Mission Discontinued in Wyoming, Districts Discontinued in Malaysia and the Philippines

Wyoming

The Church discontinued its only mission in Wyoming at the beginning of 2021. The Wyoming Mormon Trail Mission was discontinued and consolidated with Colorado Fort Collins Mission. The mission was organized in January 2015, but its purpose appeared primarily related to managing Church history sites in central Wyoming rather than proselytism. The mission boundaries included an extremely small geographical area in and nearby Martin's Cove. The decision to discontinue the mission was likely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impacting public use of these Church history sites. With the closure of the mission, there are now 107 missions in the United States.

Malaysia

The Church discontinued one of its districts in Malaysia in late 2020. The Ipoh Malaysia District was consolidated with the Kuala Lumpur Malaysia District - the only remaining district in West Malaysia. The former district had only two branches: one in Ipoh and one in Penang. In contrast, the Church used to operate four branches in the district, but closed branches in Butterworth and Sitiawan in the mid-2010s. The Church has struggled for many years with very slow membership growth and continued branch consolidations. In contrast, the Church in Malaysia reports some of the most rapid growth in the worldwide Church in the late 2000s and early 2010s. However, convert retention rates were low during these period of rapid growth. Leadership development has been a major challenge, especially considering most converts come from ethnic minority groups or migrant workers from other countries. Malaysia is the country with the most members without a stake which is primarily attributed to low member activity rates nationwide combined with membership scattered in several of the most populous cities such as Bintulu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Miri, and Sibu. The decision to consolidate the two districts in West Malaysia may be in preparation to form a stake, albeit there do not appear to be any imminent plans or prospects for the district to become a stake. Most recent reports from returned missionaries suggest that Kuching is most likely to be where the first stake in Malaysia will be organized.

There are now five districts in Malaysia.

The Philippines

The Church discontinued the Burgos Philippines District in early January 2021. The Burgos Philippines District included five Ilokano-speaking branches, namely the Burgos, Calinguian, Catabban, Gamu, and Mabini Branches, prior to its closure. Four of the five branches were reassigned to the neighboring Roxas Philippines Isabela District, whereas the Gamu Branch was reassigned to the Ilagan Philippines Stake. The Burgos Philippines District and the Roxas Philippines Isabela District were originally organized in 2005 after the Burgos Philippines Stake was discontinued. Any wards in the stake were downgraded to branches and divided between the two new districts. The original Burgos Philippines Stake was organized in 2001 from the Roxas Isabela Philippines District and included eight wards and three branches. The Burgos Philippines Stake numbered among the six stakes discontinued in the early and mid-2000s following a major restructuring of the Church's congregations, stakes, and district to rectify problems with local leadership development and low numbers of active members in individual congregations. The closure of the Burgos Philippines District has been an anomaly as only two other districts in the Philippines have closed since 2007, namely the Camiling Philippines West District (2017) and the Mapandan Philippines District (2014) - both of which were discontinued and combined with a neighboring district to create a stake shortly thereafter. Thus, the consolidation of the Burgos Philippines District with the Roxas Philippines Isabela District was likely motivated to create a stake in the foreseeable future. Many, if not most, of the branches in the Roxas Philippines Isabela District appear to have enough active members to become wards. 

There are now 116 stakes and 61 districts in the Philippines.

Updated Country Profile - Malaysia

Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Malaysia. The Church experienced rapid membership and congregational growth during the 2000s, but with low convert retention rates. Membership increased from 1,300 members in 2000 to over 7,000 members in 2010. See below for the Future Prospects section of this article.

The outlook for the Church in Malaysia is noticeably bleaker for the coming decade compared to the 2000s and 2010s. Marked declines in membership growth rates from the previous decade, low member activity rates, leadership development challenges, and no expansion of the Church into additional cities in recent years, as well as a contraction in outreach with the sole branches in several cities closed in the 2010s, indicate that the Church in Malaysia’s focus has been on strengthening the core of active membership and preparing for some of the larger districts to become stakes, such as in Kuala Lumpur and Miri, rather than outward expansion. This approach may yield some long-term results with the formation of stakes in both East and West Malaysia in the foreseeable future. The translation of all Latter-day Saint scriptures and many Church materials into Malay within the past decade also presents good opportunities for testimony development and missionary activity. However, with uncertainty regarding the role of Islam in government and increasing societal intolerance toward religious minorities may result in greater limitations placed on nontraditional Christian denominations such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which may, in turn, result in insurmountable obstacles toward future expansion of the Church. Consequently, the Church may be vulnerable to miss the current window of opportunity to expand into additional cities both in East and West Malaysia if such restrictions come into effect. However, the Church in Malaysia will most importantly need to become self-sufficient in meeting its own leadership and missionary needs without assistance from foreign full-time missionaries or expatriate Westerners in order to develop a more solid membership base that can endure societal and political changes, and perpetuate growth for generations to come.

