New Stakes Created in Idaho, Liberia, Michigan, and Ohio; Stakes Discontinued in Washington and Venezuela

Idaho

The Church organized a new stake in the Coeur d'Alene area on February 20th. The Post Falls Idaho Stake was organized from a division of the Coeur d'Alene Idaho Stake and the Hayden Lake Idaho Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and one branch: the Lakeland 1st, Lakeland 2nd, Pleasant View, Prairie Falls, Timberlake, and the White Pines Wards, and the Plummer Branch. There are now three stakes in the Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area.

There are now 137 stakes in Idaho.

Liberia

The Church organized a new stake in the Monrovia metropolitan area on March 13th. The Virginia Liberia Stake was organized from a division of the Monrovia Liberia Bushrod Island Stake (organized in 2016 at the same time when the district was divided to create the Caldwell Liberia District). The new stake includes the following seven wards and one branch: the Banjor 1st, Banjor 2nd, Brewersville, Duala, Lagoon, St Paul Bridge, and Virginia Wards, and the Virginia Waterside Branch. The Church also redrew the boundaries of the neighboring Caldwell Liberia Stake and Gardnersville Liberia Stake so the Monrovia Liberia Bushrod Island Stake now includes most of the wards in central and southern Bushrod Island. 

There are now six stakes in Liberia - all of which are located in Monrovia. There is also one district in the country located in Kakata. The creation of a second district in Liberia headquartered in Harbel appears imminent as there are now four branches in the Harbel area.

Michigan

The Church organized a new stake in Michigan on January 16th. The Holland Michigan Stake was organized from a division of the Grand Rapids Michigan Stake and the Kalamazoo Michigan Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and two branches: the Hastings, Holland, Spring Lake, St Joseph, Wyoming 1st, and Wyoming 2nd Wards, and the Allegan and South Haven Branches. The new stake is the Church's second new stake organized in Michigan during the past year. However, prior to 2021, the Church had not organized a new stake in Michigan since the Kalamazoo Michigan Stake was created in 1979. 

There are now 10 stake and one district in Michigan.

Ohio

The Church organized a new stake in eastern Ohio on March 6th. The Zanesville Ohio Stake was organized from a division of Akron Ohio Stake, the Columbus Ohio East Stake, and the Columbus Ohio South Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards and two branches: the Athens, Lancaster, New Philadelphia, Newark, and Zanesville Wards, and the Cambridge and Coshocton Branches. The new stake is the Church's second new stake to be organized in Ohio within the past six months as the Dayton Ohio North Stake was created in November 2021. However, prior to 2021, the Church had not organized a new stake in Ohio since 2004.

There are now 16 stakes in Ohio.

Washington

The Church discontinued a stake in Washington State for the second time in the Church's history in the state. The Tacoma Washington South Stake (organized in 2016) was discontinued and the five wards that pertained to the former stake were reassigned to the Tacoma Washington North Stake and the South Hill Washington Stake. The Church discontinued a stake in Washington for the first time in 2020 (Kirkland Washington). 

There are now 60 stakes in Washington.

Venezuela 

For the first time since 2018, the Church discontinued a stake and reorganized the congregations into a member district. The Porlamar Venezuela Stake was reorganized as the Porlamar Venezuela District. The five wards in the stake were downgraded and reorganized into five branches. The Church in Venezuela has experienced significant struggles with growth and stability in its stakes and congregations due to political turmoil for many years. 

There are now 33 stakes and six districts in Venezuela.

UPDATED: The 10 Countries with the Most Members without a Temple Announced, Under Construction, or in Operation - March 2022

I have updated the list of the countries with the most members without a temple using year-end 2019 membership totals as the Church did not release country-by-country year-end 2020 membership data due to the interference of the COVID-19 pandemic on the accuracy of country-by-country Church membership data. Temples that service stakes, districts, and mission branches in each country are identified. Previous lists are also available for November 2020, April 2020, April 2019, October 2018, April 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, mid-2011, late 2008, and late 2007. I have put the country name in bold if that country has typically experienced rapid growth (annual membership growth rate of approximately 8% or higher) within the past two years with data available. Countries in Italics do not have a stake. It is very unusual for the Church to announce a temple in a country where there are no stakes, but there are multiple instances of this occurring (i.e., the Kyiv Ukraine Temple, the Bern Switzerland Temple, the Shanghai China Temple). Based on year-end 2019 membership data, the average country in the current top 10 countries with the most members without a temple had 8,880 members. Given this very low average, approximately half of the countries in the current top 10 list appear likely to have small temples announced in the foreseeable future, such as Uganda, Mongolia, the Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, and Jamaica.

