Utah
Four new stakes were created in Utah.
The Hurricane Utah South Stake was organized on March 30th from a division of the Hurricane Utah Stake (organized in 1929). The new stake includes the following six wards: Hurricane 4th, Hurricane 10th, Hurricane 15th, Hurricane 18th (Spanish), Hurricane 19th, and Three Falls. There are now four stakes in Hurricane; the Church organized its third stake in the city in 2019.
The Lehi Utah North YSA Stake was organized on April 13th from a division of the Lehi Utah Jordan River YSA Stake (organized in 2020). The new stake includes the following five wards: Cold Spring Ranch YSA, Hardman Farms YSA 1st, Hardman Farms YSA 2nd, Holbrook Farms YSA, and Lehi YSA 1st.
The Orem Utah Mountain View (Spanish) Stake was organized on April 13th from Spanish congregations assigned to various stakes in the Orem area. The new stake includes the following eight wards: Cherry Hill 8th (Spanish), Geneva Heights 1st (Spanish), Hillcrest 9th (Spanish), Lakeview 11th (Spanish), Sharon Park 13th (Spanish), Springwater 3rd (Spanish), Suncrest 8th (Spanish), and Vineyard 7th (Spanish).
The Provo Utah Edgemont East Stake was organized on March 16th from a division of the Provo Utah Edgemont Stake (organized in 1971) and the Provo Utah Edgemont North Stake (organized in 1988). The new stake includes the following six wards and one branch: Edgemont 4th, Edgemont 6th, Edgemont 9th, Edgemont 10th, Edgemont 11th, Edgemont 14th, and Quail Ridge Branch (Care Center). There are now 47 stakes in Provo.
There are now 643 stakes and six districts in Utah.
Idaho
Two new stakes were created in Idaho.
The Bonners Ferry Idaho Stake was organized on April 13th from a division of the Sandpoint Idaho Stake (organized in 1978). The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: Bonners Ferry 1st, Bonners Ferry 2nd, Libby, Moyie Springs, Sunnyside, and Troy Branch. This marks the second new stake created in northern Idaho in recent years (the other being the Post Falls Idaho Stake in 2022).
The Burley Idaho Central Stake was organized on May 4th from the Burley Idaho Stake (organized in 1919) and the Burley Idaho West Stake (organized in 1983). The new stake includes the following seven wards: Burley 2nd, Burley 3rd, Burley 6th, Burley 7th, Burley 8th, Burley 9th, and Cassia (Spanish). There are now seven stakes in Burley and nearby communities.
There are now 145 stakes in Idaho.
Missouri
The Church created two new stakes on April 27th in Missouri.
The Grand River Missouri Stake was organized from the Far West Missouri Stake (organized in 2015) and includes the following eight wards: Far West YSA, Gallatin, Grand River Valley, Mill Creek, Spring Hill, Three Forks, Trenton (Tongan), and Yellow Creek.
The Branson Missouri Stake was organized from the Springfield Missouri South Stake (organized in 1995) and the Rogers Arkansas Stake (organized in 1991). It includes the following five wards and one branch: Bee Creek, Berryville, Branson West, Fall Creek, Harrison, and Branson 3rd (Spanish) Branch.
There are now 21 stakes in Missouri.
Oklahoma
The Church created two new stakes on March 30th in the Oklahoma City area.
The Deer Creek Oklahoma Stake was created from the Edmond Oklahoma Stake (organized in 2018) and the Stillwater Oklahoma Stake (organized in 1981). It includes the following seven wards: Deer Creek, Edmond 5th, Guthrie 1st, Oklahoma City 1st, Oklahoma City 4th, Scissortail, and Village.
The Noble Oklahoma Stake was organized from the Edmond Oklahoma Stake (organized in 2018) and the Norman Oklahoma Stake (organized in 1970). The new stake includes the following six wards: Ada, Noble, Norman 1st, Purcell, Seminole, and Shawnee.
There are now six stakes in the greater Oklahoma City area and 13 stakes in Oklahoma.
Arizona
A new stake was created in Arizona. The Snowflake Arizona Pioneer Stake was organized on May 4th, 2025 from the Centennial Arizona Stake (organized in 2016) and the Snowflake Arizona Stake (organized in 1887). The new stake includes the following six wards: Pioneer 1st, Pioneer 2nd, Pioneer 3rd, Pioneer 4th, Pioneer 5th, and Pioneer 6th. There are now four stakes in the Snowflake–Taylor area.
Also, three new districts were created in Arizona on May 4th to serve incarcerated members. Each of these three districts was created from branches that were previously assigned to stakes.
The Arizona Central District (Correctional Facility) includes the following 10 branches: Eyman Meadows, Gila River, Heritage Park, La Palma, Lewis, Oak, Perryville, Poston Butte, Ranchview, and Sweetwater.
The Arizona Northwest District (Correctional Facility) includes the following seven branches: Desert Canyon, Jacks Canyon, Little Reservoir, Maricopa County, Phoenix West, Sacramento Valley, and Sawmill.
