The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil
The Sao Paulo Brazil Temple
Area	Brazil
Members	1,494,571 (2023)[1]
Stakes	285
Districts	39
Wards	1,783
Branches	389
Total Congregations[2]	2,172
Missions	36
Temples	9 Operating 2 Under Construction 9 Announced 20 Total
Family History Centers	454[3]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) (Portuguese: A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias) was established in Brazil in 1926 with the opening of the South American Mission. Missionary work was focused on small German immigrant colonies in South Brazil. The LDS Church was forced to expand missionary work to Brazilians and Portuguese speakers when non-Portuguese languages were banned in public meetings in 1938. The Brazil Mission was opened on February 9, 1935, with Rulon S. Howells as mission president. The first Portuguese translation of the Book of Mormon was published in 1939.

During Howells's second presidency in the early 1950s, he instituted programs to genealogically screen Brazilians interested in the LDS Church or its members in Brazil to prevent people with African ancestry from joining the church. Church policy at that time prevented males with African ancestry from being ordained to a priesthood office. In 1965, church president David O. McKay changed the policy in Brazil, requiring that all men be assumed qualified to receive the priesthood unless there was obvious evidence showing otherwise. The first stake in Brazil was established in São Paulo on May 1, 1966. In 1978, the São Paulo Brazil Temple was completed, becoming the church's first temple in Brazil and South America. The temple was thought to be one factor that influenced the 1978 Revelation on Priesthood that allowed male church members of any race to receive the priesthood.

As of October 2018, the LDS Church membership records reported 1,383,799 members in Brazil.^[1] The 2010 Brazilian census reported 226,509 self-identifying specifically as LDS Church.^[4] Brazil has the most members of the LDS Church in South America and the 3rd most members of any country worldwide, behind the United States and Mexico.^[5]