The Church has made significant progress during the past 15 years with bringing temples closer to members who live in countries with the most members without temples. To put the current list into perspective, nine of the 10 countries with the most members without a temple in late 2007 (the first list I made on this blog) had more members of the Church than all but one of the countries on the current list of the countries with the most members without a temple. Per year-end 2006 membership data, the average country among the top 10 countries with the most members without a temple had 25,365 members.

It is also important to note that the Church announcing temples in locations with few members is not a new trend. For example, the 10 countries with the most members without a temple as of year-end 1985 included:

1. Uruguay (40,700 members)
2. Bolivia (35,600 members)
3. Venezuela (24,000 members)
4. Honduras (18,600 members)
5. France (16,500 members)
6. El Salvador (15,100 members)
7. Hong Kong (12,200 members)
8. Italy (12,000 members)
9. Spain (11,600 members)
10. Dominican Republic (9,300 members)

The average country among the top 10 countries with the most members without a temple in 1985 had 19,560 members. Also, there were a number of countries with temples announced or dedicated in 1985 that had relatively few members such as South Africa (13,100), Taiwan (11,600), French Polynesia (9,800), Sweden (6,800), and Switzerland (5,600). Nevertheless, the Church has clearly entered a robust and solid trend in announcing small temples in countries with relatively few members, especially if these countries are in areas far from the nearest temple. Furthermore, the Church in the past five years has also announced temples in countries or territories where there have never been so few members and had a temple announced. More specifically, the United Arab Emirates had only 1,699 members as of year-end 2019 - slightly fewer members of the Church than the Church in Switzerland in 1952 when the Bern Switzerland Temple was announced - a few months prior to the announcement of the Dubai United Arab of Emirates Temple in April 2020.

1. Uganda

• 17,887 members
• 3 stakes, 3 districts
• 37 congregations (18 wards, 19 branches)
• Johannesburg South Africa Temple (Nairobi Kenya Temple under construction)

2. Mongolia

• 12,261 members
• 2 stakes, 1 district
• 23 congregations (12 wards, 11 branches)
• Hong Kong China Temple (Shanghai China Temple announced)

3. Malaysia

• 10,845 members
• 0 stakes, 5 districts
• 28 congregations (28 branches)
• Hong Kong China Temple (Singapore Republic of Singapore Temple announced)

4. Republic of the Congo 

• 8,542 members
• 4 stakes, 0 districts
  
• 31 congregations (23 wards, 8 branches)
  
• Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple

5. Indonesia

• 7,561 members
• 2 stakes, 1 district
• 24 congregations (16 wards, 8 branches)
• Hong Kong China Temple (Singapore Republic of Singapore Temple announced)

6. Marshall Islands

• 6,976 members
• 2 stakes
• 13 congregations (12 wards, 1 branch)
• Suva Fiji Temple (Tarawa Kiribati Temple announced)
  

7.  Jamaica

• 6,668 members
• 1 stake, 1 district
• 18 congregations (6 wards, 12 branches)
• Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple

8.  Federated States of Micronesia

• 6,307 members
• 1 stake, 2 districts
• 22 congregations (5 wards, 17 branches)
• Cebu City Philippines Temple (Yigo Guam Temple scheduled for dedication)
  

9.  Guyana

• 6,264 members
• 0 stakes, 2 districts
• 11 congregations (11 branches)
• Caracas Venezuela Temple
  

10.  Belize

• 5,485 members
• 2 districts
• 12 congregations (12 branches)
• Guatemala City Guatemala Temple (Coban Guatemala Temple announced)
  

February 2022 Newsletter

 Click here to access the February 2022 newsletter for cumorah.com.