The Arizona South District (Correctional Facility) includes the following five branches: Kimball 3rd, Silverlake, Tucson Wilmot, Whitewater Draw, and Yuma County.
There are now 119 stakes and three districts in Arizona.
Canada
A new stake was created in Canada. The Lethbridge Alberta Henderson Lake Stake was organized on May 4th from the Lethbridge Alberta North Stake (organized in 1997) and the Lethbridge Alberta East Stake (organized in 1974). The new stake includes the following seven wards: Coutts, Henderson, Park Meadows, Redwood, Stirling 1st, Stirling 2nd, and Stirling 3rd. There are now five stakes in Lethbridge (one of which is a YSA stake).
There are now 54 stakes and three districts in Canada.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo)
A new stake and a new district were created in the DR Congo.
The Matadi DR Congo Stake was organized on May 4th from the Matadi DR Congo District (organized in 2021). Reports indicate that five of the six branches in the former district were organized into wards, although it is unclear which branches became wards in the new stake. The district formerly included a branch in the nearby city of Kimpese (organized in 2023), although this branch was recently reassigned to the direct supervision of the DR Congo Kinshasa West Mission. Two new branches were also organized in Kimpese. A district appears likely to be organized in Kimpese in the near future. With a stake in Matadi and branches organized in nearby Boma and Muanda (each of which have two branches), a future mission appears likely to be organized in Matadi to serve the western DR Congo in Kongo Central Province, which has a population of approximately seven million.
The Lubunga DR Congo District was created on May 11th from a division of the Kisangani DR Congo District (organized in 2023), which had grown to 12 branches after six new branches were organized in November 2024. The new district comprises three branches (Bakonga, Lokele, and Lubunga) in the Lubunga area of Kisangani, which is south of the Congo River.
There are now 34 stakes and three districts in the DR Congo.
Cote d'Ivoire
A new stake was created in Cote d'Ivoire. The Ébimpé Cote d'Ivoire Stake was organized on March 16th, 2025 from the Agboville Cote d'Ivoire District (organized in 2016) and one ward (Attiesso) from the Abobo Cote d'Ivoire West Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards and four branches: Agboville, Assoko (formerly the Blankro 3rd Branch), Attiesso, Azaguié, and Blankro 2nd Wards; and the Attinguié (formerly the Blankro 4th Branch), Blankro 1st, Blankro 5th, and Ebimpé Branches. Three branches were discontinued when the new stake was organized: Agboville 2nd, Agboville District Branch, and Azaguié 2nd.
There are now 23 stakes and eight districts in Cote d'Ivoire.
Florida
A new stake was created in Florida. The Orlando Florida Citrus Ridge Stake was organized on April 27th from a division of the Orlando Florida South Stake (organized in 1992), the Orlando Florida West Stake (organized in 2020), and the St. Cloud Florida Stake (organized in 2005). The new stake includes the following six wards and one branch: Buena Ventura (Spanish), Citrus Ridge, Davenport, Hunters Creek, Lake Toho, Lake Wilson, and Four Corners (Spanish) Branch. There are now seven stakes in the greater Orlando area.
There are now 33 stakes in Florida.
Nigeria
A new stake was created in Nigeria. The Gboko Nigeria Stake was created from the Gboko Nigeria District (organized in 2019) on March 9th, 2025. The new stake is comprised of the following five wards and three branches: Ahungwa, Akaajime, Mbagba, Mkar, and Uwua Wards; and the Agirigi, Atekombo, and Jingir Branches. The Church has experienced rapid growth in Gboko since the first branch was created in 2016, with baptismal services sometimes numbering close to 100 new converts in recent years.
There are now 80 stakes and 13 districts in Nigeria.
Tennessee
A new stake was created in Tennessee. The Johnson City Tennessee Stake was organized on March 9th from a division of the Kingsport Tennessee Stake (organized in 1980). The new stake includes the following five wards and two branches: Abingdon, Bristol, Gray, Johnson City, and Watauga Wards; and Kingsport YSA and Marion Branches.
There are now 13 stakes in Tennessee.
Virginia
A new stake was created in Virginia. The Piedmont Virginia Stake was organized on March 23rd from a division of the Buena Vista Virginia Stake (organized in 1999), Greensboro North Carolina Stake (organized in 1961), Durham North Carolina Stake (organized in 1987), Richmond Virginia Midlothian Stake (organized in 2005), and Roanoke Virginia Stake (organized in 1970). The new stake includes the following five wards and three branches: Danville, Lynchburg 1st, Lynchburg 2nd, Lynchburg 3rd, and Sandy River Wards; and Bedford, Gretna, and South Boston Branches.
There are now 24 stakes in Virginia.
