Congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are organized geographically and members attend worship services near their home. Each member belongs to a stake, which is similar to a Catholic diocese. The leader of a stake is called the stake president.

The word stake is taken from Old Testament tent imagery in which the “tent,” or church, is held up by supporting stakes (see Isaiah 54:2).

Each stake is comprised of several smaller congregations called wards or branches. There are usually 5 to 12 wards and branches in a stake.

Andrew Coffman

Joshua Tuller

Alex Cogdell