New Stakes Created in Brazil, Nigeria, and Utah; New Districts Created in Argentina, Brazil, and Ukraine; Districts Discontinued in Malaysia and New Jersey

Brazil
A new stake was created on September 20th. The Sete Lagoas Brazil East was organized from the Sete Lagoas Brazil Stake and includes the following five wards: the Belo Vale, Curvelo, Interlagos, Nova Cidade, and Sete Lagoas 2nd Wards. The new stake is the second to be organized in the city of Sete Lagoas and is the 13th stake to be organized in Minas Gerais State.

A new district was organized from three mission branches in the Brazil Salvador Mission. The Barreiras Brazil District was organized on September 27th and includes the Barreiras 1st, Barreiras 2nd, and the Luis Eduardo Magalhaes Branches. The new district becomes the first new district in Brazil organized from mission branches since xxx.

There are now 256 stakes and 38 districts in Brazil.

Nigeria
The Church organized its sixth stake in Benin City on September 20th. The Benin City Nigeria Oregbeni Stake was organized from a division of the Benin City Nigeria New Benin Stake and the Benin City Nigeria Ikpokpan Stake. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Esigie, Igun 1st, Igun 2nd, Ogbeson, Oregbeni, Sokponba, and Ugbekun Wards.

There are now 30 stakes and 19 districts in Nigeria.

Utah
A new stake was organized last Sunday in South Jordan, Utah. The South Jordan Utah Midas Creek Stake was organized from a division of the South Jordan Utah Country Crossing Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Country Crossing 1st, Country Crossing 3rd, Country Crossing 5th, Country Crossing 6th, Country Crossing 9th, and Country Crossing 10th Wards.

There are now 577 stakes and one district in Utah

Argentina
A new district was organized on September 27th. The Punilla Argentina District was organized from mission branches in the Argentina Cordoba Mission and a division of the Córdoba Argentina Sierras Stake. The following four branches are included in the new district: the Cosquin, Cruz del Eje, Dean Funes, and La Falda Branches.

There are now 74 stakes and 30 districts in Argentina.

Ukraine
The Church organized a new district in the Crimean Peninsula on September 20th. The Simferopol Russia District was organized from the four mission branches in the Crimean Peninsula, namely the Bahate, Sevastopol, Simferopol's'ka, and Yevpatoriis'ka Branches. The Church previously operated a district that included these four branches from 2004 until 2007 that was called the Sevastopol Ukraine District. The Church reassigned these four branches to the Russia Rostov-na-Donu Mission several months ago due to the Russian occupation of the Crimean Peninsula. It is interesting to note that the Church has named the district the Simferopol Russia District instead of the Simferopol Ukraine District due to this recent political change.

There are now three districts and one stake in Ukraine (including the Simferopol Russia District) and two stakes and seven districts in Ukraine (including the Simferopol Russia District).

Malaysia
The Church recently discontinued the Johor Bahru Malaysia District. Organized in 2011, the district was previously organized from a division of the Singapore Stake. Only two branches have operated in the district since its organization. The two branches (Johor Bahru and Masai [Malay]) now directly report to the Singapore Mission.

There are now six districts in Malaysia.

New Jersey
I have confirmed that the Paterson New Jersey District was discontinued as part of the organization of the new Liberty Park New Jersey Stake. All three branches that previously pertained to the district are now part of the Soldier Hill New Jersey Stake.

There are now six stakes in New Jersey.

New Stakes in Argentina, Chile, Idaho, South Africa, and Taiwan; New Districts in Aruba, Mexico, and Russia; Stake Discontinued in Oregon; Districts Discontinued in Malaysia

Argentina
The Church organized a new stake from the Olavarría Argentina District on June 21st. The new stake includes the following five wards and four branches: the Independencia, Mariano Moreno, Tandil 1st, Tandil 2nd, and Urquiza Wards and the Azul, Bolívar, Rauch, and Villa Aguirre Branches. The Church consolidated the Olavarría Argentina and Tandil Argentina Districts in 2014 in preparation to create the new stake. There are now 74 stakes and 29 districts in Argentina.