Guinea
The Church organized its first district in the West African country of Guinea on March 30th, 2025. The Conakry Guinea District was created from the three branches in the greater Conakry area: Conakry 1st, Conakry 2nd, and Coyah. There were 162 members who attended the conference to create the first district. The Church created its first branch in Conakry in 2017. The Church has not published any official year-end membership statistics for Guinea since 2018, when there were 61 members. Current membership is likely between 250 and 400. The Conakry area is assigned to the Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission, whereas the rest of the country is not assigned to a mission and is instead under the direct supervision of the Africa West Area.
Kenya
Two new districts were created in Kenya.
The Vihiga Kenya District was created on March 23rd, 2025 from a division of the Kisumu Kenya District. The new district includes the following four branches: Bukura, Kakamega, Luanda, and Mbale—all organized between 2019 and 2024.
The Church created the Nakuru Kenya District from four mission branches (two in Nakuru and two in Naivasha). The first branch in Naivasha was created in 2012; the first branch in Nakuru was created in 2023.
There are now four stakes and seven districts in Kenya.
Malawi
A new district was created in Malawi. The Kasungu Malawi District was organized on March 23rd, 2025 from a division of the Lilongwe Malawi Stake (organized in 2024). The two wards in Kasungu were downgraded to branches, and a third branch was created in the nearby town of Linyangwa. The creation of the new district was unusual given the Lilongwe Malawi Stake was organized less than one year ago. This decision likely indicates that the congregations in Lilongwe were sufficiently strong to support their own stake without the wards in Kasungu. The change also likely aimed to reduce travel times for leaders and encourage growth in the Kasungu area, where there has been rapid expansion since the first branch was organized in 2020.
There are now two stakes and one district in Malawi. Malawi appears highly likely to have its own mission organized in 2026.
Sierra Leone
A new district was created in Sierra Leone. The Church created the Koidu Sierra Leone District on March 30th, 2025 from two mission branches in Koidu (Kapeteh and Koidu). Three new branches were organized the same day the new district was created (Lebanon, Kania, and Mount Zion). The first member group was created in Koidu in 2016, and the first branch was created in 2017. There are now 565 members in the new district, and the mission president reports rapid growth in the city.
There are now 11 stakes and three districts in Sierra Leone.
California
A stake was discontinued in California. The Antelope California Stake (organized in 1988) was discontinued in early 2025. There were five wards in the stake for many years prior to its closure. The three surviving wards in the former stake were reassigned to the neighboring Citrus Heights California Stake (organized in 1980). The greater Sacramento area has experienced slight decline for many years, resulting in multiple discontinued stakes over the past couple of decades.
There are now 146 stakes in California.
Russia
The Church discontinued one of its few stakes in Russia. The Saratov Russia Stake (organized in 2015) was discontinued and reverted to district status (the original district was organized in 1996). The war in Ukraine appears to be the primary reason for the discontinuation of the stake, with many active members reportedly leaving Russia in recent years. The stake previously had four wards in Saratov, one ward in Penza, and three branches (Balakovo, Engels, and Marks). The new district includes four branches in the area once covered by the original stake: Engels, Penza, Solnichhny, and Volzhski. The district also includes branches in Samara, Toliatti, and Volgograd, each of which was previously part of its own district. This development underscores the dramatic decline of the Church in Russia over the past decade, driven by emigration, restricted missionary efforts, government limitations, and historically low activity rates.
There are now two stakes and four districts in Russia.
Albania
A district was discontinued in Albania. The Elbasan Albania District (organized in 2020) was discontinued, and its branches were reassigned to the Tirana Albania Stake (organized in 2014). No branches were discontinued. The district was likely closed to strengthen the Tirana Albania Stake, which recently had one of its wards in Tirana discontinued. The Church in Albania has experienced moderate growth for the region, although it has slowed considerably in the past five years.
There is now one stake in Albania.
Brazil
A district was discontinued in Brazil. The Patos de Minas Brazil District (organized in 2016) was discontinued and combined with the neighboring Uberlândia Brazil Stake (organized in 1995). The three branches in Patos de Minas were consolidated into a single ward.
There are now 288 stakes and 36 districts in Brazil.
254 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 254 of 254The Portland Maine Stake is on the Meetinghouse Locator site today. https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/2297531
So, I have an inside scoop on this, because Elder D. Martin Goury is in the area presidency and his daughter is in my ward. The area HQ will, indeed, be in Calgary, but there will be a member of the area presidency stationed in Toronto at all times to handle affairs on that side of the country as well as to be a government liaison.
Noah, the Bangor Maine Stake now includes the Caribou and Houlten Units from the St John New Brunswick Stake.
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/518247
Matt, Quick reminder. I think you overlooked the new Casanare Colombia District, organized May 25th.
"Chris D.
Matt, when you next update your Stake and Districts list. Don't forget to add the new Casanare Colombia District (2298023), that was organized sunday, May 25th.
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/2298023
Which seems to be named for the Casanare Department, just east of Bogotá.
June 10, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Chris D.
Personally, I'm surprised the branches were not just added to the neighboring Villavicencio Colombia District on the main road just to the south. To give Villavicencio a chance to become a stake with added units/members.
