Facts and Statistics

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    New Brunswick

    2 644

    Total Church Membership

    0.34% 1-in-294

    Population vs. Church Members

    1

    Stakes

    7

    Congregations

    5 Wards
    2 Branches

    3

    Family History Centers

    3

    History

    Missionary work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Maritime provinces began in 1833. One missionary preached in Saint John and later in Sackville, where he baptized 18 people and organized the first branch (a small congregation) in the Maritimes. Among those baptized in Sackville was Marriner W. Merrill, who later preached extensively in Canada and eventually became a prominent Church leader.

    In 1920, a branch was organized in Saint John. Church members constructed a meetinghouse in 1954. The Fredericton Branch was organized in 1940, and by 1963 members completed a meetinghouse there. The Moncton Branch, created in 1966, included the Sackville area where the first branch of the Church in the Maritimes was created. Membership in this branch reached 160 in 1974. A stake (similar to a diocese) was organized in Saint John in 1988.

    Although growth of the Church in the Maritimes has fluctuated over time, membership continued to grow through the end of the century.

    Canada

    205 907

    Total Church Membership

    1-in-

    53

    Stakes

    1010101010

    502

    Congregations

    356 Wards
    146 Branches

    155

    Family History Centers

    155

    9

    Temples

    6

    Missions | 3 Districts

    History

    Joseph Smith, Sr. and his son Don Carlos — the father and brother of Joseph Smith, Jr. — preached in several Canadian towns and hamlets north of the St. Lawrence River in September 1830. The Canadian settlements were only a day or two’s journey from Palmyra, New York, and Kirtland, Ohio, and several converts were eager to share their new religion with relatives north of the border.

    Between 1830 and 1850, some 2,500 Canadians joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, mostly in Upper Canada (modern-day southern Ontario and the watershed areas of Northern Ontario along the Ottawa River and Lakes Huron and Superior) but also in the southern English-speaking townships of Lower Canada (southern portion of current-day Quebec and the Labrador region), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

    The first known Latter-day Saints to enter what is now Alberta were Simeon F. Allen and his son Heber S. Allen of Hyrum, Utah, who contracted work in 1883 on the Canadian Pacific Railroad between Medicine Hat and Calgary. They were joined by other Later-day Saints from Utah working on the contract.

    A few years later in 1886, Cache Stake President Charles O. Card received permission from Church President John Taylor to investigate colonizing opportunities in southwestern Canada.

    Today, more than 190,000 Latter-day Saints are spread throughout 496 congregations in Canada.

    Africa

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    933 511

    Members

    2 927

    Congregations

    Missions

    54Missions

    Family History Centers

    575

    Temples

    6Temples

    Asia

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    1 316 373

    Members

    2 145

    Congregations

    Missions

    51Missions

    Family History Centers

    419

    Temples

    11Temples

    Europe

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    513 534

    Members

    1 290

    Congregations

    Missions

    37Missions

    Family History Centers

    665

    Temples

    14Temples

    North America

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    9 733 719

    Members

    18 426

    Congregations

    Missions

    187Missions

    Family History Centers

    3 106

    Temples

    131Temples

    Oceania (Pacific)

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    607 302

    Members

    1 290

    Congregations

    Missions

    17Missions

    Family History Centers

    321

    Temples

    11Temples

    South America

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    4 392 463

    Members

    5 599

    Congregations

    Missions

    104Missions

    Family History Centers

    1 459

    Temples

    29Temples