Chile
The Church organized a new stake from the Valparaíso Chile West District and the Valparaíso Chile Stake. The new stake appears to include just four wards: the Edwards, Levarte, O'Higgins, and Quebrada Verde Wards. Problems with an inadequate number of Melchizedek Priesthood holders appeared to delay the reestablishment of a stake from the Valparaíso Chile West District since 2002 when the original stake was discontinued. There are now 77 stakes and 19 districts in Chile.

Idaho
The Church organized a new YSA stake in the Rexburg area. The Rexburg Idaho YSA 10th Stake was organized from various YSA stakes in the area and includes the following 12 wards: the Rexburg YSA 6th, Rexburg YSA 9th, Rexburg YSA 26th, Rexburg YSA 30th, Rexburg YSA 34th, Rexburg YSA 42nd, Rexburg YSA 46th, Rexburg YSA 68th, Rexburg YSA 74th, Rexburg YSA 107th, Rexburg YSA 108th, and Rexburg YSA 109th Wards. There are now 128 stakes in Idaho.

South Africa
The Church organized a new stake in the Johannesburg metropolitan area on June 28th. The Mabopane South Africa Stake was organized from the Pretoria South Africa Stake and includes the following five wards: the Atteridgeville, Mabopane, Montana, Saulsville, and Soshanguve Wards. Senior missionaries note that the new stake leadership is solely comprised of black African members. There are now 15 stakes and three districts in South Africa.

Taiwan
The Church organized a new stake in Taiwan on June 21st. The Hualien Taiwan Stake was organized from the Hua Lien Taiwan District. The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Hualien 1st, Hualien 2nd, Taitung 1st, Taitung 2nd, and Taitung 3rd Wards and the Yu Li Branch. The new stake had the minimum required members (1,900) needed to be organized into a stake, suggesting moderate member activity rates in the area. There are now 14 stakes and one district in Taiwan.

Aruba
The Church reinstated a member district in Aruba. The ABC Islands District was organized from mission branches in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao and includes the following four branches: the Bonaire, Curaçao, Oranjestad, and San Nicolás Branches. The Church previously operated a district in Aruba from 2004 to 2009 and a separate district in Curaçao from 2005 to 2009. The district was also transferred from the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission to the realigned Trinidad Port of Spain Mission.

Mexico
The Church organized a new district in Mexico on July 12th. The Nochixtlan México District was organized from the Mexico Oaxaca Mission and the Oaxaca Mexico Monte Alban Stake. The new district includes the following four branches: the Anona, Nochixtlan, Santiago Tenango, and Tlaxiaco Branches. The new district presents church leaders with exciting opportunities to extend specialized outreach among the large Mixtec Amerindian population in the region. There are now 231 stakes and 38 districts in Mexico.

Russia
The Church organized two new districts in Russia in June.

The Samara Russia District was organized from mission branches in the Russia Samara Mission. The new district includes the following seven branches: the Avrory, Bezymyansky, Kazan', Novokuybishevsk, Samara Russia District, Toliatti, and Ulianovsk Branches. The Church previously operated a district in Samara from 1996 until 2013. The decision to reestablish a district in the city and its large geographical size suggest that mission and area leaders foresee realistic opportunities to establish a stake in the medium term.

The Moscow Russia North District was organized from mission branches in the Russia Moscow Mission. The new district includes the following seven branches: the Gor’kovsky, Lotoshino, Moscow Russia North District, Ryazan, Tverskoy, Yaroslavsky, and Zarechny Branches. The decision to organize the district indicates that there may be plans to create a second stake in Moscow in the coming five years.

There are now two stakes and five districts in Russia.

Oregon
The Church recently discontinued a stake in Oregon for the first time in the history of the Church in the state. The Portland Oregon East Stake was discontinued and its five wards were reassigned to neighboring stakes. The stake was originally organized in 1951 and included inner city areas in northern Portland. There are now 35 stakes in Oregon.

Malaysia
The Church recently discontinued a stake in East Malaysia. The Bintulu Malaysia District was discontinued and its three branches were reassigned to the Miri Malaysia District. Missionaries serving in the area noted that this decision was prompted by slow growth in the area over the past few years and plans from mission leaders to prepare the area for the establishment of a stake in the near future. Branches in Miri appear to currently meet qualifications to operate as wards. However, missionaries note that branches in Bintulu fall vastly short of these qualifications at this time. There are now seven districts in Malaysia.