The Gambia Dedicated for Missionary Work

The Church reported that Apostle Elder D. Todd Christofferson dedicated the West African nation of The Gambia to missionary work on February 24th. Elder Christofferson also met with the Gambian president during his visit and attended the baptism of 11 new converts in Banjul - the Gambian capital. These converts had been taught by missionaries in the Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission - the mission that includes the country of Senegal. The Gambia remains officially unassigned to a full-time mission. Church membership as of year-end 2021 in The Gambia appeared to total 12, and with the addition of the new converts there are now 23 Latter-day Saints in the country. The Church reported 19 Latter-day Saints in The Gambia in 2013, although there was no organized Church presence or regular contact from area leadership until approximately 2018 when area leadership visited Banjul to meet with isolated members. The population of The Gambia is 2.3 million people. There is now one Latter-day Saint per 96,578 people in The Gambia - a ratio comparable for the Church in India. Leadership from the Africa West Area visited The Gambia in January 2022. The Church has held sacrament meeting services in the home of a member of the Church in Banjul. Also in January, Church leaders conducted the first two temple recommend interviews for members of the Church living in The Gambia who planned to attend the temple for the first time the following month to receive the ordinances of the endowment. 

Like Senegal, the population of The Gambia is overwhelmingly Muslim (96.4%), albeit society is generally tolerant of religious freedom and religious minority groups. With the recent establishment of the Church in neighboring Senegal, Guinea, and Mali, prospects appear favorable for the creation of a mission headquartered in Dakar, Senegal within the near future to provide greater mission president oversight and larger amounts of resources allocated to this region of West Africa where there are no missions headquartered. Currently, countries in the area are assigned to several different missions such as the Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro (Guinea and unofficially Burkina Faso) and Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East (Mali). There are 90.8 million people who live in Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Senegal.

Membership Figure Released for Nigeria; Rapid Growth in Liberia

The Church published an article today regarding Apostle Elder D. Todd Christofferson's visit to West Africa. The article indicated that there are approximately 210,000 Latter-day Saints in Nigeria. The Church's most recently released membership statistic for Nigeria was 192,144 members as of year-end 2019. This indicates that Church membership in Nigeria has increased by approximately 9.3% during the past two years, or approximately half the rate of membership growth that the Church has experienced for most years in Nigeria since the early 2010s. Annual membership growth rates have typically ranged from 8-10% since the early 2010s. Congregational growth rates in Nigeria markedly decreased after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic from approximately 50-100 new congregations being created every year to approximately 16 in 2020 and 20 in 2021. The Church in Nigeria has typically experienced rapid membership growth since its establishment in 1978, albeit there was a significantly slowdown in annual membership growth rates between 2007 and 2012 during which time annual membership growth rates ranged from 5-6%. Historical statistical data for the Church in Nigeria can be found here.

The Liberia Monrovia Mission reported that there were more than 2,200 convert baptisms during 2021 - the highest number of converts baptized in the mission since its establishment in 2013. To put this number into perspective, the Church in Liberia previously reported its highest net increase in membership for a single year back in 2016 when the Church reported a net increase of 1,460 members. The mission now has 150 missionaries assigned and all wards and branches have at least one missionary companionship assigned. The mission reported that several mission branches have divided in recent weeks, albeit it is unclear which cities had new branches organized. Moreover, the mission also reports plans to open additional cities to missionary work, such as Tubmanburg. Historical statistical data for the Church in Liberia can be found here.

New Temple Predictions - February 2022 Edition

I have updated my temple prediction map in preparation for General Conference in April. Data used to identify probable locations for future temples include the size of the Church in a specific geographical area (i.e. number of stakes and districts, the number of wards and branches), the age of the oldest stake in a specific geographical area, church growth trends, distance to the nearest temple, the square-footage of the nearest temple, the historical number of endowment sessions scheduled at the nearest temple, and member and missionary reports regarding member activity, temple attendance, and convert retention. Altogether, there are 144 potential temples on the map (33 more like temples, 108 less likely temples).

Thirteen (13) less likely locations were added to the temple prediction map in February 2022. Most of these locations have not experienced significant church growth in recent years, but many of these locations appear likely candidates for a future small temple due to remote location. Many of the Church's recently announced temples have been in locations with few Latter-day Saints, but there is sufficient membership to support a small temple.

• Birmingham, England 
• Brisbane South, Australia
  
• Cotonou, Benin 
• Jackson, Mississippi
  
• Kolonia, Federated States of Micronesia
  
• Luanda, Angola
  
• Luputa, DR Congo 
• Majuro, Marshall Islands
  
• Munich, Germany
• Murcia, Spain
• Porto, Portugal
• Roanoke, Virgina
  
• Prince George, British Columbia
  

The following prospective temple was transferred from the less likely category to the more likely category:

• El Paso, Texas
  

The following 10 locations appear most likely to have temples announced this coming General Conference. You are welcome to provide your top 10 picks for temple announcements in the comments below.

1. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
2. Spanish Fork, Utah 
3. Austin, Texas
4. Charlotte, North Carolina
5. Santiago/Tuguegarao Philippines
6. Angeles or Olongapo, Philippines 
7. Tacoma Washington
8. Colorado Springs, Colorado 
9. Kampala, Uganda
10. Iquitos, Peru
    

See below for the map of likely and less likely new temple sites:

January 2022 Newsletter

 Click here to access the January 2022 newsletter for cumorah.com.

First District to be Created in Senegal; Church Establishment Beginning in The Gambia

On February 13th, the Church will organize its first district in the West African nation of Senegal. The creation of the new district will be just two weeks after the organization of the Saint-Louis Branch on January 30th, 2022, which is the third branch of the Church in the country. There is also one member group that operates in Mbour. The Church organized its first branch in Senegal in 2016. Senegal was assigned to a mission for the first time in late 2016/early 2017. Senegal was dedicated for missionary work in 2017 by Elder David A. Bednar. The first young, proselytizing full-time missionaries were assigned to Senegal and a second branch in Dakar opened in April 2018. At the time, there were approximately 60 active members in the entire country. A member group opened in Mbour in approximately June 2019. Mission leadership began to visit Saint-Louis in approximately March 2020. There are no recent membership data released by the Church for Senegal. The most recent membership statistical reported was at year-end 2018 when there were 108 members nationwide. Senegal currently pertains to the Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission. Senegal appears highly like to have its own mission organized in the foreseeable future given there is no nearby mission, a significant population of 16.1 million just within the country of Senegal, no significant restrictions on religious freedom, and opportunities for a mission in Dakar to better service other nearby nations with an emerging Church presence such as Mali and The Gambia. 

In regard to The Gambia, the first local members to receive the endowment will travel to the Accra Ghana Temple this month to receive these ordinances. Moreover, there are approximately one dozen individuals who may be baptized this month following a visit by area leadership to The Gambia to attend the inauguration of the president-elect. Sacrament meetings currently occur in a members' home in Banjul.

First Branch Created in Northern Cote d'Ivoire

This weekend, the Church organized its first branch in northern Cote d'Ivoire. The Korhogo Branch was organized in the Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission with approximately 30 people in attendance. Korhogo is the fourth most populous city in Cote d'Ivoire, and the city was previously the most populous city in the country without an official ward or branch. The Church has had a few members who have lived in Korhogo over the years, but there were not enough members to create a branch until recently despite repeated efforts from mission leadership to explore opportunities to organize a member group or branch. The Church in Cote d'Ivoire has experienced a dramatic slowdown to national outreach expansion since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Church in Cote d'Ivoire experienced one of the most significant declines in the number of monthly convert baptisms among high baptizing areas for the Church.

New Stakes Created in Brazil, Canada, the DR Congo, Idaho, Ohio, Sierra Leone, Utah, and Washington, DC; New District Created in Angola; Two Stakes Discontinued in California; Districts Discontinued in Canada and Russia

Brazil

The Church organized a new stake in São Paulo State, Brazil on November 14th, 2021. The Carapicuiba Brazil Stake was organized on November 14th, 2021 from a division of the Alphaville Brazil Stake and the Osasco Brazil Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards: the Ariston, Carapicuiba, São Camilo, Vila Dirce, and Nova Granada Wards. There are now 47 stakes in the São Paulo metropolitan area.

There are now 281 stakes and 40 districts in Brazil.

Canada

The Church organized its second stake in Manitoba, Canada on November 14th, 2021. The Winnipeg Manitoba West Stake was organized from a division of the Winnipeg Manitoba Stake (originally organized in 1978 and renamed the Winnipeg Manitoba East Stake). The new stake includes the follow five wards and five branches: the Brandon, River Heights, St James, Waverley, and Wellington YSA Wards, and the Dauphin, Neepawa, Portage La Prairie, Selkirk, and Thompson Branches. Also, the Church discontinued the Fort Francis Ontario District (organized in 1970) as part of the new stake creation, and retained branches were reassigned to the Winnipeg Manitoba East Stake.

There are now 53 stakes and four districts in Canada.

DR Congo

The Church organized its second stake in the city of Luputa on December 5th, 2021. The Kabusanga DR Congo Stake was organized from the Luputa DR Congo Stake (originally organized in 2011). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Contoniere, Kabusanga 1st, Kabusanga 2nd, Luputa 1st, and the Mukukuyi Wards. 

