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    Australia Click here to visit the Australia Newsroom

    155,586

    Total Church Membership

    1-in-

    41

    Stakes

    10101010

    310

    Congregations

    236 Wards
    74 Branches

    143

    FamilySearch Centers

    143

    5

    Temples

    5

    Missions | 7 Districts

    History

    A Brief History of the Church in Australia

    The restored gospel was introduced to Australia in 1840 by William Barratt, a 17-year-old British convert who had been ordained to preach just before his family immigrated to Australia. Other missionaries and immigrant members arrived in the following years, organizing the first branch in 1844 and a mission in 1851. Many early members emigrated to help build up the kingdom of God in Utah, but a few remained in Australia.

    In the early 1900s, the Church began establishing a more stable presence in Australia. The first Church-owned meetinghouse was dedicated in 1904. At the end of World War I, after assuring the government that missionaries were no longer encouraging converts to emigrate, the Church was granted permission to send more missionaries to the country. After World War II, Church members participated in an ambitious building program to construct chapels around the country. In 1960 stakes were organized in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne and were among the first stakes organized outside North America.

    In 1984 the first temple in Australia was dedicated in Sydney. The hearts of members turned to their ancestors (see Malachi 4:5–6), and Saints faithfully pursued family history work to preserve both immigrant and Aboriginal Australian histories. By 2003 there were also temples in Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane, and by 2016 there were roughly 150,000 Church members organized into 40 stakes.

    For Journalist Use Only

    Robert Dudfield
    Australia
    Phone:  +61-2-9841-5429

    E-mail

    Africa

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    791,837

    Members

    2,559

    Congregations

    Missions

    40Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    421

    Temples

    6Temples

    Asia

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    1,281,560

    Members

    2,103

    Congregations

    Missions

    45Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    368

    Temples

    8Temples

    Europe

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    503,692

    Members

    1,318

    Congregations

    Missions

    36Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    660

    Temples

    14Temples

    North America

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    9,551,107

    Members

    18,426

    Congregations

    Missions

    175Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    2,819

    Temples

    113Temples

    Oceania (Pacific)

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    591,950

    Members

    1,308

    Congregations

    Missions

    18Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    317

    Temples

    11Temples

    South America

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    4,269,273

    Members

    5,616

    Congregations

    Missions

    97Missions

    FamilySearch Centers

    1,119

    Temples

    24Temples