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Distribution of World Membership (1992)

J. Matthew Shumway

n 1950, membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was at 1,111,314. Of this total, 951,400 (87 percent) were living in North America. By 1993, there were 8,406,895 members of the Church, but only 56 percent of these members were living in North America. Thus, much of the growth in Church membership in the past 40 years has taken place outside of the United States and Canada. As a consequence, the Church has restructured its administrative procedures. Such administrative restructuring was necessary for the Church to provide all of its members with similar facilities, programs, and resources. Out of this administrative restructuring came a new Church geography.

The Church is administratively organized both functionally and spatially. Its functional organization consists of three types of structures: first, ecclesiastical, based on the priesthood; second, auxiliary organizations for different groups in the Church; and third, professional services. Church spatial organization consists of a hierarchy of geographic units (going from smallest to largest): branches, generally less than 200; wards, with anywhere from 200 to 800 members; stakes, a group of approximately six to 10 wards; regions, a group of stakes; and areas, which consist of a group of regions. Areas constitute the newest geographic unit and represent the major international division of Church spatial organization.

The basic fundamental units of the Church have always been the branch, ward, and stake. Most members' direct experience with the Church is at these ecclesiastical and geographical levels. However, due to the rapid growth of the Church, a number of administrative changes have occurred. In 1967, stakes were organized into regions for the first time, and in 1975, regions were organized into areas. At that point in time, the area as a unit was simply a collection of regions that reported directly back to Church headquarters. In 1984, however, area presidencies were called to administer the new and larger geographical units. Area presidencies are made up of General Authorities from the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy with the responsibility to administer all Church programs within their assigned areas.