The LDS Church created 8 new stakes in December 2013

The LDS Church created 8 new stakes in December 2013 (only 1 was in the US)

One new stake were created in Bolivia.  There are now 27 Stakes in the Bolivia and 1 temple.

One new stake was created in Guatemala.  There are now 42 Stakes in Guatemala (2 this year) and 2 temples.

One new stake was created in Samoa.  There are now 19 Stakes in Samoa and 1 temple.

One new stake was created in Tonga.  There are now 19 Stakes in Tonga and 1 temple.

One new stake was created in Togo.  There is now 1 Stake in Togo.

One new stake was created in Philippines.  There are now 88 Stakes in Philippines and 2 temples and 1 more under construction.

One new stake was created in Ghana.  There are now 11 Stakes in Ghana and 1 temple.

One new stake was created in Utah.  There are now 566 Stakes in Utah (6 this year) and 14 temples and 3 more under construction.

40. El Alto Bolivia Litoral - December 1st, 2013
41. Escuintla Guatemala - December 1st, 2013
42. Apia Samoa Central - December 8th, 2013
43. Lome Togo - December 8th, 2013
44. Nuku'alofa Tonga Malapo - December 8th, 2013
45. San Gabriel Philippines - December 8th, 2013
46. Kumasi Ghana Dichemso - December 15th, 2013
47. St George Utah Boulder Ridge - December 15th, 2013

From ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com, later confirmed at ldschurchnews.com/callings

This year there were 13 new stakes in the US and 32 outside. That makes 45 new stakes this year, almost one a week. The average for the last 7 years is 41 stakes a year.

There are now 3,051 stakes worldwide, with 1,516 in the US (49.7%) and 1,535 outside the US.

You can see maps at lds.org/maps,
As a bonus if you are a member of the church and you log in, then you can see boundaries for any ward, stake or mission in the world!

The Church creates its first stake in Togo, Africa

The Church now operates stakes in 79 countries and an additional 5 areas or territories.

This includes 12 new countries that created their first stake this decade since Uganda in Jan 2010

73	Uganda	Kampala Uganda (2870)	19-Jan-2010
74	Guam	Barrigada Guam (2893)	10-Dec-2010
75	United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi Stake (2910)	15-Apr-2011
76	Indonesia	Jakarta Indonesia (2923)	22-May-2011
77	Russia	Moscow Russia (2926)	5-Jun-2011
78	Cape Verde	Praia Cape Verde (2962)	29-Apr-2012
79	India	Hyderabad India (2967)	27-May-2012
80	New Caldonia (France)	Noumea New Caledonia (2968)	27-May-2012
81	Botswana	Gaborone Botswana (2987)	4-Nov-2012
82	Sierra Leone	Freetown Sierra Leone (3000)	2-Dec-2012
83	Armenia	Yerevan Armenia	16-Jun-2013
84	Togo	Lome Togo (3048)	8-Dec-2013

There are now 79 stakes in Africa in 14 different countries

Members from 12 branches of the Church in Lomé, Togo, gathered in their recently dedicated Church building on Sunday, Dec. 8, to witness the creation of Togo’s first stake.  it has 8 wards and 4 branches.

Togo is located on the Gulf of Guinea, between Ghana on the west and Benin on the east. Its national capital and main port is Lomé, nestled in the southwestern corner of this country of nearly 7 million residents.

Elder Terence M. Vinson of the Seventy and first counselor in the Africa West Area Presidency, organized the Lomé Togo Stake with the assistance of Elder Norbert K. Ounleu, an Area Seventy from Cote d’Ivoire.

From the small district that was formed less than four years ago, there are now eight wards and four branches in the newly formed Lomé Togo Stake. This historic event took place because of significant and rapid growth.

Lome Stake Center

ldschurchnews.com/first-stake-in-Togo

Lome Togo Stake

Their is a Temple in Accra, Ghana dedicated in 2004

5 Stakes created in October and November 2013

The LDS Church created 1 new stake in October 2013
The LDS Church created 4 new stakes in November 2013 (all 4 in the US)

One new stake were created in Ecuador.  There are now 35 Stakes in the Ecuador and 1 temple


One new stake was created in Utah.  There are now 565 Stakes in Utah (5 this year) and 14 temples and 3 more under construction.

One new stake was created in Colorado.  There are now 33 Stakes in Colorado (2 this year) and 1 temple and 1 more under construction.

One new stake was created in Missouri.  There are now 15 Stakes in Missouri and 1 temple

One new stake was created in Texas.  There are now 59 Stakes in Texas and 4 temples

35. Quito Ecuador Turubamba - October 20th, 2013
36. Highland Utah Central - November 3rd, 2013
37. Brighton Colorado - November 10th, 2013
38. West Plains Missouri - November 24th, 2013
39. Round Rock Texas East - November 24th, 2013

From http://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/, later confirmed at http://www.ldschurchnews.com/callings/

Interesting to see all four new stakes in US.  This year there are 12 new stakes in the US and 9 outside. (that will change in December with several new foreign stakes announced)

There are now 3,051 stakes worldwide, with 1,516 in the US (49.7%) and 1,535 outside the US.

You can see maps at https://www.lds.org/maps/,
As a bonus if you are a member of the church and you log in, then you can see boundaries for any ward, stake or mission in the world!

