New Temples Announced in October 2024 - Part I: Outside of the United States

Juchitán de Zaragoza Mexico Temple

The Juchitán de Zaragoza Mexico Temple will be the Church's 26th temple in Mexico and second temple in Oaxaca State. Previously dedicated or announced temples include the Mexico City Mexico Temple (dedicated in 1983), the Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Temple (dedicated in 1999), the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Oaxaca Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Tampico Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Villahermosa Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Mérida Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Veracruz Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Guadalajara Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2001), the Monterrey Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2002), the Tijuana Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2015), the Puebla Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2024), the Querétaro Mexico Temple (announced in April 2021), the Torreón Mexico Temple (announced in April 2021), the Culiacán Mexico Temple (announced in October 2021), the San Luis Potosí Mexico Temple (announced in April 2022), the Mexico City Benemérito Mexico Temple (announced in April 2022), the Cuernavaca Mexico Temple (announced October 2022), the Pachuca Mexico Temple (announced October 2022), the Toluca Mexico Temple (announced October 2022), the Tula Mexico Temple (announced October 2022), the Cancún México Temple (announced October 2023), and the Chihuahua Mexico Temple (announced April 2024). The new temple in Juchitán de Zaragoza will likely have a small district consisting of three stakes and four districts in southeastern Oaxaca State. Thus, the temple will likely be a small temple given few stakes and districts in the area which are nonetheless far distant from the nearest temples in Oaxaca and Tuxtla Gutiérrez. The Church discontinued many congregations in the Juchitán area in 2017 to create wards that had larger numbers of active members. There are currently 230 stakes, 44 districts, and 34 missions in Mexico. There were 1,876 official congregations in Mexico as of year-end 2023. Church membership in Mexico is at 1.52 million, although membership growth rates have been very slow in recent years. Moreover, member activity rates in Mexico are low overall at approximately 20%. 

This location was classified as a less likely location to have a temple announced on my most recent temple prediction map.

Santa Ana El Salvador Temple

The Santa Ana El Salvador Temple will be the Church's second temple in El Salvador following the dedication of the San Salvador El Salvador Temple in 2011. The new temple will likely service nine stakes in extreme western El Salvador - all of which are assigned to the San Salvador El Salvador Temple. There are four stakes in Santa Ana which were organized in 1979, 1980, 2009, and 2017. The Church has experienced essentially stagnant growth in El Salvador as a whole for many years in regard to membership growth, albeit there were two new stakes created in western El Salvador in 2017 and some branches have matured into wards within the past 5-10 years. The new temple is likely to be a small- to medium-sized temple. 

This location was classified as a less likely location to have a temple announced on my most recent temple prediction map.

Medellín Colombia Temple

The Medellín Colombia Temple will be the Church's fourth temple in Colombia following the Bogotá Colombia Temple (dedicated in 1999), the Barranquilla Colombia Temple (dedicated in 2018), and the Cali Colombia Temple (announced in April 2021). The new temple will likely be a small temple that services four stakes and one district - all of which are assigned to the Bogotá Colombia Temple. There are three stakes in Medellín which were organized in 1988, 1996, and 2023. The Colombia Medellín Mission was organized in 2012. The Church in Colombia has experienced slow growth for many years. As of year-end 2023, there were 215,331 Latter-day Saints, 256 official congregations, 31 stakes, 10 districts, and five missions.

This location was classified as a less likely location to have a temple announced on my most recent temple prediction map.

Santiago Dominican Republic Temple

The Santiago Dominican Republic Temple will be the Church's second temple in the Dominican Republic following the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple (dedicated in 2000). The new temple will likely be a small- to medium-sized temple and service seven stakes and three districts in northern Dominican Republic - all of which are assigned to the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple. Steady growth has occurred in the past couple decades in the area, and two new stakes have been organized since 2010. With approximately 150,000 Latter-day Saints, the Dominican Republic was the country with the most members with only one temple prior to today's announcement.

This location was classified as a more likely location to have a temple announced on my most recent temple prediction map.

Puerto Montt Chile Temple

The Puerto Montt Chile Temple will be the Church's sixth temple in Chile following the Santiago Chile Temple (dedicated in 1983), the Concepción Chile Temple (dedicated in 2018), the Antofagasta Chile Temple (announced in 2019), the Santiago Chile West Temple (announced in October 2021), and the Viña del Mar Chile (announced in October 2023). The new temple will likely be a small temple and service seven stakes and three districts in extreme southern Chile. The area is currently serviced by the Concepción Chile Temple. The Church recently organized a new stake in the Puerto Montt area (Puerto Varas) in March of 2024, and a few branches have become wards recently in the area. However, this region of Chile has historically had little to no growth in the number of congregations for decades. There are currently 79 stakes, 10 districts, and 11 missions in Chile. 

