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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Finland

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Finland
(Logo in Finnish)
A meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tampere.
AreaEurope North
Members4,898 (2023)[1]
Stakes3
Wards18
Branches11
Total Congregations[2]29
Missions1
Temples
  • 1 Operating
FamilySearch Centers29[3]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Finland refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Finland. In 1950, there were 204 members in Finland. In December of 2022, there were 4,826 members in 29 congregations.[1]

History

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Membership In Finland[4][1]
YearMembership
1950 204
1960 1,297
1970 2,935
1980 4,214
1989* 4,200
1999 4,403
2009 4,548
2019 4,885
1989 membership was published as a rounded number.
A Meetinghouse in Vaasa

Under the tsarist Russian State, the church was unrecognized and members and missionaries had several conflicts with police. Missionaries and converts often suffered covert surveillance, arrests, imprisonments, and deportations by police.[5] The first convert from Finland was baptized in Sweden in 1869. Though not legally recognized at the time, the first missionaries were sent to Finland in late 1875. On May 6, 1876 the first convert, Johanna Berg, was baptized in Vaasa. The first branch was organized also in Vaasa on November 13, 1876. In 1917 Finland declared its independence from Russia.[6]

On January 16, 1947 missionaries were assigned to learn the Finnish language. Later that year on September 1, the Finnish mission was organized with Hary A. Matis, an American with Finnish ancestry, as mission president. In 1948, the Church began microfilming church records and in 1954, the Book of Mormon was translated into Finnish.[6]

On August 2–3, 1976, about 3,000 Latter-day Saints gathered in Helsinki to hear church President Spencer W. Kimball speak in Helsinki and on October 16, 1977 the Helsinki Finland Stake was organized with 3,642 members.[1] 6 years later on April 17, 1983 the Tampere Finland Stake was organized.[5]

Two former missionaries from the Finnish mission have served as US Ambassadors to Finland:

Stakes and Congregations

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Finland had 3 stakes as of February 2023.[8]

Stake Organized
Helsinki Finland Stake October 16, 1977
Jyväskylä Finland Stake May 16, 2021
Tampere Finland Stake April 17, 1983

Mission

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On January 16, 1947 missionaries were assigned to learn the Finnish language. Later that year on September 1, the Finnish mission was organized with Hary A. Matis, an American with Finnish ancestry, as mission president. On June 10, 1970 it was renamed the Finland Mission and on June 20, 1974 it was renamed the Finland Helsinki Mission to adjust to the naming convention of the church for missions.[9] On July 1, 1990, The Finland Helsinki East Mission was organized to serve members and missionaries in the former Soviet Republics. On January 2, 1992 the mission was renamed Russia Moscow Mission.[9]

Temples

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The Helsinki Finland Temple was dedicated on October 22, 2006 by Gordon B. Hinckley.

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Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style: 		Espoo, Finland
2 April 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley
29 March 2003 by D. Lee Tobler
22 October 2006 by Gordon B. Hinckley
16,350 sq ft (1,519 m2) on a 7.4-acre (3.0 ha) site
Classic elegance, single-spire design - designed by Evata Architects

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Finland", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 1 June 2023
  2. ^ Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches
  3. ^ Finland Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved August 29, 2022
  4. ^ Wendall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall (eds.), Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Finland
  5. ^ a b Zachary Ray Jones (January 2008), Conflict Amid Conversion: Mormon Proselytizing in Russian Finland, 1860-1914 (PDF), William & Mary ScholarWorks, retrieved 2021-01-12
  6. ^ a b Finland: Chronology, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018-09-01, retrieved 2021-01-12
  7. ^ Lisa Dayley Smith (September 19, 2019). "Ashton native, former U.S. ambassador Keith Nyborg dies". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Helsinki Finland Temple District", churchofjesuschristtemples.org, retrieved 2021-05-23
  9. ^ a b 1999-2000 Deseret News Church Almanac, Salt Lake City: Deseret News.
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