February 1978 Ward Boundary Realignment

With the growth of Bountiful City in the 1950s and 60s and the creation of the 18th and then the 31st Wards from the 9th Ward, the boundaries of the 9th Ward changed. I didn't realize that the most recent boundary change happened in 1978 (please correct me if I'm wrong) when the northeast portion of the ward was added from the 3rd Ward.

Unlike most American faiths, Latter-day Saints do not choose a congregation and preacher that fits their tastes. In other words, they don't get to "shop" for the "right fit" of a place to worship. Rather, ward boundaries are designated by stake leaders and officials in Salt Lake City in an effort to keep membership numbers in the "sweet spot" where there are enough "active" Latter-day Saints to do all that must be done without getting so large that they can't fit into their church buildings, there are too many needs for a bishop, Relief Society President, and Elders Quorum President to meet, and there are not enough callings to keep all of the members actively engaged.

Because boundary changes are so disruptive to congregants' lives (and perhaps for lots of other reasons), ward boundaries are not changed often. It has almost been 50 years since the 9th Ward's boundaries have changed.

There is something beautiful about this practice of not getting to choose with whom one worships. First, we must learn to get along with each other. We don't get to choose people who look, act and think just like us (especially outside of Utah where the ward boundaries are not so small). But for exceptional needs, stake and ward leaders must find ward leaders from within the ward's boundaries. We don't get to go out and recruit our congregation's leadership, rather, we are stuck to select from the people who live within the boundaries. And it works remarkably well.

The announcement of the 1978 Bountiful Stake realignment stated, "On February 19, 1978 at a special meeting held in the Regional Center, Stake President Harold C. Yancey announced that the boundaries of the seven Wards in the Bountiful Utah Stake were being changed. The Sixth Ward and the Thirty Eighth Ward were eliminated and five Wards were organized from the original seven. The new Wards would be the First Ward, the Third Ward, the Ninth Ward, the Twenty Sixth Ward and the Thirty First Ward." It continued, "The new Third Ward was made up of 4 Wards. Part of the 1st Ward, part of the 3rd Ward, part of the 6th Ward and part of the 9th Ward."