Utah Update: Nine Stakes Discontinued, Three New Stakes Created, Two New Districts Created

Given the number of stakes and districts organized and discontinued in Utah recently, I have made a separate blog post to summarize these developments and put them into context with broader trends on church growth in Utah.

NEW STAKES

Three new stakes were created in Utah.

The Cedar City Utah South Stake was created on November 3rd from a division of the Cedar City Utah Stake (organized in 1948), the Cedar City Utah Cross Hollow Stake (organized in 2008), and the Cedar City Utah West Stake (organized in 1960). The new stake includes the following eight wards: the Harmony Mountain, the Hidden Hills, the Kolob Canyon, the Meadow Ranch, the New Harmony, the Old Sorrel, the South Mountain, and the Westview Wards. There are now 11 stakes in Cedar City (including the two stakes in Enoch).

The Highland Utah North Stake was created on November 3rd from a division of the Highland Utah West Stake (organized in 2001). The new stake includes the following six wards: the Highland 27th, the Highland 32nd, the Highland 36th, the Highland 41st, the Highland 44th, and the Highland 45th Wards. There are now six stakes in Highland.

The Spanish Fork Utah Legacy Farms Stake was created on November 10th from a division of the Spanish Fork Utah Palmyra Stake (organized in 1924). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Legacy Farms 1st, the Legacy Farms 2nd, the Legacy Farms 3rd, the Legacy Farms 4th, and the Legacy Farms 5th Wards. There are now 12 stakes in Spanish Fork. Spanish Fork appears highly likely to have its own temple announced in the near future given significant growth in the area.

NEW DISTRICTS

Two new districts were created in Utah. The Great Basin Utah (Correctional Facility) District was created on August 29th from correctional facility branches throughout central and southern Utah. The new district includes the following 11 branches: the Canyon Creek, the Fillmore 5th, the Heber Valley, the Kanab, the Manti 7th, the Nephi 11th, the North Main, the Panguitch 5th, the Richfield 12th, the Southcreek, and the Washington 12th Branches.

The Green River Basin Utah (Correctional Facility) District was created on September 1st from correctional facility branches throughout eastern Utah. The new district includes the following seven branches: the Castle Dale 4th, the Center, the Duchesne 5th, the Monticello, the Price 12th, the Vernal 11th, and the Vernal 12th Branches.

The decision to create these correctional facility districts was likely to better streamline administrative needs for correctional facility branches which operate in prisons, jails, and detention centers. There are now five correctional facility districts in Utah - one of which is for detained youth (which has 14 branches). Correctional facility branches help with meeting the ecclesiastical needs of incarcerated Latter-day Saints. Given its large Latter-day Saint population and high percentage of members, Utah is the only state that has correctional facility districts, although correctional facility branches operate in many states in the United States.

DISCONTINUED STAKES

Nine stakes were discontinued in Utah.

Two of these discontinued stakes were on the southeast side of Salt Lake City. The Cottonwood Heights Utah Wasatch Stake (organized in 1978) was discontinued and most retained units were reassigned to the Cottonwood Heights Utah Butler Stake (which now has seven wards and one branch). Nearby, the Salt Lake Little Cottonwood Stake (organized in 1971) was discontinued and retained units were reassigned to the Salt Lake South Cottonwood Stake (which now has seven wards and one branch). The Cottonwood area has arguably experienced one of the steepest declines in the number of wards and stakes in Utah within the past

Two of these discontinued stakes were in the Cache Valley. The Smithfield Utah YSA Stake (organized in 2010) and the Providence Utah YSA Stake (organized in 2010) were discontinued. The Smithfield Utah YSA Stake had six wards, whereas the Providence Utah YSA Stake had five wards. The decision to discontinue these two YSA stakes does not appear to be due to a decrease in active membership. Instead, this decision was attributed to a redistricting of YSA congregations so they were all part of the nine YSA stakes based in Logan (one of which was just organized in September of 2024). Given the small number of wards in each of the YSA stakes that were discontinued, it appears that Church leadership wanted to provide a more equal number of congregations in the nine YSA stakes in the Logan area.

The Ogden Utah Lorin Farr Stake (organized in 1952) was discontinued and consolidated with the Ogden Utah Rock Cliff Stake (which was renamed the Odgen Utah East Ridge Stake). The former Ogden Utah Lorin Farr Stake had six wards and one branch, whereas the original Ogden Utah Rock Cliff Stake had five wards and one branch.

