 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Cook Islands | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Area | Pacific |
| Members | 1,862 (2022) [1] |
| Districts | 1 |
| Branches | 5 |
| Family History Centers | 3 [2] |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Cook Islands refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Cook Islands. The first regularly held Sunday meetings began in 1943. In 2022, there were 1,862 members in 5 congregations.
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 160 |
| 1960 | 200 |
| 1970 | 913 |
| 1979 | 718 |
| 1989* | 700 |
| 1999 | 880 |
| 2009 | 1,834 |
| 2019 | 1,865 |
| *Membership was published as a rounded number. Source: Wendall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Cook Islands [1] | |
The islands presently known as the Cook Islands was briefly visited by missionaries on a few occasions in the mid to late 1800's. Missionaries arrived in 1899 but left by 1903 due to lack of interest in the church. In 1942, Fritz and Maudina Kruger, a newly married couple, was assigned to establish the church in Rarotonga. They established a bakery business in Avarua. On May 12, 1942, the Cook Islands first converts, Samuel Glassie and his family, was baptized. In 1943, church meetings were held in the northern Puaikura District. Later that year Sunday meetings was relocated to Muri. By June 1946, there were 37 members. Around this time, Kruger and his family returned to New Zealand, briefly leaving no priesthood leadership. [3] [4] Trevor and Mildred Hamon arrived on September 12, 1946 with instructions to build a chapel. On October 6, 1946 a branch was organized. Early meetinghouses were mostly native hut-like structures. More permanent structures were built starting in 1955. On January 17, 1955, church president David O. McKay visited with members in Rarotonga. The Book of Mormon was translated into Cook Islands Maori in 1966. On April 17, 1966, Cook Islands Rarotonga District was created. [5] [4]
In 1970 and subsequent years, many members of the church in the Cook Islands moved to New Zealand. On February 14, 1981, Spencer W. Kimball visited Rarotonga. [6]
In 1990, a Cook Islands postal stamp featured Osborne J. P. Widtsoe, the first missionary that arrived on the islands in front of one of its chapels. [7] On May 22, 2016, Elder Neil L. Andersen visited the Cook Islands. [8] In 2017, the Cook Islands Ministry of Justice and FamilySearch International announced birth, death and marriage records were available online. Indexing these records for ancestry searches commenced that year. [9]
As of February 2023, Cook Islands had the following district and congregations: [10]
Congregations not part of a stake are called branches, regardless of size. Family History Centers are located adjacent to the Aitutaki, Avarua, and Mangaia Branch meetinghouses.
As of December 31, 2022, nearby Niue had 317 members in 2 branches: the Alofi Branch and the Lakepa-Toi Branch. A Family History Center is located in Alofi.
The Islands were part of the New Zealand Mission until July 17, 1954 when it became part of the Samoan Mission. The Rarotonga Mission was organized on November 20, 1960 which lasted until 1966 to more easily supervise missionary work on the islands. On April 15, 1966 the islands was once again under direction of the New Zealand Mission. On July 23, 1971, the islands became part of the Fiji Mission, then the Tahiti Papeete Mission in 1975. On January 1, 1981, the islands became part of the New Zealand Auckland Mission. [11]
There are no temples in the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands is currently located in the Papeete Tahiti Temple District. [12]
The Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple is the 25th constructed and 23rd operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is located in the middle of Tonga's main island Tongatapu near Matangiake. The area where the temple is located is commonly known as Liahona, after the name of the church-owned high school there. The temple is several miles south of its namesake city, the capital Nukuʻalofa.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Marshall Islands refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Marshall Islands. As of 2022, there were 6,832 members in 13 congregations, making it the second largest body of LDS Church members in Micronesia, behind Kiribati. The Marshall Islands has the second most LDS Church members per capita in Micronesia, and the fourth most members per capita of any independent country in the world, behind Tonga, Samoa, and Kiribati.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines refers to the organization and its members in the Philippines.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established its first New Zealand branch in 1855. It reported 117,319 members in 228 congregations in New Zealand as of 2022, making it the second largest body of LDS Church members in Oceania behind Australia. The LDS Church has one temple in New Zealand, with a second under construction and a third announced. The 2018 census recorded 54,123 individuals, or 1.2% of respondents, self-identify as belonging to the faith. 313,000 respondents objecting to answer the religion census question in 2018 were not counted in the number or percentages.