South Carolina
40,887
Total Church Membership
Population vs. Church Members
7
Stakes
69
Congregations
23
Family History Centers
1
Temples
1
Missions
History
Lysander M. Davis, a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, arrived in South Carolina in 1839, just nine
years after the Church was organized in New York. Expecting to find
little or no acquaintance with the Church, Davis was surprised to
find several people were prepared for baptism, taught by Emmanual
Masters Murphy, a new convert to the Church in the area. Murphy had
reportedly spoken with Church President Joseph Smith in the late
1830s, and was told to warn South Carolinians of the destruction
soon to hit their state, "the wars that will shortly come to pass,
beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually
terminate in the death and misery of many souls . . . the Southern
states will call on other nations, even the nation of Great
Britain. . . ." This warning saw reality in 1861, when the
Confederates attacked Fort Sumter, and the Civil War commenced.
With the united efforts of
Murphy and Davis, Church membership grew, but at the same time, so
did opposition. Members were persecuted for their beliefs, and
Davis was briefly jailed. In 1897, mobs burned one of South
Carolina's first Latter-day Saint meetinghouses in Centerville. It
was rebuilt and burned again in 1899. Since then, the Church has
enjoyed happier times and wide acceptance. Community support was
evidenced in the 1990s when Church and community members worked
together to provide relief after storms ripped through the
South. A temple in Columbia was
dedicated on 16 October 1999.
United States
6,681,829
Total Church Membership
Population vs. Church Members
1629
Stakes
14,274
Congregations
1,876
Family History Centers
81
Temples
117
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 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 Mormons to move on to western settlements in Missouri and Illinois. With the assassination of Joseph Smith in 1844 and increasing pressure on the Mormons 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. More than six million Latter-day Saints are spread throughout nearly 14,000 congregations.
Africa
Total Church Membership
621,448
Members
2,150
Congregations
Missions
34Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
3Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1,206,148
Members
2,139
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
8Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
493,970
Members
1,382
Congregations
Missions
34Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
12Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9,336,465
Members
18,071
Congregations
Missions
182Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
109Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
562,341
Members
1,253
Congregations
Missions
17Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
10Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4,093,363
Members
5,541
Congregations