<P> A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement . The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes" (Isaiah 54: 2). A stake is sometimes referred to as a stake of Zion . </P> <P> The first Latter Day Saint stake was organized at church headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio on February 17, 1834, with Joseph Smith as its president . The second stake was organized in Clay County, Missouri, later that year on July 3, with David Whitmer as president . The Missouri stake was relocated to Far West, Missouri, in 1836, and the Kirtland Stake dissolved in 1838 . A stake was organized at Adam - ondi - Ahman in 1838 and abandoned later that year due to the events of the Mormon War . In 1839, the church's central stake was established at Nauvoo, Illinois, with William Marks as its president . </P>

What is a stake in the mormon church