Alerts Sign-up
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released the area leadership assignments for 2025-2026. These assignments include leadership roles for the newly established Canada Area, announced in December 2024, and a renaming of North America areas to "United States." The Canada Area office will be based in or near Calgary, Alberta.
These assignments, affecting the Presidency of the Seventy and area presidencies, will take effect on August 1, 2025. The structure follows a precedent established in 1984 to oversee the Church's global functions and includes 24 areas, with seven spanning the United States and Canada and 17 positioned elsewhere.
The Presidency of the Seventy, consisting of General Authority Seventies or Area Seventies, manage Church affairs globally under the direction of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve. These presidencies typically have a president and two counselors operating from specific area offices.
"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," states the Doctrine and Covenants 107:34, guiding these assignments.
For the Canada Area, the presidency consists of Elder Vern P. Stanfill as President, with Elder D. Martin Goury as First Counselor and Elder James E. Evanson as Second Counselor.
In the United States, various area presidencies have been announced. For instance, the United States Central Area will be presided over by José A. Teixeira, with Elder Ricardo P. Giménez and Elder Karl D. Hirst serving as counselors.
The areas outside the US and Canada also have defined leadership. For the Africa Central Area, Elder Thierry K. Mutombo will serve as President, joined by Elder Paul B. Pieper as First Counselor and Elder Christophe G. Giraud-Carrier as Second Counselor.
The full list of area presidencies, covering regions such as Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, provides a comprehensive view of the Church's leadership across the world. The specifics of each area's leadership can be accessed through related Church News and documentation provided for the 2025–2026 assignments.
Further information on the new General Authority Seventies and Area Seventies can be obtained from the releases following the April 2025 general conference.