This location was classified as a more likely location to have a temple announced on my most recent temple prediction map.

Dublin Ireland Temple

The Dublin Ireland Temple will be the Church's first temple in Ireland. The Church reported 4,076 members as of year-end 2023. There is one stake in Dublin (organized in 1995) and one stake in Belfast, Northern Ireland (organized in 1974) which appear likely to comprise the new temple district. Currently, the two stakes are assigned to the Preston England Temple (dedicated in 1998). Thus, the new temple will likely be a small temple. The Church used to operate a mission in Dublin, Ireland which closed and was consolidated with the mission in Scotland in 2010. Stagnant membership growth has occurred for most years in Ireland in the past couple decades, although there have been a couple years that have had significant growth during this time. The Church recently discontinued the Limerick Ireland District and consolidated it with the Dublin Ireland Stake. There are now six wards and six branches in Ireland. There are seven wards and three branches in Northern Ireland.

This location was classified as a more likely location to have a temple announced on my most recent temple prediction map.

Milan Italy Temple

The Milan Italy Temple will be the Church's second temple in Italy following the Rome Italy Temple in 2019. Milan has historically been what appeared to be a more likely location to have a temple announced in Italy before the Rome Italy Temple given there are more stakes in northern Italy than southern Italy and that some of the stakes in northern Italy have operated for more than a decade longer than in southern Italy. Currently, northern Italy is assigned to the Rome Italy Temple. The new temple will likely service 5-6 stakes in northern Italy. The new temple will likely be a small- to medium-sized temple. Milan is the only city in northern Italy that has two stakes (which were organized in 1981 and 2012). Membership growth rates in Italy have been low for many years. There were 28,409 members, 10 stakes, 94 official congregations, and two missions in Italy as of year-end 2023. Italy has undergone a significant transformation in the past 15-20 years from mostly comprising branches and districts to being mostly made up of wards and stakes.

This location was classified as a less likely location to have a temple announced on my most recent temple prediction map.

Abuja Nigeria Temple

The Abuja Nigeria Temple will be the Church's sixth temple in Nigeria following the Aba Nigeria Temple (dedicated in 2005), the Lagos Nigeria Temple (announced in 2018), the Benin City Nigeria Temple (announced in 2020), the Eket Nigeria Temple (announced in October 2022), and the Calabar Nigeria Temple (announced in October 2023). As I noted when the Calabar Nigeria Temple was announced, the Church has never announced so many new temples in a country with only one dedicated temple since Mexico had at one point nine temples announced in February 1999 before a second temple was dedicated in March 1999 (which was the Colonia Juarez Mexico Temple). The new temple in Abuja will likely be a small temple and service four stakes (three of which are in Abuja) and three districts in central Nigeria - all of which are assigned to the Aba Nigeria Temple. The first stake in Abuja was organized in 2012 followed by additional stakes in 2016 and 2019. The Church has grown rapidly in central Nigeria within the past decade after decades of slow or stagnant growth. Just a few weeks ago, the Church created its first stake in Jos where a district had operated for more than 30 years. Prospects appear favorable for more stakes to be created in central Nigeria in the foreseeable future, particularly in Makurdi and Gboko, although 1-2 additional stakes appear likely to be created in Abuja within the next few years. The creation of the Nigeria Abuja Mission in 2023 also is likely to significantly accelerate growth in vast areas of Nigeria inhabited by approximately 100 million people where most do not live near an official Latter-day Saint congregation (although it is unlikely that much expansion will occur in the far northern states that are staunchly Muslim and follow Sharia law). Even with today's announcement, prospects appear favorable for more temple announcements in Nigeria in the coming years. Some likely candidates include:

• Enugu (5 stakes, 4 districts)
• Ibadan (8 stakes, 1 district)
  
• Port Harcourt (9 stakes, 2 districts)
  
• Umuahia (6 stakes, 1 district)
  
• Uyo (6 stakes)
• Warri (2 stakes)

The Church reported 232,654 members 810 congregations in Nigeria as of year-end 2023. There are currently 76 stakes, 13 districts, and 11 missions in Nigeria.

This location was classified as a more likely location to have a temple announced on my most recent temple prediction map.

