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    Australia Click here to visit the Australia Newsroom

    157,079

    Total Church Membership

    1-in-

    41

    Stakes

    10101010

    306

    Congregations

    236 Wards
    70 Branches

    143

    FamilySearch Centers

    143

    5

    Temples

    5

    Missions | 4 Districts

    History

    A Brief History of the Church in Australia

    The restored gospel was introduced to Australia in 1840 by William Barratt, a 17-year-old British convert who had been ordained to preach just before his family immigrated to Australia. Other missionaries and immigrant members arrived in the following years, organizing the first branch in 1844 and a mission in 1851. Many early members emigrated to help build up the kingdom of God in Utah, but a few remained in Australia.

    In the early 1900s, the Church began establishing a more stable presence in Australia. The first Church-owned meetinghouse was dedicated in 1904. At the end of World War I, after assuring the government that missionaries were no longer encouraging converts to emigrate, the Church was granted permission to send more missionaries to the country. After World War II, Church members participated in an ambitious building program to construct chapels around the country. In 1960 stakes were organized in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne and were among the first stakes organized outside North America.

    In 1984 the first temple in Australia was dedicated in Sydney. The hearts of members turned to their ancestors (see Malachi 4:5–6), and Saints faithfully pursued family history work to preserve both immigrant and Aboriginal Australian histories. By 2003 there were also temples in Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane, and by 2016 there were roughly 150,000 Church members organized into 40 stakes.

    For Journalist Use Only

    Robert Dudfield
    Australia
    Phone:  +61-2-9841-5429

    E-mail

    Africa

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    849,568

    Members

    2,721

    Congregations

    Missions

    45Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    423

    Temples

    6Temples

    Asia

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    1,298,181

    Members

    2,113

    Congregations

    Missions

    45Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    402

    Temples

    10Temples

    Europe

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    507,748

    Members

    1,296

    Congregations

    Missions

    35Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    663

    Temples

    14Temples

    North America

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    9,637,503

    Members

    18,423

    Congregations

    Missions

    175Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    3,054

    Temples

    120Temples

    Oceania (Pacific)

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    599,065

    Members

    1,308

    Congregations

    Missions

    17Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    318

    Temples

    11Temples

    South America

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    4,320,129

    Members

    5,629

    Congregations

    Missions

    97Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    1,355

    Temples

    25Temples