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/608572
June 10, 2025 at 9:26 AM"
If anyone is curious, here are the units assigned to the 2 new DRC Districts Matt added this morning.
Bandundu Democratic Republic of the Congo District (2298171) - 8 June 2025
- Bandundu Branch (2159864)
- Disasi Branch (2236435)
- Mayoyo Branch (2283379)
Parent: Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa South Mission (2245698)
Temple: Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple (1795171)
Tshitenge Democratic Republic of the Congo District (2297515) - 8 June 2025
- Kabwe Branch (2272105)
- Kambanja Branch (2272091)
- Lukalaba Branch (2284618)
- Sangu Branch (2272113)
- Tshitenge Branch (1735373)
Parent: Democratic Republic of the Congo Mbuji-Mayi Mission (2050722)
Temple: Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple (1795171)
The Primary President Porter recently ministered in 4 countries of the Asia Area, including the seldom spoke of Laos. You can each read into that what you will.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2025/06/11/president-susan-h-portelr-asia-joyful-service-message/
And Elder Stevenson recently ministered to the Saints, Missionaries and politicians and religious leaders in Montevideo, on his way to Argentina, and then finally to Chile where he will dedicate the Antofagasta Temple this sunday.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2025/06/11/elder-gary-e-stevenson-montevideo-uruguay-honor-strength-of-members/
Portland Maine Stake (2297531) - 8 June 2025
- Casco Bay YSA Branch (2284553)
- Cornish Ward (100528)
- Oxford Ward (43613)
- Portland Ward (47953)
- Saco Ward (240257)
- Topsham Ward (49778)
- Windham Ward (138266)
- Yarmouth Ward (221848)
Assigned Mission: New Hampshire Manchester Mission (2012189)
Assigned Temple: Boston Massachusetts Temple (790362)
Bea and Jonathon F., thank you for those insights on this question. Bea, the Newsroom release is helpful as it is a verifiable source I can cite on Wikipedia. Jonathon F., do you know or can you find out whether there will consistently be the same area presidency member stationed in Toronto, or will it alternate between all 3 members? I ask because the Church has a similar arrangement in the Middle East/Africa North Area wherein the Area President and his First Counselor consistently administer the ME/AN Area from Church headquarters but do travel to the area personally as needed for ministry visits or area business as occasion requires, while the Second Counselor is an area Seventy who is the only one residing in and administering for the area in-person. So I am curious to know if the Canada Area will have a similar arrangement, with the same member of the area presidency always administering the area from the Toronto side or if they will alternate. Either way, my thanks again to you both.
San Antonio is a 16,800 square foot temple with 10 stakes after San Antonio is complete (17 stakes currently). While I don't think it's the next temple to be announced, it would not surprise me if another is announced for the metro.
Looking at the meetinghouse locator, I have located 10 congregations that straddle the U.S.-Canada border.
WESTERN CANADA
-Whitehorse Branch (Juneau AK Stake) - entire boundary within Canada, just part of a U.S. Stake
> roughly 18hr 30min drive to Prince George, BC, however technology can negate the distance, since I imagine they already have to attend stake conference remotely in Juneau, AK.
-Richmond 1st Ward (Surrey BC Stake) - covers Point Roberts, WA
> I don't think there is a simple solution for this. I imagine most of the residents have to have a passport regardless.
-Republic Branch (Colville WA Stake) - covers the area around Grand Forks, BC
> seems that this area can be split between the Osoyoos Branch (Vernon BC Stake) and the West Kootenay Ward (Cranbrook BC Stake), or placed entirely within the Osoyoos Branch.
-Del Bonita Branch (Magrath AB Stake) - covers a portion of Montana, appears to have no named settlements
> area can be reassigned to the Cut Bank Branch (Great Falls MT Stake)
-Coutts Ward (Lethbridge AB Henderson Lake Stake) - covers Sweet Grass, MT.
> somewhat tricky, 9min to cross the border or 35 min to attend the Shelby Branch (Great Falls MT Stake)
EASTERN CANADA
-Edmundston Branch (Saint John NB Stake) - covers the areas around Fort Kent, Madawaska, and Van Buren, ME)
> seems this area can simply be reassigned to the Caribou Branch.
-Caribou Branch (Bangor ME Stake) - covers the area around Perth-Andover, NB
> area can join the Edmunston Branch, or form a new branch located in Woodstock, NB.
-Houlton Branch (Bangor ME Stake) - covers the area around Woodstock, NB
> can form a new branch along with the Canadian portion of the Caribou Branch, or can be part of the Fredericton Ward (Saint John NB Stake).
-Saint Stephen Ward (Saint John NB Stake) - covers the area around Calais and Eastport, ME
> portion in the United States can either join the Machias Branch or form a new branch in Calais, ME if there is enough people.
-Machias Branch (Bangor ME Stake) - covers Campobello Island
> can simply be reassigned to the Saint Stephen Ward.
There are no congregations that straddle the U.S.-Mexico border.