Kampala Uganda Temple

The Kampala Uganda Temple will be the first temple to be built in Uganda. Prior to today's announcement, Uganda was the country with the most Latter-day Saints without a temple per 2023 figures (22,138 members). Stakes and districts in Uganda are assigned to the Johannesburg South Africa Temple, although Uganda will likely be reassigned to the Nairobi Kenya Temple once it is completed. There are three stakes and three districts in Uganda. There are two stakes in Kampala which were organized in 2010 and 2017. The new temple will likely service members in Uganda, Ethiopia, and perhaps Burundi and Rwanda - the latter two have recently experienced unprecedented growth. The temple will likely be a small temple. Prospects appear favorable for accelerated growth in Uganda given the Uganda Kampala Mission now only services the countries of Uganda and South Sudan. In the past year, the Church has organized many new branches in cities and towns in Uganda that have never had a branch, including in Bukomero, Buwenge, Bweyale, Kalisizo, Kibale, Mbarara, and Soroti.

This location was classified as a more likely location to have a temple announced on my most recent temple prediction map.

Maputo Mozambique Temple

The Maputo Mozambique Temple will be the Church's second temple in Mozambique following the announcement of the Beira Mozambique Temple in April of 2021. The new temple will likely be a small temple and service the three stakes in Maputo as well as two districts (one in Mozambique and one in Eswatini). As I noted in the post regarding today's announcement, this marks the first time the Church has announced two temples in a country that previously has not had any temples (although there was a time in the United States after the destruction of the Nauvoo Temple and before the dedication of the first temples in Utah when temples were announced in Utah that were not completed yet). The temple in Beira remains in the planning stages. Church growth rates in Mozambique have been among the most rapid in the world and have been concentrated in Beira (which now has four stakes) and Maputo. The Church created its first two stakes in Mozambique in 2015. Additional stakes were created in Maputo in 2019 and 2023. There are now eight stakes and two districts in the country - all of which are assigned to the Johannesburg South Africa Temple. Church membership increased by 34.1% during 2023 to 24,733. There are now 75 official congregations in Mozambique.

This location was classified as a more likely location to have a temple announced on my most recent temple prediction map.

17 New Temples Announced

Today, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell M. Nelson, announced plans to construct temples in the following 17 locations:

• Juchitán de Zaragoza, Mexico
• Santa Ana, El Salvador
• Medellín, Colombia
• Santiago, Dominican Republic
• Puerto Montt, Chile
• Dublin, Ireland
• Milan, Italy
• Abuja, Nigeria   
• Kampala, Uganda
• Maputo, Mozambique
• Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
• Queen Creek, Arizona
• El Paso, Texas
• Huntsville, Alabama
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Summit, New Jersey
  Price, Utah
  

With today's announcement, there will now be 367 temples that are planned or dedicated. I will provide an analysis of each temple announcement in the coming days. Today's announcement marks the first time the Church has announced a temple in a country where a temple has previously been announced but not completed yet (Mozambique). Also, temples in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Summit, New Jersey, will be the Church's first temples to be built in these states. Finally, temples in Dublin, Ireland, and Kampala, Uganda, will be the Church's first temples in these nations.

Updated Country Profile - Italy

Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Italy. The Church reestablished missionary activity in Italy in 1966, and today there are approximately 27,500 members nationwide. The Church has achieved significant progress with the establishment of stakes in the country and the dedication of the Rome Italy Temple in 2019. There were only three stakes in 2000, whereas today there are 10 stakes. However, the establishment of stakes has come at the cost of closing dozens of branches to establish larger congregations due to slow membership growth during this period. Consequently, the Church in Italy maintained a more widespread presence in the late 1990s than 20 years later even though Church membership increased by over 11,000 during this time. Nevertheless, the Church in Italy has many strong wards with as many as 150 active members today. However, the Church will need to reverse its trend of declining national outreach in order to achieve greater growth. See below for the Future Prospects section of this article:

The trend of decreasing numbers of congregations and missionaries during the past two decades has resulted in more limited national outreach. Although membership has matured in many areas, smaller cities and rural areas have seen little or no progress in the growth of the Church over the past two decades. Long-term growth and self-sufficiency of the Church will largely depend on increasing native-Italian missionaries, breakthroughs in outreach among Italians, and a sustained reversal of congregational declines. Some positive developments have occurred in lieu of the Rome Italy Temple announcement and dedication, such as increasing convert baptisms of full Italian families. However, the Church in Italy continues to struggle with a lack of progress among Italian members and expanding the Church’s outreach rather than consolidating it. With the entire country administered by stakes as of 2020, stake presidents may have better opportunities to identify cities and towns which appear favorable to begin member groups to help spur greater growth. In sum, future Latter-day Saint growth in Italy will strongly depend on the local Italian Church’s ability to be self-sufficient in leadership and missionary needs, and the mobilization of local members to take the lead to find, prepare, and fellowship new converts who develop a lifelong conversion to the Church.

