Unprecedented LDS Meetinghouse Construction Program Launched in the DR Congo

Missionaries serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo report that the Church has initiated a new meetinghouse construction program to meet the urgent need for additional LDS chapels for the increasing numbers of convert baptisms in the country.  In recent months, the two missions in the DR Congo together report approximately 500 convert baptisms a month with 95% convert retention over the past year.  Most wards and branches have higher sacrament meeting attendance than the number of church members on ward or branch records.  Increasing numbers of isolated members and investigators have also petitioned mission leaders to establish the Church in additional areas, resulting in accelerated growth.

To meet these new and exciting opportunities for rapid growth and high self-sufficiency local church administration and missionary work, the Church has recently decided to train groups of returned missionaries in various construction skills to build additional meetinghouses.  This program is designed to meet the immediate need for building additional meetinghouses and to provide skills to unemployed returned missionaries, not to provide long-term employment to participants.  At present, there have been only a few groups of returned missionaries who have been trained and are working on two new meetinghouses in the Kinshasa area.  Missionaries report that there are about 20 meetinghouses in the planning stages in other locations in the DR Congo.  It appears that at present there are dozens of large wards and branches that are in need to be divided into smaller congregations, but current meetinghouses lack sufficient space to hold church services for additional units.

As a church growth researcher, I applaud the decision for the Church to implement this program which will provide more economic solutions to spur church growth, build meetinghouses that are more culturally-appropriate to local conditions, and rapidly capitalize on high receptivity.  Additional meetinghouse will likely reduce travel times and increase the feeling of community in wards and branches.  The Church instituted a similar meetinghouse construction program in the South Pacific in the mid-twentieth century, resulting in accelerated growth that has resulted in the LDS Church numbering among the largest denominations in some nations like Tonga and Samoa.

Countries with the Most Latter-day Saints without a Stake or District

I recently updated the list of countries with the most members without a stake and I also wanted to update the list of countries with the most members without a stake or district.  The 2011 list for these countries can be found here.

A district resembles a stake in that it is an administrative organization that includes congregations.  However, a district can only include branches and does not have as much autonomy as a stake.  For example, a mission president conducts temple recommend interviews and most priesthood matters defer to the mission president.  A district is an important preparatory step toward the Church become self-sufficient in an area.  Many countries currently without their own stake or district have few available local priesthood holders due to low member activity rates or recent converts comprising the bulk of nominal church membership.

Each country and territory is provided with the number of members, number of branches, and current, if any, affiliation with another stake or district.  Countries in green appear likely to have their first districts/stakes created in the near future, countries in yellow generally have a large number of recent converts and few active priesthood holders to hold leadership positions but high likelihood to have districts organized in the coming years, countries in red have member activity issues that prevent the creation of a district in the foreseeable future, countries in blue pertain to other stakes or districts and do not appear likely to become their own districts due to reasonably close proximity to their current stake or district headquarters, and countries in dark blue have a poor likelihood of the organization of their first district due to few members spread over large geographic areas.

1. Bulgaria - 2,251 members - 10 branches
2. Botswana - 1,693 members - 3 wards, 5 branches, 3 groups? - some units part of Roodepoort South Africa Stake
3. Macau - 1,308 members - 2 branches
4. Bahamas - 954 members - 2 branches, 1 group?
5. Lesotho - 796 members - 2 branches, 1 group - part of the Bloemfontein South Africa District
6. Northern Mariana Islands - 753 members - 1 branch - part of the Barrigada Guam Stake
7. Greece - 740 members - 3 branches, 2 groups?
8. Benin - 676 members - 5 branches, 1 group
9. Namibia - 674 members - 2 branches
10. US Virgin Islands - 570 members - 2 branches
11. Curacao - 568 members - 1 branch
12. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - 508 members - 2 branches
13. Aruba - 506 members - 2 branches
14. Palau - 433 members - 1 branch
15. Mauritius - 418 members - 2 branches
16. Central African Republic - 406 members - 1 branch
17. French Guiana - 362 members - 1 branch, 1 group?
18. Luxembourg - 312 members - 1 ward - part of the Nancy France Stake
19. Jersey - 299 members - 1 ward - part of the Poole England Stake
20. Turkey - 293 members - 4 branches
21. Isle of Man - 291 members - 1 ward - part of the Liverpool England Stake
22. Grenada - 279 members - 1 branch
23. Niue - 275 members - 2 branches
24. Iceland - 257 members - 2 branches
25. Saint Lucia - 249 members - 2 branches
26. Saint Maarten/Saint Martin - 213 members - 1 branch
27. Saint Kitts and Nevis - 206 members - 1 branch
28. Georgia - 204 members - 1 branch
29. Slovakia - 203 members - 4 branches, 2 groups - part of the Brno Czech Republic District
30. Antigua and Barbuda - 200 members - 1 branch