As another note, are there any congregations near a country's border that have to attend church in the other country? Only instance I can find is the branch in Leticia, Colombia and the branch in Tabatinga, Brazil that both meet in Leticia.
The best examples I can think of is Western Europe where there's open boarders where wards, branches, stakes can cross boundaries. Andorra use to have its own branch, but now it meets in Spain. Although the branch is still called the Andorra Branch.
Most Stakes in Switzerland cross national boundaries.
Those in Angle Township Minnesota has to cross the border for just about anything - including getting to the rest of the US. The school bus that serve that area crosses the border 4 times each day (shuttling kids from the US to the US).
I'm sure I just hit the tip of the iceberg on this one. But that being said, most stakes/wards end at the border even if it's open border.
Area boundaries outside the US/Canada entirely uses national boundaries.
I guess I didn't explain it very well.
What I mean is wards or branches entirely within one country, but their assigned chapel is in a different country (not including wards or branches that cross country borders).
- Andorra, if the Andorra branch only covered the country, while the Spanish part of the current branch was in a La Seu d'Urgell Branch and members of the Andorra Branch attending their current chapel in Spain instead of building a chapel in Andorra itself.
- Johor Bahru, if there was no chapel there, they would have to cross into Singapore to attend church, even though the branch boundary does not cover Singapore at all.
- Leticia, the Leticia Branch only covers the Colombian side of the border, while the Tabatinga Branch only covers the Brazilian side, but those in Brazil have to cross into Colombia to attend church because there is no chapel on the Brazil side.
Sorry, let's try this again with the proper formatting, and with less of a wall.
It was also mentioned how there are a few stakes in NE Arizona with less than 5 wards, so I looked for a hypothetical solution that unfortunately would involve consolidating 5 stakes into 3.
Chinle Arizona Stake (4 wards, 5 branches), reorganized with the Chinle, Kanyata (Tuba City), Lukachukai, Many Farms, & Monument Valley (Tuba City) Wards and the Crystal, Dennehotso (Tuba City), Ganado [Navajo], Greasewood (Holbrook), Pinon, Polacca (Tuba City), Sawmill & Steamboat [Navajo] Branches for a realigned total of 5 wards, 8 branches.
Holbrook Arizona Stake (3 wards, 3 branches) - discontinued
Winslow Arizona Stake (5 wards, 2 branches), reorganized as the Joseph City Arizona Stake with the Allen's Camp, Brigham City, Midway, Obed, Painted Desert (Holbrook), Petrified Forest (Holbrook), Sunset Ward, & Woodruff (Holbrook) Wards and the (Holbrook), & Leupp Branches for a realigned total of 8 wards, 3 branches.
Gallup New Mexico Stake (6 wards, 4 branches) gains the Window Rock Ward (Chinle) and the Sanders Branch (Holbrook) for a realigned total of 7 wards, 5 branches.
Tuba City Arizona Stake
- discontinued
Page Arizona Stake (4 wards, 5 branches) gains the Tuba City Ward and Cameron Branch for a realigned total of 5 wards, 6 branches.
Guess it's time for bed, because I keep making mistakes and I don't want to just delete until I get it right. The hypothetical realignment of the Winslow AZ Stake should include the Dilkon and Indian Wells (Holbrook) Branches. If there's more errors, oh well.
Will they switch out which arra Presidency member is in Toronto, or will they have one specific one there most of the time and the other two mainly in Calgary? I can see advantages to both approaches.
With modern communication technology such is doable. Elder Gregorio Casillas was before he became a general authority Area Temple Facilities Superintendent for Mexico but was living in Mexicalli. Which would rival Reynosa as probably the logistically worse place to do this, you would think it would be easier from the center of the country.
Bandundu is a city of at least 200,000 in a province of over 6 million. This is the first district former in the 3 provinces that used to be Bandundu Province. Combined there are roughly 8-9 million people in those 3 provinces. It is the only district, with no stakes in the area, to the immediate east of Kinshasa. It is over 6 hours drive from Kinshasa. The next stake is over 18 hours from Kinshsa. Land travel from Kisangani to Kinshasa takes 1 day 19 hours.
JPL, that was my question above as well The Middle East/Africa North Area has the Area President and First Counselor administering that area from Church headquarters and traveling to the area only as needed, while the Second Counselor is the only one who is residing in the area full-time..So I can see the Canada Area doing something similar with that area presidency, but there are mentors to rotating the Toronto assignment between all three area presidency imembers as well
"Merits" to rotating the area presidency imembers not "mentors." Stupid auto insert! Anyways I can see either scenario as equally likely
Early this morning, the Church released the next batch of 11 new hymns:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/eleven-new-hymns-now-available-in-hymns-for-home-and-church
For my analysis of this latest batch, please visit the following page:
https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2025/06/breaking-news-church-releases-11-new.html
Other Matt here... according to Facebook posts...
