Connecticut
16,030
Total Church Membership
3
Stakes
34
Congregations
10
FamilySearch Centers
1
Temples
History
In 1832, a few citizens of Connecticut joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Connecticut. In 1833, Wilford Woodruff, who later became a well-known missionary and Church President, joined the Church. In 1838, Woodruff returned to his hometown of Farmington and shared his faith with his family members. Afterward, Woodruff’s father, stepmother and sister and three others were baptized and formed part of a small congregation in Farmington. In the years following the death of Church Founder and President Joseph Smith in 1844, many Latter-day Saints on the East Coast migrated westward to join with the body of Church members traveling to the Great Basin. But near the end of the 19th century, Latter-day Saint missionaries once again traveled to the eastern United States to establish congregations. Church membership in Connecticut in 1930 was 198. Connecticut’s first meetinghouse was completed in Hartford in 1952. Other congregations began to form, such as a branch in Ashford, which was established in 1977 and which dedicated a meetinghouse in 1982. In 2016, the Hartford Connecticut Temple, located in Farmington, was dedicated. Several Latter-day Saints on the faculty of Yale University have helped to build the Beinecke Library’s collection of Latter-day Saint historical documents, which is one of the largest outside of Utah. Church members have regularly engaged in service within their communities in a variety of ways. For instance, in 1982, the Ashford Branch planted 100 blueberry bushes to serve as a resource for the hungry. More recently, Latter-day Saints can be seen participating in activities to improve schools, parks and other community resources.
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
