Area (LDS Church)

An area is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which typically is composed of multiple stakes and missions. With the abolishment of regional representatives and the creation of area seventies in 1995, the area became the primary church administrative unit between the stake 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 2008 there were 27 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 employs an executive secretary to assist in the administration of the area.

The Church now has 16 areas outside North America and 10 areas inside North America for a total of 26. The current assignments became effective 1 August 2010. Area presidency assignments are generally filled by members of the First or Second Quorum of the Seventy. ^[3][4]

List

The following is an alphabetical list of the areas of the church.^[3] The number assigned corresponds to the number on the map in the section below.

Area name	Area headquarters	Area president (Quorum of Seventy)	First counselor (Quorum of Seventy)	Second counselor (Quorum of Seventy)	Geographic coverage (Areas where the LDS Church has no official presence in italics)	Notes
Africa Southeast	Johannesburg, South Africa	Dale G. Renlund (1st)	Ulisses Soares (1st)	Carl B. Cook (1st)	Angola; Botswana; Burundi; Comoros; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Kenya; Lesotho; Madagascar; Mauritius; Mozambique;Namibia; Rwanda; Seychelles; Somalia; South Africa; Swaziland; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe; Ascension Island (UK); Réunion (FRA); Saint Helena (UK); Tristan da Cunha (UK)
Africa West	Accra, Ghana	John B. Dickson (2nd)	Joseph W. Sitati (1st)	LeGrand R. Curtis Jr. (1st)	Benin; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Liberia; Mali; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; São Tomé and Príncipe; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Sudan; Togo; Western Sahara
Asia	Hong Kong, China	Anthony D. Perkins (1st)	Kent D. Watson (2nd)	Gerritt W. Gong (1st)	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	Gary E. Stevenson (1st)	Michael T. Ringwood (1st)	Koichi Aoyagi (2nd)	Japan; Micronesia; North Korea; Palau; South Korea
Brazil	São Paulo, Brazil	Claudio R.M. Costa (1st)	Carlos A. Godoy (1st)	Jairo Mazzagardi (2nd)	Brazil	Official website (Portuguese)
Caribbean	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	Francisco J. Viñas (1st)	Wilford W. Andersen (2nd)	J. Devn Cornish (2nd)	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	Enrique R. Falabella (1st)	James B. Martino (2nd)	Carlos H. Amado (1st)	Belize; Costa Rica; El Salvador; Guatemala; Honduras; Nicaragua; Panama
Chile	Santiago, Chile	Lawrence E. Corbridge (1st)	Jorge F. Zeballos (1st)	Kent F. Richards	Chile	Official website (Spanish). No change in 2009.[3]
Europe	Frankfurt, Germany	Erich W. Kopischke (1st)	Gérald Caussé (1st)	José A. Teixeira (1st)	Albania; Andorra; Austria; Begium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; Czech Republic; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Republic of Ireland; Italy; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Republic of Macedonia; Malta; Moldova; Monaco; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; San Marino; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom; Vatican City; Azores (POR); Canary Islands (ESP); Gibraltar (UK); Greenland (DEN)
Europe East	Moscow, Russia	Gregory A. Schwitzer (2nd)	Larry R. Lawrence (2nd)	Randall K. Bennett (Area Seventy)	Armenia; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Bulgaria; Cyprus; Estonia; Georgia; Kazakhstan; Latvia; Lithuania; Montenegro; Russia; Serbia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Ukraine; Uzbekistan
Idaho	Salt Lake City, Utah	Donald L. Hallstrom (President)			Idaho; Montana (small portion); Wyoming (small portion)
Mexico	Mexico City, Mexico	Daniel L. Johnson (1st)	Benjamín De Hoyos (1st)	Octaviano Tenorio (1st)	Mexico; Cuba
Middle East/ Africa North	Salt Lake City, Utah	Bruce D. Porter (1st),  Paul B. Pieper (1st)			Algeria; Bahrain; Cape Verde; Egypt; Iran; Iraq; Israel; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Libya; Morocco; Oman; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Syria; Tunisia; United Arab Emerites; Yemen; Gaza Strip; West Bank
North America Central	Salt Lake City, Utah	Donald L. Hallstrom			Alberta; Colorado; Illinois; Iowa; Kansas; Manitoba; Minnesota; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Northwest Territories; North Dakota; Nunavut; Saskatchewan; South Dakota; Wisconsin; Wyoming; British Columbia (small eastern sections); Ontario (western half); Michigan (Upper Peninsula)
North America Northeast	Salt Lake City, Utah	Jay E. Jensen (President)			Connecticut; Delaware; Ontario; Maine; Massachusetts; New Brunswick; Newfoundland; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; Nova Scotia; Pennsylvania; Prince Edward Island; Quebec; Rhode Island; Vermont; Virginia (portions); Washington, D.C.; Bermuda (UK); Saint Pierre and Miquelon (FRA)	No change in 2009.[3]
North America Northwest	Salt Lake City, Utah	L. Whitney Clayton (President)			Alaska; British Columbia; Oregon; Washington; Yukon; California (small part of north)	No change in 2009.[3]
North America Southeast	Salt Lake City, Utah	Walter F. González (President)			Alabama; Arkansas; Florida; Georgia; Louisiana; Mississippi; North Carolina; South Carolina; Tennessee; Kentucky (small portions); Texas (small portion); Virginia (small portions)	No change in 2009.[3]
North America Southwest	Salt Lake City, Utah	Tad R. Callister (President)			Arizona; 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	L. Whitney Clayton (President)			California; Hawaii; Arizona (small portions)	No change in 2009.[3]
Pacific	Auckland, New Zealand	James J. Hamula (1st)	Kevin W. Pearson (1st)	F. Michael Watson	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	Michael John U. Teh (1st)	Brent H. Nielson (1st)	Ian S. Ardern (2nd)	Philippines; Guam (US); Northern Mariana Islands (US)	No change in 2009.[3]
South America Northwest	Bogotá, Colombia	Rafael E. Pino (1st)	Juan A. Uceda (1st)	W. Christopher Waddell	Colombia; Ecuador; Venezuela
South America South	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Mervyn B. Arnold (1st)	Marcos A. Aidukaitis (1st)	Bradley D. Foster (2nd)	Argentina; Paraguay; Uruguay	No change in 2009.[3]
Utah North	Salt Lake City, Utah	Steven E. Snow (President)			Utah (northern regions); Idaho (small portion); Wyoming (southwest corner)
Utah Salt Lake City	Salt Lake City, Utah	Steven E. Snow (President)			Greater Salt Lake City; Nevada (small portion)
Utah South	Salt Lake City, Utah	Steven E. Snow (President)			Utah (south of Greater Salt Lake City); Arizona (small portion); Nevada (small portion)

