New Stakes Created in Nebraska, Nigeria, and Utah; New Districts Created in Nigeria and St Vincent and the Grenadines

Nebraska
The Church organized a new stake in Nebraska for the first time since 1991. The Omaha Nebraska Millard Stake was organized on March 31st from a division of the Omaha Nebraska Stake and the Omaha Nebraska Pampillion Stake. The new stake includes the following seven wards and one branch: the Chalco Hills, Elmwood, Gretna, Harrison Hills, Millard, Rockbrook, and Lakeview Wards, and Field Club Branch. There are now four stakes in the Omaha metropolitan area (three on the Nebraska side, one on the Iowa side).

There are now five stakes in Nebraska.

Nigeria
The Church organized one new stake and one new district in Nigeria.

The Ibadan Nigeria North Stake was organized from a division of the Ibadan Nigeria Stake and the Ilorin Nigeria District on March 24th. The new stake includes the following five wards and three branches: the Adegbayi, Akobo, Mokola, Ojoo, and Sawmill Wards, and the Oke Itunu, Olodo, and Oyo Branches. The Church organized its first stake in Ibadan in 2014 and has reported rapid congregational growth since that time which has warranted the stake to divide only five years later. The original Ibadan Nigeria District was organized in 1991. Slow growth occurred for the Church in Ibadan for much of the first couple decades of a Church presence in the city. However, rapid growth has occurred in Ibadan for nearly one decade. There are now five stakes in the Yorubaland region of Nigeria. In contrast, there were no stakes in Yorubaland prior to 2014. Given steady growth in the region and a population numbering in the tens of millions, Ibadan appears like a likely candidate for a future temple one day, perhaps in the next 5-10 years given current growth rates.

The Nsukwa Nigeria District was organized on March 31st from a division of the Ogwashi-Nsukwa District (renamed Ogwashi Nigeria District). The new district includes the following three branches: Nsukwa 1st, Nsukwa 2nd, and Ossissa Branches. Rapid growth has occurred in this region of Delta State in Nigeria since the mid-2000s. The Church organized its first district in the region in 2006 in Asaba. The district divided in 2013 to create two additional districts in Agbor and Ogwashi-ukwu. The Asaba Nigeria District became a stake in 2018. Thus, within the matter of 15 years the Church progressed from only a few branches in northern Delta State that pertained to the Onitsha Nigeria District, to one stake and three districts all headquartered in Delta State. Additionally, the Ogwashi Nigeria District appears close to becoming a stake as the district has eight branches that all function within the city of Ogwashi-ukwu. With two branches in Adonte, this village appears likely to become its own district if a third branch is organized or have the two branches in the district become assigned to the new district in Nsukwa.

There are now 56 stakes and 17 districts in Nigeria.

Utah
The Church organized a new stake in Lehi, Utah on March 31st. The Lehi Utah Holbrook Farms Stake was organized from a division of the Lehi Utah Jordan Willows Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Evans Farm, Holbrook Farms 1st, Holbrook Farms 2nd, Jordan Willows 1st, Jordan Willows 2nd, and Jordan Willows 7th Wards. The new stake is the Church's 600th stake in the state of Utah. To put things into perspective, there are more than twice as many stakes in Utah as there are in any other country in the world aside from the United States. Brazil is the country with the second most stakes in the world with 273.

St Vincent and the Grenadines
The Church organized its first district in the Caribbean nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines. The Kingstown St Vincent District was organized from six mission branches that previously were under the direct supervision of the Barbados Bridgetown Mission. The branches assigned to the mission include the Calliaqua, Castries, Georgetown, Kingstown, St George's, and Vieux-Fort Branches. Of the six branches, three are in St Vincent and the Grenadines, two are in St Lucia, and one is in Grenada. The three nations that pertain to the new district have reported some of the most rapid growth for the Church in the Lesser Antilles although growth rates nevertheless remain slow.

Updated Country Profile - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - a nation in the Lesser Antilles inhabited by approximately 100,000 people. The Church has experienced slow, albeit steady, growth during the past 15 years as the number of branches has increased from one to three. Here is the Future Prospects section of this article:

The Church in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has reported slow, but steady, growth since the late 2000s. The number of branches tripling from one to three and the opening of two additional cities to missionary activity since 2007 stand as the greatest accomplishment of the Church in recent memory. Furthermore, there have also appeared to be good progress with local leadership development. These trends have been sustained for several years and offer a promising outlook for long-term church growth if sustained. Continued growth in the Kingstown Branch may necessitate the creation of a fourth branch. Prospects for the formation of a district will depend on the creation of additional congregations and increases in the number of qualified local leaders. Member-missionary activity appears the only feasible method to expand national outreach into rural areas due to the small population and limited missionary resources available regionally and internationally.