New District in Malaysia

A new district was created in West Malaysia last Sunday.  The Johor Bahru Malaysia District was organized from the Singapore Stake and includes two branches in the Johor Bahru area.  The organization of a new district with only two branches has been very unusual over the past five years for the Church as a whole as such districts often have extremely limited priesthood leadership manpower and tend to draw large amounts of resources from individual branches within the district.  The organization of a district for the two branches in Johor Bahru may indicate prospects for the organization of additional branches within the near future.  Currently in Malaysia the Miri East Malaysia District also has only two branches at present but this district also includes three groups in Miri and Brunei. 

Recent Church Growth News

First LDS branch organized in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

The first LDS branch was recently organized in Uvira, DR Congo.  The Uvira Branch becomes the first LDS branch ever organized in the entire eastern or northern areas of the country.  Beginning in 2008, the Church has begun to organize new branches in previously unreached cities such as Gandajika, Kakanda, Kasumbalesa, Kipushi, Matadi, and Mwene-Ditu but with the exception of Matadi all of these cities are located within a day's drive from a city that already had an LDS congregation.  The organization of the new branch in Uvira was made possible by the opening of Burundi to missionary work one year ago and the diligence of local members in the Uvira area to cross the border and frequently attend church services in Bujumbura.

New branches in Malaysia; new ward in Singapore

Three new branches have recently been organized in Malaysia: The Cheras, Kota Kinabalu 2nd, and Masai Branches.  The Cheras Branch was organized in Kuala Lampur and the Masai Branch was organized in the Johore Bahru area.  A ninth ward in the Singapore Stake was also recently organized.  With ongoing congregational growth in the region, Singapore appears to be a likely candidate for a future temple within the next decade especially when districts in Malaysia mature into stakes. 


Rapid membership growth in Uganda

Full-time missionaries serving in the Uganda Kampala Mission report that the mission has so far in 2011 baptized over 1,600 converts, breaking previous records for the number of converts baptized in a single year since the mission was organized in 2005.  Convert retention appears moderate but particularly high in cities which recently had branches organized (Gulu, Lira, Masaka, Mbale, and Njeru).  Several senior missionary couples have recently been assigned to these cities and are providing valuable humanitarian and development work in addition to often working with church administrative affairs in these newly created branches.  Some of these congregations have over 150 attending church services on Sundays.

Malawi to be dedicated for missionary work

On the heels of the organization of the new Zambia Lusaka Mission and the creation of several new branches and groups in Malawi, members report that Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve will visit Malawi and offer a formal dedicatory prayer for the nation.  Malawi currently pertains to the Zambia Lusaka Mission and LDS congregations operate in Blantyre (4), Lilongwe (3), and Liwonde.  With nearly 16 million inhabitants, Malawi appears a very favorable nation to have its first LDS mission organized in the near future.

Church Growth News - Recently Created New Branches

New branch in Cambodia

For the first time since 2004 a new Khmer-speaking LDS branch was organized in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  The Teuk Thla Branch was created in the Phnom Penh Cambodia North District, becoming the sixth branch in the district.  The Phnom Penh Cambodia South District has seven branches whereas the Vietnamese district has only three branches.  LDS missionaries report that the Cambodia Phnom Penh Mission may baptize as many as 1,000 converts this year.  Church attendance numbers appear to have increased in many LDS congregations in Cambodia but low convert retention remains a serious challenge which appears to be the primary obstacle in preventing the creation of the nation's first stake.  Currently Cambodia is the nation with the most Latter-day Saints without a stake.  There are now 25 branches and five districts in the LDS Church in Cambodia.

New branches in Malaysia

Two new LDS branches were recently organized in Malaysia bringing the total of LDS branches in the country to 30. The Masai Branch was organized from the Johor Bahru Branch and both branches pertain to the nearby Singapore Stake.  The Masai Branch becomes the first Malay-speaking branch to be organized in West Malaysia since the Butterworth Branch a couple years ago.  In East Malaysia, the Kota Kinabalu Branch was divided and the Kota Kinabalu 2nd Branch was created.  Kota Kinabalu is now the first city in Sabah State with more than one LDS congregation.

Congregational growth in northern Haiti

Three new LDS branches were recently organized in the Fort Liberte, Pivert, and Vertieres Branches, bringing the total of branches in the district to nine. The creation of the three new branches marks a significant development in the growth of the LDS Church in Haiti as there have been no recent instances of as many new branches organized at the same time in Haiti.   Currently there are two stakes, two districts and 36 congregations in the country.

