Iceland
331
Total Church Membership
Population vs. Church Members
3
Congregations
1
FamilySearch Centers
History
Guðmundur Guðmundsson and Þórarinn Hafliðason, the first Latter-day Saint missionaries to preach in Iceland, were Icelanders who had recently converted in Denmark and returned to their homeland in 1851. After Þórarinn’s untimely death, Guðmundur preached alone for almost two years. In 1853, despite ongoing opposition, he organized a branch on the Westman Islands.
Although Icelanders continued to join the Church, immigration to North America sometimes left Iceland with no established branches. Recent converts often led the Church with the assistance of Icelandic members who returned as missionaries. Missionary work in Iceland was discontinued at the outset of World War I.
By the end of World War II, the Church had slowly rebuilt its presence in Iceland. U.S. servicemen stationed near Keflavík formed a small congregation in 1945 and began preaching the gospel. Several missionaries from the Denmark Copenhagen Mission were reassigned to Iceland in 1975, and a branch was organized in Reykjavík the following year. The Book of Mormon was published in Icelandic in 1981, and the first meetinghouse constructed in Iceland was dedicated in 2000. A branch was organized in Selfoss in 2007.
Although the number of Church members in Iceland remains small, Icelandic Saints form a close-knit community and recognize that “the body hath need of every member, that all may be edified together” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:110).
For Journalist Use Only
Gerhard Gudnason
Reykjavik,
Iceland
Phone: +354-690-6075
Africa
Total Church Membership
736,701
Members
2,476
Congregations
Missions
39Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
5Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1,259,094
Members
2,110
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
8Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
500,239
Members
1,350
Congregations
Missions
34Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
14Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9,489,479
Members
18,476
Congregations
Missions
174Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
112Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
587,462
Members
1,301
Congregations
Missions
18Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
10Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4,232,425
Members
5,602
Congregations