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 Ames Stake was created on 21 May 1995. 

The Ames Stake comprises nine different congregations, with two of them centered in Ames. The others serve members living in or near Ft. Dodge, Hampton, Boone, Carroll, Story City, Marshalltown, and Mason City.  While many members are native to Iowa, others have moved to Iowa over the years to add to the diversity and richness of Iowa's culture.  Mormons living in the Ames Stake come from some 40 different countries. 

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Since Ames is also home to Iowa State University, many well-known national figures have worked, taught, or studied in Ames. One prominent Mormon to have done so was Ezra Taft Benson (MA, 1927), who served in the Eisenhower Administration as the Secretary of Agriculture  in the 1950s and was later the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1985-1994).