The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nicaragua

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nicaragua refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Nicaragua. The first convert was baptized in 1954 and the first Nicaraguan mission opened in 1989. As of December 31, 2022, there were 101,361 members in 109 congregations in Nicaragua.[1]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nicaragua
AreaCentral America
Members101,361 (2022)[1]
Stakes12
Districts4
Wards71
Branches38
Total Congregations[2]109
Missions2
Temples1 Under Construction
Family History Centers35[3]

History
Membership in Nicaragua
YearMembership
19772,606
19793,346
1989*2,100
199931,747
200963,964
2019100,331
*Membership was published as an estimated number.
Source: Wendall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Nicaragua[1]
Commander William Scouten, from Chesapeake, VA, and Nicki Brody, from Phoenix, AZ, a nurse with Latter-day Saints Charities, examine a patient at the Escuela Humberto Mendez Juarez medical site during a Continuing Promise 2011 medical community service event.

The first missionaries entered the country in 1953. The first Nicaraguan convert, José de Guzman, was baptized on April 11, 1954, a year after the first missionaries arrived in the country.[4] These missionaries, Elders Manuel Arias and Archie R. Mortensen, were serving in the Central American Mission, which Elder Spencer W. Kimball organized in 1952.[5] In 1959, the first Nicaraguan district was formed. The first stake (the Managua Stake) was created in March 1981 and reorganized in June 1998.[5] Several natural disasters and political crises, including an earthquake that devastated Managua in 1972 and a civil war that began in the late 1970s, slowed missionary work throughout the 1970s and '80s.[5] Foreign missionaries were removed from the country in 1980, and locals continued the work until full-time missionaries returned about ten years later.[5] The first Nicaraguan members entered the temple in Guatemala City in 1987.[4] The Nicaragua Managua Mission opened in October 1989.[4]

In April 2018, church president Russell M. Nelson announced the first temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be built in Nicaragua. The Managua Nicaragua Temple was announced at the same time as six other temples.[6] In May 2018, a church spokesman announced that all missionaries would be removed from Nicaragua until further notice. [7]

A brief history can be found at LDS Newsroom (Nicaragua) or Deseret News 2010 Church Almanac (Nicaragua).

Stakes and Districts

As of February 2023, Nicaragua had the following stakes and districts:[8]

Stake Organized Mission
Chinandega Nicaragua Stake 25 Jun 2000 Nicaragua Managua North
Chinandega Nicaragua West Stake 14 Jun 2009 Nicaragua Managua North
Esteli Nicaragua District 25 Jun 2006 Nicaragua Managua North
Granada Nicaragua District 11 Jun 1991 Nicaragua Managua South
Jinotepe Nicaragua Stake 9 May 2004 Nicaragua Managua South
Juigalpa Nicaragua District 12 Nov 2006 Nicaragua Managua South
Leon Nicaragua Stake 25 Feb 2007 Nicaragua Managua North
Managua Nicaragua Stake 22 Mar 1981 Nicaragua Managua South
Managua Nicaragua Bello Horizonte Stake 8 May 2005 Nicaragua Managua North
Managua Nicaragua Las Américas Stake 21 Nov 2004 Nicaragua Managua North
Managua Nicaragua Universitaria Stake 30 Jan 2005 Nicaragua Managua South
Managua Nicaragua Villa Flor Stake 30 May 2004 Nicaragua Managua North
Masatepe Nicaragua Stake 9 Jul 2017 Nicaragua Managua South
Masaya Nicaragua Stake 20 Feb 2005 Nicaragua Managua South
Matagalpa Nicaragua Stake 2 Oct 1990 Nicaragua Managua North
Puerto Cabezas Nicaragua District 24 Oct 2010 Nicaragua Managua North

Missions
Mission Organized
Nicaragua Managua North 30 Jun 2010
Nicaragua Managua South 15 Oct 1989

Temples
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Size:		 Managua, Nicaragua
1 April 2018 by Russell M. Nelson[9]
26 November 2022 by Taylor G. Godoy[10]
25,000 sq ft (2,300 m2) on a 8.9-acre (3.6 ha) site

References
  1. "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Nicaragua", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 30 May 2023
  2. Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches.
  3. Category:Nicaragua Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved August 18, 2022
  4. "Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
  5. "Country information: Nicaragua". Church News. 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
  6. "Mormon church plans for temples in Russia, India, Nicaragua". apnews.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  7. "All Mormon missionaries transferring out of Nicaragua". thechurchnews.com. Deseret News. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  8. "Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple District", churchofjesuschristtemples.org, retrieved March 4, 2022
  9. "Seven Temples Announced as April 2018 General Conference Closes: Mormon temples to be built in Asia, Europe, North and South America". Newsroom. LDS Church. 1 April 2018.
  10. "Ground Broken for Managua Nicaragua Temple", Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 26 November 2022, retrieved 3 December 2022


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