Today, the Church announced plans to organize the following six missions in July 2023:
The creation of the new missions will increase the number of missions in the Church to 416. I will provide additional analysis regarding these new mission creations in the coming days.
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This past week, demographic data regarding religious affiliation and ethnicity was released for the 2021 Canadian census. These data can be found here. Some of the most noteworthy findings in the census data in regard to major religious groups include the percentage of Canadians who identify as Christian declined from 67.3% in 2011 to 53.3% in 2021, the percentage of Canadians who reported no religious affiliation increased from 23.9% in 2011 to 34.6% in 2021, the percentage of Canadians who identify as Muslim increased from 2.0% in 2001 to 4.9% in 2021, and the percentage of Canadians who identify as Hindu increased from 1.0% in 2001 to 2.3% in 2021.
The 2021 census noted 85,315 self-affiliated Latter-day Saints in Canada, or 0.23% of the total population and 42.8% of official Church-reported membership for year-end 2021. The percentage of self-affiliated Latter-day Saints compared to Church-reported membership was 56.9% in 2011. However, it is important to note that figures for Latter-day Saints in Canada on the census are extrapolated from sample data - not the entire data set. The database notes indicate that 25% of the persons in private households in occupied private dwellings were utilized for sample data to make the estimates for religious affiliation by group. Thus, the database also includes 95% confidence intervals for ranges with the data reported. Consequently, the following analysis should be considered with this in mind, especially given that these data may be prone to error for a small religious group (less than one percent of the population) in which only 25% of households were considered. It is unclear what the process was for the selection of the 25% sample, but I would assume that it was done randomly by statistical area to ensure that this sample is representative of the population. Despite this limitation, the census estimates appear to match well with Church-reported membership, even for areas where there are few Latter-day Saints on the records (like Northwest Territories). In other words, the census data do not appear to over-estimate the number of Latter-day Saints in areas with few Latter-day Saints.
The 2021 census figure for Latter-day Saints is 20,050 less than the number of self-affiliated Latter-day Saints tallied in the 2011 census (105,365) - a 19.0% decline in one decade. This marks one of the most significant percentage declines in the self-affiliation of Latter-day Saints noted on a national census. The percentage decline in the number of self-affiliated Latter-day Saints between 2011 and 2021 is similar to the percentage decline of self-affiliated Christians in the Canadian population during this same time period. The demographic composition of self-affiliated Latter-day Saints in the 2021 Canadian census was as follows: 85.2% not a visible minority (White, First Nations), 5.15% Latin American, 3.65% Filipino, 1.89% Black, 1.58% Chinese, 0.73% "multiple visible minorities," 0.47% Japanese, 0.35% "visible minorities not included elsewhere," 0.32% Korean, 0.28% Southeast Asian, 0.28% South Asian, 0.04% West Asian, and 0.02% Arab. In contrast, the Canadian population is 73.5% White/First Nations, 7.08% South Asian, 4.72% Chinese, 4.26% Black, 2.64% Filipino, 1.91% Arab, 1.60% Latin American, 1.07% Southeast Asian, 0.99% West Asian, 0.91% "multiple visible minorities," 0.60% Korean, 0.48% "visible minorities not included elsewhere," and 0.27% Japanese. Thus, self-affiliated Latter-day Saints are slightly more White than the general Canadian population, Latin Americans are significant over-represented in self-affiliated Latter-day Saints (more than three times the national percentage of Latin Americans), and self-affiliated Latter-day Saints are significantly under-represented in South Asians, West Asians, Southeast Asians, Arabs, and Blacks. Ranked from the highest to the lowest percentage of self-affiliated Latter-day Saints in the population, the 2021 census noted the percentage of self-affiliated Latter-day Saints by Province/Territory as follows: Alberta (1.43%), British Columbia (0.32%), Northwest Territories (0.24%), Yukon (0.20%), Saskatchewan (0.17%), Nova Scotia (0.17%), Prince Edward Island (0.12%), Ontario (0.12%), Manitoba (0.11%), New Brunswick (0.10%), Quebec (0.04%), Newfoundland and Labrador (0.03%), and Nunavut (0.03%). The percentage of self-affiliated Latter-day Saints of Church-reported official membership by province/territory is as follows: Northwest Territories (53.1%), Alberta (52.3%), British Columbia (33.5%), Prince Edward Island (31.5%), New Brunswick (30.6%), Nova Scotia (28.7%), Saskatchewan (28.6%), Yukon (26.4%), Manitoba (23.2%), Quebec (22.0%), Newfoundland (20.8%), and Ontario (20.2%). Thus, these data suggest that the Church has the highest member activity rates in Northwest Territories and Alberta and the lowest member activity rates in Ontario, Newfoundland, and Quebec. These findings are consistent with reports from local members and returned missionaries over the decades in regard to member activity rates in these locations.
