Our local congregations are called wards (or branches for smaller congregations). They are organized geographically and members attend a ward or branch near their home. Because in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all the teaching materials are consistent throughout the wards and branches, a person will be studying the same lessons no matter where in the world they attend church. The spiritual leader of each ward is called the bishop (or the branch president for branches). He is a member of the congregation who has been asked to serve as a volunteer in this position. A group of wards forms a stake, and the leader of a stake is a stake president. “Stake” is not a term found in the New Testament, but is taken from Old Testament tent imagery in which the “tent,” or church, is held up by supporting stakes (see Isaiah 54:2).
A ward or a branch is a community in which members develop friendships and help each other. Members try to follow the teachings of an ancient prophet who taught that when we are baptized, we are “willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light” and “willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Book of Mormon, Mosiah 18:8-9). Through service, members lift one another’s burdens and express their love.
To make the administration of this world-wide church possible, the church is organized into geographical regions and sub-regions. The most basic administrative unit is called the "ward". The wards in the church vary in size but are comprised of a geographical area with anywhere from 300 to 700 members. The ward is presided by a bishop. A group of five to twelve wards are combined to form a "stake". A stake is presided by a stake president.
In regions of the world where there is a lesser concentration of members, "branches" are formed. These branches are equivalent to wards but usually have less members. A branch is presided by a branch president.
This organization makes it possible for 14 million members to each have local leaders that can provide guidance, teaching, and administering of the sacred ordinances of the gospel
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There is a lot of vocabulary that is unique to Mormonism, including the terms we use for our congregations.
A ward is a local congregation, usually made up of between 200-600 members. Wards have specific geographic boundaries, so which ward you attend would depend on where you live. A ward is presided over by a lay priesthood holder called a bishop.
A branch is similar to a ward, except it is smaller. They range in size from a single family to the size of a small ward. Generally, branches are in areas without a significant Mormon population, specific to a language, or for individuals who are single. Branches do not have bishops, but are presided over by a branch president.
A stake is a larger organization in the church. Several wards and branches, frequently around 12, will comprise a stake. The stake is able to support the wards and branches through additional resources and leadership. Stakes are presided over by stake presidents.
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For purposes of organization, a Ward or Branch is the group you meet with for church, based on where you live. They vary in size, branches are slightly smaller than wards, and wards vary in the various 100's of members. Wards and branches are then organized into stakes, containing several wards/branches.
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I used to be an Anglican so in Anglican terms think ward or branch=parish and stake=diocese. One major difference though is that no one is paid in the LDS church. Those who hold leadership positions in the ward or stake are all doing it because God has called them to, and not for money. That applies to everyone from a nursery leader in a small branch to the President of a large stake.
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It's a family of worshippers. It's a congregation. Our wards (or "branches," our term for smaller congregations), are organized geographically. Basically, where we live determines what ward we attend. Sometimes, two or three wards share one meetinghouse and simply meet at different times. A group of wards is organized into what we call a "stake."
Members of a ward can become very much like a family as we study, pray, and serve together. Members of the ward receive "callings" from the Lord through the Bishop (head leader, like a pastor). The callings can include anything from teaching & playing with the youngest children at church, to running the ward library, to being a Scout leader, or choosing the songs to be sung in our sacrament meetings. As we humbly serve one another, our relationships deepen & we seek ways to serve each other beyond our respective callings!
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Wards and branches are local congregations that meet in church meetinghouses. Branches are generally smaller than wards, often numbering less than 100 people, but due to activity levels (how many members regularly attend church, etc.), branches can sometimes be rather large, over 500 people in some cases. Wards have generally between 100 people to thousands, due to activity levels. Most wards have between 300-500 people.
Stakes are groups of wards. Every stake has a stake center, a somewhat larger meetinghouse. Stakes generally comprise between 5-15 wards and branches, most often, between 7-10 wards and branches. A district is like a stake, only made up of branches, and districts exist more where the church does not have quite as strong of a presence.
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A Mormon ward is just a geographical area of members who go to the same church building and attend meetings together.
A branch is a small group of members within an an area who aren't large enough in number to make a ward.
A stake is a group of wards within a bigger geographical boundry.
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A ward is a congregation based on geographical area. Members from a ward attend church at a building usually close to their home. All of the wards of the church teach the same thing, but because there are so many members of the church in some areas, different wards with different leaders are created. A branch is merely a smaller version of a ward, with less people in it. A stake is a group of usually around 5 to 10 wards or branches, and has leaders that are over all of the wards or branches collectively. The size of wards or stakes depends on the Mormon population in the area. A ward can vary from a couple of square blocks to about 4000 sq. miles.
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To make life a little easier, the Church divides us into wards, sort of like parishes in the Roman Catholic church. It's a specific geographical area, within a larger geographical area called a stake. A stake has several wards in it. Sort of like a diocese. I like this, because there is no confusion as to where you go to church, and unless you move, you go to your ward and you learn to get along with whomever is in your ward, rather than picking and choosing who you WANT to go to church with.
Sometimes, there just isn't enough people in an area to form a ward, so they form a branch of another ward. (Sometimes, a branch is so small, it should be called a twig!) I've been in a branch before.
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A ward is a local congregation. A stake is a group of wards. Wards and Stakes are organized geographically. The term Stake is from the Old Testament in Isaiah 54:2.
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