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

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Missouri
Visitors center in Independence, Missouri
AreaNA Central
Members77,959 (2022)[1]
Stakes18
Wards138
Branches22
Total Congregations160
Missions2
Temples2 Operating
1 Announced
3 Total
Family History Centers51[2]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Missouri refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Missouri. The official church membership as a percentage of general population was 1.14% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey, roughly 1% of Missourians self-identify themselves most closely with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[3] The LDS Church is the 8th largest denomination in Missouri.[4]

Stakes are located in Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Far West, Hazelwood, Independence, Joplin, Kansas City, Lake St Louis, Liberty, Monett, Platte City, St Louis (2), St Robert, Springfield (2), Warrensburg, and West Plains.

History

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Historic Liberty Jail
Membership in Missouri
YearMembership
197413,796
198025,243
199035,084
199951,187
200963,666
201972,525
*Membership was published as a rounded number.
Source: Wendall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac State Information: Missouri[1]

In 1831, Joseph Smith told LDS Church members that Independence, Missouri, was to be the gathering spot for the church.[5]

There were many Mormons in Missouri and it served as one of the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1830s. In 1838, Lilburn W. Boggs issued the Extermination Order to drive Mormons from the state, and for a time there was no organized Church presence here.

Later in the 1840s, members of the Church, both immigrants from Britain and migrants from Nauvoo, Illinois moved to St. Louis, Missouri and a branch was organized there in 1844. In 1852 the steamship Saluda exploded near Lexington, Missouri with many of those killed being Latter-day Saints headed towards Fremont, Nebraska to then outfit to go to Utah.

By 1849, there were over 3,000 Latter-day Saints in the St. Louis area, and in 1854, a stake was organized there with Milo Andrus as president. Among those baptized in Missouri about this time was Henry Eyring a German immigrant who would later lead Latter-day Saint missionary efforts among the Cherokee in Oklahoma and many of whose descendants would be prominent later in the LDS Church. In 1858, the stake was dissolved and most of the Mormons migrated to Utah.

In the late 19th century, there was limited missionary presence. However, from 1904, a mission was headquartered in Independence. In 1911, a branch was organized there with Joseph F. Smith dedicating a chapel in 1914. Shortly after this Spencer W. Kimball, later president of the Church, served a mission in Missouri.

The church began to expand in the 1920s with five new chapels dedicated in 1926 and 1927. The first Missouri stake was organized in Kansas City in 1956 with another organized in St. Louis in 1958. Columbia, Missouri got a stake in 1970, the Independence Stake was split from the Kansas City stake in 1971 and a stake was organized in Springfield in 1973. The first LDS temple in Missouri was dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley in the St. Louis area in 1997.[6]

For much of the early 20th century, Liahona The Elders' Journal was published in Independence, Missouri this was the main LDS publication aimed at church members living in the United States outside of the Mormon corridor.

In 2010, the Kansas City Missouri Temple was dedicated—the temple stands not far from Liberty, Missouri where LDS Church founder Joseph Smith Jr. was incarcerated in the winter of 1838–39.[7]

Stakes

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As of January 2024, Missouri was home to the following stakes:

Stake Mission Temple District
Cape Girardeau Missouri Missouri St Louis St Louis Missouri
Chariton River Missouri Missouri St Louis St Louis Missouri
Columbia Missouri Missouri St Louis St Louis Missouri
Far West Missouri Missouri Independence Kansas City Missouri
Hazelwood Missouri Missouri St Louis St Louis Missouri
Independence Missouri Missouri Independence Kansas City Missouri
Joplin Missouri Arkansas Bentonville Bentonville Arkansas
Kansas City Missouri Missouri Independence Kansas City Missouri
Lake St Louis Missouri Missouri St Louis St Louis Missouri
Liberty Missouri Missouri Independence Kansas City Missouri
Monett Missouri Arkansas Bentonville Bentonville Arkansas
Nauvoo Illinois Stake Iowa Iowa City Nauvoo Illinois
Platte City Missouri Missouri Independence Kansas City Missouri
St Louis Missouri South Missouri St Louis St Louis Missouri
St Louis Missouri Missouri St Louis St Louis Missouri
St Robert Missouri Arkansas Bentonville St Louis Missouri
Springfield Missouri South Arkansas Bentonville Bentonville Arkansas
Springfield Missouri Arkansas Bentonville Bentonville Arkansas
Warrensburg Missouri Missouri Independence Kansas City Missouri
West Plains Missouri Missouri St Louis St Louis Missouri

Missions

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Mission Organized
Missouri Independence North Mission April 4, 1904
Missouri St Louis Mission July 1, 1977

Temples

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class=notpageimage|
Temples in Missouri
  • = Operating
  • = Under construction
  • = Announced
  • = Temporarily Closed
  • = Construction suspended

Missouri currently has two operating temples and three in which construction has been indefinitely suspended.

