Church Organization

The Mormon Church, to meet the needs of all its members, is divided up into regional units of various sizes. The most basic organizational unit is known as a ward and is placed under the direction of the local bishop, who has been delegated the authority to preside over that particular ward. A group of wards is known as a stake and is lead by a stake president. Above the stake level are regions followed by areas which have their own appointed leaders. The world is also divided into units known as missions and are under the direction of a mission president. A geographical mission is the area to which Mormon missionaries are called and where they will serve. Missions can be so large that they contain a number of countries, or so small they include only a few cities.