New Stakes Created in Ecuador, Ghana, Massachusetts, and Texas: New Districts Created in the DR Congo and Ghana; District Discontinued in Italy

Ecuador
The Church organized a new stake in Ecuador on October 9th. The Otavalo Ecuador Imbaya Stake was organized from the division of the Otavalo Ecuador Imbabura (organized in 1997) and Otavalo Ecuador (organized in 1981) Stakes. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Carabuela, Centenario, Cotacachi, Cotama, Imbaya, and Punyaro Wards. The small city of Otavalo is located in the heart of the homelands of the Otavalo (Imbabura Highland) Quichua Amerindians. The Otavalo people have numbered among the most receptive to LDS proselytism in Latin America. Missionaries report that stakes in the city of Otavalo number among the most self-sufficient in Ecuador and have some of the highest activity rates in Latin America.

A case study that examines LDS growth among the Otavalo can be found here.

Ghana
The Church organized a new stake in Ghana on November 6th. The Kumasi Ghana Asokwa Stake was organized from a division of the Kumasi Ghana Bantama (organized in 1998) and Kumasi Ghana Dichemso (organized in 2013) Stakes. The new stake includes the follow seven wards and seven branches: the Ahenbronum, Asokwa, Ayigya, Freetown, Kwamo, Lowcost, and University Wards, and the Ahyiaem, Aputuogya, Asokore Mampong, Atonsu, Domeabra, Ejisu, and Kentinkrono Branches. The Church has never appeared to organize a new stake with as many congregations in modern times as there are 14 units in the new stake. It appears that the Church has organized the new stake with such a large number of units in preparation to create a separate stake in Konongo one day. There are three wards and two branches in the Konongo area.

The Church organized a new district in Ghana on October 30th. The Tarkwa Ghana District was organized from four mission branches in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission. The branches in the new district include the Axim, Brenu-Akyirim, Nkroful, and Tarkwa Branches.

There are now 18 stakes and 12 districts in Ghana.

Massachusetts
The Church organized a new stake in Massachusetts on November 6th. The North Shore Massachusetts Stake was organized from a division of the Cambridge Massachusetts (organized in 1998), Exeter New Hampshire (organized in 1981), and Nashua New Hampshire (organized in 1970) Stakes. The new stake includes the following six wards and one branch: the Billerica, Lawrence,  (Spanish), Lynnfield, Methuen, Revere 1st (Spanish), and Revere 2nd Wards, and the Lynn Branch (Spanish).

There are now five stakes in Massachusetts.

Texas
The Church organized a new stake in Texas on November 6th. The Fort Worth Texas North Stake was organized from a division of the Hurst Texas Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Fossil Ridge, Highland Station, Hurst 3rd (Spanish), Park Glen 1st, Park Glen 2nd, and Saginaw Wards.

There are now 72 stakes and three districts in Texas.

DR Congo
The Church organized a new district in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on November 6th. The Ngandajika Democratic Republic of the Congo District was organized from a division of the Luputa Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake (organized in 2011). The new district includes the following four branches: the Kabanda, Kalubanda, Ngandajika, and Tshioji Branches.

There are now 16 stakes and three districts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Italy
The Church recently discontinued a district in Italy. Organized in 1991, the Calabria Italy District was discontinued and its former branches were reassigned to the Puglia Italy Stake and Palermo Italy Stake. Most of the branches in the former district have reported few active members for many years. With the closure of the district, the Church currently reports no districts in Italy for the first time in its history.

There are now 10 stakes in Italy.

New Stakes in Hawaii, Italy, New York, North Dakota, Texas, and Utah; Districts Discontinued in Chile, Italy, Panama, and the Philippines

I have gotten a bit behind providing updates on stakes and districts being created and discontinued. Here's an overview of some recent activity over the past month or so.

Hawaii
On May 4th, the Church created a new stake in Hawaii - marking the first time a non-student/YSA stake has been created in the state since 1996. Based on Maui, the Kahului Hawaii West Stake was created from a division of the Kahului Hawaii Stake (originally organized in 1975) and includes the following six wards:
the Hoolehua, Kahului, Kaunakakai, Lahaina 1st, Lahaina 2nd (Tongan), and Wailuku Wards. There are now 16 stakes in Hawaii.

