New Chile Area announced
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The First Presidency announced this week the creation of the new Chile Area, effective Aug. 15. The creation of the new area, comprising the country of Chile, resulted from a division of the South America South Area.
The new area brings to 23 the number of geographical areas in the Church. The First Presidency also announced the presidencies of each of the areas, also effective Aug. 15. (See pages 8-9.)Remaining in the South America South Area are Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The new Chile Area has a population of 13.6 million, of whom 404,287 are members of the Church. There are 89 stakes and seven missions in the country. The realigned South America South Area, with a population of 42.4 million, has a combined LDS membership of 324,431 in 62 stakes and 12 missions. A temple is in each area. The Santiago Chile Temple was dedicated Sept. 15-17, 1983, by President Gordon B. Hinckley. The Buenos Aires Argentina Temple was dedicated Jan. 17-19, 1986, by President Thomas S. Monson.
Growth of the Church in Chile has been rapid. Missionary work in the country began in June 1956, after Chile became a part of the Argentine Mission. When Elder Spencer W. Kimball, then of the Quorum of the Twelve, visited in 1959, the country had about 450 members in seven branches. Two years later, on Oct. 8, 1961, the Chile Mission was organized with 1,100 members.
When the first stake was organized in Santiago 11 years later, membership in Chile had grown to more than 20,000 members. When the temple was dedicated in 1983, there were 140,400 members in 27 stakes. In 1990, membership of the Church in Chile was 298,000, and is now nearing the half-million mark.
Chile, which became the fourth country in the world to reach 50 stakes on Oct. 29, 1988, has strong local leadership, a high percentage of local missionaries and a number of local mission and temple presidents.
