The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Peru
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Peru refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Peru. The first small branch was established in 1956. Since then, the LDS Church in Peru has grown to more than 600,000 members in 780 congregations.[1] Peru ranks as having the 2nd most members of the LDS Church in South America, behind Brazil, and the 5th worldwide. In addition, It has the third most LDS Church members per capita in South America, behind Chile and Uruguay.[4]
![]() The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Peru | |
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![]() The Lima Peru Temple in 1987 | |
Area | South America Northwest |
Members | 624,569 (2021)[1] |
Stakes | 112 |
Districts | 17 |
Wards | 667 |
Branches | 113 |
Total Congregations[2] | 780 |
Missions | 14 |
Temples | 3 Operating 1 Under Construction 3 Announced 7 Total |
Family History Centers | 167[3] |
Year | Members |
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1960 | 349 |
1970 | 10,771 |
1980 | 28,696 |
1989 | 159,000 |
1999 | 333,828 |
2009 | 480,816 |
2019 | 619,045 |
*Membership was published as a rounded number. Source: Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Peru[1] |
History
The first official branch of the LDS Church in Peru was organized in July 1956.[5]
Three native Peruvian elders were assassinated by militant groups in the early 1990s: Manuel Antonio Hidalgo and Christian Andreani Ugarte, who were killed in August 1990, and Oscar Zapata, who was killed in March 1991.[6] Nonetheless, unlike Pentecostals and Adventists, who played critical roles in Peruvian politics of the day, the LDS church remained relatively disengaged with the war.[7]
At the end of 1993, one study found that there were around 234,000 LDS adherents in Peru. This same study also found that, in Peru, there were only about 4,500 adherents per stake, the lowest density out of all of the Latin American countries studied (for comparison, the highest was Colombia, which was found to have 7,500 adherents per stake). This study also found that some 44% of stakes were found within the Lima metropolitan area and 73% were found more broadly across only the coastal areas.[7]
Missions
Mission | Organized |
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Perú Arequipa | 1 Jul 1978 |
Perú Chiclayo | 30 Jun 2011 |
Perú Cusco | 30 Jun 2010 |
Perú Huancayo | 1 Jul 2013 |
Perú Iquitos | 1 Jul 2013 |
Perú Lima Central | 1 Jul 1994 |
Perú Lima East | 8 Jan 1988 |
Perú Lima North | 1 Jan 1977 |
Perú Lima South | 1 Nov 1959 |
Perú Lima West | 30 Jun 2010 |
Perú Limatambo[8] | 1 Jul 2019 |
Perú Piura | 1 Jul 1993 |
Perú Trujillo North | 1 Jul 1985 |
Perú Trujillo South | 1 Jul 2015 |
Temples
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Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: Style: |
La Molina, Lima, Peru 1 April 1981 by Spencer W. Kimball 11 September 1982 by Boyd K. Packer 10 January 1986 by Gordon B. Hinckley 9,600 sq ft (890 m2) on a 4.5-acre (1.8 ha) site Modern adaptation of six-spire design - designed by Jesse M. Harris | ||
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Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: |
Trujillo, Peru 13 December 2008 by Thomas S. Monson[9] 14 September 2011 by Rafael E. Pino 21 June 2015 by Dieter F. Uchtdorf 28,200 sq ft (2,620 m2) on a 8.9-acre (3.6 ha) site | ||
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Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: |
Arequipa, Peru 6 October 2012 by Thomas S. Monson[10][11][12] 4 March 2017 by Carlos A. Godoy 15 December 2019 by Ulisses Soares[13] 26,969 sq ft (2,505.5 m2) on a 7.91-acre (3.20 ha) site | ||
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Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: |
San Martin de Porres, Lima, Peru 3 April 2016 by Thomas S. Monson[14] 8 June 2019 by Enrique R. Falabella on a 2.46-acre (1.00 ha) site | ||
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Location: Announced: |
Cusco, Peru 3 April 2022 by Russell M. Nelson[15][16] | ||
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Location: Announced: |
Chiclayo, Peru 2 October 2022 by Russell M. Nelson[17][18] | ||
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Location: Announced: |
Iquitos, Peru 2 April 2023 by Russell M. Nelson[19][20] |
See also
References
- "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Peru", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 24 April 2022
- Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches.
- Category:Peru Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved April 24, 2022
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics
- Gooren, Henri (2013). "Comparing Mormon and Adventist Growth Patterns in Latin America: The Chilean Case". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 46 (3): 45–77. doi:10.5406/dialjmormthou.46.3.0045. ISSN 0012-2157.
- Knowlton, David Clark (2006). "Mormonism and Guerrillas in Bolivia". Journal of Mormon History. 32 (3): 180–208. ISSN 0094-7342.
- Knowlton, David Clark (1996). "Mormonism in Latin America: Towards the Twenty-first Century". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 29 (1): 159–176. ISSN 0012-2157.
- "Church announces creation of 4 new missions, dissolving of 12 others". Deseret News Church News. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- "New temple announced in Trujillo, second in Peru", Church News, December 13, 2008, retrieved 2022-04-20
- Mandy, Morgan (October 8, 2012). "LDS Church announces plans for new temples in Arizona and Peru". Deseret News. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- "Mormon Church Lowers Age Limit for Missionaries". ABC News. AP. 6 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-18..
- "New temples announced for Tucson, Arizona and Arequipa, Peru". Church News. October 6, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012..
- Elder Soares dedicates the Arequipa Peru Temple
- Toone, Trent (3 April 2016). "President Monson announces 4 new temples at Sunday morning session". Deseret News..
- "7 new temple locations announced by President Nelson to close conference", Deseret News, Deseret News, 3 Apr 2022
- "President Nelson Announces 17 New Temples", Newsroom, LDS Church, 3 Apr 2022
- "President Nelson announces 18 new temples, including 4 near Mexico City, as conference closes", Deseret News, Deseret News, 2 October 2022
- "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 18 New Houses of the Lord", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2 October 2022
- Full summary of Sunday’s LDS General Conference: Nelson urges members to be peacemakers, announces 15 new temples, Salt Lake Tribune, 2 April 2023
- "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 15 New Houses of the Lord", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2 April 2023
External links
- LDS Newsroom - Peru
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Peru) - official site
- ComeUntoChrist.org Latter-day Saints visitor site