Operating

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Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style: 		Town and Country, Missouri, U.S.
December 29, 1990 by Ezra Taft Benson
October 30, 1993 by Gordon B. Hinckley
June 1, 1997 by Gordon B. Hinckley
58,749 sq ft (5,458.0 m2) on a 14-acre (5.7 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Chiodini Associates
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Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Notes: 		Kansas City, Missouri, United States
October 4, 2008 by Thomas S. Monson[8]
May 8, 2010 by Ronald A. Rasband
May 6, 2012 by Thomas S. Monson
32,000 sq ft (3,000 m2) on a 8.05-acre (3.26 ha) site
Announced at the 178th Semiannual General Conference.[8] Ground was broken May 8, 2010 by Ronald A. Rasband during an invitation-only ceremony.[9] An open house was held from April 7 to 28, 2012, with the dedication held on May 6, 2012.
Map
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Location:
Announced:
Size: 		Springfield, Missouri, United States
2 April 2023 by Russell M. Nelson[10][11]
29,000 sq ft (2,700 m2) on a 38-acre (15 ha) site

Efforts Suspended

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The following temples had been announced and in some stage of development, but whose construction is not actively being pursued at this time.

edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Notes: 		Independence, Missouri, U.S.
April 1829
August 1831 by Joseph Smith (land dedicated)
Site Dedicated August 1, 1831 when cornerstones laid by Joseph Smith. The plat for the City of Zion (Independence, Missouri) originally called for 24 temples at the center of the city.[12] A temple has never been built at this location because the temple's site, as designated by Joseph Smith, is occupied by a Latter Day Saint movement denomination known as the Church of Christ (Temple Lot).
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Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Notes: 		Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri, United States
April 16, 1838 by Joseph Smith
July 4, 1838 by Quorum of the Twelve on a 640-acre (260 ha) site
Site Dedicated. Cornerstones laid and dedicated July 4, 1838. Efforts discontinued in 1800s. The cornerstones remain, covered in glass, as part of a memorial park at the site.
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Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Notes: 		Adam-ondi-Ahman, Daviess County, Missouri, United States
April 26, 1838 by Joseph Smith
October 1838 by Joseph Smith on a 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) site
Site dedicated. Laid out by Brigham Young (although no cornerstones were laid). Never built because of 1838 Mormon War. Design was to be similar to Kirtland Temple. Site dedicated and temple announced by Joseph Smith, Jr. on April 26, 1838.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by State: Missouri", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved May 28, 2023
  2. ^ Category:Missouri Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved March 28, 2022
  3. ^ "Adults in Missouri: Religious composition of adults in Missouri". Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Pew Research Center. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved May 24, 2021. Note:While it's the eighth largest denomination in Missouri, it's the ninth largest denomination when "nondenominational" is considered as a denomination.
  5. ^ "Facts and Statistics", Church News, 2020. Retrieved on April 2, 2020.
  6. ^ LDS Church Almanac, published by the Deseret News, 2011 edition, p. 360-361
  7. ^ Burnes, Brian. "New Mormon temple in Kansas City, North, to open in April", The Kansas City Star, January 19, 2012. Retrieved on March 27, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Mikita, Carole (October 4, 2008). "LDS Church plans temples in Rome, 4 other locations". KSL.com. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  9. ^ Burnes, Brian (May 8, 2010). "Groundbreaking planned for Mormon temple in Northland" (NewsBank paywall). The Kansas City Star. p. A5. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  10. ^ Full summary of Sunday’s LDS General Conference: Nelson urges members to be peacemakers, announces 15 new temples, Salt Lake Tribune, April 2, 2023
  11. ^ "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 15 New Houses of the Lord", Newsroom, LDS Church, April 2, 2023
  12. ^ History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Documented History of the Church "DHC") 1:357-362 or James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.1, p.6-10 where full architectural descriptions are given.
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