The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Missouri

Historic Liberty Jail

As of the end of 2007, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 62,217 members in 14 stakes,^[1] 143 Congregations (104 wards^[2] and 39 branches^[2]), 2 missions, and 2 temple (St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri).^[3]

History

There were many Mormons in Missouri and it served as one of the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1830s. In 1838 Lilburn W. Boggs issued the Extermination Order to drive Mormons from the state, and for a time there was no organized Church presence here.

Later in the 1840s members of the Church, both immigrants from Britain and migrants from Nauvoo, Illinois moved to St. Louis, Missouri and a branch was organized there in 1844. In 1852 the steamship Saluda exploded near Lexington, Missouri with many of those killed being Latter-day Saints headed towards Fremont, Nebraska to then outfit to go to Utah.

By 1849 there were over 3,000 Latter-day Saints in the St. Louis area, and in 1854 a stake was organized there with Milo Andrus as president. Among those baptized in Missouri about this time was Henry Eyring a German immigrant who would latter lead Latter-day Saint missionary efforts among the Cherokee in Oklahoma and many of whose descendants would be prominent latter in the LDS Church. In 1858 the stake was dissolved and most of the Mormon migrated to Utah.

In the late 19th century there was limited missionary presence. However from 1904 a mission was headquartered in Independence. In 1911 a branch was organized there with Joseph F. Smith dedicating a chapel in 1914. Shortly after this Spencer W. Kimball, later president of the Church, served a mission in Missouri.

The church began to expand in the 1920s with five new chapels dedicated in 1926 and 1927. The first Missouri stake was organized in Kansas City in 1956 with another organized in St. Louis in 1958. Columbia, Missouri got a stake in 1970, the Independence Stake was split from the Kansas City stake in 1971 and a stake was organized in Springfield in 1973. The first LDS temple in Missouri was dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley in the St. Louis area in 1997.^[4]

For much of the early 20th century Liahona The Elders' Journal was published in Independence, Missouri this was the main LDS publication aimed at church members living in the United States outside of the Mormon corridor.

Missouri Membership History

Year	Membership
1974	13,796
1980	25,243
1990	35,084
1999	51,187
2008	63,666

Missions

Mission	Organized
Missouri Independence North Mission	4 Apr 1904
Missouri St Louis Mission	1 Jul 1977

Temples

Missouri currently has two operating temples and three in which construction has been indefinitely suspended.

	50. St. Louis Missouri
	Location: Announcement: Dedication: Coordinates: Size: Style:	Town and Country, Missouri, US 29 December 1990 1 June 1997 by Gordon B. Hinckley 38°38′22.74360″N 90°27′52.86600″W / 38.6396510000°N 90.4646850000°W 58,749 sq ft (5,458 m^2) and 150 ft (46 m) high on a 14 acre (5.7 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Chiodini Associates
	137. Kansas City Missouri
	Location: Announcement: Dedication: Coordinates: Size: Notes:	Kansas City, Missouri, USA 4 October 2008 6 May 2012 by Thomas S. Monson 39°13′12.96″N 94°30′3.15″W / 39.2202667°N 94.5008750°W 32,000 sq ft (3,000 m^2) on a 8.07 acre (3.3 ha) site Announced at the 178th Semiannual General Conference.[5] Ground was broken 8 May 2010 by Ronald A. Rasband during an invitation-only ceremony.[6] An open house was held from 7 April to 28 April 2012, with the dedication held on 6 May 2012.
	Independence (Efforts halted in 1830s)
	Location: Announcement: Coordinates: Notes:	Independence, Missouri April 1829 39°5′27.1068″N 94°25′40.7604″W / 39.090863000°N 94.427989000°W Site Dedicated 1 August 1831 when cornerstones laid by Joseph Smith. The plat for the City of Zion (Independence, Missouri) originally called for 24 temples at the center of the city.[7] A temple has never been built at this location because the temple's site, as designated by Joseph Smith, is occupied by a Latter Day Saint movement denomination known as the Church of Christ (Temple Lot).
	Far West (Efforts halted in 1830s)
	Location: Announcement: Coordinates: Notes:	Far West, Missouri, USA 16 April 1838 39°40′17.36″N 94°7′58.05″W / 39.6714889°N 94.1327917°W Site Dedicated. Cornerstones laid and dedicated 26 April 1839. Efforts discontinued in 1800s. The cornerstones remain, covered in glass, as part of a memorial park at the site.
	Adam-ondi-Ahman (Efforts halted in 1830s)
	Location: Announcement: Coordinates: Notes:	Adam-ondi-Ahman, Missouri 26 April 1838 39°59′2.05″N 93°58′36.19″W / 39.9839028°N 93.9767194°W Site dedicated. Laid out by Brigham Young (although no cornerstones were laid). Never built because of 1838 Mormon War. Design was to be similar to Kirtland Temple. Site dedicated and temple announced on 26 April 1838 by Joseph Smith.

See also

• Independence, Missouri
• Jackson County, Missouri
• Far West, Missouri
• Adam-ondi-Ahman
• Caldwell County, Missouri
• Daviess County, Missouri
• Mormon War (1838)
• Haun's Mill massacre
• Extermination order
• Liberty Jail
• Evening and Morning Star
• Joseph Smith
• Zion's Camp

References

1. Missouri Stakes.LDS Stake & Ward Web Sites
2. LDS Meetinghouse Locator
3. LDS Newsroom (Statistical Information)
4. LDS Church Almanc, published by the Deseret News, 2011 edition, p. 360-361
5. Mikita, Carole (October 4, 2008). "LDS Church plans temples in Rome, 4 other locations". KSL.com. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
6. Burnes, Brian (May 8, 2010). "Groundbreaking planned for Mormon temple in Northland" (NewsBank paywall). The Kansas City Star. p. A5. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
7. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Documented History of the Church "DHC") 1:357-362 or James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.1, p.6-10 where full architectural descriptions are given.

External links

• LDS Newsroom (Missouri), includes brief history of LDS in Missouri
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Official Site
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Visitors Site