Last month, the Church organized two new branches in the Botswana/Namibia Mission in cities where no branches have previously operated.
The Ongwediva Branch was created in northern Namibia and becomes the first branch to ever operate in this region of the country. The Church has operated a member group for a number of years in the small city of approximately 20,000 people. Remote location has posed a major difficulty for the Church to become established in Ongwediva as the nearest city in Namibia with a branch is Windhoek - more than 350 miles away. Other missionary-focused Christian groups have reported rapid growth in this area of the Church, and the creation of the new branch may present additional opportunities to channel resources into this area of Namibia. There are only three cities in Namibia with a branch: Windhoek (3), Ongwediva, and Swakopmund. Swakopmund was previously the most recently reached city in Namibia by the Church as the branch in the city was organized in 2015. Ongwediva was the ninth most populous city in Namibia without a branch prior to the branch creation.
The Serowe Branch was created in Botswana last Sunday. Serowe is the first city in Botswana to have had its first Latter-day Saint branch organized since 2014 when the Mogoditshane Ward was created. There are now nine cities in Botswana with a ward or branch. Serowe was previously the second most populous city in Botswana without a ward or branch.
Wow! So amazing to see the growth of the church in this area of the world.
ReplyDeleteVery good to see this growth in 2020. Very remote places, so far from other units.
ReplyDeletewhy is it that membership growth comes from the most poor and uneducated places in the world. in the 50s 60s and 70s and many years in the 80s most growth was from educated middle class people, such a switch makes for greater challenges in Leadership and financial independence for local branches
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing poor and uneducated about the members in Serowe branch. Most have college degrees and good jobs in government or the mining sector.
DeleteWhy is most Church growth from less educated and poor Nations? During the early 1900s to the early 80s most new members were educated middle class ? This is a simular situation that the JWs are facing
ReplyDelete@Harvstr
DeleteExcerpt from the talk, "The Weak and Simple Things of the Church," by Boyd K. Packer:
"There is another principle unique to the Lord’s Church. All positions to teach and to lead are filled by members of the Church. This too has been set forth in the scriptures. One verse in the Doctrine and Covenants established the order of leadership in the Church for all time. It was unprecedented, certainly not the custom of Christian churches then or now:
“Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments; …
“The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, …
“… That every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world;
“That faith also might increase in the earth;
“That mine everlasting covenant might be established;
“That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers.
“Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding” (D&C 1:17, 19–24)."
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2007/10/the-weak-and-the-simple-of-the-church?lang=eng
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2020-08-30/byu-pathway-worldwide-growth-enrollment-returned-missionaries-valuable-education-191472
ReplyDeleteReally good article with informative map here, if you have not seen it. Africa needs more opportunities like this.
I saw a young brother from Liberia signed up for this on LinkedIn. Cheap for us, but 67 bucks was hard for him to come by. For some of us that would be like 10,000 dollars.
@Eduardo
DeleteInteresting to note that 65% of RMs from the Africa West, South, and Central Areas are enrolling in Pathway. Great opportunity for them, it appears.
The cost of BYU pathway varies by country. From as low a $1 a credit in venezuela and $4.50 in Haiti and Liberia, or $10 in Egypt, etc. So it is made affordable around the world based on local economy. It is now available in 159 countries/territories. You can select the country as see the prices at: https://www.byupathway.org/tuition
ReplyDeleteI have not see Matt's regular Temple preditions yet. Is that not usually posted by this time?
ReplyDeleteMy previous comment was for those who start and completer the Pathway Connect program first. It way take an extra year but well worth the savings and it helps prepare you for the education. I know that BYU-Patway Worldwide is an inspired program to help those who might not otherwise get an education via the traditional route.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1980s most growth of the Church was coming from Latin America. There is also huge judgementalism in claiming just because people live in a certain country they have no leadership potential.
ReplyDeleteLots of converts in Michigan in the 1960s were lower class white migrants from Appalatia. Many of these people never made it passed being marginal members with dysfunctional families. Others did.
I could cite all sorts of similar facts from all sorts of similar places. I could also point out stories President Hinckley told of people being lifted out of poverty after joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Thierry Mutumbo's family I am pretty sure were not middle class when they joined the Church in Kinshasa in 1986.
When Elder Sitati joined the Church in 1986 in Kenya those who knew little could have written him off as lower class.
The missionaries in Hawaii who baptized college basketball player Peter M. Johnson is 1989 had no way to know he would leverage his college education to break a cycle of poverty.
Go listen to Elder Johnson's BYU-Idaho devotional and catch the real vision.
@John Pack Lambert & Harvstr:
DeleteAn addendum to the discussion on wealth and education in converts:
Yes, we have converted middle-class educated people at times, as well as rich people and poor people at other times.