Italy
On May 11th, the Church created a new stake from the Florence Italy and Rimini Italy Districts. The Florence Italy stake includes the following five wards and seven branches: the Firenze, Livorno, Pisa, Prato, and Rimini Wards, and the Ancona, Forli', La Spezia, Montevarchi, Pesaro, Ravenna, and Siena Branches. The Rimini Italy District was discontinued as a result of the formation of the new stake. There are now 10 stakes and one district in Italy.

New York
On April 13th, the Church organized the Lynbrook New York Stake from the Lynbrook New York District and a portion of the Queens (now Woodside) New York Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and three branches: the Flushing 2nd, Freeport, Jamaica 1st, Jamaica 2nd (Spanish), Little Neck, and Lynbrook Wards, and the Flushing 1st (Spanish), Flushing 3rd (Korean), and Mineola (Spanish) Branches. There are now 16 stakes and one district in New York

North Dakota
On May 4th, the Church created its third stake in North Dakota from a division of the Bismarck North Dakota Stake. The Minot North Dakota Stake includes the following five wards and three branches: the Minot 1st, Minot 2nd, Minot 3rd, Williston 1st, and Williston 2nd Wards, and the New Town, Rugby, and Stanley Branches. The last stake to be organized in North Dakota was the Bismarck North Dakota Stake in 1996. Church membership in the original Bismarck North Dakota Stake has doubled within the past three years due to members moving to the area for the booming oil industry.

Texas
On May 4th, the Church created a new stake in Texas from a division of the Frisco Texas Stake. The Frisco Texas Shawnee Trail Stake includes the following seven wards: the Aubrey, Cross Roads, Frisco 2nd, Little Elm, Prosper 1st, Prosper 2nd, and Prosper 3rd Wards. There are now 61 stakes and three districts in Texas.

Utah
On April 20th, the Church created a new stake from dividing the Bluffdale Utah Stake. The Bluffdale Utah South Stake includes the following eight wards: the Bluffdale 1st, Bluffdale 5th, Bluffdale 8th, Bluffdale 9th, Bluffdale 10th, Bluffdale 13th, Bluffdale 14th, and Bluffdale 15th Wards. There are now 570 stakes and one district in Utah.

Chile
The Church recently discontinued the Melipilla Chile District and closed one of the four branches that previously pertained to the district. The three retained branches now pertain to the Talagante Chile District, which missionaries have reported for several years has been diligently striving to become a stake within the near future. However, member activity and convert retention problems remain extremely severe, as evidenced by the Church once operating separate stakes in Melipilla and Talagante and the failure of missionary and church growth efforts to reestablish a single stake in the area. There are now 74 stakes and 22 districts in Chile.

Panama
The Church recently discontinued the Alcalde Diaz Panama District and reassigned branches to the San Miguelito Panama Stake. The Church appeared to try to have the district become a stake as it is located in the Panama metropolitan area and had five branches. Panama also experiences catastrophically low member activity rates and has had nearly half of its LDS congregations closed over the past 15 years. There are now seven stakes and four districts in Panama.

Philippines
The Church recently discontinued the Mapandan Philippines District and reassigned its branches to the Mangaldan Philippines District. Only three branches pertained to the former district, which was created as a result of the discontinuation of the original Mangaldan Philippines Stake in 2003. The Mangaldan Philippines District now has seven branches. There are now 88 stakes and 82 districts in the Philippines

New Stake in Italy

Yesterday the Church created its second stake in Rome from a portion of the original Rome Italy Stake and the Napoli Italy and Sardegna Italy Districts.  The Rome Italy West Stake includes the following five wards and seven branches: The Cagliari, Caserta, Ladispoli, Roma 1st, and Roma 4th Wards and the Battipaglia, Castellammare, Flegreo, Napoli, Olbia, Oristano, and Sassari Branches.  The realigned Rome Italy Stake was renamed the Rome Italy East Stake and includes the following five wards and two branches: The Pescara, Roma 2nd, Roma 3rd, Roma 6th, and Terni Wards and the L'Aquila and Roma 5th Branches.  The creation of the new stake was primarily made possible due to strong active membership and congregational growth within the original Rome Italy Stake (organized in 2005).  The Roma 6th Ward, for example, was created from the Roma 3rd Ward; a ward that split just last year to form the Roma 5th Branch.  It is likely that additional branches in both stakes will mature into wards within the foreseeable future.  See below for a map of LDS units in the Italy Rome Mission.



View Wards and Branches in the southern Italian Peninsula, Sardegna, and Sicily (Italy) and Malta in a larger map
There are now nine stakes and three districts in Italy.

