 2,000 members. Missionary efforts occur solely among non-Muslims, particularly Pakistani Christians. See below for the Future Prospects section of this article:
Reliance on local members and church leaders to meet missionary and ecclesiastical needs has promoted moderate retention and member activity as well as generating ongoing growth. However, limited numbers of Pakistanis who serve full-time missions pose a significant barrier for greater expansion and growth as current levels are unable to adequately staff local needs. There also appears a need for greater training and oversight of congregations to help improve member-missionary participation, fellowshipping of less-active and inactive members, and the quality of organization and leadership in some locations. The greatest challenge that will need to be resolved is to permit the organization of additional branches and member groups in cities where no branches currently operate without the foreign mission president directly visiting these locations. Use of district leadership to accomplish these needs appears the most feasible method to expand outreach. Local members note there are many who live in these locations and have requested the Church’s establishment in their area. Cities that appear most likely to have a Church presence established in the near future include Hyderabad and Multan. Prospects appear favorable for continued growth among Christians, although there are no present prospects for expansion among Pakistani Muslims. Districts headquartered in Islamabad and Lahore appear likely to become stakes within the foreseeable future. A mission based in Pakistan seems unlikely until greater religious tolerance from government occurs, or there is a sustained increase in the number of Pakistani members who serve full-time missions.
LDS Living recently posted a story about how the gospel reached Pakistan. http://www.ldsliving.com/The-Miraculous-Story-of-the-First-Missionary-from-Pakistan/s/91789?fbclid=IwAR3pEggliKmVUdyaUFZyEvm45DP8CNyyxLM7PqHwfnHc2MsRcnUNf328fMc
ReplyDeleteSpoiler alert: a pastor from Pakistan was given a Book of Mormon in England and told to warn the world about its evils, so he went back to Pakistan and started a church that preached against it. Because preaching against a religion that doesn't even exist in your country makes perfect sense. I guess we should be grateful for how stupid some of our enemies are.
Such a cool story! Thanks for sharing Christopher. It is true that Heavenly Father is a God of miracles and that no effort is wasted when we share what is in our hearts about the gospel.
ReplyDeleteI kinda see Pakistan getting a stake in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThe Muhagirs are Muslim immigrants from India to Pakistan at or after partition. While they live heavily in Karachi, they live elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe Muhagirs are a post-immigration ethnic group, sort of like white Americans. They most heavily come from what is now Uttar Pradesh, and speak Urdu which is very closely related to Hindi. Some people say Urdu is Hindi written in Arabic script.
Not all Muslim immigrants to Pakistan from India are classed as Muhagirs. Others are Punjabi. The historic Punjab was bisected at partition and many people moved both ways.
Some things,I have read suggest that Benazair Bhutto came to power due to familial connections and her being in power no more shows that women are socially powerful in Pakistan than Queen Elizabeth tells us anything about the power of women in 16th century England.
ReplyDeleteIn the past the Church has created missions with as small a missionary force as a Pakistani mission would have. I have to wonder if creating a Pakistan Lahore Mission with a Pakistani couple called to preside over the mission might be the best way forward.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand if stakes were organized the responsibility to organize new groups and branches would devolve on the stake president within his stake boundaries.
ReplyDeleteElder Libbert, the area president of the Asia Area who gave permission for the baptisms in 1990 in Pakistan, has a daughter named Ruth. Her husband is Dale G. Renlund, now an apostle. Elder Gong's father-in-law was also a general authority sevrnty.
ReplyDeleteThat should be "Elder Lybbert", with a "y". And Elder Gong's father-in-law was Elder Richard P. Lindsay. Interestingly, Elder Gong's brother-in-law is Bruce Lindsay, who was a long-time anchor of KSL's evening newscasts, and who served as president of the Perth Australia Mission from 2012-2015.
ReplyDeleteMatt, Thank you for the Update on the current "Kenema Sierra Leone District", organized in 2012, and soon to become a Stake. Also the "Paita Perú District", organized in 1995, also soon to become a Stake. According to your sources.
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciate all your hard work in keeping us informed.
Also, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Saints and Missionaries in countries like Chile, Bolivia and others in South America that are living weeks of civil unrest.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2019-11-12/violence-mass-protests-in-bolivia-affect-missionaries-and-latter-day-saints-166609
Amen, Chris! Amen.
ReplyDeleteI just came across something that support, my view that comparing stakes to dioceses is comparing two unlike things.
ReplyDeleteThe Los Angeles Archdiocese has 4 million Catholics. That is roughly twice the size of the Utah Area, with just over 2 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Utah Area is by far the largest area. There are over 600 stakes in the Utah area. There are Catholic parishes with over twice the membership of any stake.
Matt...I saw that you listed Kenema Sierra Leone District to be upgrade to a Stake in a few weeks. That is so exciting. It appears that Sierra Leone has had great success in leadership development and moving districts into Stakes. I noticed that the unit creation in 2018 was slow but so far this year the unit creation has been higher. I am hoping to see a few additional units created before year end. Thanks Matt for all your hard work and updates.
ReplyDeleteIt appears two new branches were formed in Mozambique. Also an additional ward and branch in Onna, Nigeria in coastal Ikwa Abom State.
ReplyDeleteDallas saw a new Spanish-speaking branch formed and St. George saw a Spanish-speaking branch upgraded to a ward.
It looks like there is hope that Nampala in northern Mozambique may soon have a stake.
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ReplyDeleteJPL, sorry I am a few days late in saying this, but thanks for sharing that development. In the meantime, I wanted to mention here a brand new development: After literal hours and days involving a lot of hard work, I have finally been able to publish a three-part series featuring the initial version of my predictions for the April 2020 General Conference. Anyone who would like to do so is welcome to read and comment on any of those posts on my blog:
ReplyDeletehttps://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/
My thanks to you all in advance for your feedback, and to Matt for his continued willingness to allow me to share such updates here.
I need book of mormon urdu copy searching for years no one helping me for this.
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