Keep in mind that one of the first great harvests in the Church's history was from the poorer agrarian and tradesman classes of the British Isles and Scandinavia.
As portrayed in melodramatic form (based on historical accounts) in "Legacy" and "Mountain of the Lord" these early Saints helped bolster the ranks of the Church after the Kirtland Apostasy and during the trek west. They are the ones who did a great amount of the labor on the Utah temples we still use to this day.
My guess is that plenty of us here on this blog could trace some of our roots back to that poorer class of valiant pioneers.
Personally, I can. Many of the Whitings in the Church come from those lower class English immigrants and their descendants, particularly Edwin Whiting (a contemporary and at-times bodyguard of Joseph Smith).
He helped found the communities of Manti, Springville, and Mapleton. He wasn't upper class, but a horticulturalist who specialized in planting orchards and gardens. His father worked a sawmill (as did my grandfather). My own dad was a farmer and a tractor mechanic.
Thousands of Edwin's descendants are still stalwart in the Church, including my cousin, who has a PHD and speaks at least 3 languages. Another notable descendant would be Scott D. Whiting, a distant cousin of mine, current General Authority, and one of the leaders in the Church's Temple Department.
I don't share this to brag, as I'm sure there are many who regularly comment here who have similar heritages in the Church.
But I think we can forget at times (myself included), those of us who are currently in middle-class, educated situations here in Utah and elsewhere, whose families have been in the Church for 5 or 6 generations. We forget the humble circumstances of the first converts in our families.
I see the Church as a great melting pot - just as early America was (and still can be) - to bring all sorts of different races and classes and nationalities together under one faith.
Perhaps the time will come again when great swaths of middle-class, college educated people convert to the gospel, but right now, it seems the Lord sees fit to harvest from Brazil, the Philippines, and Africa; and like JPL said, the gospel principles these new converts learn help lift them and their congregations out of poverty and give those educational opportunities that they might not otherwise find outside of the Church.
Keep in mind also that with each new ward and branch and district and stake in these countries, the leaders quite often are selected from the local membership (with some exceptions), so there's the leadership from these poorer populaces that we've been looking for.
@JPL & Harvstr:
Delete"I could cite all sorts of similar facts from all sorts of similar places."
Here's one last one from James É. Faust:
https://ldsquotes.com/lds-quotes-by-topic/quotes-on-mission/i-have-only-baptized-one-dirty-little-irish-kid/
Matt,
ReplyDeleteDo you have a timeframe that you will post your October 2020 Conference Top 10 possible temple sites picks and updated Most Likely / Less Likely list and Map? It is now only 4 weeks until Conference weekend for each of us to post our Best or Top 10 picks that may be announced by Pres. Nelson this go around.
I am also anxiously waiting to see James Stokes updated list for his October conference choices.
Cumorah Foundation April 2020 Most/Less likely sites map :
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1W60CDwd4qDDMA3tW74z8g-2WxNw&ll=-3.81666561775622e-14%2C0&z=1
James Stokes's April 2020 Future Temples Predictions list (pre April 2020 Conference) :
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hHjnnmwcr16z8FHZUc7PZtFRImAGEl4kXGU10UXlgyY
Thanks.
Hello, Chris and everyone else. I imagine the reason Matt has not yet published his September 2020 thoughts about new temples is the work- and family-related reasons he previously cited when posting the August 2020 Church Growth Newsletter. If that is the reason for the delay, I for one feel his focus is rightly where it should be.
DeleteThat said, anyone who wants to whet their appetite for temple predictions for next month are welcome to look over my newest edition thereof, which can be found at the following web address:
https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2020/09/updated-october-2020-general-conference.html?m=1
One other quick note here: since Matt may still need to moderate comments on this blog, the quickest way to get answers to any questions on my latest predictions is to post them on my blog, where moderation of comments is not needed for the time being. Thanks.
Educated and wealthy countries think they don't need God anymore.
ReplyDeleteNew YW general board members announced, with well written bios:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/three-women-called-as-new-young-women-general-board-members
On Classic Maps, yesterday 09/05, was reported the "La Mancha Spain District - 613320" (organized 04/30/1991), was consolidated with neighboring Stakes.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the Branch names that were consolidated.
https://classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/#ll=39.72002,-3.411888&z=7&m=google.hybrid&layers=stakecenter&q=613320
There are educated and wealthy people who join the Church of Jesus Christ. But the numbers certainly favor the poorer and less established. Think of the first Christians in 30 nations 2,000 years ago.
ReplyDeleteChrist spoke of "new wine in old bottles". But as suggested by some in this forum, many do not accept the Good News when they are already satisfied with their financial or temporal salvation or standing.
Rich Jews seldom became Christian, but some like Nicodemus were interested... Blessed are the poor, but blessed are the (rich) meek, pure, or poor of heart.