Christian Outreach by People Group

The Joshua Project is an evangelical missionary organization that advocates for evangelizing all of the world's peoples and specifically targets those with a small or no Christian presence.  Evangelicals have achieved far greater strides in reaching the world's population than the LDS Church and I have posted a link to a map that displays about 85% of the people groups identified by the Joshua Project.  The map provides the location of these people groups, language spoken by each group, traditional religious affiliation, and status of evangelical progress as defined by the Joshua Project.

http://www.joshuaproject.net/peoples-in-google-maps.php

This map provides valuable information to Latter-day Saints concerning the traditional religious affiliation of thousands of ethnic groups around the world.  At the Cumorah Foundation, we have produced similar country-by-country maps displaying the location of thousands of ethnolinguistic groups, the number of language speakers, and status of LDS outreach.  These maps can be accessed through the cumorah.com website on the homepage.

New District in Peru

Missionaries serving in the Peru Chiclayo Mission report that the Church created a new district centered in Lambayeque from two mission branches (the Motupe and Olmos Branches) and a few congregations in the Chiclayo Perú Central Stake.  I will provide detailed congregation information for the new district once it is available.  The new district appeared to be organized two Sundays ago.

The Church now has 98 stakes and 24 districts in Peru.

Statistical Profiles

Us at the Cumorah Foundation are currently in the process of creating statistical profiles for every country with an LDS presence on cumorah.com.  These country and state profiles will includes tables, graphs, charts, and maps displaying various LDS statistics such as membership, wards, branches, stakes, districts, temples, missions, seminary and institute enrollment, member activity rate, percent of population reached by the Church, percent LDS in the population, percent of the population with translations of LDS materials in their first language, ratio of missions to population, statistics for other missionary-focused Christians, and more.  We will post these statistical figures and graphics in the coming months on cumorah.com and integrate these into other missionary and church-growth related resources we have recently developed such as the LDS International Atlas, Country Profiles, and Church Growth Case Studies.

We regularly post some of these statistical graphics daily on the Cumorah International LDS Resources Facebook Group.  Join our Facebook group and receive updates!

World Map with LDS Membership Totals: 2011

Below is a map of official LDS membership statistics released on the Church's website.

Additional Case Studies Posted on Cumorah.com

In coordination with David Stewart of cumorah.com, we have posted an additional 14 church growth case study essays. Topics explored in these recently completed essays are listed below:

• LDS Ethnic Minority Outreach in the United States
• Assessing Member Activity
• LDS Growth among Slovak Immigrants in Sheffield, England
• Prospective LDS Outreach among the Hmong (Miao) in Southeast Asia
• Top Five Encouraging and Discouraging Church Growth Developments: 2006-2011
• LDS Growth in Benin City, Nigeria
• LDS Church Growth Among the Miskito in Nicaragua
• Comparing LDS Church Growth in Hong Kong and Singapore
• Successful LDS Outreach Expansion in Hungary
• Projecting LDS Membership Growth
• Reasons for Quick-Baptism Tactics in the LDS Church
• Prospective LDS Outreach among the Yakut of Russia
• LDS Outreach Expansion in Madagascar
• LDS Temples and Impact on Church Growth

New District in Zimbabwe

The Church created a new district in Zimbabwe for the first time since 2000.  The Bindura Zimbabwe District was organized last Sunday and includes four branches in the Bindura area.  There are now four stakes and two districts in Zimbabwe.

The Church experienced a significant increase in membership growth in Zimbabwe in 2011.  Since 2005, annual membership increases ranged from only 1.6% to 6.9% whereas in 2011 membership grew by 12.7%.  Congregational growth has also accelerated with several new branches recently organized in several locations throughout the country.  Prospects appear highly favorable for the creation of a second stake in Bulawayo in the near future as the Bulawayo Zimbabwe Stake currently has nine wards, six branches, and at least two groups.

Countries with the Most Latter-day Saints without a Stake

Below is an updated list of the countries with the most Latter-day Saints without a stake.  Membership totals are as of 2011 and congregational and district totals are current.  This list has omitted countries and territories which will have their first stakes created within the next couple months.  Membership totals for mainland China and Pakistan are estimates as no official statistics are available.  The number of branches and districts in mainland China is not provided as I cannot make a reliable estimate due to the sensitive nature of the Church in that country.

