Mexico
Click here to visit the Mexico Newsroom
1,516,406
Total Church Membership
230
Stakes
1,876
Congregations
566
FamilySearch Centers
13
Temples
32
Missions |
History
By the 1870s, the Mexican government’s success in securing religious liberty led Brigham Young to conclude that the time had come to take the restored gospel to Mexico, spreading the Lord’s work among His dispersed people (see 3 Nephi 21:26–27). After portions of the Book of Mormon were translated into Spanish, missionaries baptized the first converts in 1877 in Hermosillo and organized a branch in Mexico City in 1879. In the 1880s, several colonies were also established in northern Mexico by Latter-day Saints emigrating from the United States.
Early Church meetings outside of Utah were often led by missionaries, but events such as the Mexican Revolution and the Cristero Rebellion required local leaders to play a greater role in Mexico. From 1936 to 1946, tensions with returning mission leadership led to a painful schism in the Church in Mexico before members were reconciled. The reunited Saints established the Church more fully in their communities, and, in 1961, a stake was organized in Mexico City.
In 1944 temple ordinances were translated into Spanish, and in 1945 many Mexican Saints traveled to Mesa, Arizona, to become the first in Church history to receive temple ordinances in a language other than English. In 1983 a temple was dedicated in Mexico City, and by the end of 2015 there were 13 temples in Mexico.
Africa
Total Church Membership
849,568
Members
2,721
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
6Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1,298,181
Members
2,113
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
10Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
507,748
Members
1,296
Congregations
Missions
35Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
14Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9,637,503
Members
18,423
Congregations
Missions
175Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
120Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
599,065
Members
1,308
Congregations
Missions
17Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
11Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4,320,129
Members
5,629
Congregations