Congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are organized into specific geographic areas called "stakes" (a Biblical reference to what strengthens the tent of Zion; see Isaiah 54:2 KJV).  The Des Moines Stake comprises nine different congregations, with three of them centered in Des Moines and two in Ankeny. The others serve members living in or near Indianola, Knoxville, Oskaloosa, and Newton.  While many members are native to Iowa, others have moved to Iowa from other parts of North America; and some have come from Africa, Europe, and Asia. 

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The first permanent congregation of Latter-day Saints in Des Moines was established in 1954. As membership grew and more congregations were added, the Des Moines Stake was created in 1970. When the stake grew large enough to comprise 14 different congregations, its boundaries were re-aligned to create a new stake, the Des Moines Mount Pisgah Stake, and allow leaders to more effectively serve members.