There are now 25 stakes and 3 districts in the DR Congo.

Idaho

The Church organized a new stake in Rexburg, Idaho on December 12th, 2021. The Rexburg Idaho West Stake was organized from a division of the Rexburg Idaho Stake, the Rexburg Idaho Center Stake, and Rexburg Idaho Henry's Fork Stake. The new stake includes the following eight wards: the Hibbard 1st, Burton 2nd, Burton 4th, Oakbrook, Summerfield 1st, Summerfield 2nd, Willowbrook, and the Rexburg 13th Wards. There are now 23 stakes in the Rexburg area, including 11 young single adult stakes and four student married stakes.

There are now 136 stakes in Idaho.

Ohio 

The Church organized its third stake in Dayton, Ohio on November 21st, 2021. The Dayton Ohio North Stake was organized from a division of the Cincinnati Ohio East Stake, the Dayton Ohio Stake, the Dayton Ohio East Stake, and the Toledo Ohio Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and two branches: the Bellefontaine, Huber Heights, Lima, Piqua, Springfield, and Tipp City Wards, and the Greenville and St Marys Branches. This marks the creation of the first new stake in Dayton since 1979. Moreover, this marks the first time a new stake has been created in Ohio since 2007.

There are now 15 stakes in Ohio.

Sierra Leone

The Church organized a new stake in Sierra Leone on December 5th, 2021. The Kossoh Town Sierra Leone Stake was organized from the Kossoh Town Sierra Leone District. All seven branches in the former district were advanced to wards. The seven wards in the new stake are the Forut, Grafton, Ibo Town, Jui, Kossoh Town, Lumpa, and Waterloo Wards. The Kossoh Town Sierra Leone District was the last remaining district in the Freetown metropolitan area where there are now five stakes. 

There are now nine stakes and one district in Sierra Leone.

Utah

The Church organized a new stake in Smithfield, Utah on November 7th, 2021. The Smithfield Utah West Stake was organized from a division of the Smithfield Utah Stake, the Smithfield Utah North Stake, and the Smithfield Utah South Stake. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Smithfield 1st, Smithfield 2nd, Smithfield 4th, Smithfield 8th, Smithfield 9th, Smithfield 16th, and the Smithfield 25th Wards. The Church announced plans to construct a temple in Smithfield in April 2021. There are now five stakes in Smithfield.

There are now 621 stakes and two districts in Utah

Washington, DC

The Church organized a second young single adult (YSA) stake for the Washington, DC area on November 14th, 2021. The Washington DC YSA North Stake was organized from the Washington DC YSA Stake, and the new stake includes congregations located in Maryland and the District of Columbia. The new stake includes the following five wards: the Annapolis YSA, Eastern Market YSA,
Friendship Heights YSA, Strathmore YSA, and the Waldorf YSA Wards. There are now three Washington DC Stakes, albeit only two of these stakes actually operate within the District of Columbia.

Angola

The Church organized a new district on November 21st, 2021. The Huambo Angola District was organized with three branches (one of which was organized on the day the new district was created). Branches in Huambo were previously assigned directly to the Angola Luanda Mission. The new district is a major milestone for the Church's growth in Angola as it marks the first time the Church has created a district outside of Luanda where one stake operates (organized in 2018). The Church initially organized its first branch in Huambo in May 2013, but the mission closed the branch in late 2015 and reverted the congregation back to a member group. The branch was reinstated in February 2018, and a second branch was organized in the city in late 2020. 

There is now one stake and one district in Angola, and it appears likely a second district will be organized in the foreseeable future for branches in the southern city of Lubango.

California

The Church discontinued two stakes in California in late 2021. The Pleasanton California Stake (organized in 1974) was discontinued, and the four wards and one branch in the former stake were reassigned to the Livermore California Stake. Also, the Jurupa California Stake (organized in 1990) was discontinued, and retained congregations were reassigned to the Ontario California Stake and the Riverside California Stake. 

There are now 147 stakes in California. The Church in California reported an all-time high of 162 stakes in 1995.

Russia

The Church discontinued the Moscow Russia District - a district that included small branches in cities surrounding the Moscow metropolitan area where one stake operates. All branches in the former district have been reassigned to the Russia Moscow Mission.

There are now three stakes and eight districts in Russia.