The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ivory Coast

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ivory Coast refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Ivory Coast. At year-end 1989, there were fewer than 200 members in Ivory Coast. In 2023, there were 63,058 members in 262 congregations.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ivory Coast
(Logo in French)
AreaAfrica West
Members63,058 (2023)[1]
Stakes20
Districts12
Wards154
Branches108
Total Congregations[2]262
Missions4
Temples1 under construction
Family History Centers27[3]

History

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Membership in Ivory Coast[4][1]
YearMembership
1989*200
1995*2,800
19995,402
20049,345
200913,245
201216,248
201743,895
201952,241
202260,162
*Membership was published as a rounded number.

Mormon missionaries first preached in Ivory Coast in 1988. Earlier the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been established by Philippe and Annelies Assard and Lucien and Agathe Affoue. The Affoue family joined the church while studying in France. Philippe Assard joined the Church while studying in Germany, where he married Annelies who was a native of Germany. After they returned to Ivroy Coast in the mid 1980s they got in contact with each other and began holding Church meetings.

The first LDS stake was organized in the late 1990s. During the civil war in the 2000s the number of missionaries in the country was reduced and some areas saw missionaries withdrawn. As of 2018 most full-time LDS missionaries in the country were from either the Congo or countries in West Africa, but there were a very few from other areas.

Plans to build a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Abidjan were announced in 2015. As of 2018 the country had three LDS missions, although two of them also covered Church operations in Senegal and Mali.

Stakes and Districts

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Stake/District Organized Mission
Abengourou Cote d'Ivoire District 30 Oct 2016 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan North
Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon Central Stake 3 Dec 2017 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West
Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon North Stake 7 Feb 2010 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West
Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Niangon South Stake 1 Jun 2014 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West
Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Selmer Stake 1 Mar 2020 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West
Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Toit Rouge Stake 17 Aug 1997 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West
Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Yopougon Attie Stake 6 Sep 2015 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West
Abobo Cote d'Ivoire East Stake 9 Nov 2014 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan North
Abobo Cote d'Ivoire West Stake 27 Aug 2000 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan North
Aboisso Cote d'Ivoire District 14 Feb 2016 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East
Adzope Cote d'Ivoire District 21 Feb 2016 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan North
Agboville Cote d'Ivoire District 26 Jun 2016 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan North
Akoupé Cote d'Ivoire District 23 Apr 2017 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan North
Alepe Cote d'Ivoire District 14 May 2017 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East
Anonkoua Cote d'Ivoire Stake 10 Sep 2017 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan North
Bouafle Cote d'Ivoire District 27 Nov 2016 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Bouake Cote d'Ivoire Stake 5 Jun 2016 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Cocody Cote d'Ivoire Stake 20 Aug 2006 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East
Daloa Cote d'Ivoire Stake 12 Apr 2015 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Dokui Cote d'Ivoire Stake 11 Sep 2016 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East
Duekoue Cote d'Ivoire District 24 Feb 2019 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Gagnoa Cote d'Ivoire Stake 30 Mar 2014 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Grand-Bassam Cote d'Ivoire Stake 12 Jun 2016 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East
Issia Cote d'Ivoire District 21 Jul 2019 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Koumassi Cote d'Ivoire Stake 15 Nov 2020 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East
Man Cote d'Ivoire Stake 27 Jan 2019 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Port-Bouet Cote d'Ivoire Stake 23 Sep 2012 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East
Quatre Etages Cote d'Ivoire Stake 29 May 2022 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East
San Pedro Cote d'Ivoire District 16 Mar 2014 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Sinfra Cote d'Ivoire District 27 Oct 2019 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Soubre Cote d'Ivoire District 29 Nov 2015 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Yamoussoukro Cote d'Ivoire Stake 24 May 2009 Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro

Missions

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The Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan North Mission was created in July 2023 by dividing the east mission and adjoining portions of the west mission.[5]

Mission Organized
Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan East Mission 1 Jul 1992
Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan North Mission 1 Jul 2023
Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission 1 Jul 2014
Côte d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission 28 Jun 2018

