Ghana
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96,508
Total Church Membership
Population vs. Church Members
29
Stakes
341
Congregations
53
FamilySearch Centers
1
Temples
4
Missions |
History
Latter-day Saints in Ghana have exemplified the “patience of the saints” by continuing in faith even amidst opposition (Revelation 14:12). In the 1960s, several Ghanaians read the Book of Mormon, gained testimonies, and began to petition Church leaders to organize branches in Ghana. A policy preventing priesthood ordination for men of African descent made it difficult to provide sufficient leadership for branches in West Africa. Undeterred, local believers, including R. A. F. Mensah, J. W. B. Johnson, and Rebecca Mould, established independent congregations and awaited the day when the Church would organize branches in Ghana.
In 1978, Church President Spencer W. Kimball received a revelation extending priesthood ordination to all worthy men and directed that missionaries be sent to Ghana. Hundreds of believers were baptized, branches organized, and a mission established. For the next decade, the Church grew in Ghana at an accelerated pace.
In 1989–90, the government banned the activities of several religious organizations, including the Church. For more than a year, Ghanaian Saints continued to practice their faith in their homes. After the freeze ended, Saints continued to work to share the gospel and to build the Church. In 1998, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley visited Ghana and announced that a temple—the first in West Africa—would be built in Accra. The Accra Ghana Temple was dedicated in 2004.
For Journalist Use Only
Ezra Kofi Sekyere
Phone: +233 262 733 737
Africa
Total Church Membership
736,701
Members
2,476
Congregations
Missions
39Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
5Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1,259,094
Members
2,110
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
8Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
500,239
Members
1,350
Congregations
Missions
34Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
14Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9,489,479
Members
18,476
Congregations
Missions
174Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
112Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
587,462
Members
1,301
Congregations
Missions
18Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
10Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4,232,425
Members
5,602
Congregations