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

São Paulo Brazil Temple

As of January 1, 2011, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 1,138,740 members in 239 stakes and 49 districts, 1,925 Congregations (1,457 wards^[1] and 468 branches),^[1] 34 missions, and seven temples in Brazil.^[2] However the 2010 census in contrast to church figures reports only 226,509 members.^[3]

History

The first members of the church in Brazil were immigrants who had joined the church in their native Germany before moving to Brazil.^[4] Missionaries arrived in 1928 but, due to the prohibition on ordaining men of African descent to the priesthood, they were instructed to only work with German people living in the southern part of the country. When the Brazillian government outlawed the use of non-Portuguese languages in public meetings in 1938, the mission switched from a German language mission to a Portuguese speaking one.^[5] One of the early missionaries in Brazil, serving in 1939, was James E. Faust.

The first stake in Brazil was organized by Spencer W. Kimball in 1966 in Sao Paulo. This was the first stake in all of South America. In 1978, the Sao Paulo temple was completed.

Membership history

Year	Membership[6]
1940	233
1950	648
1960	2,644
1965	19,050
1970	33,104
1976	45,747^a
1980	81,504^c
1985	206,000^b
1989	302,000^b
1995	548,000^b
2000	775,822^c
2005	928,926^c
2010	1,102,428^a
2012	1,173,533^a

• ^a Actual Membership for January 1 of the respective year
• ^b Estimated membership for December 31 of the respective year
• ^c Actual Membership for December 31 of the respective year

Missions

Brazil Belém Mission Brazil Belo Horizonte Mission Brazil Brasília Mission Brazil Campinas Mission Brazil Cuiabá Mission Brazil Curitiba Mission Brazil Curitiba South Mission^a Brazil Florianópolis Mission Brazil Fortaleza Mission Brazil Fortaleza East Mission^a Brazil Goiânia Mission Brazil João Pessoa Mission

Brazil Juiz de Fora Mission^a Brazil Londrina Mission Brazil Maceió Mission Brazil Manaus Mission Brazil Natal Mission^a Brazil Piracicaba Mission^a Brazil Porto Alegre North Mission Brazil Porto Alegre South Mission Brazil Recife Mission Brazil Ribeirão Preto Mission Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission

Brazil Salvador Mission Brazil Salvador South Mission Brazil Santa Maria Mission Brazil Santos Mission^a Brazil São Paulo East Mission Brazil São Paulo West Mission^a Brazil São Paulo Interlagos Mission Brazil São Paulo North Mission Brazil São Paulo South Mission Brazil Teresina Mission Brazil Vitória Mission

^a announced to be created July 2013.^[7]