Del Rio 1st Ward
Del Rio 3rd Ward (Spanish)
Eagle Pass Ward
Hondo Ward
Uvalde Ward
Carrizo Springs Branch
Cotulla Branch
Taking in the size of Delaware, Rhode Island and Vermont, I'd say the temples would be pretty small. just enough for 2 or 3 stakes.
I haven't gotten to Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and Hawaii just yet, but after some research, based on the most recent update to the meetinghouse locater, there are currently 6 Stakes in the US (outside of the 9 previously mentioned States) that have less than the minimum of 5 Wards:
Owego New York (4 Wards, 3 Branches)
Binghamton Ward
Colesville Branch
Corning Branch
Elmira Ward
Ithaca Ward
Owego Ward
Cornell Branch (Student)
Yukon Oklahoma (4 Wards, 3 Branches)
Clinton Ward
El Reno Branch
Kingfisher Branch
Oklahoma City 3rd Ward
Oklahoma City 5th Ward
Oklahoma City 7th Ward
Woodward Branch
Bangor Maine (4 Wards, 5 Branches)
Bangor Ward
Brewer Ward
Caribou Ward
Dover Branch
Ellsworth Ward
Houlton Branch
Lincoln Branch
Machias Branch
Newport Branch
Montgomery Alabama (4 Wards, 5 Branches)
Alexander City Branch
Camden Branch
Highland Home Branch
Magnolia Branch
Millbrook Ward
Montgomery Ward
Prattville Ward
Selma Branch
Wetumpka Ward
Sioux City Iowa (4 Wards, 5 Branches)
Le Mars Branch
Norfolk Ward
O'Neill Branch
Sioux City 1st Ward
Sioux City 2nd Ward
Spencer Ward
Storm Lake Branch
Vermillion Branch
Yankton Branch
Utica New York (4 Wards, 6 Branches)
Carthage Ward
Delhi Branch
Hamilton Branch
Herkimer Branch
Lowville Branch
Norwich Branch
Oneonta Branch
Rome Ward
Utica Ward
Watertown Ward
I don't think any of these Stakes are likely to be discontinued in the near future. Notably, the Utica New York Stake has conference the same date as the Potsdam New York District, so realignment, or even the discontinuation of the District could occur.
I can tell you right now, none of the stakes in Alaska has fewer than 5 wards. The Juneau AK Stake for a good while only had 4 wards until a 3rd ward was organized in Juneau. When the North Pole AK Stake was created, I think it left the Fairbanks AK Stake with 4 wards, but was soon mitigated by the creation of the Creamer's Field Ward.
On the subject of Alaska, I've been told that soon there will be a new ward in Palmer, AK. They are really trying to hold off on splitting wards because as far as I know, there are no new chapels being built, and 2 of the buildings there already have 4 wards each. The new ward would be the result of one of those wards getting so large it's becoming unmanageable. The new ward would then make 3 buildings in the Mat-Su Valley with 4 wards each.
Technically France (if we only count departments) is in 3 areas. Europe Central, Caribbean and Africa South. There are also French controlled areas in the Pacific Area. However those areas have slitly different stustus. In theory Guadaloupe, and Martinique are just as much a part of French as any place on the mainland.
However them being far off isolated islands makes things a bit different.
Similarly Bermunda at least used to be in the North America Northeast area. I am not sure what it's current stations is.
A new batch of hymns was released. It includes "Oh How Great is Our Work" a hymn written in 1912 in Spanish by Andres Gonzalez, a Nexican missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The music is by Joseph P. Webster though. He was a mud-19th century American song and hymnwriter. So we still do not have a fully Latino hymn. "Star Bright" has a more Latin feel, but Lorin F. Wheelwright was not in any way, shape, means or form Latino. Andres Gonzalez clearly was, but since he did not write the music it is not fully Latino.
There is also now a 3rd African-American spiritual in the hymnbook. This one was previously used in the November 2022 Friend to Friend broadcast. "Were You There" the Easter themed African-American spiritual included earlier this year was first in a publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1969.
The discussion of the situation in Palmer got me wondering if building a temple there would be reasonable. It is about an hour one way from Palmer to the Anchorage Alaska Temple. So I see it as a possibility.
I do start to think we are getting to the point where there are many areas that need a new wave of church building.
On a different note the Church recently did its first pop-up Family History Experiebce site in a mall within the Eoseville California mission. We'll a mall in North America.
I think this has a lot of potential to engage with people and get them more involved with family history.
With Oro also set to go from a District to a Stake, things are really moving for Papua New Guinea, even before the Temple is dedicated there.
Craig H
Oh, How Great is Our Joy. Is a popular Spanish Hymn in our current Spanish Hymnal. nown as Placenter Nos Es Trabajar in Spanish is among the most popular hymns in Spanish speaking congratulations. Here is a Wikipedia article... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placentero_nos_es_trabajar. I was hoping this hymn would be included.
The English translation in Wikipedia seems to be more literal word for word, rather than the translation published by the church. I think the difference may be due to the difficulties of putting it to the same tune or for poetic reasons.