Gilbert Arizona Temple dedication date set

The Gilbert Arizona Temple will be dedicated on March, 2nd, 2014. This will be the 4th temple in Arizona, with 2 more under construction

The Gilbert temple will be the 142nd temple in operation. There are 14 more under construction and another 14 announced.

Tegucigalpa Honduras was dedicated in March 2013.

At 85,000 square feet and rising to 195 feet, this will be the largest temple built in 17 years. (Mt Timpanogos and Bountiful are just over 104,000 sq feet)  It will also be the largest building in Gilbert

This will be about the same size as Manti, the new Provo City, and Idaho Falls.  The new Payson temple will be 96,000 sq feet

Of course Salt Lake (253,000) Los Angeles (191,00) Wash DC (160,000) Jordan River (153,00) and Mexico City (117,000)  are the five largest.

Read about it here lds.org/church/events/public-invited-to-gilbert-arizona-temple

See pictures here http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/gilbert/

and here http://mormontemples.org/gilbert

7 new stakes created in September

The LDS Church created 7 new stakes in September 2013

Two new stake were created in the Philippines.  There are now 87 Stakes in the Philippines and 2 temples (with one more under construction).

One new stake was created in France.  There are now 11 Stakes in France and with a temple in Paris under construction. 

One new stake was created in Italy.  There are now 9 Stakes in Italy and with a temple in Rome under construction.

One new stake was created in Colorado.  There are now 32 Stakes in Colorado and 1 temple (with one more under construction.)

One new stake was created in California.  There are now 157 Stakes in California and 7 temples (also my ward just split in Mission Viejo CA Stake, our stake now has ten wards!)

One new stake was created in Spain.  There are now 14 Stakes in Spain and 1 temple

28. Cebu Philippines Consolacion - September 8th, 2013
29. Paris France South - September 15th, 2013
30. Rome Italy West - September 15th, 2013
31. Aurora Colorado South - September 22nd, 2013
32. Lake Elsinore California - September 22nd, 2013
33. Las Palmas Spain - September 22nd 2013
34. San Jose Del Monte Philippines - September 22nd 2013

From http://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/

Interesting to see three new stakes in Southern Europe

There are now 3,039 stakes worlwide, with 1,512 in the US (49.7%) and 1,527 outside the US.

Region Totals	2013
Africa Totals	5
Asia Totals	3
Canada Totals	0
Caribbean Totals	0
Central America	2
Europe Totals	3
Scandinavia Totals	0
Mexico	1
South America	6
South Pacific	5
U.K. / Ireland Totals	0
US Totals	9
Totals	34

I hope to do maps next time - they are fun, but you can see maps at https://www.lds.org/maps/, if you are a member of the church and you log in, then you can see boundaries for any ward, stake or mission in the world!

LDS Church Membership reaches 15 Million

According to my conservative calculations, the membership of the LDS church would have reached 15,009,900 by the end of August 2013.

Official membership as of 12/31/2012 was 14,782,473.  With an annual increase of 341,127 or a monthly increase of 28,427.  More likely the numbers are higher for two reasons, this is based on 2012 growth, if it is based on 2013 growth the monthly increase would be over 30,000 a month. Secondly, this is based on 55,000 missionaries, not the nearly 80,000 now serving.

End of year prediction for Dec 31, 2013, would fall at about 15.15 Million.  Of course the number would be two million higher if we counted all the children under the age of eight who are not yet baptized.  The church will release this Dec 2013 membership number in their annual April Conference in April 2014.

The 2013 US membership would be 6,415,000 growing about 100,000 a year
The International membership would be 8,719,000 growing about 250,000 a year

There are an average of 4,920 members per stake (this is simple division ignoring the 600 districts (smaller than stakes) and 7,600 branches)
There are 9.7 units (known as wards or branches or congregations) per stake
and about 510 members per unit

This puts the LDS membership ahead of the Jews both in the US and internationally
The LDS Church is the 4th largest in the US and should surpass the United Methodist church in 2019. With Catholics (67 Million US) and Southern Baptists (16 Million US) further ahead.

www.ncccusa.org/news/080215yearbook1.html
www.thearda.com/rcms2010/rcms2010

www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/mormons-in-america

However, I have always believed a better measure of LDS activity is the level of stakes

There are 3,036 Stakes in the Church in 83 countries.  1,510 are in the US (49.75%) and 1,526 outside.
Year-to-date, the church has added 30 new stakes, 23 outside of the US

There are 141 operating temples, 68 in the US and 73 abroad
There are 170 announced and operating temples, 81 in the US and 89 abroad.

From the cumorah.com website
You find a map of all wards and branches and stake boundaries for all countries
Here is an example of South Africa
maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=208902184762411646460

Two Stakes Created in July, August both in Africa

There are now 3,032 stakes, with 1,510 in the US and 1,522 outside the US.  There are 76 stakes in Africa in 13 Countries. There are three temples with two more announced.

There are 22 stakes and one temple in Nigeria

There are 12 stakes and one announced temple in Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire)


26. Warri Nigeria - July 7th, 2013
27. Kisanga DR Congo - August 25th, 2013
ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com

There have been 27 stakes created year to date

Click to enlarge Nigeria

Click to enlarge DR Congo

lds.org/maps - now with Stake, Ward & Mission boundaries (requires lds sign-on)