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

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ecuador
(Logo in Spanish)
An LDS temple in Guayaquil, Ecuador
AreaSouth America Northwest
Members261,767 (2022)[1]
Stakes42
Districts5
Wards263
Branches54
Total Congregations[2]317
Missions6
Temples2
Family History Centers57[3]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ecuador refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Ecuador. The first missionaries arrived on October 31, 1965. Since then, the LDS Church in Ecuador has grown to more than 250,000 members in more than 300 congregations.[1] Ecuador ranks as having the 5th most members of the LDS Church in South America and 9th worldwide[4]

History

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Membership in Ecuador
YearMembership
1970*1,000
197923,332
1989*70,000
1999146,420
2009185,663
2019253,781
*Membership was published as an estimate.
Source: Wendall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Ecuador[1]

The first Mormon missionaries from the Andes Mission arrived in Quito, Ecuador in October 1965 was Elder Spencer W. Kimball, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Quorum. Elder Spencer W. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles believes that teaching descendants of ancient Andean Indians will serve the purpose of fulfilling God's promise to bring the Book of Mormon to the Lamanites. Over the next few years, Kimball visited Ecuador a few times for preaching gospel. The church established a strong presence in Quito, Guayaquil, and among indigenous Otavalans.

In January 1966,[5] Missionaries held the very first sacrament meeting in Guayaquil and they arrived Otavalo in March 1966. Within weeks of their arrival, printed notices were surrounded among nearby Ibarra warning the local residents to avoid Latter-day Saints and a few other proselytizing sects.

The inaugural branch meeting was held in March, attended by the missionaries and Manuel Macías Caseras in Otavalo. Within the year, the branch grew to more than 18 members.

On August 1, 1999, the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple was dedicated by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.[6] On April 3, 2016 a second temple was announced to be built in Quito.

