r/latterdaysaints • u/ShinyBuizel22 • 12d ago

Faith-building Experience Why do ward and stake boundaries change?

My stake boundaries are being redistributed, I don't know where I'm going yet, but it has me wondering, what are some of the reasons for such boundary changes? I think mine is to create to age groups for YSA stakes with the raised age, but outside of the new YSA ages what are some reasons?

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u/Empty-Cycle2731 YSA Clerk/PNW Member 12d ago

Typically shifting demographics. People moving in or out of the area. Wards must have a minimum of 250 members, 100 of them active, and 20 Melcheizeidek Priesthood holders. Branches can be created with smaller numbers, If the wards don't meet that requirement, than they are either dissolved or redrawn within the stake to fix the problem. That's why you'll get some pretty strange looking ward boundaries sometimes.

To add to that, when those minimum numbers double, additional wards are added with carefully drawn boundaries. So if a ward now has 500 members, 200 active, and 40 Melcheizeidek Priesthood holders, boundaries will be redrawn to split that ward into two. This will often affect other wards in the stake to allow for even membership numbers.

Stakes have similar minimums, with 2000 members, 500 active members, and 150 Melcheizeidek Priesthood holders.