First Presidency Announces 2019 Area Leadership Assignments
Contributed By Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News editor
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his counselors, President Dallin H. Oaks (left) and President Henry B. Eyring (right), enter the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a session of the April 2019 general conference.
Article Highlights
- Changes in the Church’s area leadership assignments become effective on August 1, 2019.
The First Presidency has announced changes in the Church’s area leadership assignments, which will become effective on August 1, 2019.
All members of Area Presidencies are General Authority Seventies or Area Seventies.
The First Presidency also announced that seven areas in the United States and Canada will be combined into three areas.
Effective August 1, the North America Northwest Area and the North America West will combine to become the North America West Area. The Idaho Area and North America Central Area will become the North America Central Area. And the Utah North Area, Utah Salt Lake City Area, and Utah South Area will combine to become the Utah Area.
With the changes, the Church will have 15 areas outside North America and 6 areas inside North America for a total of 21.
Beginning in 1984, the Church established areas to direct the work in geographic locations. The Area Presidencies for the United States and Canada will work from Church headquarters; area presidencies outside of the United States and Canada operate from area offices in each assigned area. The Church’s Middle East/North Africa Area is administered from headquarters.
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles act under the direction of the First Presidency “to build up the church, and regulate all the affairs of the same in all nations. ... The Seventy are to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve ... in building up the church and regulating all the affairs of the same in all nations” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:33–34).
| Presidency of the Seventy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
| L. Whitney Clayton President | Patrick Kearon President | Carl B. Cook President | Robert C. Gay President |
 |  |  | |
| Terence M. Vinson President | José A. Teixeira President | Carlos A. Godoy President | |
| North America Central | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Chi Hong (Sam) Wong First Counselor | S. Gifford Nielsen President | Matthew L. Carpenter Second Counselor |
| North America Northeast | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Allen D. Haynie First Counselor | Randall K. Bennett President | W. Mark Bassett Second Counselor |
| North America Southeast | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Vern P. Stanfill First Counselor | James B. Martino President | Hugo Montoya Second Counselor |
| North America Southwest | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Adrián Ochoa First Counselor | Paul B. Pieper President | Kyle S. McKay Second Counselor |
| North America West | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Scott D. Whiting First Counselor | Kevin W. Pearson President | Jörg Klebingat Second Counselor |
| Utah | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Randy D. Funk First Counselor | Craig C. Christensen President | Walter F. González Second Counselor |
| Africa Southeast | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Joseph W. Sitati First Counselor | S. Mark Palmer President | Joni L. Koch Second Counselor |
| Africa West | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Edward Dube First Counselor | Marcus B. Nash President | Hugo E. Martinez Second Counselor |
| Asia | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Peter F. Meurs First Counselor | David F. Evans President | David P. Homer Second Counselor |
| Asia North Area | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Takashi Wada First Counselor | Yoon Hwan Choi President | L. Todd Budge Second Counselor |
| Brazil | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Adilson de Paula Parrella First Counselor | Marcos A. Aidukaitis President | Joaquin E. Costa Second Counselor |
| Caribbean | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Eduardo Gavarret First Counselor | José L. Alonso President | Elder Jorge M. Alvarado Second Counselor |
| Central America | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Brian K. Taylor First Counselor | Juan A. Uceda President | Elder Alan R. Walker Second Counselor |
| Europe | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Massimo De Feo First Counselor | Gary B. Sabin President | Erich W. Kopischke Second Counselor |
| Europe East | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Hans T. Boom First Counselor | Christoffel Golden President | Alexey V. Samaykin Second Counselor |
| Mexico | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Rafael E. Pino First Counselor | Arnulfo Valenzuela President | John C. Pingree Jr. Second Counselor |
| Middle East/Africa North | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Larry S. Kacher First Counselor | Anthony D. Perkins President | Jeffrey H. Singer Second Counselor |
| Pacific | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| K. Brett Nattress First Counselor | Ian S. Ardern President | Kazuhiko Yamashita Second Counselor |
| Philippines | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Taniela B. Wakolo First Counselor | Evan A. Schmutz President | Steven R. Bangerter Second Counselor |
| South America Northwest | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Jorge F. Zeballos First Counselor | Enrique R. Falabella President | Mathias Held Second Counselor |
| South America South | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Mark A. Bragg First Counselor | Benjamín De Hoyos President | Juan Pablo Villar Second Counselor |