Four of these discontinued stakes were in the Kearns and Western Jordan area. The Kearns Utah Central Stake (organized in 1979), the Kearns Utah East Stake (organized in 1978), and the Kearns Utah West Stake (organized in 1984) were discontinued. The Kearns Utah East Stake and the former area of the Kearns Utah Western Hills Stake (which was discontinued in 2023) were combined with the Kearns Utah Stake which is now called the Kearns Utah North Stake. The Kearns Utah Central Stake and the Kearns Utah South Stake were combined with the Kearns Utah Central Stake which was renamed the Kearns Utah South Stake. Thus, the Church in Kearns has gone from six stakes to two stakes within less than two years, and each of these stakes now has eight wards (the Kearns Utah South Stake also has one branch). The West Jordan Utah East Stake (organized in 1975) had four wards and was consolidated with the neighboring West Jordan Utah Stake (which previously had five wards). There are now seven wards in the West Jordan Utah Stake.

ANALYSIS OF STAKE GROWTH IN UTAH

As of year-end 2024, there were 639 stakes and six districts in Utah. In 2024, there were a total of 17 new stakes created and 11 stakes discontinued in Utah, resulting in a net increase of six stakes for the year. Between 2000 and 2024, the Church in Utah organized 215 new stakes and discontinued 34 stakes. The net number of stakes has increased every year in the 21st century, although this number widely fluctuates from as low as two (2012) to has many as 12 (2011). Rates of growth for the number of stakes, congregations, and members in Utah have been commensurate for many years, although percentage growth rates have fluctuated. In 2000, the average stake had 3,461 members and the average ward or branch had 421 members. In 2023, the average stake also had 3,461 members, although the average ward or branch had 404 members. The average stake had 8.22 congregations in 2000. In 2023, the average stake had 8.56 congregations.

The year 2024 was the year that the Church discontinued the most stakes it has ever discontinued in a single year. Approximately one-third of all discontinued stakes in Utah in the past quarter century occurred in 2024. The year 2023 was the previous year with the most stakes discontinued in a single year (seven). Thus, 53% of all discontinued stakes in Utah since 2000 were closed in the past 2 years. These recent trends in stake consolidations are unsurprising given migration patterns for Latter-day Saints in Utah during the past quarter century, as older urban areas and lower income suburban communities built in the 1970s and 1980s have had steady streams of active Latter-day Saints that relocate to newer communities on the outskirts of the greater Salt Lake City area, Utah County, or other states, such as Idaho. Stakes discontinued in the past 2 years have experienced stagnant or declining numbers of active members for many years, and the number of wards in these former stakes had reached a point to a consolidation of stakes was warranted. It is also important to note that the Church in Utah has gone through previous waves of stake consolidations. Prior to the past two years, the year with the most stakes discontinued was 2011 when six stakes were discontinued. However, there have also been years in the past quarter century when no stakes were discontinued in Utah, such as 2005-2010, 2012-2014, 2017-2020, and 2022. 

Here is a table of the number of stakes discontinued by year in Utah:

Year	Number of Discontinued Stakes
2024	11
2023	7
2021	1
2016	3
2015	2
2011	6
2004	3
2003	1

See below for a table of all discontinued stakes in Utah since 2000:

Discontinued Stake	Year
Cottonwood Heights Utah Wasatch	2024
Kearns Utah Central	2024
Kearns Utah East	2024
Kearns Utah West	2024
Midvale Utah North	2024
Ogden Utah Lorin Farr	2024
Providence Utah YSA	2024
Salt Lake Little Cottonwood	2024
Sandy Utah YSA	2024
Smithfield Utah YSA	2024
West Jordan Utah East	2024
Salt Lake Foothill	2023
Salt Lake Cottonwood Heights	2023
Sandy Utah Crescent Park	2023
Kearns Utah Western Hills	2023
Salt Lake Jordan	2023
Salt Lake Hunter South	2023
Midvale Utah East	2023
Roy Utah Central	2021
Salt Lake Sugar House	2016
Magna Utah Central	2016
Salt Lake Monument Park North	2016
Salt Lake 1st	2015
Salt Lake Wells	2015
Blanding Utah West	2011
Salt Lake Mount Olympus North	2011
Taylorsville Utah West	2011
Bennion Heights Utah	2011
West Valley Utah	2011
Salt Lake Park	2011
Ogden Utah Mount Ogden	2004
Ogden Utah Canyon View	2004
Salt Lake University 4th	2004
Salt Lake Eagle Gate	2003

New Temples Announced in October 2022 - Part I - Asia and Africa

See below for the promised analysis of new temples announced during the October 2022 General Conference. Given the large number of temples announced and my goal to provide a quality and in-depth analysis of each temple announcement, this analysis will be broken down into several parts. This post provides analysis of new temples that were announced in Asia and Africa. With the exception of the Busan Korea Temple, the temple announcements in these regions of the world have occurred in areas with steady or rapid growth within recent years.

