The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints issued the following announcement on April 16
The First Presidency has announced the Church’s area leadership assignments for 2020–2021, effective August 1. The changes affect the Presidency of the Seventy and area presidencies.
Changes include a third area in Africa—with last summer’s announcement of the planned division of the existing Africa Southeast Area into the Africa South and new Africa Central areas. Also last year, Nairobi, Kenya, was designated as headquarters for the new Africa Central Area.
The division and area creation in Africa brings the total number of Church areas to 22—six that span the United States and Canada, with 16 more outside those two countries.
Area presidencies direct the work of the Church in specific geographic locations. The presidencies for the North America and Utah areas are administered in Salt Lake City as is the presidency for the Middle East/Africa North Area.
For 2020, there are no changes in the Presidency of the Seventy, and four of the 22 area presidencies remain intact from the current 2019-2020 year.
The new assignments include eight new area presidents, with four of the outgoing presidents now assigned as counselors in other area presidencies. Two of the area presidency counselors are Area Seventies living in their respective areas, and three other counselors are newly called General Authority Seventies who were sustained in April 2020 general conference.
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)
Original source can be found here.
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