Temples

	17. São Paulo Brazil
	Location: Announcement: Dedication: Rededication: Coordinates: Size: Style:	São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil 1 March 1975 30 October 1978 by Spencer W. Kimball 22 February 2004 by Gordon B. Hinckley 23°35′6.626399″S 46°43′21.95039″W / 23.58517399972°S 46.7227639972°W 59,246 sq ft (5,504 m^2) on a 1.85 acre (0.7 ha) site Spanish influenced modern, single-spire design - designed by Emil B. Fetzer
	101. Recife Brazil
	Location: Announcement: Dedication: Coordinates: Size: Style:	Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil 13 January 1995 15 December 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley 8°2′11.00400″S 34°54′40.04280″W / 8.0363900000°S 34.9111230000°W 37,200 sq ft (3,460 m^2) on a 5.59 acre (2.3 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by J&P Arquitetos Ltd. and Church A&E Services
	102. Porto Alegre Brazil
	Location: Announcement: Dedication: Coordinates: Size: Style:	Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil 30 September 1997 17 December 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley 30°2′2.569200″S 51°9′28.32480″W / 30.03404700000°S 51.1578680000°W 10,700 sq ft (990 m^2) and 71 ft (22 m) high on a 2 acre (0.8 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Andre Belo de Faria and Church A&E Services
	111. Campinas Brazil
	Location: Announcement: Dedication: Coordinates: Size: Style:	Campinas, Brazil 3 April 1997 17 May 2002 by Gordon B. Hinckley 22°53′47.52239″S 47°0′4.078800″W / 22.8965339972°S 47.00113300000°W 49,100 sq ft (4,560 m^2) on a 6.18 acre (2.5 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by JCL Arquitetos Ltd., and Church A&E Services
	126. Curitiba Brazil
	Location: Announcement: Dedication: Coordinates: Size: Style: Notes:	Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil 23 August 2002 1 June 2008 by Thomas S. Monson 25°26′28.69439″S 49°20′31.69679″W / 25.4413039972°S 49.3421379972°W 27,850 sq ft (2,587 m^2) and 125 ft (38 m) high on a 8.15 acre (3.3 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Jeronimo da Cunha Lima and GSBS Temple dedicated on 1 June 2008 following an open house from 10 May to 24 May 2008.[8]
	138. Manaus Brazil
	Location: Announcement: Dedication: Coordinates: Size: Notes:	Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil 23 May 2007 10 June 2012 by Dieter F. Uchtdorf[9] 3°4′27.2964″S 60°5′21.56280″W / 3.074249000°S 60.0893230000°W 32,032 sq ft (2,976 m^2) on a 7.7 acre (3.1 ha) site The temple will serve approximately 44,000 members.[10][11]
	157. Fortaleza Brazil (Under Construction)
	Location: Announcement: Groundbreaking: Size: Notes:	Fortaleza, Brazil 3 October 2009 15 November 2011 by David A. Bednar TBD Announced by Thomas S. Monson in General Conference, 3 October 2009.[12][13] Ground was broken on the seventh temple in Brazil by David A. Bednar on November 15, 2011.[14]
	170. Rio de Janeiro Brazil (Announced)
	Location: Announcement: Size: Notes:	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6 April 2013 TBD Announced by Thomas S. Monson on 6 April 2013[15]
	176. Belém Brazil (Announced)
	Location: Announcement: Notes:	Belém, Brazil 3 April 2016 Announced by Thomas S. Monson on 3 April 2016[16]

See also

• Religion in Brazil

Notes

1. LDS Meetinghouse Locator. Nearby Congregations (Wards and Branches).
2. LDS Newsroom (Statistical Information)
3. "Tabela 1.4.1 - População residente, por situação do domicílio e sexo, segundo os grupos de religião - Brasil - 2010" (PDF). 2010 Census. IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics). Retrieved 3 March 2015.
4. Grover, Mark. "The Church in Brazil: The Future Has Finally Arrived". Retrieved 20 April 2016.
5. Grover, Mark. "Religious Accommodation in the Land of Racial Democracy: Mormon Priesthood and Black Brazilians" (PDF). Dialogue. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
6. "Country information: Brazil", Deseret News Church Almanac (multiple almanacs from various years) (Deseret News)
7. New mission presidents by area for 2013
8. "Curtiba Brazil Temple: Additional info", LDS.org (LDS Church), retrieved 2012-10-16
9. Weaver, Sarah Jane (June 10, 2012), "Manaus Brazil Temple: Dedication marks Church's 138th worldwide and sixth in Brazil", Church News, retrieved 2012-10-15
10. "New Temple to Be Built in Manaus, Brazil", Newsroom (News Story) (LDS Church), June 7, 2007, retrieved 2012-10-15
11. "Ground Broken for Brazil’s Sixth Temple", Newsroom (News Story) (LDS Church), June 23, 2008, retrieved 2012-10-15
12. "President Thomas S. Monson: 'Welcome to Conference'", Deseret News, October 3, 2009, retrieved 2012-11-06.
13. Talor, Scott (October 4, 2009), "Brigham City among five new locales for LDS temples", Deseret News, retrieved 2012-11-06.
14. "Ground Broken for Fortaleza Brazil Temple", Newsroom (News Release) (LDS Church), November 15, 2011, retrieved 2012-11-06
15. Walker, Joseph (6 April 2013). "LDS react with joy to temples announced in Cedar City, Rio". Deseret News. Retrieved 2013-04-06..
16. Toone, Trent (3 April 2016). "President Monson announces 4 new temples at Sunday morning session". Deseret News..

References

• Mark L. Grover, "The Church in Brazil: The Future has Finally Arrived", Liahona, July 2014

External links

• Church News "Country information: Brazil"
• LDS Newsroom (Brazil)
• LDS Newsroom - Brazil
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Brazil) - Official Site
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Visitors Site