This morning, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans to create 55 new missions in 2026, bringing the total number of missions worldwide to 506. This marks the second most new missions to be organized in a single year ever (there were 58 new missions organized in 2013). There are now 84,000 full-time missionaries (teaching and service) serving - an increase of more than 12,000 since year-end 2023. The location and geographic distribution of these missions represents a dramatic shift in recent trends in new missions being organized and has significant potential to accelerate growth worldwide more in line with trends seen prior to 2000. I will provide additional analysis in the coming days. See below for a list of these new missions.
- Angola Luanda North (Africa South)
- Arizona Phoenix East (United States Southwest)
- Australia Brisbane South (Pacific)
- Brazil Guarulhos (Brazil)
- Brazil São Bernardo (Brazil)
- Brazil Sorocaba (Brazil)
- California Oceanside (United States West)
- California Ontario (United States West)
- California Victorville (United States West)
- Canada Halifax (Canada)
- Canada Toronto East (Canada)
- Cape Verde Mindelo (Europe North)
- Cote d’Ivoire Abidjan South (Africa West)
- Cote d’Ivoire Daloa (Africa West)
- DR Congo Kinshasa North (Africa Central)
- DR Congo Mwene-Ditu (Africa Central)
- France Paris South (Europe Central)
- Ghana Accra South (Africa West)
- Ghana Sunyani (Africa West)
- Greece Athens (Europe Central)
- Idaho Coeur d’Alene (United States West)
- Indiana Fort Wayne (United States Northeast)
- Kenya Kisumu (Africa Central)
- Liberia Monrovia West (Africa West)
- Malawi Lilongwe (Africa South)
- México Tula (México)
- Mississippi Jackson (United States Southeast)
- Missouri Kansas City (United States Central)
- Mongolia Ulaanbaatar West (Asia North)
- Mozambique Nampula (Africa South)
- Oklahoma Tulsa (United States Southwest)
- Papua New Guinea Daru (Pacific)
- Papua New Guinea Madang (Pacific)
- Paraguay Asunción South (South America South)
- Perú Lima Northwest (South America Northwest)
- Perú Tacna (South America Northwest)
- Philippines Lingayen (Philippines)
- Philippines Lipa (Philippines)
- Philippines Ormoc (Philippines)
- Philippines Ozamiz (Philippines)
- Philippines Puerto Princesa (Philippines)
- Samoa Apia East (Pacific)
- Senegal Dakar (Africa West)
- Solomon Islands Honiara (Pacific)
- South Africa East London (Africa South)
- Spain Madrid East (Europe Central)
- Texas Dallas North (United States Southwest)
- Texas Houston North (United States Southwest)
- Texas San Antonio South (United States Southwest)
- Togo Lomé (Africa West)
- Uganda Kampala East (Africa Central)
- Uruguay Salto (South America South)
- Virginia Norfolk (United States Northeast)
- Wyoming Cheyenne (United States Central)
- Zimbabwe Harare West (Africa South)
18 comments:
I have no words. This is amazing.
This certainly wasn’t what I was expecting to happen today. I’m personally most excited to see missions in Dakar, Athens, and Puerto Princesa. The only one I hadt heard of before was Sunyani Ghana. I’ll be going on my mission next year, I wonder if I’ll be going to any of these new ones.
This sets back the time when the number of announced temples will equal missions somewhat. Even if President Oaks resumes announced 30+ temples a year next year, the time when temples equal missions in set back at least to 2031.
The Senegal Dakar one is the one that I find the most exciting. Ivory Coast Daloa is also exciting.
Malawi getting its own mission will be great for both Malawi and Zambia.
Kenya and Mozambique getting 3rd missions is not too surprising. DR Congo North instead of doing a Kisangani Mission is an interesting decision.
Eastern Canada is basically going back to the number of missions it had a few years back.
4 new sets of temple presidents and matron were called. They continue the trend of calling in district temple leaders. 3 are for new temples and 1 for a renovated temple. 2 temples in the US and 2 in Mexico.
The US temples are Willimette Valley Oregon. No surprise there and San Diego California.
The two Mexican temple presidents in Torreon and San Luis Potosi and both not only resident if the districts but born in those cities. All 4 are former stake presidents. The one from Torreon is currently a patriarch. The one from San Luis Potosi is a service mission leader who was previously a mission president.
What will be interesting to see is if with New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone and Cambodia if they call the First Temple leaders in district.
It will also be interesting to see of we call in district and not just in country with all 1st temple presidents in The Philippines and possibly a few other countries.
Lastly it will be interesting to see how soon they replace the Allen's who are essentially the last American expatriate temple leaders. They lead Abijan and were called back in 2021. That temple was dedicated in May 2025, so in theory they might serve until 2027 or even 2928. I suspect they will be replaced this year though. That is what they did in Cape Verde. They started with a Brazilian couple as temple leaders but replaced then after about 15 months of operation with a local Cape Verdean couple.
I am wondering if Fort Wayne Indiana Mission will have any influence on missions in Michigan. It is possible that it will take in the Toledo Ohio Stake from the Detroit Mission.
I believe there are Muncie, Lafayette, South Bend and then Fort Wayne Stakes. The other stake it could take might be Kalamazoo from the Landing Mission. Lansing Mission has 5 stakes and the Traverse City District. South Bend stake takes in some areas in Michigan just across the border.
Mississippi Jackson being restored is good news. Same with the two in East Canada. Norfolk Virginia is also a restoration.
Tulsa Oklahoma is not exactly because the old Tulsa was renamed Bentonville. I did not realize Tacna did not have a mission. That is very close to the Chilean border correct?
Angola Luanda North may allow for outreach into Kongo Province, which has been Christian at some level since before 1500.
We may finally see the Book of Mormon published in the Kongo language. A 4th mission in Kinshasa will mean that more mission resources can be focused on the west of DR Congo where Kongo language is also spoken. Linguala which dies have a Book of Mormon edition is somewhat close to Kongo,but I have no clue how close they actually are.
Is Missouri Kansas City in addition to Missouri Independence?
Togo getting its own mission is quite exciting.
Is this 4 countries getting first missions, plus Greence getting one again?
Mexico Tula is putting a mission basically in San Marcos, which is where the martyrs of 1915, Rafael Monroy and Vicente Morales, were killed. Were Pachuca and Tula previously in the same mission?
Is this the first time Wyoming has had a regular mission based in it?
Is the 5 new missions in the Philippines a high for there at once?
It is tempting to say that President Oaks being a former area president in the Philippines is why they are getting 5 new missions. I suspect if there is a connection it is not that he is pushing that, but the policies he put in place have lead to a point where that is needed.
It is interesting Nigeria gets no new missions and Mexico only gets one. Do the 3 new ones in California put us to an all time record, or are we sill below the peak?
2 new missions in Papua New Guinea does make sense.
I have to admit I am a little surprised Soerra Leone is not getting a new mission.
I am also surprised Cape Verde is getting a 2nd mission. Although this may be in part due to running Guinea Bissau.
This is likely more than the projected increase in missionaries. Slightly fewer missionaries per mission president makes it a little easer to manage.
In 2016, the first missionaries, humanitarian service missionaries, arrived in Senegal. On February 20, 2018, the LDS Church received official recognition from the Government. A district was crated in 2022 and next year they'll have their own mission.
4 countries gets first mission. Note: Greece Athens was discontinued in 2018 and being reinstated in 2026
Malawi Lilongwe
Solomon Islands Honiara
Senegal Dakar
Togo Lomé
The one that I'm most curious about is Missouri Kansas City. The KC metro area has long been served by the Missouri Independence Mission (Independence is effectively a suburb of KC). Will Independence remain as a full proselyting mission, with the KC metro area divided in half? Or will Independence be turned into some kind of separate historic site mission, with the new Kansas City mission taking over proselyting?
Other Matt here.
In Southern California, the new Oceanside California Mission is just bringing back the Carlsbad Mission that was dissolved some years back.
Likewise, the Ontario California Mission bringing back the Rancho Cucamonga Mission that was dissolved a few years ago.
The new Victorville Mission focusing just on the High Desert is the net new mission for Inland Empire (San Bernardino and Riverside Counties) .
I wonder if the current San Bernardino Mission will be renamed the Redlands Mission with the split to form Rancho Cucamonga and Victorville Missions.
Salto Uruguay surprised me a bit. Although that city is where I expect the next temple for Uruguay. I also suspect the Concordia district in Argentina might be part of this mission.
My old stake president and his wife were called!
Any chance the cumorah monthly news letters make a come back?
President and matron for the Willamette temple
I’m surprised they did not announce a American Sonia mission!
Somoa
The new Kansas City mission matches the larger base of members in the Kansas City metro. I doubt the Independence mission will be just historical sites.
I wonder why Spain Madrid gets a 3rd mission. Madrid has 3 stakes all other stakes are far away from Madrid. Why not create a mission in the south of Spain?
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