New branches in Spain

For the first time in several years, two new LDS branches were recently organized in Spain.  The Vic Branch was organized in northeastern Spain near Barcelona and the Huércal-Overa Branch was organized in southern Spain.  Unlike many Western European nations, the LDS Church in Spain has experienced only a slight decline in the total number of LDS congregations over the past decade.  Additional congregation organizations may indicate sustained improvement in convert retention and greater efforts by mission leaders to expand national outreach.

New Stakes Organized in Utah and Venezuela; New Districts Organized in Malaysia and Papua New Guinea

Utah

A new young single adult (YSA) stake has been organized in Utah.  The Alpine Utah YSA Stake was created for YSA units in the Alpine area and became Utah's 55th YSA stake.  There are now 556 stakes in Utah.

Venezuela

A new stake has been created in Venezuela.  The San Cristobal Venezuela Pirineos Stake was created from a division of the San Cristobal Venezuela Stake and includes five wards and one branch.  The San Cristobal Venezuela Stake at present also has five wards and one branch.  Congregational growth and the maturation of branches into wards has occurred rapidly in San Cristobal as a year ago there were only five wards and five branches in the stake.  Since the departure of North American missionaries in 2005 membership and congregational growth rates have plummeted in Venezuela but several new stakes have been organized recently as branches have become wards and a few new wards have been organized.  There are now 32 stakes and 8 branches in Venezuela.

Malaysia

A new district was organized in East Malaysia.  The Bintulu East Malaysia District was created from a division of the Miri East Malaysia District and includes three branches in Bintulu.  The district in Miri currently includes two branches and two groups.  It is unusual for a new district to be organized from a preexisting district and the original district retaining only two branches.  This may indicate that additional branches will be organized in Miri in the near future.  The growth of the number of LDS districts in East Malaysia has been rapid since 2000 as districts were organized in Kuching (2003), Miri (2008), and Sibu (2009).  There are no seven districts in East Malaysia and none appear close to becoming stakes within the near future.


Papua New Guinea

A new district has been organized in Suki, Papua New Guinea from a single branch that once pertained to the Daru Papua New Guinea District (which became a stake a couple Sundays ago).  Four additional branches were organized from the Suki Branch: The Kiru, Eniawa, Pukaduka, and Sapuka Branches.  Phenomenal, unprecedented congregational growth has occurred in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea since late 2010 when the Sogere Papua New Guinea District was organized from a single branch that has divided into nine branches at present.  There are now two stakes and nine districts in Papua New Guinea.

Church Growth News

Update on Growth in Nicaragua

Missionaries report that the Church is calling unprecedented numbers of additional missionaries to staff the two missions in Nicaragua - one of which just opened earlier this month. Total missionaries serving in this Central American country will likely reach 400 in the coming months, with 200 missionaries in each mission. Additional groups or dependent branches have also been recently organized. In Puerto Cabezas, a fourth branch was just created, the El Caminante Branch. The three additional branches in the area are the Puerto Cabezas, Bilwi, and Loma Verde Branches. A future district based in Puerto Cabezas appears highly likely in the coming months although there are no official reports that this will occur.

New Branches in East Malaysia

The three originally branches in Kuching were realigned to create two new branches. The Kuching East Malaysia District now has five branches. With five congregations, the district can work towards becoming a stake in the future although the number of active members and Priesthood holders remains insufficient. In the Sibu East Malaysia District, a fourth branch was created in Sibu Jaya. Missionary activity occurs exclusively among non-Muslims in Malaysia.

City Opens for Missionary Work in Mozambique

Missionaries report that Chimoio, Mozambique has opened for missionary work. What was previously the city with the most inhabitants without a Church presence, no branch has been organized and the Church meets as a group under the Mozambique Maputo Mission Branch. The opening of Chimoio is a significant development as low convert retention and struggles to develop local leadership have prevented additional areas of the country from receiving missionaries. In the past couple years, several cities which had branches previously established have had full-time missionaries assigned, including Nampula and Tete.