New Stake in Italy

As reported in an earlier post, the Church created a new stake in Italy.  The Milan Italy East Stake was formed last Sunday from a division of the Milan Italy Stake and includes the Cimiano, Lecco, Merate, Muggiò, and Pavia Wards and the Lodi Branch.  Missionaries and members report steady growth in the Milan area over the past five years, with the number of active Melchizedek Priesthood holders increasing by over 100 within the boundaries of the original stake.  Although some Italians have joined the Church in recent years, nonnative converts and members appear to have driven most of the recent growth.  The Church recently reversed the decade-long trend of declining congregational totals within the past year as new units have been recently organized in Rome and Bergamo.

There are now eight stakes and five districts in Italy.

New Stakes to be Created in Italy, Mexico, and Spain

Three new stakes will be created within the next few months in Italy, Mexico, and Spain.  I will provide more details on these new stakes once they are officially organized and information becomes available.

Italy
Members and missionaries report that a new stake will be created in northern Italy next weekend in the Milan area.  The new stake will be the Church's eighth stake in Italy. 

Mexico
Members report that another stake will be created in Puebla, Mexico but it is unclear when this will occur.  The new stake will be organized from a realignment of two or more stakes based in Puebla and Tlaxcala and likely centered in the Almecatla area.  A new stake in the Puebla area was created earlier this year.  With the creation of this pending stake there will be 13 stakes in Puebla State and 226 in Mexico. 

Spain
Missionaries report that a realignment of stakes will occur in southern Spain in order to create a new stake based in Cartagena this December. The new stake will be the Church's 11th in Spain.

New Stake to be Created in Italy in September

Members in Europe report that a new stake will be created in northern Italy this September from the Milan Italy Stake.  The Milan Italy Stake has grown to 10 wards and 2 branches as several branches have become wards within the past few years.  It is unclear whether the new stake will be created from other stakes in northern Italy like the Verona Italy Stake.

The Church in Italy also recently reversed an over decade long era of congregation consolidations.  Within the past two months, two new units were organized in Bergamo (Bergamo 3rd Branch) and Rome (Roma 5th Branch).  It has been several years or perhaps even a decade since the Church has created a new unit in Italy.  Members report that prospects appear good for the organization of additional new wards and branches in the largest cities.

Church Growth News

First Stake in Sicily

Missionaries report that the first stake in Sicily will be organized on June 26th. Two districts functioned on the island until they were consolidated into one in 2009 in preparation for a stake. Once organized, Italy will have seven stakes and five districts. The Italy Catania Mission will be discontinued this July, which has served Sicily and southern Italy.

First Branch in Djibouti Organized

The first independent congregation of the Church in Djibouti was recently organized. The new branch is primarily for US military based on the country although there are a few native members according to member reports. It does not appear that the Uganda Kampala Mission has ambitions on missionary work in Djibouti in the near future, but may be a possibility in the coming years.

New Version of LDS Maps

In the past couple weeks, the Church launched a new meetinghouse locator site. The new version of LDS Maps retains the functions of the previous meetinghouse locator site, but also allows users to search congregations worldwide by name. The new site also allows users to obtain information on what stake, district, or mission congregations belong to. Check it out at https://beta-maps.lds.org/.

Two More Missions to be Discontinued in Spain and Italy

Italy

Missionaries serving in the Italy Catania Mission report that the mission will be discontinued this July. The mission will be absorbed into the Italy Rome Mission. Missionaries were notified that this consolidation will occur in part due to preparing members for the building of the Rome Italy Temple. The decision to consolidate the two missions was also likely influenced by the consolidation of the two districts on Sicily last year in preparation to create the first stake on the island. The Palermo Italy District may become a stake prior to the combining of the missions but no announcement has been made. Once the consolidation occurs there will be around 120 missionaries in the Italy Rome Mission. This consolidation will allow for greater missionary resources to be utilized in areas with more rapid growth and increase the responsibilities for local members in sharing the Gospel with others.

Spain

The Spain Bilbao Mission will be discontinued this July and a massive realignment of the three remaining Spanish missions will occur. Districts in Leon and Vigo will transfer to the Spain Madrid Mission and the Vitoria Spain Stake will become part of the Spain Barcelona Mission. The Canary Islands will become part of the Spain Madrid Mission and the Elche Spain Stake, La Mancha Spain District, and a couple mission branches will belong to the Spain Malaga Mission. Missionaries were very surprised about this change considering that the Spain Bilbao Mission had its most successful year in 20 years as the first stake within the mission was created and convert baptisms were up 81% from 2008 in 2009. The Spain Barcelona Mission also had a very successful year as measured by convert baptisms with 402 baptisms. The missions in Madrid and Malaga have also seen good success in the past year. The decision to combine the decision is an inspired one which has come as a result of greater leadership development and maturity among the local members. The establishment of the first stake in northern Spain was a result of local members taking greater responsibility in conducting the Church.

