North Carolina
95,875
Total Church Membership
20
Stakes
183
Congregations
51
FamilySearch Centers
1
Temples
2
Missions
History
The first meetings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints in North Carolina "caused the greatest stirs imaginable,"
said missionary Elder John Eldridge. "I never thought that one poor
mortal could make such a stir."
The first missionary to
North Carolina, Jedediah Grant, spent from 1838-45 in North
Carolina, organizing seven congregations of more than 200 Church
members. When Grant left the state, membership had increased to
350. Missionary work was interrupted in the late 1840s as many
Church members traveled west to escape persecution. Although this
migration continued into the 1870s, several congregations and a
mission were organized in North Carolina in 1875. In November 1894,
Church leaders encouraged members to stay in their state rather
than migrate west. During the next five years, nearly 700 people
were baptized, seven Church buildings constructed, 30 Sunday
Schools organized, and 20 congregations established. A newly
completed meetinghouse on Harker's Island was burned and
missionaries driven out by a mob in 1906. Harsh attitudes gradually
moderated in the twentieth century and missionaries were offered
more freedom to preach. In 1948, the Church began a
five-year construction project in North Carolina resulting in 16
new Church buildings. By 1973, North Carolina had nearly 16,400
members in 53 congregations with a growth rate of nearly 400 new
members per year. North Carolina members and missionaries were
among many from Southern states to respond to storm-caused
disasters in the South in the 1990s.
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