Guinea

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The Conakry Branch was created on June 18, 2017.[6] Initially it became part of the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission but later came under the Côte d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission. The LDS church reported 61 members in 2018.[7]

Mali

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Mali has a single congregation, the Bamako Branch, which was created on July 9, 2017.[8] The LDS Church was granted official status in January 2019.[9] The LDS Church reported 50 Latter-day Saint families in Mali that same year and recognition allows missionaries in the country.[10] The branch is administered by the Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan East Mission as of August 2024, and membership was estimated to be 100 in 2021.[11]

Senegal

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In 2016, the first missionaries, humanitarian service missionaries, arrived in Senegal, and on February 20, 2018, the LDS Church received official recognition from the Government.[12] On February 13, 2022, the Dakar Senegal District was created with three branches in the Dakar Area (Dakar, Ouakam, Parcelles) as well as a branch in Saint-Louis.[13] There was 108 members in Senegal in 2018 and is assigned to the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission.[14]

The Gambia

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On February 23, 2022, Elder D. Todd Christofferson along with other Church leaders dedicated the Gambia for the Church's preaching. [15] On June 10, 2022, the Banjul Branch was created. The branch at that time consisted of 26 members and two full-time missionaries from the Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission.[16]

Temples

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Plans to build a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Abidjan were announced in 2015. On Nov. 8, 2018 Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the 12 of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presided at the ground breaking for the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple. Andersen both spoke and gave the dedicatory prayer in French. During his remarks Anderson shared testimonies of the restored gospel from the Assard family.[17]

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Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
5 April 2015 by Thomas S. Monson[18]
8 November 2018 by Neil L. Andersen[19][20] on a 0.93-acre (0.38 ha) site

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Cote d'Ivoire", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 10 June 2023
  2. ^ Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches.
  3. ^ Category:Ivory Coast Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved 6 June 2021
  4. ^ Wendall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Ivory Coast
  5. ^ Swenson, Madison (Nov 23, 2022), "Church Opening Six New Missions in 2023", KSL TV 5, retrieved January 13, 2023
  6. ^ "Church Creates Conakry Branch – First Congregation in Guinea", Newsroom, LDS Church, 23 June 2017, retrieved February 24, 2023
  7. ^ "Country Resources:Guinea", cummorah.com, retrieved February 24, 2023
  8. ^ "Meetinghouse Locator", LDS Church, retrieved February 24, 2023
  9. ^ "2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mali", US Department of State, retrieved February 24, 2023
  10. ^ "Church Thanks Mali Government for Formal Recognition", Newsroom, LDS Church, 12 September 2019, retrieved February 24, 2023
  11. ^ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mali", US Department of State, retrieved February 24, 2023
  12. ^ Senegal: Chronology, LDS Church, retrieved February 24, 2023
  13. ^ "Meetinghouse Locator", LDS Church, retrieved February 24, 2023
  14. ^ "Country Resources:Senegal", cummorah.com, retrieved February 24, 2023
  15. ^ MacKimm, Danielle (Feb 26, 2022), "LDS Church leaders dedicate The Gambia to their preaching's", KTVX ABC Channel 4, retrieved February 24, 2023
  16. ^ "Church Leaders Meet With First Lady of The Gambia", Newsroom, LDS Church, 18 August 2022, retrieved February 24, 2023
  17. ^ article on groundbreaking for the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple
  18. ^ Walch, Tad (5 April 2015). "3 new LDS temples to be built in Ivory Coast, Haiti and Thailand, President Monson announces". Deseret News. Retrieved 2015-04-05..
  19. ^ "Groundbreaking Announced for Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Temple". Newsroom. LDS Church. 4 October 2018.
  20. ^ "Elder Andersen Presides at the Groundbreaking of Abidjan Cȏte d'Ivoire Temple: Sunny day of gladness". Newsroom. LDS Church. 8 November 2018.
  21. ^ reference
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