1. Cambodia - 10,999 members - 27 branches - 6 districts
2. Sierra Leone - 10,084 members - 27 branches - 3 districts
3. Mainland China - 10,000 members 
4. Malaysia - 7,926 members - 32 branches - 8 districts
5. Liberia - 5,863 members - 18 branches - 2 districts
6. Mozambique - 5,617  members - 19 branches - 2 districts
7. Jamaica - 5,449  members - 20 branches - 2 districts
8. Guyana - 5,198  members - 13 branches - 1 district
9. Vanuatu - 4,864  members - 28 branches - 3 districts
10. Micronesia - 4,302  members - 21 branches - 4 districts
11. Belize - 4,018  members - 11 branches - 2 districts
12. Pakistan - 3,200  members - ~12 branches (estimate) - 3 districts
13. Romania - 2,972  members - 18 branches - 2 districts
14. Armenia - 2,965  members - 11 branches - 1 district
15. Zambia - 2,903  members - 12 branches - 2 districts
16. Czech Republic - 2,312  members - 13 branches - 2 districts
17. Bulgaria - 2,251  members - 10 branches - 0 districts
18. Albania - 2,093  members - 11 branches - 1 district
19. Cook Islands - 1,867  members - 5 branches - 1 district
20. Poland - 1,716  members - 14 branches - 2 districts
21. Botswana - 1,693  members - 3 wards, 5 branches - 0 districts (part of Roodepoort South Africa Stake)

Members and missionaries report active efforts to create the first stakes within the next two years in Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Jamaica, Micronesia, Belize, Romania, Armenia, the Czech Republic, Albania, and Botswana.  Countries which appear the closest to having their first stakes created include Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Belize, and Botswana.  I have not encountered recent member or missionary reports indicating concentrated efforts to create the first stakes in Malaysia, Guyana, Vanuatu, Zambia, or the Cook Islands, but based on recent growth trends and activity levels it may be possible that these locations may have stakes within the next several years.  

Rapid membership growth and moderate to moderately-high levels of convert retention and member activity have occurred over the past few years in some nations not on this list but currently have over 1,000 nominal members.  It is possible that stakes may be organized in the following countries within the next five years if growth rates remain sustained and the needed threshold of active Melchizedek Priesthood holders and active members is reached:

• Togo - 1,555 members - 6 branches - 1 district
• Ethiopia - 1,450 members - 5 branches - 1 district
• Swaziland - 1,423 members - 4 branches - 1 district

In general, stakes outside the United States must have approximately 2,000 or more nominal members to function and at least five wards.

Membership by Country Statistics Released for 2011

Membership and congregation totals for nations with a reported LDS presence are now available on the Church's official website and can be found at http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-statistics. Data is available under the country profiles on the right side of the site.

The 20 countries with the highest annual membership growth rates in 2011 are listed below. Lists for nations with the most rapid membership growth rates are also available for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. The percentage next to the country name is the annual growth rate percentage which is followed by the country's LDS membership at year-end 2011. Countries in bold experienced a membership increase greater than 200.  Countries in red appeared to experience a large percentage increase in membership in 2011 due to the correction of past errors in official LDS membership reporting, such as including some congregations and their respective memberships in other countries.

1. Benin - 195.2% - 676
2. Macau - 94.4% - 1,308
3. Solomon Islands - 65.4% - 387
4. Sint Maarten - 34.0% - 213
5. Rwanda - 32.4% - 90
6. Ethiopia - 28.9% - 1,450
7. Tuvalu - 28.9% - 174
8. Botswana - 27.2% - 1,693
9. Malawi - 25.0% - 1,156
10. Togo - 24.8% - 1,555
11. Grenada - 20.0% - 276
12. Northern Mariana Islands - 19.1% - 753
13. Kazakhstan - 19.1% - 193
14. Madagascar - 19.0% - 8,017
15. Turkey - 19.0% - 293
16. Uganda - 14.9% - 10,368
17. Marshall Islands - 14.9% - 5,850
18. Saint Lucia - 14.7% - 249
19. Cameroon - 13.3% - 1,136
20. Sierra Leone - 13.2% - 10,084

If countries in red were excluded from the list, additional countries rounding off the top 20 countries with the most rapid annual membership growth rates for 2011 would also include:

• Zimbabwe - 12.7% - 20,908
• Barbados - 12.7% - 826
• Democratic Republic of the Congo - 12.5% - 30,435
• Angola - 12.2% - 1,046
• Zambia - 12.2% - 2,903

Below is a list of the top ten countries by numerical increase in membership for the year 2011. Each country is provided with the national increase in membership and the percentage of this increase out of total Church membership increase. Lists are also available for 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. 72% of 2010 LDS membership increase can be attributed to the following 10 nations.  

1. United States - 84,651 - 27.3%
2. Mexico - 38,654 - 12.5%
3. Brazil - 34,793 - 11.2%
4. Philippines - 15,822 - 5.1%
5. Peru - 15,249 - 4.9%
6. Argentina - 10,047 - 3.2%
7. Chile - 7,144 - 2.3%
8. Ecuador - 6,994 - 2.3%
9. Guatemala - 5,749 - 1.9%
10. Honduras - 5,700 - 1.8%

I will provide further analysis on these statistics and others in the next few days.