Breakthrough in the Solomon Islands: Members Meeting in Three Congregations

The Solomon Islands have remained the least reached by LDS mission efforts among all the islands of the Pacific despite boasting one of the largest populations in the region of over half a million. The first branch was organized in the mid-1990s in the capital of Honiara and slow membership growth occurred between 2000 and 2007. It appears that the Honiara Branch has recently been divided and two new congregations have been established in Honiara. Although LDS missionary work remains severely limited in the country, the creation of additional units allows for expanded outreach and greater opportunities to spur local leadership.

Branch Discontinued in Paramaribo, Suriname

One of the seven branches in Suriname was recently discontinued in the Blauwgrond region of the city. It is unclear whether the branch continues to meet as a group or dependent branch of a neighboring branch or whether members in the area now travel to a different location for Church meetings. Suriname has experienced strong membership growth in the past five years, but modest convert retention rates and poor local leadership development resulting in dependence on foreign missionaries for administrative tasks.

New District in Malaysia

A new district has been created in East Malaysia. The Sibu East Malaysia District was created from the Kuching East Malaysia District on November 29th and includes the three branches in the city of Sibu. With the creation of the new district, there are now six districts in the country.

Correction

I wanted to correct some incorrect information on the blog (which has since been removed) concerning a district created in Malaysia. There was no district created in Sibu and there are no formal plans to open up the additional cities mentioned in the deleted post. I apologize for the misinformation.

Recent Church Growth News

New Congregations In Madagascar

Within the past couple months, several new branches were created in Madagascar. Missionaries report that both Tamatave (Toamasina) and Antsirabe each have three branches. In Antsirabe, one of the new branches is actually located in the small village of Manandona were branch members and investigators meet outside on dirt floors under a large tent. Rapid growth in congregations and membership is also occurring in the capital, Antananarivo, where Madagascar's sole stake will likely split into two stakes in the coming months. Districts will likely be organized soon in both Tamatave and Antsirabe. Still no word on if a branch or group has been created in Mahajanga. It will be interesting to see whether Church growth in Madagascar will have more in common with Africa or the South Pacific once members mature in the Gospel, considering Madagascar has influences from both regions of the world.

Rapid Growth In Linden, Guyana

The Church is growing rapidly in Linden, the largest city in the interior of Guyana. Missionaries were first assigned to the city back at the beginning of this year and today there are two groups functioning in the city, both of which are soon to be made branches. Today there is an entire zone (usually 8-20 missionaries) of missionaries serving in Linden.

New Group In Uganda

A small group of Church members in the city of Lira, Uganda have recently been authorized to hold Sunday meetings as a group. Lira is located in northern Uganda near Gulu, which had its first Church congregations created last year.

Recent Church Growth News

North American Missionaries Called to Russia

Last Summer the Church announced that it would no longer call North American missionaries to serve in Russia. That decision has been reversed recently, with many missionaries from the United States receiving their calls to serve in Russia. One of the problems contributing to this original announcement was new legislation in Russia requiring foreigners to leave the country periodically. It does not appear that the number of missionaries called currently will be enough to return to the number of elders and sisters serving in Russia before this decision was made. To illustrate the drastic drop in missionaries serving in Russia, the Russia Rostov Mission will have fewer than 40 missionaries serving within its boundaries in a couple months. Most missions have between 100-200 missionaries serving.

New Branch in Cambodia

I have long awaited the day the sole branch in Battambang, Cambodia would be split. It was recently divided into at least two congregations, making Battambang the third city in Cambodia to have more than one congregation. The Church News published articles four years ago highlighting the impressive growth in the area, yet the branch has not been strong enough to split until recently. There are currently 23 branches in Cambodia. Two cities were recently opened to missionary work in the past couple years in Siem Reap and Kampong Thom. Still no word on how close the north or south districts in Phnom Penh are to becoming stakes.

Burundi Now Part of The Uganda Kampala Mission

A fifth country has been added to the boundaries of the Uganda Kampala Mission. Burundi was recently added to the mission's jurisdiction. Originally organized in July of 2005, the Uganda Kampala Mission only included Uganda and Ethiopia initially. Since then Rwanda and the southern portion of Sudan had been added. The branch in Kigali, Rwanda has grown substantially from a dozen members a year ago when it was organized to 45 today. There are still no proselyting missionaries in Rwanda, Sudan or Burundi. A strong branch functioned in Burundi in the early 90s, but was dissolved once the government was overthrown a few years later. I have not heard if a branch has been re-established in the country yet, but I imagine that there are members who have been waiting for years for the Church to come back to Burundi.

