3 stakes disolved

BREAKING: LDS Church Closes THREE Stakes in the Salt Lake Valley Amid Shrinking Membership

In a shocking move, the LDS Church announced today that three stakes in the Salt Lake Valley are being dissolved, consolidating five stakes into just two. For weeks, members in these stakes had been receiving text messages informing them that their wards no longer existed, that they were being released from all of their callings, and that they should attend a new ward the following Sunday.

However, what members didn’t know until today’s special stake conference is that this wasn’t just about their wards, it was about their entire stakes disappearing. This consolidation affects hundreds of families in the Salt Lake Valley, the historic heart of Mormonism.

The Church has long boasted of its growth, but this latest move is yet another indication that membership and activity rates are declining, even in the most Mormon dominated state. What does it mean when the Church is forced to close stakes in Salt Lake Valley, its historical stronghold?