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An area is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which typically is composed of multiple stakes and missions . These areas are the primary church administrative unit between individual stakes and the church as a whole.
History
The areas as they now exist were formed in January 1984.[1] Prior to that time, general authorities served as "area supervisors" and at times resided outside of Salt Lake City .[2] In 1984, 13 initial areas were created; by 1992 there were 22, and by early 2007 there were 31. As of August 2012 there are 25 areas.
Administration
Until 2003, each area had a president and two counselors, all of whom were typically general authorities (area seventies were sometimes asked to be counselors). This three-man body was known as the area presidency . In that year, the church eliminated area presidencies for all areas located in the United States and Canada . Each of these areas were placed under the direct supervision of one of the seven members of the Presidency of the Seventy , thus freeing more general authorities from specific area assignments. Since these areas were previously administered by area presidencies located at church headquarters in Salt Lake City , the administrative change was not as drastic as it might seem.
The areas outside the United States and Canada continue to be governed by area presidencies that are typically composed of general authorities and area seventies. Rather than living in Salt Lake City, the area presidency members in these areas usually reside in a headquarters city that is located within the geographic boundaries of the area. Area seventies who serve in the area presidencies reside in their own homes, which may or may not be in the area headquarters city. One exception to the area presidency living in the geographic boundaries is the Middle East/Africa North Area which is administered from Salt Lake City. Each area presidency typically uses an executive secretary to assist in the administration of the area.
The church now has 15 areas outside North America and 10 areas inside North America for a total of 25.
Area presidency assignments are generally filled by General Authority Seventies .[3] [4] Area assignments are typically announced in the spring each year, with changes effective that year on August 1.[5]
List
The following is an alphabetical list of the areas of the church and related leadership assignments as of 1 August 2016.[6]
Area name
Area headquarters
Area president
First counselor
Second counselor
Geographic coverage(Areas where the LDS Church has no official presence in italics)
Notes
Africa Southeast
Johannesburg , South Africa
Kevin S. Hamilton
Stanley G. Ellis
S. Mark Palmer
Angola ; Ascension (UK) ; Botswana ; Burundi ; Cameroon ; Central African Republic ; Comoros ; Democratic Republic of the Congo ; Djibouti ; ; Eritrea ; Ethiopia ; Gabon ; Kenya ; Lesotho ; Madagascar ; Malawi ; Mauritius ; Mayotte ; Mozambique ; Namibia ; Republic of Congo ; Réunion (FRA); Rwanda ; Saint Helena (UK); Seychelles ; Somalia ; South Africa ; Sudan ; Swaziland ; Tanzania ; Tristan da Cunha (UK); Uganda ; Zambia ; Zimbabwe
Africa West
Accra , Ghana
Terence M. Vinson
Marcus B. Nash
Vern P. Stanfill
Benin ; Burkina Faso ; Cape Verde ; Chad ; Côte d'Ivoire ; Gambia ; Ghana ; Guinea ; Guinea-Bissau ; Liberia ; Mali ; Mauritania ; Maritius ; Niger ; Nigeria ; São Tomé and Príncipe ; Senegal ; Sierra Leone ; Togo ; Western Sahara
Asia [7]
Hong Kong , China
Randy D. Funk
Chi Hong (Sam) Wong
David F. Evans
Afghanistan ; Bangladesh ; Bhutan ; Brunei ; Cambodia ; China ; East Timor ; India ; Indonesia ; Kyrgyzstan ; Laos ; Malaysia ; Maldives ; Mongolia ; Myanmar ; Nepal ; Pakistan ; Singapore ; Sri Lanka ; Tajikistan ; Taiwan ; Thailand ; Vietnam
Asia North
Tokyo , Japan
Scott D. Whiting
Kazuhiko Yamashita
Yoon Hwan Choi
Japan ; Micronesia ; North Korea ; Palau ; South Korea ; Guam (US)
Brazil
São Paulo , Brazil
Claudio R.M. Costa
Marcos A. Aidukaitis
W. Mark Bassett
Brazil
Official website (Portuguese)
Caribbean
Santo Domingo , Dominican Republic
Walter F. Gonzalez
Claudio D. Zivic
Hugo E. Martinez
Antigua and Barbuda ; Bahamas ; Barbados ; Dominica ; Dominican Republic ; Grenada ; Guyana ; Haiti ; Jamaica ; Saint Kitts and Nevis ; Saint Lucia ; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ; Suriname ; Trinidad and Tobago ; Anguilla (UK); Aruba (NED); Cayman Islands (UK); French Guiana (FRA); Guadaloupe (FRA); Martinique (FRA); Montserrat (FRA); Netherlands Antilles (NED); Puerto Rico (US); Saint Barthelemy (FRA); Saint Martin (FRA); Turks and Caicos Islands (UK); Virgin Islands (UK); Virgin Islands (US)
Central America
Guatemala City , Guatemala
Kevin R. Duncan
Adrian Ochoa
Jose L. Alonso
Belize ; Costa Rica ; El Salvador ; Guatemala ; Honduras ; Nicaragua ; Panama
Europe
Frankfurt , Germany
Patrick Kearon
Paul V. Johnson
Gary B. Sabin
Albania ; Andorra ; Austria ; Belgium ; Bosnia and Herzegovina ; Croatia ; Cyprus ; Czech Republic ; Denmark ; Finland ; France ; Germany ; Greece ; Hungary ; Iceland ; Republic of Ireland ; Italy ; Liechtenstein ; Luxembourg ; Republic of Macedonia ; Malta ; Moldova ; Monaco ; Montenegro ; Netherlands ; Norway ; Poland ; Portugal ; Romania ; San Marino ; Serbia ; Slovakia ; Slovenia ; Spain ; Sweden ; Switzerland ; United Kingdom ; Vatican City ; Azores (POR); Canary Islands (ESP); Gibraltar (UK); Greenland (DEN)
Europe East
Moscow , Russia
Bruce D. Porter
James B. Martino
Larry S. Kacher
Armenia ; Azerbaijan ; Belarus ; Bulgaria ; Estonia ; Georgia ; Kazakhstan ; Kyrgyzstan ; Latvia ; Lithuania ; Russia ; Tajikistan ; Turkey ; Turkmenistan ; Ukraine ; Uzbekistan
Idaho
Salt Lake City , Utah
Ulisses Soares (Presidency)[8]
Idaho ; Montana (small portion); Wyoming (small portion)
Mexico
Mexico City , Mexico
Paul B. Pieper
Arnulfo Valenzuela
Rafael E. Pino
Mexico ; Cuba
Middle East/ Africa North
Salt Lake City , Utah
Larry R. Lawrence , Wilford W. Andersen
Algeria ; Bahrain ; Cape Verde ; Egypt ; Iran ; Iraq ; Israel ; Jordan ; Kuwait ; Lebanon ; Libya ; Morocco ; Oman ; Qatar ; Saudi Arabia ; Syria ; Tunisia ; United Arab Emirates ; Yemen ; Gaza Strip ; West Bank
North America Central
Salt Lake City , Utah
Ulisses Soares (Presidency)[8]
Alberta ; British Columbia (small eastern sections); Colorado ; Illinois ; Iowa ; Kansas ; Manitoba ; Michigan (Upper Peninsula ); Minnesota ; Missouri ; Montana ; Nebraska ; Northwest Territories ; North Dakota ; Nunavut ; Ontario (western half); Saskatchewan ; South Dakota ; Wisconsin ; Wyoming .
North America Northeast
Salt Lake City , Utah
Gerrit W. Gong (Presidency)[8] [9]
Connecticut ; Delaware ; Indiana ; Maine ; Maryland ; Massachusetts ; Michigan ; New Brunswick ; Newfoundland ; New Hampshire ; New Jersey ; New York ; Nova Scotia ; Ohio ; Ontario ; Pennsylvania ; Prince Edward Island ; Quebec ; Rhode Island ; Vermont ; Virginia (most of the state); Washington, D.C. ; West Virginia ; Bermuda (UK); Saint Pierre and Miquelon (FRA)
North America Northwest
Salt Lake City , Utah
Donald L. Hallstrom (Presidency)[8]
Alaska ; British Columbia ; California (small part of north); Oregon ; Washington ; Yukon .
North America Southeast
Salt Lake City , Utah
Richard J. Maynes (Presidency)[8]
Alabama ; Arkansas ; Florida ; Georgia ; Kentucky (most of the state); Louisiana ; Mississippi ; North Carolina ; South Carolina ; Tennessee ; Texas (small portion); Virginia (small portions)
North America Southwest
Salt Lake City , Utah
Lynn G. Robbins (Presidency)
Arizona ; Nevada ; New Mexico ; Oklahoma ; Texas ; Arkansas (northwest quarter); California (small portions); Colorado (southwest portion); Kansas (small portion); Louisiana (small portion); Missouri (southwest third); Utah (small portions)
North America West
Salt Lake City , Utah
Donald L. Hallstrom (Presidency)[8]
California ; Hawaii ; Arizona (small portions)
Pacific
Auckland , New Zealand
O. Vincent Haleck
S. Gifford Nielsen
Craig A. Cardon
Australia ; Fiji ; Kiribati ; Marshall Islands ; Nauru ; New Zealand ; Papua New Guinea ; Samoa ; Solomon Islands ; Tonga ; Tuvalu ; Vanuatu ; American Samoa (US); Cook Islands (NZ); French Polynesia , including Tahiti (FRA); New Caledonia (FRA); Niue (NZ); Pitcairn Islands (UK); Tokelau (NZ); Wallis and Futuna (FRA)
Official website
Philippines
Manila , Philippines
Shayne M. Bowen
Allen D. Haynie
Evan A. Schmutz
Philippines ; Northern Mariana Islands (US)
South America Northwest
Lima , Peru
Carlos A. Godoy [8]
Enrique R. Falabella [10]
Hugo Montoya [8]
Bolivia ; Colombia ; Ecuador ; Peru ; Venezuela
South America South
Buenos Aires , Argentina
Jose A. Teixeira
Allan F. Packer
Mark A. Bragg
Argentina ; Chile ; Paraguay ; Uruguay
Utah North
Salt Lake City , Utah
Craig C. Christensen (Presidency)[8]
Utah (northern regions); Idaho (small portion); Wyoming (southwest corner)
Utah Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City , Utah
Craig C. Christensen (Presidency)[8]
Greater Salt Lake City ; Nevada (small portion)
Utah South
Salt Lake City , Utah
Craig C. Christensen (Presidency)[8]
Utah (south of Greater Salt Lake City); Arizona (small portion); Nevada (small portion)
Area details
The following statistics are current as of January 1, 2015 (unless otherwise specified), with missions as of July 1, 2015 and are taken from the country and area websites on LDS.org and statistical profiles on cumorah.com.
Area
Membership
Missions
Stakes/Districts
Congregations(wards/branches)
Temples
Africa Southeast
197,226
14
585 congregations
Durban South Africa Temple
•
Johannesburg South Africa Temple
•
Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple
Africa West
248,350
14
810 congregations
Aba Nigeria Temple
•
Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple (under construction)
•
Accra Ghana Temple
Asia
164,741
10
368 congregations
Bangkok Thailand Temple
•
Hong Kong China Temple
•
Taipei Taiwan Temple
Asia North
223,508
12
420 congregations
Fukuoka Japan Temple
•
Sapporo Japan Temple
•
Seoul Korea Temple
•
Tokyo Japan Temple
Brazil
1,289,376
34
1,996 congregations
Campinas Brazil Temple
•
Curitiba Brazil Temple
•
Fortaleza Brazil Temple
•
Manaus Brazil Temple
•
Porto Alegre Brazil Temple
•
Recife Brazil Temple
•
São Paulo Brazil Temple
Caribbean
194,221
8
367 congregations
Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple
Central America
729,791
18
1,071 congregations
Guatemala City Guatemala Temple
•
Panama City Panama Temple
•
Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple
•
San José Costa Rica Temple
•
San Salvador El Salvador Temple
•
Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple
Europe[11]
455,088
31
1,261 congregations
Bern Switzerland Temple
•
Copenhagen Denmark Temple
•
Frankfurt Germany Temple
•
Freiberg Germany Temple
•
Helsinki Finland Temple
•
Lisbon Portugal Temple
•
London England Temple
•
Madrid Spain Temple
•
Paris France Temple
•
Preston England Temple
•
Rome Italy Temple
•
Stockholm Sweden Temple
•
The Hague Netherlands Temple
Europe East[11]
44,313
14
209 congregations
Kyiv Ukraine Temple
Idaho
425,739
4
1,102 congregations
Boise Idaho Temple
•
Idaho Falls Idaho Temple
•
Meridian Idaho Temple
•
Rexburg Idaho Temple
•
Twin Falls Idaho Temple
Mexico[11]
1,344,298
34
1,981 congregations
Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple
•
Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Temple
•
Guadalajara Mexico Temple
•
Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple
•
Mérida Mexico Temple
•
Mexico City Mexico Temple
•
Monterrey Mexico Temple
•
Oaxaca Mexico Temple
•
Tampico Mexico Temple
•
Tijuana Mexico Temple
•
Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Temple
•
Veracruz Mexico Temple
•
Villahermosa Mexico Temple
Middle East/Africa North[11]
11,714
0
85 congregations
North America Central
644,186
20
1,504 congregations
Billings Montana Temple
•
Bismarck North Dakota Temple
•
Calgary Alberta Temple
•
Cardston Alberta Temple
•
Chicago Illinois Temple
•
Denver Colorado Temple
•
Edmonton Alberta Temple
•
Fort Collins Colorado Temple
•
Kansas City Missouri Temple
•
Nauvoo Illinois Temple
•
Regina Saskatchewan Temple
•
St. Louis Missouri Temple
•
St. Paul Minnesota Temple
•
Winnipeg Manitoba Temple
•
Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple
North America Northeast[11]
407,514
24
839 congregations
Boston Massachusetts Temple
•
Columbus Ohio Temple
•
Detroit Michigan Temple
•
Halifax Nova Scotia Temple
•
Hartford Connecticut Temple
•
Indianapolis Indiana Temple
•
Manhattan New York Temple
•
Montreal Quebec Temple
•
Palmyra New York Temple
•
Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple
•
Toronto Ontario Temple
• Washington D.C. Temple
North America Northwest
494,290
13
1,299 congregations
Anchorage Alaska Temple
•
Columbia River Washington Temple
•
Medford Oregon Temple
•
Portland Oregon Temple
•
Seattle Washington Temple
•
Spokane Washington Temple
•
Vancouver British Columbia Temple
North America Southeast
526,385
18
1,030 congregations
Atlanta Georgia Temple
•
Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple
•
Birmingham Alabama Temple
•
Columbia South Carolina Temple
• Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple
•
Louisville Kentucky Temple
•
Memphis Tennessee Temple
•
Nashville Tennessee Temple
•
Orlando Florida Temple
•
Raleigh North Carolina Temple
North America Southwest
1,032,246
21
2,011 congregations
Albuquerque New Mexico Temple
•
Dallas Texas Temple
•
Gilbert Arizona Temple
•
Houston Texas Temple
•
Las Vegas Nevada Temple
•
Lubbock Texas Temple
•
Mesa Arizona Temple
•
Monticello Utah Temple
•
Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple
•
Phoenix Arizona Temple
•
Reno Nevada Temple
•
San Antonio Texas Temple
•
Snowflake Arizona Temple
•
Gila Valley Arizona Temple
•
Tucson Arizona Temple
North America West
853,671
21
1,493 congregations
Fresno California Temple
•
Kona Hawaii Temple
•
Laie Hawaii Temple
•
Los Angeles California Temple
•
Newport Beach California Temple
•
Oakland California Temple
•
Redlands California Temple
•
Sacramento California Temple
•
San Diego California Temple
Pacific
499,509
17
1,145 congregations
Adelaide Australia Temple
•
Apia Samoa Temple
•
Brisbane Australia Temple
•
Hamilton New Zealand Temple
•
Melbourne Australia Temple
•
Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple
•
Papeete Tahiti Temple
•
Perth Australia Temple
•
Suva Fiji Temple
•
Sydney Australia Temple
Philippines[11]
688,852
21
1,149 congregations
Cebu City Philippines Temple
•
Manila Philippines Temple
•
Urdaneta Philippines Temple
South America Northwest
1,299,577
32
1,874 congregations.
Arequipa Peru Temple
•
Barranquilla Colombia Temple
•
Bogotá Colombia Temple
•
Caracas Venezuela Temple
•
Cochabamba Bolivia Temple
•
Guayaquil Ecuador Temple
•
Lima Peru Temple
•
Trujillo Peru Temple
South America South
1,193,569
28
1,697 congregations.
Asunción Paraguay Temple
•
Buenos Aires Argentina Temple
•
Concepción Chile Temple
•
Córdoba Argentina Temple
•
Montevideo Uruguay Temple
•
Santiago Chile Temple
Utah North
547,517
2
160 stakes 0 districts
1,289 wards 79 branches
Bountiful Utah Temple
•
Brigham City Utah Temple
•
Logan Utah Temple
•
Ogden Utah Temple
•
Star Valley Wyoming Temple
Utah Salt Lake City
691,756
5
188 stakes 1 district
1,406 wards 139 branches
Draper Utah Temple
•
Jordan River Utah Temple
•
Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
•
Salt Lake Temple
Utah South
746,082
3
225 stakes 0 districts
1,906 wards 118 branches
Cedar City Utah Temple
•
Manti Utah Temple
•
Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple
•
Payson Utah Temple
•
Provo City Center Temple
•
Provo Utah Temple
•
St. George Utah Temple
•
Vernal Utah Temple
See also
References
^ Allen, James B. and Glen M. Leonard . The Story of the Latter-day Saints 2nd Edition, p. 654.
^ Mehr, Kahlile (Spring 2001). "Area Supervision: Administration of the Worldwide Church, 1960-2002" . Journal of Mormon History . 27 (1): 192–214.
^ In late 2015, the church began referring to these leaders as General Authority Seventies, rather than distinguishing between the First or Second Quorum of the Seventy.
^ Although area seventies may serve in an area presidency, including filling the whole presidency in some cases in the past, this has not been the church's practice in recent years. Use of an area seventy in the area presidency has primarily included filling a vacancy due to such things as illness or other "mid-year" assignment changes.
^ For several years, the assignments were effective on August 15, but August 1 has been the effective date since 2007.
^ "LDS First Presidency announces changes to area leadership assignments" , Church News , 28 April 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
^ With Gerrit W. Gong ’s appointment to the Presidency of the Seventy , effective 4 January 2016, Randy D. Funk became the Area President, with Chi Hong (Sam) Wong as the First Counselor and Siu Hong Pon, an area seventy , as the Second Counselor.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k Morgenegg, Ryan (12 November 2015). "Changes announced for Area Presidencies" . Church News .
^ This assignment is shown as announced on 12 November 2015, although Donald L. Hallstrom continues to have responsibility for the North America Northeast Area until 4 January 2016, when Gerrit W. Gong's assignment in Asia is completed and he fully transitions to his role in the Presidency of the Seventy.
^ Effective August 15, 2016. Details of this change are in this article: "South America Northwest Area leadership change" .
^ a b c d e f Current as of mid or late 2013. Information taken from lds.org and cumorah.com.