Area details

Area	Membership	Missions	Stakes/Districts	Congregations (wards/branches)	Temples
Africa Southeast					1	Johannesburg South Africa Temple
Africa West					2	Aba Nigeria Temple Accra Ghana Temple
Asia	133,563	10	16 stakes 27 districts	109 wards 198 branches	2	Hong Kong China Temple Taipei Taiwan Temple
Asia North					4	Fukuoka Japan Temple Seoul Korea Temple Sapporo Japan Temple Tokyo Japan Temple
Brazil	970,903	27	227 stakes	1756	7	Campinas Brazil Temple Curitiba Brazil Temple Fortaleza Brazil Temple Manaus Brazil Temple Porto Alegre Brazil Temple Recife Brazil Temple São Paulo Brazil Temple
Caribbean					1	Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple
Central America					6	Guatemala City Guatemala Temple Panamá City Panamá Temple Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple San José Costa Rica Temple San Salvador El Salvador Temple Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple
Chile	543,628	9	76 stakes	612	2	Concepcion Chile Temple Santiago Chile Temple
Europe					13	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					1	Kyiv Ukraine Temple
Idaho					5	Boise Idaho Temple Idaho Falls Idaho Temple Meridian Idaho Temple Rexburg Idaho Temple Twin Falls Idaho Temple
Mexico	1,082,427	21		1936	13	Ciudad Juárez México Temple Colonia Juárez Chihuahua México Temple Guadalajara México Temple Hermosillo Sonora México Temple Monterrey México Temple Mérida México Temple México City México Temple Oaxaca México Temple Tampico México Temple Tijuana Mexico Temple Tuxtla Gutiérrez México Temple Veracruz México Temple Villahermosa México Temple
Middle East/Africa North					0
North America Central					15	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 Nauvoo Illinois Temple Regina Saskatchewan Temple St. Louis Missouri Temple St. Paul Minnesota Temple Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple
North America Northeast					12	Boston Massachusetts Temple Columbus Ohio Temple Detroit Michigan Temple Halifax Nova Scotia Temple Hartford Connecticut Temple Indianapolis Indiana Temple Manhattan New York Temple Montréal Québec Temple Palmyra New York Temple Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple Toronto Ontario Temple Washington D.C. Temple
North America Northwest					7	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	329,942	13	68 Stakes	452 Wards 191 Branches	10	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	912,820	17	188 stakes 4 districts	1505 wards 293 branches	13	Albuquerque New Mexico Temple Dallas Texas Temple The Gila Valley Arizona Temple Gilbert Arizona Temple Houston Texas Temple Las Vegas Nevada Temple Lubbock Texas Temple Mesa Arizona Temple Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Phoenix Arizona Temple Reno Nevada Temple San Antonio Texas Temple Snowflake Arizona Temple
North America West	815,441	18	174	1322 wards 174 branches	9	Fresno California Temple Laie Hawaii Temple Kona Hawaii Temple Los Angeles California Temple Newport Beach California Temple Oakland California Temple Redlands California Temple Sacramento California Temple San Diego California Temple
Pacific					10	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	572,619	15	78 stakes	1075	3	Manila Philippines Temple Cebu Philippines Temple Urdaneta Philippines Temple
South America North					3	Bogotá Colombia Temple Caracas Venezuela Temple Guayaquil Ecuador Temple
South America South					4	Asunción Paraguay Temple Buenos Aires Argentina Temple Cordoba Argentina Temple Montevideo Uruguay Temple
South America West					3	Cochabamba Bolivia Temple Lima Peru Temple Trujillo Peru Temple
Utah North		1			4	Bountiful Utah Temple Brigham City Utah Temple Logan Utah Temple Ogden Utah Temple
Utah Salt Lake City	658,317	3	178 stakes 1 district	1346 wards 138 branches	4	Draper Utah Temple Jordan River Utah Temple Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple Salt Lake Temple
Utah South		1			7	Manti Utah Temple Monticello Utah Temple Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple Payson Utah Temple Provo Utah Temple St. George Utah Temple Vernal Utah Temple

See also

• District (LDS Church)
• List of area seventies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• List of general authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

References

1. ^ Allen, James B. and Glen M. Leonard. The Story of the Latter-day Saints 2nd Edition, p. 654.
2. ^ Mehr, Kahlile (Spring 2001). "Area Supervision: Administration of the Worldwide Church, 1960-2002". Journal of Mormon History 27 (1): 192–214. http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/jmh,17512. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} New Area assignment effective 1 August 2010, "Area Leadership Assignments" (8 May 2010). Last accessed 10 August 2010.
4. ^ New Area assignment effective 1 August 2009, "Area Leadership Map August 2009" (2 May 2009).