Facts and Statistics

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Delaware

5,865

Total Church Membership

1-in-

2

Stakes

10

Congregations

9 Wards
1 Branches

3

FamilySearch Centers

3

History

Missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in the Delaware Valley in 1837. Joseph Smith, the Church’s founder, traveled through the Wilmington area in 1839. Local converts established small congregations in Wilmington, Centerville and Christiana. In the 1840s, many church members left Delaware to gather with the main body of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois. After the death of Joseph Smith in 1844, many remaining Latter-day Saints joined the mass exodus to the west. Church activity in Delaware ceased for around 100 years.

In 1941, a branch was organized, and in 1945 missionary work recommenced. In 1974, the Wilmington Stake was formed. Latter-day Saints in Delaware formed a tight-knit community with activities such as basketball tournaments and dances for young women and young men, scouting, and outdoor camps. Today, church members in Delaware regularly engage in projects to serve the community, such as the 2013 “Saturday in the Park” park cleanup events held in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and Ohio. Currently there are over 5,500 Latter-day Saints in Delaware in 12 congregations.