New Stakes Created in Utah (3), Cote d'Ivoire, the Philippines, and the Republic of the Congo

Utah

The Church has organized three new stakes in Utah.

A new stake was created in Farmington. The Farmington Utah Farmington Bay Stake was organized on October 25th from a division of the Farmington Utah Stake and the Farmington Utah West Stake. The new stake includes the following eight wards: the Farmington 6th, Farmington 7th, Farmington 16th, Farmington Ranches 1st, Farmington Ranches 3rd, Farmington Ranches 4th, Farmington Ranches 5th, and Meadows Wards. There are now six stakes in Farmington.

A new stake was created in Lehi. The Lehi Utah Jordan River YSA Stake was organized from a division of the Lehi Utah YSA Stake. The new stake includes the following eight wards: the Crossroads YSA, Eagle Mountain YSA, Holbrook Farms YSA, Jordan River YSA, Lehi YSA 1st, Lehi YSA 2nd, Saratoga Springs YSA, and The Ranches YSA Wards. There are now 17 stakes in Lehi and 55 YSA stakes in Utah.

A new stake was created in St George. The St George Utah Crimson Ridge West Stake was organized on November 15th from a division of the St George Utah Crimson Ridge Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards: Cottonwood, Hawthorn, Mulberry, Silkwood, and Sycamore Wards. There are now 19 stakes in St George. 

There are now 612 stakes and one district in Utah.

Cote d'Ivoire

The Church organized a new stake in Cote d'Ivoire on November 15th. The Koumassi Cote d'Ivoire Stake was organized from a division of the Port-Bouët Cote d'Ivoire Stake (organized in 2012 and most recently divided in 2016 to create the Grand-Bassam Cote d'Ivoire Stake). The new stake includes the following eight wards and one branch: the Anoumabo, Koumassi, Marcory, Prodomo, Remblais, Sicogi, Vridi 1st, and Vridi 2nd Wards, and the Vridi Canal Branch. 

There are now 14 stakes in Abidjan - more stakes than any other city on the Afro-Eurasian landmass. There are now 16 stakes and 17 districts in Cote d'Ivoire. The creation of several additional stakes appears imminent in Cote d'Ivoire. The following stakes are likely to divide to create new stakes in the immediate future: the Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon North Stake (10 wards), the Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon South Stake (10 wards), the Cocody Cote d'Ivoire Stake (13 wards), the Dokui Cote d'Ivoire Stake (11 wards), and the Yamoussoukro Cote d'Ivoire Stake (10 wards, 1 branch).

The Philippines

The Church organized a new stake in the Philippines on November 8th. The Camiling Philippines Stake was created from the Camiling Philippines District. Information on which of the 11 branches became wards in the new stake remains unavailable. The Church originally organized the Camiling Philippines Stake in 1991, but the stake was discontinued in 2003 and reconstituted into two districts (Camiling East and Camiling West). The districts combined into a single district in 2017. 

There are now 116 stakes and 62 districts in the Philippines.

The Republic of the Congo 

The Church organized a new stake in the Republic of the Congo on November 8th. The Diata Republic of the Congo Stake was organized from a division of the Brazzaville Republic of the Congo Stake and the Makelekele Republic of the Congo Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Diata, Mfilou 1st, Moungali, Ouenze, and Tsieme Wards, and the Mfilou 2nd Branch. The Church organized its first stake in Brazzaville in 2003 followed by the creation of a second stake in 2014.

There are now three stakes in Brazzaville. There are now four stakes in the Republic of the Congo.

New Branch in Angola

The Church in Angola recently organized its second branch in the city of Huambo (approximately population: 600,000). The Sao Joao Branch was organized from a division of the Huambo Branch (renamed the Cidade Alta Branch). The Church originally organized a branch in Huambo in 2013, but the mission discontinued the branch in 2015 due to difficulties with leadership development. The Branch was reinstated in 2018 and the Church has grown rapidly in the city in the past couple years. The creation of the Church's second branch in Huambo is significant as Huambo is the first city in Angola outside of the capital city, Luanda, where multiple branches have been organized. There are three cities in Angola with an official Church presence: Luanda, Huambo, and Lubango. The Church operates one stake, one mission, and no districts in Angola.

UPDATED: The 10 Countries with the Most Members without a Temple Announced, Under Construction, or in Operation - November 2020

Due to the announcement of the Church's first temples in Kiribati and Vanuatu last month, I have updated the list of the countries with the most members without a temple using year-end 2019 membership totals. Temples that service stakes, districts, and mission branches in each country are identified. Previous lists are also available for April 2020, April 2019, October 2018, April 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, mid-2011, late 2008, and late 2007. I have put the country name in bold if that country has typically experienced rapid growth (annual membership growth rate of approximately 8% or higher) within the past two years. The Church has achieved significant progress with the announcement of temples in countries where no temples previously operated, particularly in areas with comparatively few members. This is the first time in decades that there are countries with less than 7,000 members ranked in the list of the 10 countries with the most members without temples.

1. Uganda

• 17,887 members
• 3 stakes, 3 districts
• 36 congregations (16 wards, 21 branches)
• Johannesburg South Africa Temple (Nairobi Kenya Temple announced)

2. Mozambique

• 15,032 members
• 4 stakes, 2 districts
• 47 congregations (25 wards, 22 branches)
• Johannesburg South Africa Temple (Harare Zimbabwe Temple announced)

3. Liberia

• 14,538 members
• 5 stakes, 1 district
• 56 congregations (38 wards, 18 branches)
• Accra Ghana Temple (Freetown Sierra Leone Temple announced)

4. Madagascar

• 12,887 members
• 2 stakes, 3 districts
• 42 congregations (16 wards, 26 branches)
• Johannesburg South Africa Temple (Harare Zimbabwe Temple announced)

5. Mongolia

• 12,261 members
• 2 stakes, 1 district
• 24 congregations (12 wards, 12 branches)
• Hong Kong China Temple (Shanghai China Temple announced)

6. Malaysia

• 10,845 members
• 0 stakes, 6 districts
• 31 congregations (31 branches)
• Hong Kong China Temple (Bangkok Thailand Temple announced)

7. Republic of the Congo 

• 8,542 members
• 3 stakes - will be 4 stakes as of November 8th, 2020
  
• 27 congregations (17 wards, 10 branches) - numbers prior to Pointe-Noire Republic of the Congo Stake creation
  
• Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple

8. Indonesia

• 7,561 members
• 2 stakes, 1 district
• 24 congregations (15 wards, 9 branches)
• Hong Kong China Temple (Bangkok Thailand Temple under construction)

9. Marshall Islands

• 6,976 members
• 2 stakes
• 12 congregations (12 wards)
• Suva Fiji Temple (Tarawa Kiribati Temple announced)
  

10.  Jamaica

• 6,668 members
• 1 stake, 1 district
• 18 congregations (6 wards, 12 branches)
• Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple