Click here to access the May 2026 newsletter for cumorah.com. This month's newsletter features an in-depth analysis of newly released 2025 state-by-state Church statistics for the United States, including historical trends in membership, congregations, wards, branches, and stakes spanning nearly four decades. The analysis highlights a year of essentially flat membership growth but continued organizational expansion through the creation of additional congregations and stakes, together with new insights into long-term changes in Church organization. Also included are updates on the first branch organized in São Tomé and Príncipe, the assignment of Seychelles to a mission for the first time, the announcement of the Otavalo Ecuador Temple, and the completion of The Cumorah Foundation's comprehensive historical database of U.S. Church statistics.
317 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 317 of 317FYI, Major updates were made on Rick's Temple District page for the Bangkok Thailand Temple.
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/bangkok-thailand-temple/district/
I'm not going to detail what changes. But Thailand has seemed overall neutral in global conflicts.
Chris D. thanks for looking into the temple district changes!
Other Noah here.
Thank you, Johnathan! We hope the church grows a bit before the temple is dedicated. Just this sunday we had ten people baptized in a neighboring ward.
God bless you
Other Noah Here.
Apostle Gary E. Stevenson will visit the members of both Cartagena, Colombia Stakes on Sunday, August 23rd. Currently, the Cartagena, Colombia stakes are organized as follows:
Cartagena Colombia Stake
Lemaitre Ward
Canapote Ward
Torices Ward
Pie de la Popa Ward
Esperanza Ward
Buenos Aires Ward
Alto Bosque Ward
Cartagena, Colombia, Los Alpes Stake
Nuevo Bosque Ward
Los Alpes Ward
Castellana Ward
Villa Grande Ward
Alameda Ward
La Florida Ward
Turbaco Ward
Arjona Ward
San Juan Branch
Elder Stevenson's visit could very well be a sign of a possible split and creation of a third stake in Cartagena. I was a missionary there during the 2020-2022 period, and members where strong and pretty active, even during those times
FYI, both the Berbice Guyana and Georgetown Guyana Districts, in the Georgetown Guyana Mission, in the Caribbean Area. Have also been transferred from the Manaus Brazil Temple in the Brazil Area, to the Panama City Panama Temple in the Caribbean Area.
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/panama-city-panama-temple/district/
Also, minor changes from the Kyiv Ukraine T.D. to the above mentioned Bangkok Thailand T.D.
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/kyiv-ukraine-temple/district/
And 3 Districts transferred from the Kyiv Ukraine T.D. to the Rome Italy T.D. (1 of them is *Sensitive* and not shown on the Meetinghouse map yet publicly, but is shown on Ricks assigned Temple in Rome).
The other 2 transferred were the 1) Sofia Bulgaria District, and 2) Nicosia Cyprus District.
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/rome-italy-temple/district/
The 2 Stakes and 4 Districts of the Russian Federation have all been reassigned to the Bangkok Thailand Temple. As i posted earlier on this site, when asked why the stake totals didn't match. I had said at that time they weren't officially assigned to any temple in Europe or Africa. That has since been corrected here.
As well as the Yerevan Armenia District now assigned to the Bangkok Temple.
As well as the Istanbul Turkiye District of the Europe Central Area Turkic and Persian Speaking Mission, has been reassigned to the Bangkok Thailand Temple.
Those were the 6 more Districts and 2 Stakes in Bangkok's list than my previous list.
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/bangkok-thailand-temple/district/
Today, July 15th, a 3rd new stake was reported organized.
The Kpong Ghana District (1838377) was just reported as the new Kpong Ghana Stake (1838377) appeared today, on the Unit Tracker, after the District Conference this weekend 07/11-7/12/2026.
12 Jul 15, 2026 Kpong Ghana Stake
https://www.fullerconsideration.com/DeseretDemographer/units.php
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/1838377
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/accra-ghana-temple/district/
So, the Accra Temple District will be +1 Stake, -1 District after Rick updates.
According to Facebook, the new stake is 5 wards and 4 branches. The creation of the Kpong Ghana Stake brings together nine vibrant congregations under one inspired stake organization:
* Kpong Ward 1
* Kpong Ward 2
* Senchi Ward
* Odumase Branch
* Somanya Branch
* Asutuare Ward
* Akuse Ward
* Adjina Branch
* Juapong Branch
If correct, this means the Adjina Branch was created recently, it doesn't show on the meetinghouse locator.
FYI, Five of the branches in the new Gingoog Philippines Stake have become Wards this week.
143 Jul 16, 2026 Gingoog Ward Gingoog City, Philippines
144 Jul 16, 2026 Medina Ward Medina, Philippines
145 Jul 16, 2026 Cabuyo-an Ward Gingoog City, Philippines
146 Jul 16, 2026 Pangasihan Ward Gingoog City, Philippines
147 Jul 16, 2026 Lunao Ward Gingoog City, Philippines
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/611263
It could be a third stake as only 5 wards are needed for a stake. However, I'm not sure if the church would want all stakes in a metro area be minimally-sized stakes. I also don't know the size of these wards, leadership, and existing growth rate.
This could also very well be Elder Stevenson visiting one stake without the other feeling left out. 7-8 wards seems to be the ideal size of a stake as it could survive both future loss or gain of members and units. Leadership is not strained by it being too small (lack of leaders to go around) or too big (too many units/members for stake leaders to easily cover) at this size.
In 2022, the church discontinued "Classic LDS Maps". This showed not just meetinghouses, but all branch/ward/district/stake/mission/area boundaries, as well as facility locations (ie. Distribution Centers, LDS Family Services, LDS Campgrounds, Church Historical Sites... etc) which could be toggled on and off. I don't really understand why the church removed this, as this allowed members to view what church services were available nearby on one page, including services the member may not be aware of.
It would be nice if these features would be able to be added back onto the meetinghouse locator for those who sign in. It really doesn't seem that confidential as many of these categories are able to be found individually on other parts of the church website. There maybe reasons the brethren decided to remove this information. However, I personally believe the consequences of having this info in one place that easy to get to would be more positive rather than negative, and reduce those going to third party sites to find that information.
CDOL on the other hand has personal contact information for nearly all of the many thousands of leaders in the church. Because of this, I do see why that access was reduced.
I wonder if the new Adjina Branch, is centered around a community called Ajena, on the west side of the Volta River somewhat north of Kpong. As of today there is no meetinghouse marker on the site there. As a new branch maybe they are meeting in a members house. Or rented building.
The new building in Centerton Arkansas finally got their occupancy permit and will house the centerton 2nd, centerton 3rd, and Cornerstone wards. Theres some minor shuffling of where wards will meet between the 4 other buildings in the greater bentonville area as well.
My thanks once again to you all for your attention to this matter.
I wonder if they're going to split any of the wards since the buildings could apparently house up to 5 wards or if they'll wait for the next building to be dedicated.
It's unclear to me if any other chapels are under construction. The church owns three other properties in the vicinity that could house a meetinghouse. In addition to these other properties, there's enough room by the temple for another meetinghouse.
There is a chapel under construction in Pea Ridge that had a ground breaking in April. The church also has property and intent to build in cave springs. I would think the church will hold off splitting wards until the pea ridge building is complete (est summer 2027)
My thanks once again to you for your attention to this matter.
Here's the following properties the church owns on public record in Benton County that does not have a meetinghouse:
10.00 Acres at 13407 Noah Rd, Centerton.
4.16 Acres at 2900 SW 28th St Bentonville (it appears to be the new Centerton Chapel as it appears under construction in Jan 2025 streetview)
11.90 acres at 5036 S Bellview Rd, Rogers, AR 72758 (Is this what you're referring to as Cave Springs?)
10.02 acres on Hazelton Rd in Pea Ridge
4.24 acres at SW I ST BENTONVILLE AR, (Coord: 36.3293, -94.2210)
Existing chapels in Benton County:
4.71 acres at 1105 MCCOLLUM RD, BENTONVILLE, AR (Bentonville Temple, Meetinghouse, and distribution center)
2.50 acres at 2300 S ELM ST SILOAM SPRINGS
6.98 acres at 950 SEBA RD RD, CENTERTON, AR
3.79 acres at 2805 N DIXIELAND, LITTLE FLOCK, AR (Rogers Chapel)
7.18 acres at 1 LAMBETH RD, BELLA VISTA, AR
This list may not be all inclusive.
5036 S Bellview Rd, Rogers, AR 72758
Yes this is the address for Cave Springs area
As long as we're focused on NW Arkansas (which I'm fine with), my question for those who attend church in the area is whether some/most of the wards feel ready for a split? I know the growth has been fast but I don't know how fast.
I have a relative who lives in the area and he says about 4 wards in the area have 250+ attending. Welcome to hear others who live in the area for more details.
Elder Sam Wong of the 70 was at my new ward today and made a few remarks off the cuff during Sunday School regarding current missionary baptisms per convert. He wasn't reading anything and was just pulling from memory, so things may be a bit off, but from what he said, missionaries are baptizing around 20 converts per missionary in Africa, 6 converts per missionary in the Philippines, 3-3.5 converts per missionary in the US, and that baptisms per missionary were lowest in Hong Kong (did not provide a number). He also mentioned seeing a report that stated in the near future (he could not remember the date) 1/3 of all YSAs in the church would be in Africa.
Again, this wasn't a prepared remark and so it's likely the numbers could be off (ie only parts of Africa have 20 baptisms per missionary rather than the continent as a whole), but figured this would be interesting given the recent news about record missionary service.
It's about 40 days until I update my biannual predictions for temple announcements. 2 temples have so far been announced since my last prediction (I think there's a decent likeliness that another will be announced in August so that number may change). Because temples are now announced by area leadership, there will be some spreading out predictions by area. Under the spread out nature with Nelson's announcements, I have already spread out my predictions by continent. Announcements by areas were already considered to some degree and may hold a little more weight this time. With the resumption of the Bengaluru Temple, it's possible I may upgrade the India prediction (all predictions in India are currently downgraded one level due to the pause in construction).
My Wasatch Front prediction is unique as explained on the icon. It makes one prediction for an entire urban area, rather than a prediction in-between temples. And due to the nature of this urban area, automatically puts the Wasatch front in my "Top 20". I've reduced my prediction area of "Wasatch Front" to Provo to N. Ogden. Every six months I consider removing the Wasatch Front prediction altogether (stating my prediction list is only for temples announced outside the Wasatch Front) and redistributing that "Top 20" icon elsewhere.
Our ward in the Mount Saratoga Saratoga Springs Stake split yesterday. The Mount Saratoga 2nd ward split to create the new Ridgehorne ward. There are still several more lots in our development to fill so I expect a few more wards to be created in our stake over the next few years.
None are vertical yet, but ground work is being done both at Cave Springs and Pea Ridge. With the new opening the Bella Vista building will only have 4 units for the first time in years. Bye bye 2:30 time slot!
Upcoming Stake conference dates:
Rogers - Aug 30
Centerton - Sep 13
Bentonville - Oct 18
The Church has announced the groundbreaking for the Maceio Brazil Temple:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-date-maceio-brazil-temple
Weekly Stake update 7/20/2026 :
Porto Alegre Brazil Partenon Stake renamed the Porto Alegre Brazil East Stake
Likasi / Kikula – Possible New Stake This Weekend (Jul 26)
Just a quick reminder for those tracking upcoming units:
Both the Kikula DR Congo Stake and Likasi DR Congo Stake are holding their conferences this weekend, July 25–26. This is the only synchronized conference window for these two stakes this year.
Structurally, both stakes currently list ~10 wards each, plus several branches. This puts them in the typical range for a 3‑stake configuration in the Likasi–Kikula corridor. Matt previously noted a possible “Likasi 3rd Stake” in the pipeline, though no date was attached.
Worth watching this Sunday.
The fall conferences (Kikula Nov 29, Likasi Dec 6) are staggered, so a November/December reorganization is unlikely. If a new stake is created, it will almost certainly be during the shared July conference.
I’ll update once confirmation appears in CDOL or the unit directory.
Likasi DRC
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/416061
Kikula DRC
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/2175045
For Matt's post, see 2026 New Stakes sidebar.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2416604895502311
I agree here. One of these stakes could easily spilt by itself, and the other has a good number of wards. A 2-->3 split this weekend makes all sorts of sense.
Weekend Administrative Watch — Top 3 Most Likely (July 25–26, 2026)
1. Likasi, DR Congo — Strong Public Indicators
A multi‑stake conference is being held in the Kikula–Likasi area with full leadership participation. Public information suggests significant administrative activity may occur, but no official announcement has been made.
As mentioned in detail above.
2. Monkayo, Philippines — High Signal Profile
Monkayo District shows the strongest pattern this weekend: a formal conference poster, Elder Deyro presiding, scheduled leadership meetings, and a 7‑branch footprint. These elements align with past pre‑stake weekends, though nothing is confirmed.
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/613959
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02X4uZeYrd7q1TQEk47u6whj7XtsqcvyHWEzUuxD4APJ1v1Zoz82LPcEpsDFkBbBspl&id=61565618183524
3. Balayan, Philippines — Moderate Signal Profile
Balayan has also published a formal poster, with Elder Costales presiding and leadership meetings planned. The district has 6 branches—on the lower end structurally—but the social signals are stronger than a typical rotation.
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/614637
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122326787600240257&set=pcb.122326609694240257
Mwanza Tanzania also seems likely to become a stake, given a conference last month and another this weekend.
Yeah, Caleb, the branch count is definitely notable.
Curious to see how things develop there.
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/2236230
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580688505936
I hate bursting bubbles, but do we know of any stakes that have been organized by area seventies? It seems one of the "General Authority Seventies" always comes, given the Church News writeups of new stakes. So this would make me put Likasi and Mwanza as higher than Monkayo and Balayan on odds, since the last two have an area 70 visiting authority and the former two haven't made that information public that I know of.
Comparison of temples page has been split and updated in Wikipedia with Temple milestones being the page that was created. Below are lists comparing temples in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_temples_(LDS_Church)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_milestones_(LDS_Church)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_temples_by_geographic_region_(LDS_Church)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_temples_in_the_United_States_(LDS_Church)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_temples_(LDS_Church)
Some other lists in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membership_statistics_(LDS_Church)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_membership_statistics_(LDS_Church)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membership_history_of_the_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_missions_(LDS_Church)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_in_[Type country, nonadjacent territory, or US State in place of these brackets]
Chris D.
Weekly Stake update 7/20/2026 :
Porto Alegre Brazil Partenon Stake renamed the Porto Alegre Brazil East Stake
July 20, 2026 at 5:24 PM
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/520527
Note: this list excludes rededications (ie. Salt Lake)
San Diego has its rededication 23 August 2026.
Salt Lake Temple open house is the six-month period between the two 2027 conferences. No dedication date(s) have been announced.
The McCullough Hills Stake in Henderson, NV, will have a special Stake meeting (not a conference) this Sunday afternoon. The rumor is that they are going to realign the Ward boundaries.
I'm inclined to agree. Dedications/rededications won't be halted during the Salt Lake Temple Celebration. But I am reasonably certain that the temple's rededication will span at least a week, and will involve multiple sessions, perhaps at least one apiece for each of our apostles, and that no other temple events are likely to occur during that rededicatory period.
I see a 3rd branch has been created in Thailand since the start of July. The new branch is the Nakhon Sawan branch. Interesting to see more growth in a traditionally slow growing area. I wonder if they are gearing up to add a new district?
Durham, that was my thought originally. But the new
1) Lamphun Branch (2338769) - > Chiang Mai Thailand District (605891)
2) Chaiyaphum Branch (2330601) - > Thailand Bangkok East Mission (2246112)
3) Nakhon Sawan Branch (unknown number yet) - > currently in the Meetinghouse under the Thailand Bangkok WEST Mission Dispersed Members Unit.
So each is under different district or Mission leadership.
290 Jul 08, 2026 Lamphun Branch Lamphun, Thailand
***
294 Jul 14, 2026 Chaiyaphum Branch Chaiyaphum, Thailand
***
299 Jul 22, 2026 Nakhon Sawan Branch Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
While it's still more than a year away, I wonder if the Salt Lake Temple rededication will be closed broadcasted to meetinghouses - similar to Nauvoo.
While it could be done in many sessions over the course of a week, it maybe more effective with it done in a single session with only General/area authorities, temple leadership and some stake presidents and spouses attend the dedication with worldwide closed broadcast to meetinghouses worldwide.
Most temples now are being dedicated in a single dedication session with broadcast/rebroadcast to local meetinghouses. However, I would imagine this will be broadcasted/rebroadcasted to meetinghouses worldwide so all can see and not just those within the temple district.
I also wonder if it will be done during General Conference Weekend. However, I don't think that will be the case as it won't give time for cleaning and preparation that typically occurs between the open house and dedication.
Well, the Rome Italy Temple dedication spanned three days, and the rededication of the Salt Lake Temple is at least as significant as the Rome dedication. With the First Presidency inviting the world to the open house, I don't see why the rededication would be only a single session. But it will be carried to the world. With global time differences, a single session doesn't seem practical. Yes, we'll have to wait for an official announcement to know whether any of our theories are correct. But the Salt Lake Temple rededication is a big deal, and with President Oaks following President Nelson's example of splitting dedicatory duties among all of the apostles, because this rededication will be significant, I'm sure President Oaks will want to include all apostles that historic milestone.
And it won't be done during General Conference weekend. The Church will want to ensure that only Church members 8 or older who are worthy of a recommend will attend that dedication. There's no way the Church would close off a General Conference session to only worthy Church members 8 & older.
It was only recently that the church began regularly doing a single dedicatory session.
https://www.ldsliving.com/temple-dedication-events-are-being-simplified/s/12492
What I'm saying about salt lake dedication is all speculation at this point but I wanted to get the conversation going. This is both more than a year out and unchartered territory. I don't think it will be just like a dedication we've seen before. I agree, it won't be on general conference weekend for reasons, some I've already pointed out (prep work needed between open house and dedication).
As for repeated dedications done in the past, are the dedicatory prayer repeated verbatim? Or does the church chooses one to go with?
The Salt Lake Temple rededication will likely be broadcast to all meetinghouses, something not seen since (unless I'm mistaken) the Nauvoo Illinois Temple dedication. That's why I'm suggesting multiple sessions will be needed, because not all sessions can be simultaneously carried everywhere around the world due to time difference issues.
As for the dedicatory prayer question, with the Rome Italy Temple, each First Presidency member presided at one dedicatory session. The prayer written by President Nelson was used for all three sessions. Since the Rome dedication, the other apostles have taken the bulk of the temple dedication assignments. That's another reason I think multiple sessions will be involved. It is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so I'm sure all of the apostles will be involved to some extent. Having each of them preside at a session of the rededication is merely my own suggestion. I suspect once we are closer to the start or the end of the open house celebration, we willl find out for sure what those arrangements may actually involve and entail.
Brent Nielsen in the Church News odcast last week talked about the Salt Lake Temple having the world as its temple district. Wat that means at all levels I cannot say.
I does mean I think the rededication will be close circuit spread worldwide.
I suspect we will see more than 1 rededication session.
I am sure we will learn more. With it being over 14 months away I am not sure the First Presidency have made final decisions. I suspect they have worked out most details and for tgose not fully decided have narrowed down the options.
Currently, temples have one dedication session at 10 am with a live broadcast and a rebroadcast at 2pm to local meetinghouses. This includes all announced dedications (Salt Lake Dedication has not been announced).
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/status/openhouses/
This has been the format for the last 20 dedications and announced format for the next 11 dedications. Although times would sometimes deviate from the 10 am live and the 2pm rebroadcast for some of the earlier dedications. This has been the case for both large Utah temples and small remote temples.
The Salt Lake Temple could be done with 1 live session and say 5 rebroadcasts (every 4 hours) to cover every time zone. Some locations wait a week or so to watch general conference and the same may apply here. For example, late Sunday Morning in Utah is Early Monday morning in the Philippines.
I would imagine all rebroadcasts would have to be completed before the temple opens, and I'm not sure if the brethren will want to wait an extra week. It's definitely unchartered territory.
I would be curious if there is a way to look up buildings in DFW the Atlanta area, as well as Central Florida. I love hearing the news and we knew meeting house being built.
Interesting article on the decline of Utah's fertility rate: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/25/us/politics/utah-birth-rate-fertility-decline.html
We're seeing the impact on church growth now as total children of record peaked a year after Utah's fertility rate peaked.
I think the main fact is the Salt Lake Temple is different than any other. What exactly rhis will mean for the rededication is hard to say.
I have to admit I am unconvinced a rebroadcast of a rededicationhas to happen before a temple can have ordinances start.
The only reason I say that it would have happen is that attending a closed broadcast/rebroadcast is treated as if participants were attending and participating at the dedication in the temple yourself. It just seems it would contradict the purpose if the temple has already been opperational. Currently all dedications and rebroadcasts occur on the same day (Sunday). The temple opens up the next working day.
I don't have an example where a scheduled rebroadcast occurred after it opened up for ordinances.
Unfortunately, I can't see the article and don't plan on subscribing. However, expansion into areas with high TFRs kept the church's child of record up there.
My parent had 8 kids, I only had 2 - off of fertility treatments. Infertility got to me. Never has infertility been so high as it has for this generation trying to conceive. Also there's social aspects, waiting till after college, and other factors affecting TFRs.
Here's my crazy prediction. 24 hours of rededication sessions
75 people were baptized this past Saturday in the previously unreached town of Mwadi Kayembe in the Mwene-Ditu region of the DR Congo.
Will there be a branch (or ward) formed in the city as well? It seems to be in the boundaries of the Lusuku 2nd Ward, Lupata Stake, but about 40km from the meetinghouse.
http://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/locality/G-ChIJv_L__yR1hhkRK8GUGgHYzsk@24.105104,-7.446064?hold=true
I wonder if the rededication date(s) will be announced during the open house. A few open houses in the relatively recent past has been extended due to demand. I'm not expecting this open house to be extended, but a 50% time extension to the open house means a 3 month extension which could end up overlapping/delaying the dedication.
It depends if there's enough priesthood leadership there to make a branch. I know Africa struggles with leadership. If there's not enough leadership, it could be a group within a ward - supported by leadership within the ward. Also, even if there's enough leadership, approvals for new units take time.
I don't mean to be divisive, but the growth metrics that are often used for the church are really, really poor. They are often raw, unscaled in any fashion, unadjusted for structural or definitional differences, the list goes on and on.
Financial analysts trying to figure out "true" growth make adjustments all the time, and even companies will provide non-GAAP metrics such as comparable or organic growth to adjust for one-time events, like, say, a decrease in the entry missionary age for sister missionaries...
Record number of new missionaries or institute enrollees? Number of temples under construction or dedicated? These kind of metrics seem to receive the bulk of the focus on growth, and yet they are among the worst metrics one could possibly think of if they were objectively, dispassionately, trying to figure out whether the church is growing (and by how much).
Seems like this mass baptism approach tends to be pretty popular in certain African areas, particularly among Seventh-Day Adventists and other sects. I wonder to what extent mass baptism events translate to sustained activity relative to your typical more individual approach.
On this blog, emphasis is placed on number of stakes created, which requires objective standards be met. While there was a one-time adjustment to the standards, the consistent creation of stakes domestically and internationally, and the underlying growth of ward and branches, strongly supports the conclusion that there are more people attending sacrament meeting now then ever before.
Unless living costs come down, I don't see this changing anytime soon. If you want to be able to buy a home and afford living, often times both parents end up working. When you do have kids, you more than likely need to pay for daycare so both parents can continue to work.
On this blog, we've talked about issues of both growth and decline. We just talked about falling birth rates in this feed. Weekly stake creation and declines, weekly temple announcements, weekly congregational changes, this drives weekly talk. Annual membership reports, less than annual census data and other reports that comes less frequent. This is part of why certain topics have more frequency than others.
Milestones for temples in Mexico and Colorado Announced.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/milestones-for-temples-in-mexico-and-colorado
Fungurume Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake (2329964)
Organized on 26 July 2026
- Dipeta Ward
- Fungurume Ward
- Kakanda Ward
- Kambove Branch
- Kelangile Ward
- Mpala Ward
- Nkolomoni Ward
Mission: Democratic Republic of the Congo Kolwezi Mission
Temple: Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple
With Torreon Mexico Temple having a dedication date that leaves only 1 temple under construction in Mexico without a deducation datd but 10 more planned.
I hope we see groundbrwaking dates for more of those temples.
I am very glad we are getting sone temple updates in July.
I agree both of these are pressing issues. I had no desire to stay in Utah after graduating from BYU 3 years ago due to the CoL. We are happy in the Southeast where it is cheaper (though there are other issues here, and we miss the mountains).
I feel your pain David, we are also dealing with infertility and know *many* other couples who have as well. I would love to see some research done into infertility rates among LDS by generation, if there hasn't been any already. Anecdotally it feels like 1/3 of the couples my wife and I are friends with have had to do some kind of fertility treatment.
I was diagnosed with infertility early in my marriage. So I also feel your pain, David. We look forward to the Millennium, when our promised children will come. Fertility treatments are not an option for us, so we are just holding on to the promise of parenthood at that time. You are definitely not alone.
@James I do wonder if these are just a planned monthly baptismal meeting (just like stake baptisms for 8-year olds in Utah) that happen to have a lot of people that month or if they are purposefully only having a couple a year.
Baptizing once a month as a unit has its benefits. In the individual approach common in the US, missionaries may (very often) feel pressured to baptize people asap. If a person is not ready, they are pushed to be ready, or the date is moved to the first date of nominal readiness. When helping many people prepare for a set date, those people maybe exercise more initiative in coming to lessons (taught as classes you go to rather than as visits that come to you). People end up being less coddled by the missionaries and more able to integrate with their fellow recent converts.
Of course, this method has its drawbacks in missionaries and units losing the individual, one by one, sheep.
Groundbreakings YTD (7 temples)
Date Temple
24-Jan-26 Jacksonville Florida Temple
24-Jan-26 João Pessoa Brazil Temple
21-Feb-26 Fairview Texas Temple
14-Mar-26 Huehuetenango Guatemala Temple
18-Apr-26 Teresina Brazil Temple
6-Jun-26 Springfield Missouri Temple
6-Jun-26 Missoula Montana Temple
Scheduled Groundbreakings (8 Temples)
Date Temple
1-Aug-26 Santos Brazil Temple
8-Aug-26 Naga Philippines Temple
15-Aug-26 Huntsville Alabama Temple
22-Aug-26 Tulsa Oklahoma Temple
22-Aug-26 Victoria British Columbia Temple
29-Aug-26 Coeur d'Alene Idaho Temple
12-Sep-26 Colorado Springs Colorado Temple
10-Oct-26 Maceió Brazil Temple
In addition to above, it will take 5 more temples to match the 20 groundbreakings seen last year. This is still ambitions, but more achievable after today's announcement. If a September 5 groundbreaking could happen, it would make it 7 weeks in a row for groundbreakings.
I do not have the unit number for Canada so I'm able to show all but Canada.
I thought that general authorities take July off. Do you know who organized the stake?
From a perspective of welcoming the public and new members to a new chapel. When do you think the address and the Church maps should go live for a new meetinghouse? I was thinking Friday before, but it would be wonderful if Google Maps and social media was updated before the first Sunday. This is mostly in reference to the new chapel in the Centerton stake in Arkansas
Canada Area (2288435)
"Le PIEU DE SION DE KIKULA ET LIKASI à ténu sa conférence spécial en date du 25 et 26 juillet 2026 présidée par ELDER PAUL B PIEPER autorité général et soixante dix d'interregion d'Afrique centrale accompagné DE ELDER ILUNGA FRANCK MUKOTE, cette conférence se tenue dans le but de fortifier les mains languissante et d'affermir les genoux qui chancelle, nous avons vécu un évènement spectaculaire, celle de la scission DE PIEU DE SION DE KIKULA Au nouvelle PIEU DE FUNGURUME , nous avons reçu comme invités spécial PRESIDENT ET SŒUR NGOLO DE LA MISSION RD CONGO KOLWEZI "
Translated : "The Kikula and Likasi Zion Stake held its special conference on July 25 and 26, 2026 chaired by ELDER PAUL B PIEPER, general authority and Central Africa Area Seventy accompanied by ELDER ILUNGA FRANCK MUKOTE, this conference is held for the purpose of strengthening the languishing hands and strengthening the shaky knees, We experienced a spectacular event, that of the STAKE OF KIKULA STAKE At the new FUNGURUME STAKE, we received as special guests PRESIDENT AND SISTER NGOLO OF THE DR CONGO KOLWEZI MISSION"
https://www.facebook.com/groups/568053068388814/
For any interested in following Stake and District Semiannual Conference dates, on the Meetinghouse Locator site, yesterday, many stakes have already posted all conferences until December 31st, 2027, about a year and a half from now. For example,
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/2175045
"Kikula Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake
French
Conference Dates
Jul 25 – 26, 2026
Nov 28 – 29, 2026
Jun 19 – 20, 2027
Nov 27 – 28, 2027"
The Fungurume Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake is now on the meetinghouse locator
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/2329964
Another new branch has been organized in Thailand, with the Chachoengsao Branch being created in the past few days. Very exciting stuff happening in Thailand right now
From a Church News article, citing ~10,000 convert baptisms in the new Sierra Leone Bo Mission, organized just 2 years ago in July 2024.
"This week, missionaries and leaders in the Sierra Leone Bo Mission expect the number of convert baptisms to exceed 10,000 since the mission began two years ago.
Bo is the second-largest city in Sierra Leone, and the Bo mission covers the southeast portion of the West African nation, having been created from the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission in 2024.
Since the mission was created in the summer of 2024, 9,967 people have been baptized, with 170 people scheduled for baptism this Saturday, Sierra Leone Bo Mission President Scott L. Wyatt said.
In the first year — from summer 2024 to summer 2025 — 2,910 people were baptized, he said. The rest have been since last summer.
In the last two years, the area of the mission has gone from four stakes to six stakes. He expects two more stakes to be created soon and eight more branches in the mission before the end of 2026. Last year, the Church News wrote about 120 people baptized on the same day in the mission.
“There is only one explanation, and that is the people have been prepared to hear the gospel,” President Wyatt said.
During gatherings — where missionaries plan to teach or during meetings on Sundays — people fill the entire space, sitting on the low walls and standing outside the windows and doors to hear. Members of the Church spread the word to others and join in the work."
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2026/07/29/bo-sierra-leone-growth-of-the-church-africa/
@Hank, yeah, I highly doubt it would only be a couple of times a year, because missionaries with pending transfers would want to expedite baptisms to happen while they are around. What is common in some other churches is to have a designated day when a group of people have a common goal to be baptized and progress towards, in whatever shape or form that takes, and then the event occurs. I can see more integration with other recent converts this way to some extent, but it would be the blind leading the blind to some extent, and it would be difficult for people to not fall through the cracks.
@Michael, this is not really true that the standards for a stake have only changed once, because the standards for stakes are based on the standards for wards, which have fluctuated, either explicitly or implicitly, over the years, coupled with reductions in requirements for priesthood leadership (e.g., removal of callings associated with High Priests, removal of 3rd hour meetings, etc.). And because those changes in standards for new wards and stakes are not being retroactively applied, we're not seeing true net growth even if we were to take the raw unit changes at face value. I'm in the midwest, and all three of the wards I've been in for the past 10 years have been well under the required minimums for wards, and activity has declined in 2/3 of them. And yet, those units still exist.
Regardless, I'm not making the argument that the church is shrinking; rather, I'm pointing out that the metrics we use fail to take into account that our measure is changing over time. It would truly be shocking if we DIDN'T have more people attending sacrament now than ever before, since we've had about 7 generations of growth through births alone that should have accomplished a healthy expansion of numbers. The same metrics and claims are made by the 7th Day Adventists, which boasts ~24 million members and was founded 33 years after the Church.
@David, I agree that indicators of decline are discussed at times, and that there is simply more news pushed to us about growth factors than decline factors. But there is varying quality in the metrics you mention, and there is a predominant focus on metrics that are essentially meaningless when it comes to growth in membership. I'm not really complaining about the people on this forum, per se, because part of the issue is the lack of meaningful metrics being reported to us by the church itself.
We all know that the change in missionary age is the predominant driver behind the record number of missionaries, and yet that metric is simply taken at face value without any estimation to adjust for that structural change. And when Census reports come out, they do not get talked about almost at all, even though they are probably the best metrics we currently have.
Although the decline is largest in Utah, that is not super surprising because it had the farthest to fall, being the state with the highest birth rate. I think the declining birth rate "problem" is multifaceted, but most of it is not because couples want to have [more] children but can't - it's instead that couples would be inclined to have more children but CHOOSE not to because circumstances do not favor it: economic, environmental, ethical, cultural, etc.
The Makeni Sierra Leone District reported this week organized it's 7th and 8th branches.
Masimera Branch (2338939)
Panlap Branch (2338920)
301 Jul 28, 2026 Panlap Branch Makeni, Sierra Leone
302 Jul 28, 2026 Masimera Branch Masimera, Sierra Leone
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/2096625
I wonder the possibility of advancing to Stake at the September 27th District Conference. Now a district of 8 Branches.
@James These mass baptisms in Africa tend to be most common in places where the Church has been recently established. In some parts of Africa, there just seems to be a large number of people ready and willing to accept the gospel as soon as missionaries enter the town. This was the case here, in Mwadi Kayembe, and is also something that has been seen in other parts of DRC, Sierra Leone, and some other African countries. Activity rates in Africa, particularly in the DRC and Nigeria, tend to be quite high - as good or better than everywhere else in the Church, including the Mountain West.
This is not an answer but just my observations, I know about say 10 years ago, it would typically take a couple of weeks or more before things were updated online after creation. Currently, I've noticed most new stakes are posted by midweek after stake creation. However, while the boundaries come in fairly quickly, the stake center coordinates and pin may show up weeks later. Again, the short answer is "I don't know", but I've shared what I do know.
I tend to agree with the second James on this. That isn't to say infertility isn't a big concern affecting brith rates of Latter-day saints, I definitely think it is. I definitely see more couples around me in Utah choosing not to have kids for economic or personal reasons. I can think of many couples who delay having children so both spouses can work, save for a home, and also be able to afford going on fun trips and buying nice things. I wonder how much of a role social media plays in all this.
My wife and I both come from large families where my parents had 6 kids and hers had 5. Meanwhile, my wife and I have been blessed with two kids but we are already in discussions about whether having more is feasible or not. Her sister and her husband are done after two kids, and another brother of hers and his wife are done (for now) at 3.
I know it's anecdotal but I share because I wouldn't be surprised if the new norm for members moving forward is families that are 2-3 kids rather than 4-6 or so. If so, we may see a continued decrease in children of record in the US for the foreseeable future.
In the Brandon, FL stake in July
1 ward dissolved (Providence ward)
1 Spanish group formed into a branch
August 2 was the first week that the new Centerton AR stake center was utilized.
I'm in the Anderson MO ward (Rogers AR stake) and we've shared our building for the past year and half with the Highlands Ward (from Bella Vista AR and in the Centerton stake) which has now moved back into the first Centerton building. Their bishop mentioned to me the likely prospect that new wards will be created soon. The Highlands Ward could barely fit everyone into our chapel and overflow for sacrament meeting.
About a year ago my stake president told bishops that when this new building opens all buildings will immediately go to 5 units in each, so I anticipate new units to be created in each stake. He also said that by the time the new buildings are finished in Pea Ridge and Belleview Rd, we anticipate all buildings again going to 5 units each except two (based on area growth trends).
He also mentioned in stake conference last Spring that the church has already bought additional property in Bentonville and in Centerton.
The church is also searching for property in other locations in Northwest Arkansas.
I think the two buildings under construction will be finished by the end of next year, and I am certain we are not waiting until then to create new wards. My prediction is that they will split the Rogers stake when the Pea Ridge stake center is ready.
Your comments matches what I've been seeing.
Here are the list of properties owned by the church when I looked it up on the county website. This is the same list as earlier, but a couple of corrections/clarifications:
10.00 acres at 13407 Noah Rd, Centerton.
11.90 acres at 5036 S Bellview Rd, Rogers, AR 72758 (Under Construction)
10.02 acres on Hazelton Rd in Pea Ridge (Under Construction)
4.24 acres at SW I ST BENTONVILLE AR, (Coord: 36.3293, -94.2210) - newest property as it was purchased by the church five weeks ago.
A large meetinghouse and accessories (adequate parking, maintenance shed, lawns, drainage, etc) can fit on less than 4 acres. So, those on 10+ acres can easily accommodate two meetinghouses and pavilions, if needed.
Note: I tried all combinations I can think of. However, because I had to type the exact name and spelling of owner of how it's listed to see results, it is possible this may not be an all inclusive list.
Completed chapel not on meetinghouse locator yet (it may appear tomorrow or in a few weeks):
4.16 Acres at 2900 SW 28th St Bentonville
Other existing chapels in Benton County:
13.91 acres at 1101 MCCOLLUM RD, BENTONVILLE, AR (Bentonville Temple) and has room in the back for another chapel.
4.71 acres at 1105 MCCOLLUM RD, BENTONVILLE, AR , (Meetinghouse, pavilion and distribution center)
6.98 acres at 950 SEBA RD RD, CENTERTON, AR
3.79 acres at 2805 N DIXIELAND, LITTLE FLOCK, AR (Rogers Chapel)
7.18 acres at 1 LAMBETH RD, BELLA VISTA, AR
2.50 acres at 2300 S ELM ST SILOAM SPRINGS
Silom Springs serves a more isolated part of the county which was a branch when I briefly lived in the stake in late 2001. The Rogers stake is now at least four (Rogers, Springdale, Bentonville, Centerton), and was part of the Ft. Smith stake when Elder Bednar became stake president in 1987.
https://www.arcountydata.com/county.asp?county=Benton
The new Anchorage Alaska Temple will be dedicated (Church news Article describes it as a new temple) next summer. This dispels any thoughts/rumors that the church might halt other open house/dedications during the Salt Lake Temple open house.
For 2025, there's been 8 dedications with 12 scheduled making 20 in total. I would imagine we will know the final anticipated tally on how many dedications will occur this year by August 24 as they're typically announced about 4 months out and I don't think they'll be any dedications after Christmas.
5 more groundbreakings will need to be announced to repeat last year's 20 groundbreakings. Currently, 8 groundbreakings has been performed. 7 more have been announced. With 7 other temples already having a temple president and matron called, it's possible, but still ambitious, that we'll reach 20 groundbreakings by the end of the year.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/anchorage-alaska-temple-news
The Church News article is technically correct. The rebuilt temple is essentially a new temple, since the existing temple will be razed to make room for the new meetinghouse. That's the main reason why there is a two-month gap between the closure of the existing temple and the dedication of the new one in its' new spot. That gap will allow the Church to raze the existing temple and build a meetinghouse in its' place before the "new" Anchorage Alaska Temple opens, which will allow the dedication of both the new chapel and the meetinghouse at the same time.
Weekend of 8/1-8/2 Stake updates : 1 New Stake, 1 Stake renamed.
Jinja Uganda West Stake (2326655)
Organized on 2 August 2026
- Jinja Ward
- Lugazi Branch
- Mbiko Branch
- Mpumudde Ward
- Njeru Ward
Mission: Uganda Kampala West Mission
Temple: Nairobi Kenya Temple
Jinja Uganda Stake reorganized as the Jinja Uganda East Stake on 2 August 2026
Can a meeting house be built in 3 months? I am skeptical that the meetinghouse will be done in time for dedication with the temple.
This is one of thd most before the fact dedication announcements we have gotten.
It can if the same crew that built the new Anchorage Alaska Temple was also hired on to build the meetinghouse, which I strongly suspect was the plan all along.
@James Stokes
The construction timeline on a regular LDS meetinghouse is waaaaaay longer than 2 months. More like 9-18 months+, +2 months for demolition of the current temple.
If they start demo the day after the old temple closes maybe they could have demo done on the old building and a gravel pad for a banquet tent placed by the time the open house starts.
You might be batting out of your ballfield on this speculation.
@James Stokes
Nope, nope, nope. The type of chapels we build do not end up getting built in three months. Especially not with a demo preceding and an open house proceeding next door. Its not going to happen. Maybe they will manage to demo the existing temple and put some trailers there in prep for the open house (for the short film, restrooms, etc) but even that's pushing it. Please keep your speculation to areas you know well. Your claim here is past implausible and kind of ridiculous.
Forgive my cousin James above. As an engineer chapels from shovel to occupancy permit in the modern era in the usa takes a minimum of 9 months, but usually in the 12-18 month time frame due to permits, inspections, project management, etc.
My thanks once again for your attention to this matter.
Regardless of whether or not it can be done, a meetinghouse is not needed for a temple. I would imagine they'd likely have a tent up for the open house.
A meetinghouse could be constructed in a couple of weeks (after foundation) if the church really wanted to (extreme makeover -home edition style). However, I don't think the church wants to add risk and significant cost to save a year.
With the church in the area has been operating without a meetinghouse next to the temple, and with no overcapacity issues in surrounding meetinghouses similar to NW Arkansas, and with NW Arkansas chapels going up under a typical timeline, I can't imagine the church seeing any need to make Anchorage Temple Meetinghouse a "rush" job. Considering the location and care needed since it's next to an operating temple, I would imagine it will take ~1 to 2 years to construct.
Hank is right that even getting the demolition done in time for the open house might be pushing it. Although I could see doing that to have space for outside open house support, I almost think that will not happen. I more figure the thought is having the open house overlap with the temple in operation would be a bit much. Maybe the old temple will be fully razed by the time the new temple opens, but it seems very unlikely we will have a new meeting house there.
I would love it if we had a way to build meetinghouses in 3 months, but especially in Alaska where you need very well insulated walls that is not going to happen.
Santos Brazil Temple had its groundbreaking on Saturday. Which was also the first day the general authority who presided at that ground breaking was part of the Brazil Area Presidency. That is one of the area presidencies with 4 members. The other changes that day were Elder Tai became a member of the presidency of the 70 and the new Primary Presidency started their service. They will be part of the Friend to Friend broadcast in September along with Elder and Sister Causse.
It appears that a presiding authority for the Anchorage Temple dedication has not been announced. I figure this is because it is still a ways away. My best guess on why they announced the dedication so long in advance is this way people can plan around the few months the temple will be closed. This is especially important because the next closest temple is in Vancover BC, although Seattle is probably about as easy to get, maybe even in some ways easier since there is no international travel. You are most likely flying to either one so the added distance is not significant.
My general thought is that building a new meetinghouse while an open house is going on next door is not really a good idea. I believe in most cases when a temple and meetinghouse are dedicated at the same time, construction on the meetinghouse is completed before the temple open house starts. There are not a lot of such cases. The temples I know best are either in the Detroit, Phoenix and Fairview set where the meetinghouse was completed long before the temple was even announced, or in the Las Vegas set where the meetinghouse was built several years after the temple was completed. I am thinking that is also the case of Toronto but I could be wrong.
Another engineer here, agree that there is no way to build a new meeting house in 3 months, and that's without needing to do a site demolition first. Even the fastest residential builders can't build a single family home in 3 months. There are so many steps in this process, each of which can take months by themselves: setting and connecting utilities, demolition, excavation, foundation pouring and curing, building out the structure, framing, electrical work, exterior work, and on and on I could go.
The Church News just ran an article on the new institute buikding in Frankfurt Germany.
Here's a link to that article that John Pack Lambert mentioned:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2026/08/04/frankfurt-institute-of-religion-welcoming-space-in-germany/
I just learned that the Saratoga California and Los Altos California Stakes have a conference scheduled together only on Sunday, Aug 30th. I haven't heard or seen any official announcements yet, but I'm fairly certain that these stakes will be consolidated and/or reorganized. I grew up in the Saratoga Stake and have noticed a significant contraction of the Church membership for the past couple decades there.
I did hear about this - it's definitely cool to see that this has made it into the Church News.
I would like to question the numbers a little, because the article does make it sound like numbers of young adults attending institute have increased from 10 to 120 in the area. The reality is that much of this is likely due to consolidation of having a larger service area. At minimum, Friedrichsdorf, Darmstadt and Heidelberg had local Institute programs, some quite sizable. It sounds like they have been more centralized which has boosted attendance in Frankfurt. There is still a relatively sizable number of young adult converts getting baptized and there's also some successful reactivation happening. But it's not a 12-fold increase in participation.
Interesting article that claims the church has a retention problem that is worse than that of Catholics and Protestants, particularly because it doesn't seem to matter how the person was raised when it comes to whether they stay in the church or not. Ryan Burge is a religion demographer and uses Pew data on this:
"The LDS Church has a Retention Problem: Defection is Rampant, and it Doesn't Matter how they were Raised"
https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/the-lds-church-has-a-retention-problem
Justin Dyer provides additional context on the recent retention reports here:
https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2026/08/06/latter-day-saint-retention-measured-differently/
Michael thankyou for that artivle it helped a lot.
I recently came across information indicating that an Oromo translation of the Book of Mormon is in prgress. Oromo with 34 million speakers is the most common first language in Ethiopia with more first language speakers than Amheric. The Oromo were a colonized peiple in the Ethipian Emoire and had their language banned from education. There are also about 500,000 speakers of Oromo in Ethiopia.
“Niigata + Koriyama? A Rare Alignment Worth Watching”
Two districts in northern Japan — Niigata (2 branches) and Koriyama (4 branches) — are holding their district conferences on the exact same weekend, August 8–9. That alone is unusual. Japan almost never schedules adjacent districts together unless leadership coordination is happening behind the scenes.
There’s one complication:
Niigata belongs to the Tokyo North Mission, while Koriyama is under the Sendai Mission. Cross‑mission district mergers are extremely rare. In the last decade of tracking administrative changes, I haven’t seen Japan do one.
But Niigata’s situation is also rare. With only two branches remaining, it is one of the smallest districts in the country and sits well below the threshold Japan has used in recent consolidations. Koriyama, by contrast, is stable with four branches and is the closest viable administrative neighbor.
If a merger were ever to happen across mission lines, this is exactly the kind of scenario that would force it.
No announcements have been made. No “special conference” wording has appeared. But the timing is tight, the alignment is unusual, and Monday updates after district conferences have historically been when quiet administrative changes surface.
This weekend is worth watching.
Also of note, the Tolosa Philippines Stake, with 9 Wards and 1 Branch, has conference this weekend presided by an Area Seventy. Would be interesting to see a 5 + 5 Split. But unlikely.
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/611980
Earlier in this comment thread states that wards have started meeting last week (August 2) at:
2900 SW 28th St, Bentonville, AR 72712
The meetinghouse is now listed on google maps but not meetinghouse locator. I'm not sure how long it will take to update. Google maps does not have listed hours or phone numbers like other existing meetinghouses in the area.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Uy65hadV87MpJpsK8
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