New Stake in Utah

A new stake was created in Utah last Sunday.  The Provo Utah YSA 19th Stake was created from the Springville Utah YSA Stake and includes the East Bay YSA 1st, East Bay YSA 2nd, Hobble Creek YSA, Kolob YSA, Mapleton YSA 1st, Mapleton YSA 2nd, Slate Canyon YSA, Spring Creek YSA, and Springville YSA Wards.  There are now 560 stakes in Utah.

Five New YSA Stakes to be Created in Arizona

Members report that during the weekend of June 9th-10th the Church will create five new YSA stakes in the Phoenix metropolitan area.  Currently the Church operates one student university stake in Temple which will also be reorganized as a YSA stake.  The creation of the new stakes is a continuation of the recent trend to organize stakes for YSA units in locations with large LDS populations.  Within the past couple years the Church has created or reorganized university stakes into YSA stakes in many locations in Utah, Idaho, Hawaii, Virginia, and now Arizona.  Many other major cities appear likely to have YSA stakes organized in the coming months and years, including Los Angeles, California; San Francisco/Oakland, California; Seattle, Washington; Denver, Colorado; Houston, Texas; Dallas, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; and New York, New York.

I will provide more details on the new stakes once they become available. 

First YSA stake outside Idaho and Utah to be Created in Virginia in April

In an article published by the Deseret News, the Church reports that the first YSA stake outside of Idaho and Utah will be organized in Virginia to service the young single adult population attending universities in the area such as Southern Virginia University.  The new stake will include seven wards in western Virginia.  For more information, please refer to the article that can be accessed here.

Table of Congregational Growth in the United States from 2000 to mid-2011

*figures are estimates

The LDS Church in the United States has experienced some of the most steady congregational growth trends in the world over the past decade as the number of congregations generally increases between 100 and 250.  The most rapid congregational growth in the 2000s occurred in the mid-2000s when the Church organized hundreds of new young single adult (YSA) units nationwide.  Congregational growth slowed in the late 2000s as membership growth rates slowed and fewer new YSA units were organized.  As of mid-2011 there has been virtually no increase in the number of LDS congregations in the United States since the beginning of 2011 due to the consolidation of likely around 50-75 YSA units in Utah and Idaho.  Excluding the number of YSA units consolidated this year, the LDS Church in the United States may increase by as many as 150 congregations in 2011.

Click on the table to make it larger.