Below I have the letter from the mission president of the Spain Malaga Mission informing missionaries concerning the changes.

The First Presidency has determined that on 1 July 2010 the Spain Bilbao Mission will be dissolved and the boundaries of the Spain Barcelona and Spain Madrid Missions will be realigned to include the areas now served by the Spain Bilbao Mission. President Richard R. Clegg (from the Bilbao Mission) will be the new mission president of the Spain Málaga Mission. In conjunction with these changes, the Elche Stake (from the Barcelona Mission) and La Mancha district (from the Madrid Mission) will be associated with the Spain Málaga Mission. The Canary Islands (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Spain District) will be associated with the Spain Madrid Mission presided over by President Watkins.

This consolidation, together with many others, will be announced in the Church News on 13 February 2010. While these changes will impact certain missionaries this summer, the move will not affect our role as missionaries to baptize worthy converts. Rather, it is a reflection of the great success which we are experiencing in the growth of the Church in Spain.

This is an exciting and positive move as the Church continues to expand throughout the earth and as ward and stake leaders and members take a more active role in missionary work and the growth and development of the Church in Spain. It is an inspired response to a number of important changes in the work in Spain.

First of all, as you well know, the number of missionaries worldwide and the number of missionaries serving in Spain has been decreasing. This decrease is driven largely by a reduction in the total number of 18 and 19-year-olds in the population throughout North America and Europe. We started our mission with 120 missionaries and by July will have 74. Other missions are going through similar reductions. Overall, the number of missionaries serving in Spain will be less than 300 this year. This is a dramatic decrease from several years ago when we had nearly 800 missionaries in five missions in Spain.

Second, the growth of the stakes in Spain has reduced the amount of Church administration done by the missions. Before the creation of the Madrid Stake in 1982, mission presidents served as the ecclesiastical leaders of all members of the Church in Spain. With the recent creation of the 10th stake in the country - the Spain Vitoria Stake, created out of the Bilbao District of the Spain Bilbao Mission - most Church members now live in stakes led by local stake presidents, and missions have responsibility for fewer mission districts.

Finally, in 2002 the First Presidency announced certain changes which gave stake presidents and bishops the responsibility for missionary work in their stakes and wards. The stake presidents and bishops in Spain have taken on that new responsibility in a very effective way, so that even with the reduction in full-time missionaries, the work of baptizing worthy converts has increased dramatically.

We are excited about this coming change and what it says about the growth of the Church in Spain. While we look forward to welcoming into our mission the great missionaries and members of the La Mancha District and Elche Stake, we will deeply miss the wonderful missionaries and members of the Canary Islands. We know that this inspired change will help the work move forward in a country which we all love deeply. I have had the tender privilege of knowing and working alongside Presidents and Sisters Clegg and Watkins. I am confident those of you who will share that privilege will be greatly blessed by their dedication and love. I invite you to include them in your prayers now as they anticipate and prepare for these new assignments.

May God bless each of you with continued success in this great work of gathering the children of our Father in Heaven into His Kingdom through the waters of baptism.

Districts Combine In Preparation For Sicily's First Stake

Missionaries report that last Sunday the Palermo Italy and Catania Italy Districts were combined in preparation for the first stake on the island. Both of these districts were first organized in the 1970s and today the district on the island has 12 branches. Currently there are six stakes and six districts in Italy and missionaries hint that the formation of the future stake on Sicily is part of preparing the country for the construction and the dedication of the temple in Rome. The district in Florence appears to be close to stakehood as well.

Other stakes created recently in Italy were in Alessandria (2007), Rome (2005) and Verona (2008). The new stakes in Italy have not come as a result of recent membership growth but rather the result of maturing membership and consolidating branches to create wards and consolidating districts to create stakes. For instance back in 2000 there were 15 districts and three stakes in Italy. Church membership grew by a little over 1% last year to 22,886 members.

Rome Italy Temple

A temple was announced for Rome, Italy yesterday in General Conference. The new temple has been anxiously awaited by the Italian saints who currently travel to the Bern Switzerland Temple to participate in temple ordinances. The temple might also serve members in countries such as Albania, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus. Isolated members in North Africa will also be closest to this temple. Currently the two districts of the Church in Armenia attend the temple in Switzerland, but I imagine they will be assigned to the Kyiv Ukraine Temple District once the temple is completed.

There are six stakes in Italy, the most recent being organized in Verona earlier this year. There are also seven districts in the country.