Busan Korea Temple

As a returned missionary from Korea, this announcement was very exciting as Korean members have speculated and hoped for a second temple in Korea to be one day announced for the port city of Busan. The Busan Korea Temple will likely include 6-7 stakes and three districts in southern South Korea. Church growth in southern South Korea has been essentially stagnant for more than two decades, albeit no stakes have been discontinued in the area yet. However, several stakes have only four wards, so it is probable that stake consolidations will occur in the foreseeable future unless a reversal in the decline in the number of congregations occurs accompanied by an increase in the number of active members. The oldest stake in the likely temple district is the Busan Korea Stake (organized in 1979), whereas the most recently organized stake in the likely temple district is the Daejeon Korea Stake (organized in 1998). It is probable that the new temple in Busan will be a small temple, perhaps like the Fukuoka Japan Temple, given there are only likely to be six stakes assigned and the area has experienced stagnant growth for multiple consecutive decades. The Busan Korea Temple will be the Church's second temple in South Korea. 

Naga Philippines Temple

The Naga Philippines Temple will be the Church's ninth temple in the Philippines following temples in Manila (dedicated in 1984), Cebu (dedicated in 2010), Urdaneta (announced in 2010), Alabang (announced in 2017), Cagayan de Oro (announced in 2018), Davao (announced in 2018), Bacolod City (announced in 2019), and Tacloban City (announced in 2021). The announcement of temples in Naga and Santiago constitutes the first time the Church has announced two temples in the Philippines on the same day. The new temple in Naga will likely include six stakes and six districts in southern Luzon and Masbate. The Church in southern Luzon has experienced a significant reversal in Church growth trends in the past few years from essentially stagnant congregational growth and no new stakes organized between 2001 and 2018 to the creation of two new stakes (from districts) and the regular creation of new wards and branches. The oldest stake in the likely new temple district is the Naga Philippines Stake - organized one day prior to the Legaspi Philippines Stake in 1985. A second mission was created in the region headquartered in Legaspi in 2013. Also, there are reports that a second stake will be created in Naga on November 6th, and two other stakes also appear likely to divide in the foreseeable future (Daet and Goa). It is unclear whether districts in the likely temple district are close to becoming stakes, but Ligao and Tabaco appear most likely based on the most recent information I have received. Most members in the likely temple district speak Bikolano, making the new temple the first temple to operate in a predominantly Bikolano-speaking area of the Philippines.

Santiago Philippines Temple

The Santiago Philippines Temple will be the Church's 10th temple in the Philippines, and the new temple will likely include 10 stakes and 10 districts in extreme northern Luzon - most of which are in the Cagayan Valley. Church growth has been slow, but steady, in this region of the Philippines during the past decade. Of the 10 stakes likely to be in the new temple district, four have been organized since 2011. None of the stakes in the area appear likely to divide within the near future, albeit some member districts appear close to becoming stakes. Santiago is one of only two cities in the Cagayan Valley with two stakes as all other cities in the region have only one stake if there is a stake present. The oldest stake in the region is the Tuguegarao Philippines North Stake which was created in 1989. Most members speak Ilokano in this area of the Philippines.

Eket Nigeria Temple

The Eket Nigeria Temple will be the Church's fourth temple in Nigeria following temples in Aba (dedicated in 2005), Lagos (announced in 2018), and Benin City (announced in 2020). The new temple will likely include 14 stakes and one district in the Nigerian states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River - the same number of stakes that were assigned to the Aba Nigeria Temple when it was dedicated in 2005. The new temple's location in Eket is less than 10 miles from where the Church organized most of its first branches in Nigeria in small villages in 1979, such as Ikot Anang, Ikot Eyo, and Ukat Aran. Some local government areas (LGAs) in this area of Nigeria may be as high as 2-3% Latter-day Saint in the general population. Eket is the largest city in southern Akwa Ibom State, but there is only one stake headquartered in the city (albeit it is likely to divide soon as the stake has 10 wards and four branches). Rapid growth has occurred for the Church in Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers. Of the 14 stakes likely to be assigned to the new temple district, eight were organized after 2014. The oldest stake in the likely temple district is the Eket Nigeria Stake, organized in 1996. Six of the 14 stakes in this area of Nigeria appear likely to divide in the near future. Thus, there may be as many as 20 stakes in the temple district by the time the temple is dedicated if the process for design, approval, and construction occur at a typical rate (within 3-5 years).