Alberta
84,459
Total Church Membership
27
Stakes
232
Congregations
43
FamilySearch Centers
3
Temples
2
Missions
History
Latter-day Saint railway crews from northern Utah helped lay track for the Canadian Pacific Railway as early as 1883 and also became familiar with southern Alberta. In 1886, a church leader from Utah explored southern Alberta, looking for a suitable place to colonize in Canada. In March 1887, he left with a small advance party, arrived at Lee's Creek on 3 June, and started a settlement that later became Cardston. The Cardston Ward (a congregation) was organized in 1888. Other Church members welcomed the opportunity for land away from the growing population of northern Utah. Mountain View, Aetna, Beazer, Leavitt, Kimball, Caldwell, Taylorville, Magrath, and Stirling were soon settled; and after the turn of the century, Latter-day saints colonized Woolford, Orton, Raymond, Barnwell, Welling, Taber, Frankburg, Glenwood, and Hill Spring. The Alberta Stake (similar to a diocese) was created in 1895, the Taylor Stake in 1903, and the Lethbridge Stake in 1921. By 1914, more than 10,000 Latter-day Saints lived in the vicinity. In 1913, ground was broken in Cardston for the Alberta Temple, which was dedicated in 1923. In 1935, two members of the Church from Southern Alberta were elected as members of the Legislative Assembly. Nathan Eldon Tanner and Solon Low were both appointed to provincial cabinet positions, and moved their families to Edmonton. Tanner served as Speaker of the House, Minister of Lands and Forests, and Minister of Mines and Minerals. In 1941, Edmonton was made the headquarters for the Western Canadian Mission of the Church. It encompassed parts of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. In the early 1960s, the mission headquarters moved to Calgary. In July of 1998, the Canada Edmonton Mission was created. The Edmonton Alberta Temple was dedicated in December of 1999.
United States
6,868,793
Total Church Membership
1693
Stakes
14,593
Congregations
1,871
FamilySearch Centers
89
Temples
110
Missions |
History
Organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints occurred April 6, 1830, in Fayette, New York, with 50 people and six official members present. Ten years prior to the organization, the new Church President, Joseph Smith, received a vision and further instructions from God to restore God's Church on earth. In one year (1830-31) membership increased to more than 100.
Kirtland, Ohio served as the organizational headquarters of the infant Church from 1831 until 1838. Membership grew from a handful of members to well over 2,000 before persecution and the financial upheaval of the times forced the Latter-day Saints to move on to western settlements in Missouri and Illinois. With the assassination of Joseph Smith in 1844 and increasing pressure on the Latter-day Saints to abandon Nauvoo, Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi, it became obvious to Church leaders that they would need to move.
In 1846 the Saints established a refuge in what was called Winter Quarters, near present-day Omaha, Nebraska. In July of that year, the United States was involved in the Mexican-American War. While the pioneers were in Council Bluffs, Iowa, a request came from President James K. Polk for volunteers to march to Fort Leavenworth (present-day Kansas) and then to California on a one-year U.S. Army enlistment.
About 500 men enlisted in the Mormon Battalion, and about 80 women and children traveled with them. They began their journey in the sweltering heat of Council Bluffs, Iowa, on 20 July 1846, leaving their loved ones behind. The battalion completed one of the longest infantry marches in American history — about 2,000 miles (3,220 km) through what are now seven states and into Mexico. The Mormon Battalion carved out a vital road for wagons through the American Southwest.
In January 1847, Brigham Young received a revelation about “the Word and Will of the Lord concerning the Camp of Israel in their journeyings to the West” (now known as Doctrine and Covenants 136). When the first company of Latter-day Saint pioneers began to journey westward, they did not know their end destination. But on 24 July 1847, when the wagons rolled out of the canyon into the Salt Lake Valley, their destination became apparent. "It is enough," Church President Brigham Young said as he viewed the valley below. "This is the right place. Drive on." At least 236 pioneer companies of approximately 60,000 pioneers crossed the plains for Utah. With time, they transformed the desert valley into the bustling and prosperous Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City is home to the Church's worldwide headquarters. The Church has expanded throughout each of the United States.
Africa
Total Church Membership
849,568
Members
2,721
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
6Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1,298,181
Members
2,113
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
10Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
507,748
Members
1,296
Congregations
Missions
35Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
14Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9,637,503
Members
18,423
Congregations
Missions
175Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
120Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
599,065
Members
1,308
Congregations
Missions
17Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
11Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4,320,129
Members
5,629
Congregations