Book of Mormon Translation Into Malaysian Approved

The Church has just given the approval for the Book of Mormon to be translated into Malaysian. There are likely over 5,500 members in Malaysia today, the vast majority of which live in East Malaysia and are not Malays, but other ethnicities or from the Iban tribe.

Manaus Brazil Temple Construction Temporarily Halted

Missionaries serving in the Brazil Manaus Mission report that construction of the temple in Manaus has been delayed following the excavation for the foundation. Church leadership in the city have set a goal of establishing four new stakes in the city before the temple dedication. Considering almost all the stakes in the city have been divided since 2005, this is a very ambitious goal to undertake. If four more stakes were created, there would be a total of 12 in the city. Manaus is a very high baptizing area of Brazil, with some stakes baptizing hundreds in one month. The first stake was created in Manaus in 1988. No word has been given for how long the construction of the temple will be set back.

More Potential New Temple Sites Added

I made a post a little over a month ago providing two maps with various cities in which future temples could be likely announced. I have added several more cities to the prediction map for the year 2020 in the United States because I neglected to do so beforehand.

Dependent Branches and Groups

Something I have neglected to write about in this blog are the existence of what are called dependent branches. In the Church we are familiar with the terms wards and branches. Wards typically have around 100-400 people attend each Sunday and must be a part of a stake (which usually have 5-12 wards or branches). To be a ward, there needs to be a certain number of active members and active Melchizedek Priesthood holders. Branches can be a part of a stake, district, or under the direction of the mission president in the area and usually have fewer than 100 people attend Church meetings on Sundays.

Dependent branches function like groups. They are attached to another branch or ward to which they report to. These dependent branches' locations are not provided on Church websites and are often very dynamic to fit the needs of members in the area which they live. Dependent branches can be found all over the world, even in the United States. For example, I live in the Denver area and before the Monte Vista (Spanish) Ward was created earlier this year in the Denver Colorado North Stake, it meet as a dependent branch to a ward in the stake. As for how dependent branches and groups differ, I do not completely know except groups tend to be smaller and can report directly to a mission or area presidency instead of a branch or ward which the group may be attached to. Dependent branches also have a branch president with two counselors, whereas groups just have a group leader.

Sometimes dependent branches and groups are jokingly referred to as "twigs" by those in the Church since they are very small. I believe all the new branches organized in Hungary in the past year are actually dependent branches since I cannot find any information about them from Church websites. These new Hungarian branches were in cities such as Békéscsaba and Kaposvár and had around 30-40 people attending each Sunday. I recently found out about a dependent branch organized in Butterworth, Malaysia and groups organized in Kosi Bay, South Africa and the western half of the city Douala in Cameroon. Since I am on the topic of Cameroon, a third branch will be created soon in Youande, Cameroon as well.

Lastly, I just wanted to emphasize that dependent branches and groups are very important for the Church's establishment in areas in has not yet existed.

Fifth District Organized in Malaysia

A new district was recently created in East Malaysia in Miri, becoming the fifth in Malaysia and the third in East Malaysia. The new district likely includes the three branches in Bintulu and the branch in Sibu. I wrote recently on the strong likelihood of a district in Bintulu and I am surprised it is named after Miri. However, the branch functioning in Miri is strong and was the first to receive a Church constructed meetinghouse in the entire country. Many of the members in Bintulu speak Iban and the formation of this district will likely expedite the translation of the Book of Mormon in this language. Malaysia has seen some of the most impressive growth in membership in Asia in the last few years.

The Church in Malaysia

One of the areas in the world the Church has grown and is growing rapidly right now is in Malaysia. Back in 2000 membership was only 1,300 and in 2006 was over 3,600. Not many new branches have been organized in the past five years. Most of the growth has been in East Malaysia among people of the Iban Tribe. Baptisms occur weekly in cities in East Malaysia like Bintulu. It is likely a district will be formed in Bintulu considering it is currently apart of the Kuching East Malaysia District (which stretches hundreds of miles) and there are three branches in the city. Growth is also occurring in West Malaysia primarily among immigrates to the area from Africa and Nepal. Missionary work is done carefully in this predominantly Muslim country and is focused on Christians of different faiths. The last new congregation created in Malaysia was in Kuching last year.

The green squares are branches and the yellow squares are where districts are based.

Recent Church Growth News

I decided I should periodically write some of the exciting news I come to find out regarding the growth of the Church occuring right now (or very recently). I'll give an update once a month or so of this nature.

