New York
83,293
Total Church Membership
Population vs. Church Members
17
Stakes
140
Congregations
65
Family History Centers
2
Temples
2
Missions |
History
Organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints occurred 6 April 1830, in Fayette, New York, with 50 people and 6 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. In July 1840, the first group of new converts from Liverpool, England, arrived on the ship in the New York harbor. To commemorate the early events of Church organization, an annual pageant, "America's Witness for Christ" (also known as "Hill Cumorah Pageant"), began in 1928. The Cumorah pageant attracts as many as 100,000 people to New York during its seven-night run. The Church celebrated the sesquicentennial of its organization in New York in 1980. The Church President at the time, President Spencer W. Kimball, spoke to Church members by satellite from the rebuilt historic sites where the Church was organized. On 6 April 2000, 170 years after the Church was organized, the Palmyra New York Temple was Dedicated. The temple overlooks the Sacred Grove and other historic sites. The first temple in New York City, the Manhattan New York Temple, was dedicated on 13 June 2004. For Journalist Use Only Ahmad Corbitt
New York, New York,
United States
Phone: 212-580-1919
United States
6,721,032
Total Church Membership
Population vs. Church Members
1642
Stakes
14,459
Congregations
1,870
Family History Centers
81
Temples
108
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
666,508
Members
2,327
Congregations
Missions
35Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
4Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1,230,515
Members
2,130
Congregations
Missions
44Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
8Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
497,436
Members
1,374
Congregations
Missions
34Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
14Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9,419,307
Members
18,256
Congregations
Missions
173Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
110Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
572,895
Members
1,283
Congregations
Missions
17Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
10Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4,178,375
Members
5,570
Congregations