Church Organization

Since being established in April 1830 in Fayette, New York, with only 6 members, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has grown into a worldwide Church with over 13 million members and approximately 28,000 congregations. 

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Truth Was Restored through Joseph Smith

Truth Was Restored through Joseph Smith
(1:26)
The Jewish religion is rich with prophets, but I never really thought much about them until I heard about Joseph Smith.

Modern-Day Prophets

Modern-Day Prophets
(2:01)
If God had prophets in ancient times, why would He not have them here in modern times?

Paul talks about the organization of Christ's original church

Paul talks about the organization of Christ's original church
(1:16)
I asked myself, How could Christ's Church be different today than it was of old.  It seemed natural to me that God's Church today would have prophets, apostles, and that the word of God would still be available to the people of the world.
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After the martyrdom of Joseph Smith in 1844 in Carthage, Illinois, the succeeding prophet of the Church, Brigham Young, by revelation directed Church members to move west.  With the arrival of the first pioneers in 1847, Salt Lake City, Utah, became the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and remains so to this day.

Prominent Church locations in the thriving city that rests at the foot of the Rocky Mountains include:

  • Temple Square, a beautifully landscaped, 35-acre plot of ground, which is the location of the Salt Lake Temple, the Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall, and two visitors’ centers.
  • The Church offices, located east of Temple Square.
  • A large Conference Center, which hosts the Church’s world conferences, located north of Temple Square.
  • The Family History Library, which is open to the public for genealogical research, located west of Temple Square

Today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a worldwide religion.  Church membership is currently over 13 million, with over half of the members living outside the United States.  Although Utah is often thought of as the home of the Mormons, only about 14 percent of the Church membership lives in Utah.

With a global focus, the Church has more than 100 temples worldwide, prints monthly magazines in 50 languages for adults, youth, and children and has published more than 100 million copies of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ in over 93 languages.

With over 50,000 missionaries in 162 countries, Church membership continues to grow exponentially.

Members throughout the world are organized into local congregations called wards or branches.  These congregations are organized geographically, and members attend a ward or branch near their home, meeting together each Sunday to worship and learn.  The leader of a congregation is a bishop or a branch president.  He is not paid for his service, but he donates his time to serve the congregation.

We invite you to visit our meetings and worship with us.