First Presidency Announces 2021 Area Leadership Assignments

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced changes in the Church’s area leadership assignments, which will become effective on August 1. The changes affect the Presidency of the Seventy and area presidencies.

All members of area presidencies are General Authority Seventies or Area Seventies.

There are currently 22 areas in the Church — six that span the United States and Canada, with 16 more outside those two countries.

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 acts 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).