Samoa
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88,726
Total Church Membership
20
Stakes
168
Congregations
20
FamilySearch Centers
1
Temples
1
Missions
History
In 1863 Kimo Pelio and Samuela Manoa—two missionaries sent from Hawai‘i—brought the restored gospel to the Samoan Islands. Due to disruptions in the Church in Hawai‘i, the additional missionaries they expected never arrived, but both chose to remain on the islands. In 1888 Joseph and Florence Dean arrived to formally open a mission. By 1900, when Samoa was divided into a western, German-governed territory and an eastern, American-governed territory, there were over 1,000 Latter-day Saints in the islands.
In the early 1900s, in addition to teaching the gospel, the Church organized schools—at different times in English, German, and Samoan—and established the community of Sauniatu. Latter-day Saints ministered to each other during the devastating influenza pandemic of 1918 and showed their willingness to “mourn with those that mourn” (Mosiah 18:9) when one-fifth of the country’s population died.
In the years after World War II, the Church put greater focus on developing local leaders, and many Samoans learned Church leadership and career skills while serving as labor missionaries. In 1962 Samoa became one of the first countries outside the United States to have a stake; in 1974 it became the first country organized entirely into stakes, with no small districts. The Apia Samoa Temple was dedicated in 1983. After a 2003 fire the temple was rebuilt and rededicated.
For Journalist Use Only
Richard Hunter
New Zealand
Phone: 64(9)488-5572
Mobile: 64-21-240-7804
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