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had its first presence in French Polynesia in 1843 when the first missionaries arrived in the country. It was also the location of the first foreign-language mission of the church which was created that same year. It existed until 1852 when it was closed due to restrictions by the French government, and the missionaries left the territory. In 1892, the mission resumed with the return of the missionaries after general religious tolerance was established.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nicaragua refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Nicaragua. The first convert was baptized in 1954 and the first Nicaraguan mission opened in 1989. As of December 31, 2022, there were 101,361 members in 109 congregations in Nicaragua.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sierra Leone refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Sierra Leone. In 2022, Sierra Leone ranked as having the third most LDS Church members per capita in Africa, behind Cape Verde and Liberia.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Caledonia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in New Caledonia. At year-end 1983, there were about 100 members in New Caledonia. In 2022, there were 2,494 members in 9 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Madagascar refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Madagascar. In 1990, a small congregation was created in Madagascar. In 2022, there were 14,353 members in 43 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Federated States of Micronesia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The church's first known missionaries arrived on July 5, 1978. As of December 31, 2022, there were 5,966 members in 23 congregations in FSM. The LDS Church has congregations in every state in the FSM.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kiribati refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Kiribati. In 1976 the first branch was organized in Tarawa. As at the 2020 Census, there were 6,720 people declaring as LDS members. According to LDS church, as of year-end 2022, there were 22,210 members in 43 congregations, making it the largest body of LDS Church members in Micronesia. Kiribati also has the most LDS Church members per capita in Micronesia, and the third most members per capita of any country in the world, behind Tonga and Samoa.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Puerto Rico refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Puerto Rico. The first branch was formed in 1950. As of December 31, 2022, there were 23,243 members in 38 congregations in Puerto Rico.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Vanuatu refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Vanuatu. As of 2022, there were 11,304 members in 37 congregations, making it the third largest body of LDS Church members in Melanesia behind Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Vanuatu has the most LDS Church members per capita in Melanesia, and the sixth most members per capita of any country in the world, behind Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mongolia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Mongolia. The first missionaries arrived in 1992 under request of the Mongolian government in effort to improve higher education in the country following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The first small branch was established in 1993. Since then, the LDS Church in Mongolia has grown to more than 12,000 members in 24 congregations. In 2022, Mongolia had the second most LDS Church members per capita in Asia behind the Philippines. In 2023 it was announced that the first temple will be constructed in Ulaanbaatar.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Jamaica refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Jamaica. In 1980, there were 85 members in Jamaica. In 2021, there were 6,718 members in 18 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Mariana Islands refers to the organization and its members in the Mariana Islands. The Mariana Islands consist of two jurisdictions of the United States: the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and, at the southern end of the chain, the territory of Guam. As of December 31, 2022, the LDS Church reported 2,547 members in one stake, five congregations, one mission, and one temple in Guam. There are 906 members in a ward in the Northern Mariana Islands. There are two family history centers, one in Guam and one at the Saipan Ward building in the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Rhode Island refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Rhode Island.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Lesser Antilles refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Lesser Antilles. The Lesser Antilles is part of the Caribbean Area and is part of three missions. As of 2022, the LDS Church reported 9,959 members in 34 congregations in the Lesser Antilles.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Belize refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Belize. The first branch was organized in Belize City in 1980. In 2022, there were 5,534 members in 12 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bulgaria refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Bulgaria. The first convert baptisms were performed in November 1990. In 2022, there were 2,398 members in 7 congregations.
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