On the above map, yellow and green squares indicate wards and branches.

Five New Temples Announced

During his opening talk for the Saturday morning session of the 178 Semi-Annual General Conference for the Church, President Monson announced the following temples:

• Calgary Alberta Temple
• Cordoba Argentia Temple
• Kansas City Missouri Temple
• Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple
• Rome Italy Temple

This brings the number of temples announced, operating, or under construction to 145.

I will provide further analysis on these new temples announced when I get more free time. Right now I am a bit overwhelmed with school.

The Church in Italy

Although membership growth has been only around 2% a year for the past five years in Italy, there have been three new stakes organized since 2005. Now Italian members are organized into six stakes and seven districts. Along with France, Italy is in need of a temple but land has been difficult to find as well as obtaining government permission. Furthermore, most of the members in Italy live in the north which is fairly close to the Bern Switzerland Temple. It would be most likely that a temple would be built here (because there are four stakes) but Rome is another possibility. Districts in the south would be closer to a temple in Rome. Three of the seven districts are on Sicily and Sardinia the rest are in Calabria, Florence, Naples, and Rimini. It is quite likely that the districts in Florence and Naples will mature into stakes within the next five years. The yellow squares are wards and the green squares are branches.

Potential Temple Sites

Below is a list of cities around the world (excluding the continental United States) which I believe are close to having a temple announced in them. I am not claiming that this is a definite list; just predictions of likely future temples. I have them ordered starting from the most likely to be announced as the next new temple. Temple attendance indicated by the number of sessions provided daily, the number of stakes assigned to, and distance of existing stakes to existing temples in the region are some of the tools I use to predict these new temple sites. Furthermore, this list is dynamic and subject to change. The numbers in parenthesis next to the predicted temple are the number of stake and districts that would be probable in the predict temple's temple district. Example: Brasilia (11,3) (11 stakes, 3 districts). The bold number at the end of the line is the number of stakes located in the metropolitan area where the predicted temple would be.

1. Fortaleza, Brazil (16,3) 11
2. Rio De Janiero, Brazil (22,9) 10
3. Trujillo, Peru (20,9) 7
4. Puebla, Mexico (21,3) 8
5. Bangkok, Thailand (1,21) 1
6. Paris, France (9,2) 2
7. Rome, Italy (5,12) 1
8. Concepcion, Chile (18,11) 9
9. Lisbon, Portugal (6,10) 2
10. Arequipa, Peru (17,11) 6

Other temples which are likely to be announced are Brasilia Brazil, Belo Horizonte Brazil, Salvador Brazil, Tarawa Kiribati, Dagupan Philippines, Culiacan Mexico, Managua Nicaragua, Quito Ecuador, Cordoba Argentina, and San Jose Puerto Rico. The United States has many temples which are not too far away for most members. Most likely temple sites in the United States include Kansas City Missouri, Pocatello Idaho and Tucson Arizona.

Countries with the most members without a temple

Here is a list of the top 10 countries which do not have a temple. Information is provided about the number of units in each country as well as a ratio of the number of members per unit. Data is from Dec. 31st, 2006 or more recent. Maps for each country showing stakes and mission districts for countries with a membership over 20,000 and wards and branches for nations with a membership under 20,000 are also provided and are current as of the date of this blog entry. Yellow squares are stakes; green squares are mission districts.
If you click on the map, it will open up in a new window and be much clearer.








1. Nicaragua – 55,369 members

8 stakes
6 districts
46 wards
44 branches
1 mission
615 members per unit

2. Portugal – 38,130 members

6 stakes
4 districts
34 wards
43 branches
2 missions
495 members per unit

3. France – 33,828 members

9 stakes
2 districts
61 wards
63 branches
2 missions
277 member per unit

4. Italy – 22,212 members

5 stakes
9 districts
25 wards
79 branches
3 missions
213 members per unit

5. Puerto Rico – 19,609 members

5 stakes
2 districts
27 wards
15 branches
2 missions
445 members per unit

NO MAP AVAILABLE YET

6. Russia – 19,180 members

0 stakes
15 districts
0 wards
121 branches
8 missions
158 members per unit

7. DR of Congo – 18,276 members

4 stakes
4 districts
43 wards
17 branches
1 mission
305 members per unit

8. Zimbabwe – 16,240 members

2 stakes
2 districts
18 wards
27 branches
1 mission
360 members per unit

9. Papua New Guinea – 15,517 members

1 stake
8 districts
5 wards
48 branches
1 mission
292 members per unit

10. Thailand – 15,108 members

1 stake
5 districts
7 wards
32 branches
1 mission
387 members per unit