EASTERN CANADA
-Edmundston Branch (Saint John NB Stake) - covers the areas around Fort Kent, Madawaska, and Van Buren, ME)
> seems this area can simply be reassigned to the Caribou Branch.
-Caribou Branch (Bangor ME Stake) - covers the area around Perth-Andover, NB
> area can join the Edmunston Branch, or form a new branch located in Woodstock, NB.
-Houlton Branch (Bangor ME Stake) - covers the area around Woodstock, NB
> can form a new branch along with the Canadian portion of the Caribou Branch, or can be part of the Fredericton Ward (Saint John NB Stake).
-Saint Stephen Ward (Saint John NB Stake) - covers the area around Calais and Eastport, ME
> portion in the United States can either join the Machias Branch or form a new branch in Calais, ME if there is enough people.
-Machias Branch (Bangor ME Stake) - covers Campobello Island
> can simply be reassigned to the Saint Stephen Ward.
It appears I spoke too soon about congregations that straddle the U.S.-Canada border. When I made the list, the boundary of the Bangor ME Stake was not updated. I somehow missed several people saying the Caribou Branch was upgraded to a Ward, since when I looked at the map, it was still listed as a branch. 4 of my 5 "recommendations" are moot, because they already happened, just not when I saw the map.
The part of the Edmundston Branch on the American side is now part of the Caribou Ward. The Canadian portions of the Caribou and Houlton congregations are now part of the Fredericton Ward and the American part of the Saint Stephen Ward has joined the Machias Branch. The only one that wasn't changed was the Machias Branch covering Campobello Island. I didn't notice this at first, but it looks like the only land access to the island is via a bridge from Lubec, Maine. With these changes now reflected on the map, the number of congregations that straddle the U.S.-Canada border has gone from 10 to 6.
@L. Chris Jones, others
Very excited for "Placenter Nos Es Trabajar"/"Oh, How Great is Our Joy!"
Glad for the inclusion of more African American hymns, too.
Happy we're becoming more and more inclusive.
FYI, I just completed my list on a Excel spreadsheet of just under 16,000 known Wards and Branches in the United States and Canada from 2025 and 2018. Some of those being now Merged/Consolidated/Disorganized.
Organized First, by the current 6 Church Areas assigned to each. Then Second, by the Stakes / Districts and finally if any by Branches assigned to the Missions. As they are listed on the Meetinghouse Site Area / Stake / District and Mission pages.
Then there is a second tab of just over 16,000 Wards and Branches outside the US and Canada Areas also by Areas. That I have started compiling from the partial list from 2018. I have to update to the 2025 lists with the missing congregations and name and boundary changes since 2018. I had Africa Central and South completed. I just need to update with the most recent District changes. And this Sundays new DRC Stakes to be organized. And I have started shuffling the Africa West Stakes.
I will complete those Areas as free time permits after work.
https://1drv.ms/x/c/1db9589a4503c3cf/EWdxD5H2kDFOokBbZ0nVc7ABeYAhYMK1fbma3l8nYIh4tw?e=vUXQjS
You are welcome to copy for research.
Up until the mid 2010's China had eased restrictions, but has since reversed course. This may go by way of the far west temple announcement where groundbreaking will come but not as quick as other temples. The same with the Russia announcement.
Ryan, it is possible to split as some buildings (ie. NW Arkansas) now have 5 wards meeting in them. While there's a need for more temples, there's also a need for more chapels.
The longest land boarder with France is Brazil. It's also the only part of south America that is part of the EU.
Having lived in Holbrook, AZ for a number of years and having 4 uncles serving as branch presidents on the Indian Reservation, I can tell you that consolidating Stakes probably is not the answer. Many of these Stakes already cover large, remote areas. In the specific case of Holbrook, AZ, I was surprised when the consolidated the 3 wards in Holbrook to 2 wards. My cousins husband is the Stake President and the decision was made, not because of lack of members, but for the purpose of giving the youth stronger programs.
While doing some research on congregations in Texas, I came across 2 Branches that are not part of a Stake/District.
Roma Branch (Spanish)
Rio Grande City Branch
I am a little confused why these units are not part of the Mission or Laredo Stakes, unless they are, and it just isn't updated on meetinghouse locator.
I find it odd/interesting that France is one of the few countries where the church does this (splitting up the country based on geographic area). From what I can tell on the Area map from Wikipedia (could be outdated for all I know), for most of the major countries with overseas territories, those territories remain in the church area of the "mainland" country (e.g., Hawai'i in NA West, Falkland Islands in Europe North, Canarias in Europe Central, etc.). Anyone have any ideas why? I thought distance, but Falklands is significantly farther from the UK than Martinique/Guadeloupe/French Guyana are from France. Maybe it's linguistic/cultural, or something else like population size?