Number of Branches in Suriname triples in the past year

At the end of 2006, there were two branches in the country of Suriname (Paramaribo and Wanica). One branch was organized around the Spring of 2007, the Blauwgrond Branch, and another two where organized a few months later, the Nickerie and Tamenga Branches. Finally, towards the end of 2007, the Uitkijk Branch was organized for a grand total of six in the country. I have not been able to find information regarding baptisms in Suriname for 2007, but in 2006 there was a noticable increase in membership. The second branch in Suriname, the Wanica Branch, was organized in the Fall of 2002.

New Branches in Cambodia

Less than a week ago, I was going through Church unit listings on www.mormon.org/worshipwithus and I noticed two new branches were created recently in Cambodia. What is so exciting about these branches is that they are in cities which have never had branches before, Siemreap and Kampong Thom. There is only one other city which has a branch in it that is a considerable distance from the capital city of Phnom Penh which is Battambang. Hopefully this indicates an increase in convert baptisms and activity among members, since the number of new branches created in Cambodia has declined in recent years along with baptisms.

47 New Stakes Organized in 2007 and Counting

From information provided by http://www.lds.org/ on temple district listings, I have found at least 47 new stakes created in 2007 and five stakes which were dissolved (three in California, one in Louisiana and one in Liberia). In 2007, 13 stakes were organized in Brazil, which is the highest number of new stakes organized in that country since 1998. Furthermore, in Peru, four new stakes were organized (all from mission districts) which is the largest number of stakes created in that country since 1997. Two-thirds of the stakes created were outside of the United States and Canada and the net increase for stakes in the United States and Brazil was almost the same (Brazil had two more).

Recently Organized Mission Districts

Something I have noticed over the past year or two is that the number of new mission districts being created has declined. Over the past year, the only new mission districts I know of that have been organized where in Oldenburg Germany, Nkawkaw Ghana, Monrovia Liberia and Monrovia Liberia Bushrod (both from the dissolved stake), Monte Plata Dominican Republic, and Nicosia Cyprus. Furthermore, 12 of the organized stakes in 2007 were created from mission districts, which indicates that the trend of declining mission districts which began in 2005 will continue. Of course it is a positive thing to have districts maturing into stakes (which require a lot of active, devoted LDS Church members) but the creation of new mission districts signifies the Church moving into areas of the world (or nations which it is already in) which it has not had a strong presence in before. The majority of districts are created in countries where there is a strong LDS presence, and decisions to form districts is made up to local, regional and global Church leadership.
I do have a list of potential districts to be organized, which I will save for a later date.

The New Delhi India Mission

The First Presidency organized the second mission in India last November which not only covers the northern half of India, but also Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. There are several reasons for why this new mission was organized.

1. This very populated area of the world has very few LDS members; all of India has 7,000 and is the country in the region with the most LDS members. This mission will allow for more emphasis on training current Church leadership in New Delhi and Pakistan which have a small but active LDS membership. The mission president will also not have to travel as far as before to train and meet with missionaries and members.
2. The growth of the Church in Sri Lanka and Malaysia has been impressive. Church membership in Malaysia jumped from 2,917 in 2005 to 3,633 in 2006 and Sri Lanka's membership has increased from 963 to 1,108 during that same time period. The new mission in India administers to several of the countries originally covered by the Singapore Mission such as Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Now the Singapore Mission is responsible only for Singapore and Malaysia. The India Bangalore Mission is now only responsible for Southern India along with Sri Lanka. This allows for more missionaries to be focused in this region along with more access for the mission president with missionaries and members.
3. The two original missions covered very large regions of Asia; now the only mission which covers a very large area is the India New Delhi Mission and this mission has very few members in it (almost all of whom reside in the city of New Delhi or in Pakistan).

Countries with the highest membership growth rates

Below is a list of the top 10 fastest growing countries for the Church during 2006 (over 300 members).

1. Cameroon - 492 members - 31.6%
2. Malaysia - 3,633 members - 24.5%
3. Estonia - 874 members - 16.4%
4. Ethiopia - 708 members - 15.7%
5. Zambia - 1,905 members - 15.6%
6. Sri Lanka - 1,108 members - 15.1%
7. Armenia - 2,359 members - 13.3%
8. Ghana - 32,965 members - 12.5%
9. Guyana - 2,072 members - 12.3%
10. Latvia - 920 members - 11.8%

The top three nations which have the highest increase (not %) in membership per year usually are the United States, Brazil (which also just reached over 1,000,000 members) and Mexico.