The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana
Encyclopedia
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
, 5 districts
District (LDS Church)
A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...
and 1 temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
History
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) was not officially established in GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
until 1978. However from 1969–1978 there were congregations using this name, following the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
and hoping to be able to receive the missionaries
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
and ordinances of the church. One of the main leaders of this group was Billy Johnson
Billy Johnson (Mormon)
Joseph William Billy Johnson was one of the first converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana. Prior to his baptism, he had worked for many years to spread the doctrines of the LDS Church to many of his fellow countrymen.Johnson was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He grew up in...
. These groups did receive recognition by the government of Ghana in 1969.
In 1978, Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer Woolley Kimball was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 until his death in 1985.-Ancestry:...
received the revelation
1978 Revelation on Priesthood
The 1978 Revelation on Priesthood was a revelation to the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which reversed a long-standing policy excluding men of black African descent from the priesthood.-Background:...
extending the priesthood
Priesthood (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind...
to all worthy male members of the church regardless of race or color. After this, the church decided to open missions in West Africa. Merrill J. Bateman
Merrill J. Bateman
Merrill Joseph Bateman is an emeritus general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . From 2003 to 2007, Bateman was a member of the Presidency of the Quorums of the Seventy of the church...
, a Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
economics professor who had often traveled to Ghana to study the cocoa industry, and Edwin Q. "Ted" Cannon made an initial trip to Ghana and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
in the summer of 1978 and contacted many members of these churches that wanted to join with the LDS Church.
In November, Cannon returned to Africa as a missionary with his wife Janath Cannon and in December they went to Ghana. Here they baptized most of the pople who had been affiliated with the various groups using the church's name and from this point on congregations under the name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Ghana were part of the church headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
There is one temple of the church in Ghana, the Accra Ghana Temple
Accra Ghana Temple
The Accra Ghana Temple is the 117th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .The building of the Accra Ghana Temple was announced on February 16, 1998. Years before the temple was announced President of the LDS Church Gordon B. Hinckley had promised members in the area...
, which was opened in 2004.
Ghana membership history
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 400 |
| 1987 | 5,500 |
| 1990 | 9,000 |
| 1993 | 12,000 |
| 1999 | 17,278 |
| 2003 | 23,738 |
| 2005 | 29,315 |
| 2007 | 36,242 |
| 2008 | 38,224 |
| 2009 | 40,872 |
Temples
On January 11, 2004 the Accra Ghana Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. HinckleyGordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
.
|}
See also
- Accra Ghana TempleAccra Ghana TempleThe Accra Ghana Temple is the 117th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .The building of the Accra Ghana Temple was announced on February 16, 1998. Years before the temple was announced President of the LDS Church Gordon B. Hinckley had promised members in the area...
- Billy Johnson (Mormon)Billy Johnson (Mormon)Joseph William Billy Johnson was one of the first converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana. Prior to his baptism, he had worked for many years to spread the doctrines of the LDS Church to many of his fellow countrymen.Johnson was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He grew up in...
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statisticsThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statisticsThe tables on this page represents Latter Day Saint membership as reported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as of January 1, 2009....
External links
- LDS Newroom: Country Profile: Ghana
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Official Site
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Visitors Site