Stakes and districts

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Stake/District Organized Mission Temple District
Ambato Ecuador Stake 10 Dec 1995 Ecuador Quito South Quito Ecuador
Babahoyo Ecuador Stake 15 May 2005 Ecuador Guayaquil East Guayaquil Ecuador
Cuenca Ecuador Stake 23 Nov 1997 Ecuador Guayaquil South Guayaquil Ecuador
Durán Ecuador North Stake 16 Mar 1980 Ecuador Guayaquil East Guayaquil Ecuador
Durán Ecuador South Stake 31 May 1992 Ecuador Guayaquil East Guayaquil Ecuador
El Triunfo Ecuador District 17 Nov 2002 Ecuador Guayaquil South Guayaquil Ecuador
Esmeraldas Ecuador Stake 22 Oct 1995 Ecuador Quito West Quito Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Alborada Stake 26 Feb 2023 Ecuador Guayaquil East Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Centenario Stake 18 Aug 1991 Ecuador Guayaquil South Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador El Cisne Stake 11 Feb 1996 Ecuador Guayaquil West Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador El Salado Stake 4 Jun 1978 Ecuador Guayaquil West Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Fortin Stake 3 Sep 2017 Ecuador Guayaquil North Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Garcia Moreno Stake 30 Apr 1989 Ecuador Guayaquil West Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Huancavilca Stake 6 Dec 1992 Ecuador Guayaquil South Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Juan Montalvo Stake 18 May 2014 Ecuador Guayaquil West Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Kennedy Stake 11 Feb 1996 Ecuador Guayaquil East Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador La Pradera Stake 2 Sep 2007 Ecuador Guayaquil South Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Las Orquideas Stake 18 Aug 1991 Ecuador Guayaquil East Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Prosperina Stake 16 Mar 1980 Ecuador Guayaquil West Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Puerto Liza Stake 7 Sep 1997 Ecuador Guayaquil West Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Puerto Nuevo Stake 4 Mar 1979 Ecuador Guayaquil West Guayaquil Ecuador
Guayaquil Ecuador Via Daule Stake 8 Jun 1997 Ecuador Guayaquil North Guayaquil Ecuador
Libertad Ecuador Stake 13 Jun 2004 Ecuador Guayaquil West Guayaquil Ecuador
Loja Ecuador District 7 May 1991 Ecuador Guayaquil South Guayaquil Ecuador
Los Chillos Ecuador Stake 31 May 2009 Ecuador Quito South Quito Ecuador
Los Chillos Ecuador San Rafael Stake 3 Sep 2017 Ecuador Quito South Quito Ecuador
Machala Ecuador Puerto Bolívar Stake 23 Sep 2018 Ecuador Guayaquil South Guayaquil Ecuador
Machala Ecuador Stake 22 Mar 1992 Ecuador Guayaquil South Guayaquil Ecuador
Manta Ecuador Stake 25 Feb 1996 Ecuador Guayaquil North Guayaquil Ecuador
Milagro Ecuador Stake 5 May 1991 Ecuador Guayaquil East Guayaquil Ecuador
Otavalo Ecuador Stake 6 Dec 1981 Ecuador Quito North Quito Ecuador
Otavalo Ecuador Imbabura Stake 19 Jan 1997 Ecuador Quito North Quito Ecuador
Otavalo Ecuador Imbaya Stake 9 Oct 2016 Ecuador Quito North Quito Ecuador
Portoviejo Ecuador Stake 13 Jan 1981 Ecuador Guayaquil North Guayaquil Ecuador
Quevedo Ecuador North Stake 26 Apr 1981 Ecuador Guayaquil North Guayaquil Ecuador
Quevedo Ecuador South Stake 7 Sep 1997 Ecuador Guayaquil North Guayaquil Ecuador
Quito Ecuador Stake 22 Aug 1979 Ecuador Quito West Quito Ecuador
Quito Ecuador Calderón Stake 19 Apr 1998 Ecuador Quito North Quito Ecuador
Quito Ecuador Chillogallo Stake 21 May 1995 Ecuador Quito West Quito Ecuador
Quito Ecuador Colón Stake 10 Jan 1981 Ecuador Quito South Quito Ecuador
Quito Ecuador La Ofelia Stake 25 Jan 1998 Ecuador Quito West Quito Ecuador
Quito Ecuador Turubamba Stake 20 Oct 2013 Ecuador Quito South Quito Ecuador
Riobamba Ecuador Stake 9 Jun 1992 Ecuador Quito South Quito Ecuador
Samborondón Ecuador Stake 19 Aug 2018 Ecuador Guayaquil East Guayaquil Ecuador
Santa Rosa Ecuador Stake 19 Sep 1994 Ecuador Guayaquil South Guayaquil Ecuador
Santo Domingo Ecuador Stake 3 Sep 1995 Ecuador Quito West Quito Ecuador
Ventanas Ecuador District 9 Nov 1994 Ecuador Guayaquil East Guayaquil Ecuador
Vinces Ecuador District 21 Oct 1992 Ecuador Guayaquil North Guayaquil Ecuador

Missions

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Mission Organized
Ecuador Guayaquil East 29 Jun 2020
Ecuador Guayaquil North 1 Jul 1991
Ecuador Guayaquil South 1 Jul 1978
Ecuador Guayaquil West 1 Jul 2013
Ecuador Quito South* 1 Aug 1970
Ecuador Quito North 1 Jul 2013
Ecuador Quito West June 2024
  • The Ecuador Mission was renamed the Ecuador Quito Mission on 20 June 1974. It was later renamed Ecuador Quito South Mission in June 2024.

Temples

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Temples in Ecuador (edit)
  • = Operating
  • = Under construction
  • = Announced
  • = Temporarily Closed
edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:
Guayaquil, Ecuador
31 March 1982 by Spencer W. Kimball
10 August 1996 by Richard G. Scott
1 August 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley
45,000 sq ft (4,200 m2) on a 6.2-acre (2.5 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Rafael Velez Calisto, Architects & Consultants and Church A&E Services
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Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Quito, Ecuador
3 April 2016 by Thomas S. Monson
11 May 2019 by Enrique R. Falabella
20 November 2022 by Quentin L. Cook[7]
36,780 sq ft (3,417 m2) on a 3.96-acre (1.60 ha) site

See also

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References

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