The standards for beginning a new ward a very clear. In the US and Canada, 300 people are required. Outside of the US and Canada, it is only 150. There must be enough temple-recommend holding men to be able to staff the bishopric and other organizations.
But with recent changes in the church, and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, could this standard change?
My hunch is, that for most of the church, it will not. In my stake, there are six wards, and I do not see that changing even with fewer callings needed. But in smaller cities and towns, I can see that some places will see branches become wards. All you need now are enough active men to form an effective Elder's quorum and enough active women to form a functioning Relief Society. I would say north of 20 in each case. 40-50 adults could constitute a ward in many cases. In some cases, the church could even wave the requirement that a Bishop live within the ward, as long as he lives nearby.
The could help areas of the church in the upper mid-west of the United States and other rural areas world-wide where the church currently struggles. It could help areas that say, "we are only a branch." In some areas, new stakes could form and that could lead to the construction of new temples that serve these areas. It could be a blessing to the church.
On the Wasatch Front, such smaller wards would not work. Where there are already 4 to 5 wards and in some cases an entire stake sharing the same chapel, it would work better to maintain larger wards. That is, unless some ways can be figured out to have multiple wards meet simultaneously in the same meetinghouse. This could work in some cases with some minor remodeling. In other cases, there would need to be major remodeling, depending on the age of the chapel. It is likely that the church would not expend the resources. However, I would not be surprised if new chapels are built to accommodate smaller wards, and multiple wards meeting at the same time in newer subdivisions here in Utah. This would allow the church to spend more money building temples.
But with recent changes in the church, and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, could this standard change?
My hunch is, that for most of the church, it will not. In my stake, there are six wards, and I do not see that changing even with fewer callings needed. But in smaller cities and towns, I can see that some places will see branches become wards. All you need now are enough active men to form an effective Elder's quorum and enough active women to form a functioning Relief Society. I would say north of 20 in each case. 40-50 adults could constitute a ward in many cases. In some cases, the church could even wave the requirement that a Bishop live within the ward, as long as he lives nearby.
The could help areas of the church in the upper mid-west of the United States and other rural areas world-wide where the church currently struggles. It could help areas that say, "we are only a branch." In some areas, new stakes could form and that could lead to the construction of new temples that serve these areas. It could be a blessing to the church.
On the Wasatch Front, such smaller wards would not work. Where there are already 4 to 5 wards and in some cases an entire stake sharing the same chapel, it would work better to maintain larger wards. That is, unless some ways can be figured out to have multiple wards meet simultaneously in the same meetinghouse. This could work in some cases with some minor remodeling. In other cases, there would need to be major remodeling, depending on the age of the chapel. It is likely that the church would not expend the resources. However, I would not be surprised if new chapels are built to accommodate smaller wards, and multiple wards meeting at the same time in newer subdivisions here in Utah. This would allow the church to spend more money building temples.
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