Although the census data suggest a major contraction in active members, other statistical indicators do not suggest that there has been a major decline in active membership. For example, congregational growth rates in Canada have not supported major changes in the number of active Latter-day Saints in the country. Congregations require certain minimum criteria to operate, and increases in the number of congregations correlates with increases in active membership. The number of congregations in Canada increased from 477 as of year-end 2011 to 499 as of year-end 2021. Moreover, Church membership in Canada increased from 185,149 to 199,534 during this 10-year period. The average number of members per congregation in Canada increased from 388 in 2011 to 400 in 2021 - one of the lowest members-to-congregations ratios in the world among countries where there are at least 100,000 members on the records. These data indicate membership growth rates have outpaced congregational growth rates - a finding typical in situations where the member activity rate may be decreasing (or where the number of active members per congregation is increasing). Furthermore, there has been a slight increase in the number of stakes in Canada between 2011 and 2021, as there were 47 stakes in 2011 and 53 stakes in Canada in 2021. The significant decline in census-reported Latter-day Saints indicate that significant congregation consolidations may occur in the foreseeable future. However, it is unclear whether the decline in self-affiliated Latter-day Saints was primarily due to larger numbers of less active/inactive Latter-day Saints no longer self-affiliating with the Church on the census, active members leaving the Church, or a combination of the two. Furthermore, it is also unclear whether birth and death rates in the Church may also account for these changes in census data, albeit this seems unlikely given Church-reported membership growth trends have not appeared to significantly change in recent years. I have not been able to find data from the 2011 Canadian census that breaks down religious affiliation by province/territory - such data would be valuable to assess how self-affiliation has changed in the past decade by province or territory.
Finally, I wanted to post a link to the local member Church growth survey. Please complete this survey on the Church in your congregation to assist our research for The Cumorah Foundation. You can complete the survey here.
Jacksonville Florida Temple
The Jacksonville Florida Temple is the Church's fifth temple to be announced or dedicated in Florida following the Orlando Florida Temple (dedicated in 1994), the Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple (dedicated in 2014), the Tallahassee Florida Temple (announced in 2020), and the Tampa Florida Temple (announced in April 2022). Jacksonville has long been a site included on my temple predictions map due to distance to the nearest temple in Orlando. The new temple will likely include six stakes (five in Florida, one in Georgia). The Church organized its first stake in Jacksonville in 1947, and there are four stakes in the Jacksonville metropolitan (if the Kingsland Georgia Stake is included). Church growth in the Jacksonville area has been slow in recent years with only one new stake created in the past 20 years (Jacksonville Florida South Stake in 2009).
Grand Rapids Michigan Temple
The Grand Rapids Michigan Temple is the Church's second temple in Michigan following the dedication of the Detroit Michigan Temple in 1999. The new temple will likely have five stakes (four in Michigan, one in Indiana) and one district within the temple district. The Lansing Michigan Stake (organized in 1962) is the oldest stake in the likely temple district. Only one new stake has been organized in the Grand Rapids area within the past 40 years - the Holland Michigan Stake in 2022.
Prosper Texas Temple
The Prosper Texas Temple is the Church's eighth temple in Texas and its third temple in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. Other temples in Texas include the Dallas Texas Temple (dedicated in 1984), the Houston Texas Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Lubbock Texas Temple (dedicated in 2002), the San Antonio Texas Temple (dedicated in 2005), the McAllen Texas Temple (announced in 2019), the Fort Worth Texas Temple (announced in 2021), and the Austin Texas Temple (announced in April 2022). The new temple in Prosper will likely include 8-10 stakes in northern Dallas - half of which have been organized in the past 15 years. Northern Dallas has numbered among the most rapidly growing areas of the Church in the United States. The announcement of the new temple in Prosper makes the Dallas/Forth Worth metropolitan area the first metropolitan area east of the Rocky Mountains to have three temples.
Lone Mountain Nevada Temple
The Lone Mountain Nevada Temple is the Church's fourth temple in Nevada following the Las Vegas Nevada Temple (dedicated in 1989), the Reno Nevada Temple (dedicated in 2000), and the Elko Nevada Temple (announced in 2021). The new temple will likely include approximately 10 stakes within the temple district. Steady growth has occurred in northwestern Las Vegas where the new temple will be constructed, with three stakes created in the area during the past seven years. There are 28 stakes in the Las Vegas/Henderson metropolitan area.
Tacoma Washington Temple
The Tacoma Washington Temple is the Church's fifth temple in Washington following the Seattle Washington Temple (dedicated in 1980), the Spokane Washington Temple (dedicated in 1999), the Columbia River Washington Temple (dedicated in 2001), and the Moses Lake Washington Temple (announced in 2019). The new temple may serve as many as 20 stakes in the Tacoma area and in southwestern Washington State, and the Seattle Washington Temple may have as few as 15 stakes assigned following the creation of the new temple. The Church has experienced essentially stagnant growth in the Tacoma area during the past 20 years, and there have been significant consolidations of congregations in the Seattle area in the past few years after many years of no significant change in the number of congregations in the area. The oldest stake in the Tacoma area, the Gig Harbor Washington Stake, was organized in 1952.
Chiclayo Peru Temple
The Chiclayo Peru Temple will be the Church's sixth temple in Peru following temples in Lima (dedicated in 1986), Trujillo (dedicated in 2015), Lima Los Olivos (announced in 2016), Arequipa (dedicated in 2019), and Cusco (announced in April 2022). The Church organized its first stake in Chiclayo in 1980, and there are now six stakes and one district in the Chiclayo metropolitan area. Chiclayo was previously one of the metropolitan areas outside of the United States with the most stakes without a temple. The new temple will likely include 13 stakes and three districts in northern Peru. The Church organized its own mission for Chiclayo in 2011. Stakes in Chiclayo and extreme northern Peru are currently assigned to the Trujillo Peru Temple district. Church growth trends in stakes and districts within the likely temple district for the Chiclayo Peru Temple have been slow in recent years. Only one new stake has been organized in the area during the past decade (Paita Peru Stake in 2019). The new temple is the Church's first temple in Lambayeque Region.
Buenos Aires City Center Argentina Temple
Buenos Aires was previously the metropolitan area outside of the United States with the most stakes with only one temple. There are 26 stakes in the greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area (including La Plata and excluding Zárate). The new Buenos Aires City Center Argentina Temple will be the Church's sixth temple in Argentina following temples in Buenos Aires (dedicated in 1986), Córdoba (dedicated in 2015), Salta (announced in April 2018), Mendoza (announced in October 2018), and Bahía Blanca (announced in 2020). The new temple district appears likely to include as many as 13 stakes in central and northwestern Buenos Aires. The current Buenos Aires Argentina Temple is fairly centrally located in Buenos Aires, and the new temple may not be very far away from the current temple unless it is built in the north-central area. The Church organized its first stake in Buenos Aires in 1966. The most recently organized stakes include the Lujan Argentina Stake (organized in 2016) and the Buenos Aires Argentina Chacabuco Stake (organized in 2014). Unlike most Latin American countries, the Church has never discontinued a stake before in Argentina, but there has been a net decline of more than 100 congregations for the country during the past 15 years. Church growth trends in Buenos Aires have been slow, and the number of congregations in the metropolitan area has slightly declined in the past decade. The new temple is the Church's third temple for Buenos Aires Province.
Londrina Brazil Temple
The Londrina Brazil Temple will be the Church's 17th temple in Brazil following temples in São Paulo (dedicated in 1978), Recife (dedicated in 2000), Porto Alegre (dedicated in 2000), Campinas (dedicated in 2002), Curitiba (dedicated in 2008), Manaus (dedicated in 2012), Fortaleza (dedicated in 2019), Rio de Janeiro (dedicated in 2022), Belem (announced in 2016, to be dedicated in November 2022), Brasília (announced in 2017), Salvador (announced in 2018), São Paulo Brazil East (announced in 2020), Belo Horizonte (announced in April 2021), Vitória (announced in October 2021), Maceió (announced in April 2022), and Santos (announced in April 2022). The new temple in Londrina will likely include eight stakes and three districts in western Paraná and São Paulo states. The Church organized its first stake in Londrina in 1979, and there are two stakes in the city today. Church growth has been slow, but steady, in this region of Brazil, with only two new stakes organized in the likely new temple district during the past decade. Stakes in the likely new temple district primarily pertain to the Curitiba Brazil Temple district and the Campinas Brazil Temple district, albeit the Foz do Iguaçu Brazil Stake is assigned to the Asunción Paraguay Temple district. The Brazil Londrina Mission was organized in 1995. The Londrina Brazil Temple is the Church's second temple in Paraná State.
Riberão Prêto Brazil Temple
The announcement of the Riberão Prêto Brazil Temple marks the second time in Church history in Brazil when two temples were announced on the same day (the first such instance was in April 2022). The Riberão Prêto Brazil Temple is the Church's 18th temple announced for Brazil. The new temple will likely include 13 stakes and one district in extreme northwestern São Paulo State and extreme western Minas Gerais State - areas currently serviced by the Campinas Brazil Temple. The Church organized its first stake in Riberão Prêto in 1987, followed by a second stake in 1992, and two additional stakes in 1993. However, the two stakes organized in 1993 were discontinued in 2001. Nevertheless, the Church organized a third stake in Riberão Prêto in 2019 after steady increases in the number of congregations in the city during the previous 5-10 years. Thus, Riberão Prêto is the city (that has never previously had a temple announced) to have had the most stakes previously discontinued and have a temple announced (the city with the most stakes ever discontinued to have another temple announced is Santiago, Chile where a second temple was announced in 2021 after 15 stakes were discontinued between 2000-2019 - the original Santiago Chile Temple was dedicated in 1983). Like the region that will likely be assigned to the Londrina Brazil Temple, Church growth trends have been slow, but steady. Only two new stakes have been organized in the area likely to be serviced by the Riberão Prêto Brazil Temple during the past decade.
São Paulo State is the province/state with the most temples (five) dedicated or announced in the world outside of the United States.
Huehuetenango Guatemala Temple
The Huehuetenango Guatemala Temple is the Church's fifth temple in Guatemala following temples in Guatemala City (dedicated in 1984), Quetzaltenango (dedicated in 2011), Cobán (announced in 2019), and Miraflores Guatemala City (announced in 2020). This location was not on my list of likely locations for new temple announcements due to few stakes and proximity to Quetzaltenango. The new temple in Huehuetenango will likely be a small temple as the prospective temple district will likely include only three stakes (all located in Huehuetenango) and two districts. The first stake in Huehuetenango was organized in 1988 followed by additional stakes created in 1994 and 2014. Stakes and districts in the Huehuetenango area currently pertain to the Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple district and the Guatemala Quetzaltenango Mission.
Cuernavaca Mexico Temple
President Nelson explained during the announcement of four new temples in locations near Mexico City that, "We are also planning to build multiple temples in selected large metropolitan areas where travel time to an existing temple is a major challenge."
The Cuernavaca Mexico Temple is the Church's 20th temple in Mexico. The Church in Mexico has previously dedicated or announced the following temples: the Mexico City Mexico Temple (dedicated in 1983), the Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Temple (dedicated in 1999), the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Oaxaca Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Tampico Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Villahermosa Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Mérida Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Veracruz Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), the Guadalajara Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2001), the Monterrey Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2002), the Tijuana Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2015), the Puebla Mexico Temple (announced in 2018), the Querétaro Mexico Temple (announced in April 2021), the Torreón Mexico Temple (announced in April 2021), the Culiacán Mexico Temple (announced in October 2021), the San Luis Potosí Mexico Temple (announced in April 2022), and the Mexico City Benemérito Mexico Temple (announced in April 2022). The new Cuernavaca Mexico Temple will likely include 12 stakes in Morelos State, southern Estado de Mexico State, and Guerrero State. The first stake was organized in Cuernavaca in 1983, and there are two stakes in the city. The oldest stake in the prospective temple district was organized in Cuautla in 1975 where there are three stakes today. Church growth has been slow in the area of Mexico. The most recently organized stake was created in 2009. The Church organized a mission in Cuernavaca in 2006. The Cuernavaca Mexico Temple was the first temple to be announced in Morelos State. Stakes in the likely new temple district pertain to the Mexico City Mexico Temple.
Pachuca Mexico Temple
The Pachuca Mexico Temple is the Church's 21st temple in Mexico. The new temple will likely include five stakes in the Pachuca area. The oldest stake in the probable temple district was created in 1984 in Pachuca. There are three stakes in Pachuca. The Church has reported some of its more rapid growth in Mexico in the Pachuca area as attested by the creation of new stakes and districts (three of the five stakes likely to be in the new temple district were organized in 2008, 2010, and 2018). The Mexico Pachuca Mission was organized in 2013. The Pachuca Mexico Temple is the first temple to be announced in Hidalgo State. Stakes in the likely new temple district pertain to the Mexico City Mexico Temple.
Toluca Mexico Temple
The Toluca Mexico Temple is the Church's 22nd temple in Mexico. This temple was not included on my most recent map of likely locations for future temple announcements because there are only three stakes in the Toluca area and close proximity to Mexico City where there are two temples (one dedicated, one announced). The Toluca Mexico Temple will likely include only three stakes and one district (in Michoacán). However, a fourth stake in the area appears likely to be organized in the foreseeable future. The new temple will be the Church's first temple in Estado de Mexico State - a state with dozens of stakes that surrounds Mexico City proper. The first stake in the Toluca area was created in 1991. Church growth in the Toluca area has been steady and more rapid than most areas of Mexico, with the next two stakes created in 2005 and 2014. Stakes in the area are assigned to the Mexico Mexico City West Mission. Stakes in the likely new temple district pertain to the Mexico City Mexico Temple.
Tula Mexico Temple
The Tula Mexico Temple is the Church's 23rd temple in Mexico. Like the Toluca Mexico Temple, this location was not included on my most recent temple prediction map due to few stakes in the area and close proximity to Pachuca which I considered a much more likely prospect for a new temple (which coincidentally also had a temple announced at the same time). The Tula Mexico Temple will likely service only four stakes in western Hidalgo State. The announcement of the Tula Mexico Temple marks the first temple two temples have been announced at the same time for the same state/province where no temples previously operated. There is only one stake in Tula that was organized in 1975. Three of the four stakes in the prospective temple district may divide in the coming years if additional congregations are organized and the number of active members increases to warrant it. Stakes in the likely new temple district are divided between the Mexico Pachuca Mission and the Mexico Mexico City North Mission. Stakes in the likely new temple district pertain to the Mexico City Mexico Temple.
Click here to access the September 2022 monthly newsletter for cumorah.com.
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).
Today, President Nelson announced plans to construct 18 new temples in the following locations:
With these 18 temples announced, this brings the total number of temples planned or dedicated to 300.
I will provide further analysis in the coming days regarding these announcements.
I have added one more less likely site for a potential temple announcement, namely Lahore, Pakistan.
The Church in Pakistan has more than 5,000 members organized in three districts and 13 branches. Multiple member groups also operate, such as in Mian Channu. The first mission of the Church in Pakistan, the Pakistan Service Mission, was organized in 2021 from a division of the India New Delhi Mission. The creation of the new mission was greatly needed given difficulties with travel between India and Pakistan, and the need for greater supervision and support of missionary and leadership development efforts. Church attendance has waxed and waned over the years in Pakistan from as high as 42% of total membership on Church records to as low as 10%. Local members report that much of these wide historical fluctuations have been due to leadership development issues and convert attrition. More recently, local members report significant improvements in church/conference attendance and an increase in convert baptisms. For example, more than 400 young single adults in Pakistan attended a special conference in 2021. Generally, the Church has baptized approximately 100 converts per year in Pakistan in recent years. An extremely well attended recent conference for the Lahore Pakistan District, with perhaps as many as 1,000 in attendance, suggests that the district may become a stake in the near future. In 2019, there were enough Latter-day Saints on Church records for both the Islamabad Pakistan District and the Lahore Pakistan District to become stakes.
New Delhi, India has been identified as a less likely site for a temple announcement on my temple prediction map, and this city was identified by Elder Neal A. Maxwell in 1992 for a proposed temple. However, a future temple in New Delhi would likely be very difficult, if not impossible, for most Pakistani Latter-day Saints to utilize given the political situation between India and Pakistan despite relatively close proximity to Pakistan. The planned Dubai United Arab of Emirates Temple is likely to be more easily accessed than a temple in India. Therefore, I have added Lahore, Pakistan to the temple prediction map (see below).