Looks like the Cleveland, TN stake was created on 6/8/25
The southern two stakes in New Hampshire are fairly close to the Boston Temple, but the Concord NH stake is geographically quite large. The Montpelier Vermont Stake is also geographically quite large. Near the border between the two stakes is the South Royalton Ward, where the Joseph Smith Memorial birthplace is. I could see a mini-Temple built there that would serve both Concord and Montpelier, with the other two stakes continuing to be assigned to the Boston Temple.
With the new stake in Maine, I think Maine is now very likely to get its own temple, probably in Augusta.
Thanks, Ryan.
Yes. It's on the Meetinghouse updated now.
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/2292351
Noah, I hope this answers your question.
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/mission/2012529
Having lived in Tuba City and Page for 12 years, consolidating the two Tuba City Wards and the Cameron Branch back into the Page AZ Stake would be a big step backward for those who worked so hard to establish a stake headquartered on the western Navajo Reservation. The Reservation has progressed from being an area the size of West Virginia with branches under the authority of a full time mission to every unit now included in an established stake, two of which are headquartered on the Reservation (Tuba City and Chinle).
I don't recall if it was monthly or every other month, but I remember as a youth, the 3 wards in my area held combined mutual. We had a lot of youth then, but now the 3 wards are down to 2, and our ward is really struggling with youth, particularly young men.
I hope you can understand that on paper, these stakes appear to be struggling if they are unable to meet the requirements to be created today. I remember being in a rather strong ward, but then within a few years, our strong ward was gutted and what was left was combined with the neighboring ward and even 15 years later, our combined ward does not "feel" strong. Perhaps it's just negativity speaking, but if our ward is considered one of the strongest in the stake, it does not paint a very good picture of the other wards. I very frequently go back and forth between the idea things are going alright to wondering if our ward should be discontinued to strengthen our neighboring wards. I remember members having to take on multiple callings because there just wasn't enough people to fill them. It was not fun.
My concern with these stakes in NE Arizona is if the membership is being overstretched just so that the stake can be functional whereas if a stake was discontinued, it would allow for better management. I don't see geographical size as an issue, probably just from where I am. We easily have some of the largest geographic stakes in the country. We have 16 congregations in the state where road travel is not possible, they would either have to fly or ferry to get around. We have 7 congregations that have to drive more than an hour just to attend stake conference in person. We have things like Zoom that negates unnecessary travel.
I understand that we don't really have a way of seeing the size (or "strength") of any congregations, and my suggestion my seem a bit too drastic. I can see it would be no different than suggesting a 10 ward stake be split without considering the actual size of the wards. Perhaps the stake with 5 wards, their wards are quite large, while the stake with 10 wards, their wards are rather small.
The "Palmira Colombia District (610909)" taking some units from "Tulua Palmira District (613894)" has finally been updated on the Meetinghouse site today as the new "Palmira Colombia Stake (610909)"
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/610909
The new unit consists of the following 8 Congregations :
Rama Andalucía Andalucia Branch (330922) (from Tuluá District)
Rama Bizerta Bizerta Branch (157910) (renamed Bizerta Ward, from Palmira District)
Rama La Ventura La Ventura Branch (330981) (renamed Buga Ward, from Tuluá District)
Rama Cerrito Cerrito Branch (330965) (from Palmira District)
Rama El Recreo El Recreo Branch (81450) (renamed El Recreo Ward, from Palmira District)
Rama Prado Prado Branch (292117) (renamed Santa Barbara Ward, from Palmira District)
Rama Príncipe Principe Branch (330957) (renamed Tulua Ward, from Tuluá District)
Rama Roldanillo Roldanillo Branch (330426) (renamed Zarzal Branch, from Tuluá District)
And this Branch has been discontinued sometime since 2018.
Rama Los Samanes Los Samanes Branch (336084) (from Palmira District)
The "Tulua Colombia District (613894)" retained these 3 Branches :
Rama Delicias Delicias Branch (357219)
Rama El Albergue El Albergue Branch (2100096)
Rama La Graciela La Graciela Branch (330930)
Sorry, Mistyped "Tulua Palmira District (613894)" should read "Tulua Colombia District (613894)".
This doesn't make sense. With the updated Palmira Colombia Stake, I don't understand why the Tulua Colombia District is still active and not absorbed into the Palmira Stake. You have the El Albergue Branch in the Tulua District located in the same city as the Buga Ward in the Palmira Stake. Then there's the two remaining branches - Delicias and La Graciela Branches, both in Tulua, while the majority of the city is under the Tulua Ward. Furthermore, there's the Andalucia Branch that's in the Palmira Stake just north of Tulua.
It just feels incomplete.
If I recall correctly, it use to be its own district (3+ branches) but now it's just two branches.
Ryan, the main reason is probably has to do with leadership. The more units you add on, the more overwhelming it can be for the brand new leadership.
Matt's new post covers the creation of the Palmira Stake. While it doesn't outright say the Tulua District was discontinued, it did mention some branches were discontinued, specifically 2 in Tulua and 1 in Buga, which coincides with the 3 congregations still showing as being in the Tulua District (2 in Tulua, 1 in Buga).
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