The denominations in the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...

are sometimes collectively referred to as ''

Mormonism Mormonism is the theology and religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationism, Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to va ...

''. One source estimated over 400 denominations have sprung from founder

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...

's original movement. ''Mormon'' is an informal term used especially when referring to the largest Latter Day Saint denomination,

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church), and other offshoots in the movement. Some groups opposed to the use of the term Mormon consider it to be connected to the

polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

once practiced by the Utah church, or to pejoratives used against early adherents of the movement. The Latter Day Saint movement includes: * The original church within this movement, founded in April 1830 in New York by Joseph Smith, was the Church of Christ. It was later named the "Church of the Latter Day Saints". It was renamed the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" in 1838 (stylized as the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" in the United Kingdom), which remained its official name until Smith's death in 1844. This organization subsequently splintered into several different denominations, each of which claims to be the legitimate continuation of this original church. Most of these dispute the right of other denominations within the movement to claim this distinction. * The largest denomination within the contemporary movement is the LDS Church, with over 17 million members."2022 Statistical Report for 2023 April Conference"
''Newsroom'', April 1, 2023. It is headquartered in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

. * The second-largest denomination is the

Community of Christ Community of Christ, known legally and from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement ...

(it was first named the "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints", which lasted from 1872 to 2001). This is a

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

-based, 250,000-member denomination. Although members of this church have traditionally been called Latter Day Saints (without the hyphen), the Community of Christ has more recently stated that it rejects the use of the term ''Saints'' as a designation for its members in any official reference or publication. * The largest groups of

Mormon fundamentalism Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamentalism, fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of J ...

include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), Centennial Park Group (The Work),

Apostolic United Brethren The Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) is a Mormon fundamentalist group that practices polygamy and is no longer associated in any way with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The AUB has had a temple in Mexico since the 1990s, an en ...

(AUB or Allred Group), and Latter Day Church of Christ (DCCS or Kingston Group). * Other denominations within the movement either formed around various would-be successors to Smith, or else broke from denominations that did. These, together with the denominations listed above, are detailed in the table of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement below. Although a few small factions broke with Smith's organization during his lifetime, he retained the allegiance of the vast majority of Latter Day Saints until his death in June 1844. Following Smith's death, the movement underwent a leadership crisis which led to a schism within the church. The largest group followed

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

and settled in what became the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...

and is now the Utah-based LDS Church. The second-largest faction, Community of Christ, coalesced around

Joseph Smith III Joseph Smith III (November 6, 1832 – December 10, 1914) was the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith (founder of the Latter Day Saint movement) and Emma Hale Smith. Joseph Smith III was the Prophet-President of what became the Reorganized Chu ...

, eldest son of Joseph Smith. Other would-be leaders included the senior surviving member of the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

, Sidney Rigdon; the newly baptized

James Strang James Jesse Strang (March 21, 1813 – July 9, 1856) was an American religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed monarch. He served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1853 until his assassination. In 1844, he said he ...

from Wisconsin; and Alpheus Cutler, one of the

Council of Fifty "The Council of Fifty" (also known as "the Living Constitution", "the Kingdom of God", or its name by revelation, "The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ") was a Lat ...

. Each of these men still retains a following —however tiny it may be in some cases—and all of their organizations have undergone further schisms. Other claimants, such as Granville Hedrick,

William Bickerton William Bickerton (January 15, 1815 – February 17, 1905) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement after the 1844 succession crisis. In 1862, Bickerton became the founding president of the church now known as The Church of Jesus Chri ...

, and Charles B. Thompson, later emerged to start still other factions, some of which have further subdivided. LDS Denominations

Categorizing the churches

Given the large number of Latter Day Saint churches and their differing backgrounds, categorizing them can be difficult. In the field of Mormon studies, terms such as ''Rocky Mountain Saints'' are sometimes used for those denominations headquartered in the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is census regions United States Census Bureau As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the mea ...

and ''Prairie Saints'' for those denominations that formed in and around

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its h ...

; Voree, Wisconsin;

Independence, Missouri Independence is a city in and one of two county seats of Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020 Unite ...

; and other locations in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

and East. These terms do not necessarily relate the current geographical locations of all denominations within those two groupings, but rather the original location of their respective parent organizations, which may be seen in the table below. Another method uses provenance: for instance, all denominations that ultimately trace their history back to the LDS Church based in Utah, are organized as one factional group. ''Divergent Paths of the Restoration''—a reference work on this subject—follows this approach. In such studies, and in general Latter Day Saint parlance, the '' -ite''-suffixed terms ''Josephite'' and ''Brighamite'' have been used for the Missouri-based Community of Christ and the Utah-based LDS Church, respectively; these terms have sometimes been used to distinguish groups of denominations as well. Those denominations within each group share a common ancestry and basic beliefs that are different from groups sharing other provenances. The present article, in a similar fashion, distinguishes among groups of denominations by use of commonly understood names such as '' Mormon fundamentalist'' or else by short descriptions that often reference a founder of the first church within a factional group—for example, ''Joseph Smith III'' in reference to Community of Christ as well as various churches and factions that trace their origin to it.

List of Latter Day Saint movement churches

Era of Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith's original church, and those bodies which broke with him during his lifetime.

Original church within movement

The original organization, founded by Joseph Smith in 1830, later called the ''Church of the Latter-Day Saints'' and then ''The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints''.''Manuscript History of the Church'', LDS Church Archives, book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in Dean C. Jessee (comp.) (1989). ''The Papers of Joseph Smith: Autobiographical and Historical Writings'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book) 1:302–303. H. Michael Marquardt and Wesley P. Walters (1994). ''Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books) p. 160.

Churches that separated from Smith's organization prior to 1844

Other small churches formed on the basis of disagreements with Smith prior to his murder in 1844 (including church established by William Law within 1844), all of which are now defunct.

Lineage of Brigham Young

Sometimes called "Rocky Mountain Saints," "Brighamites," or "Mormons", tracing their leadership or influence through

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The LDS Church is by far the largest and most well-known Latter Day Saint church. It is colloquially referred to as the "Mormon Church". The church prefers to be called by its full title or by the shorthand "Church of Jesus Christ" to emphasize its worship of Jesus Christ and to distance itself from the phrase "Mormon", which has derogatory origins.

Churches upholding polygamy after the Manifesto of 1890

Churches that believe they are strictly following the revelations and teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, including the practice of

plural marriage Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more ...

, which was discontinued by the LDS Church in the late-19th century after the

Manifesto A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...

Left-of-center LDS-derived churches

The defunct Godbeites and a few other small churches that broke with the LDS Church to pursue a more liberal, inclusive, or rationalist theology.

Additional churches claiming lineage through Brigham Young and/or founded in the U.S. Intermountain West

Several small churches rooted in Mormonism; formed under the belief that their leader was inspired to restore a new religious tradition in the mold of Joseph Smith

Other lineages

Those churches rejecting Brigham Young's leadership, in favor of some other claimant. These adherents are occasionally referred to, collectively, as "Prairie Saints."

Reorganized Church and other followers of Joseph Smith III ("Josephites")

The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and related churches tracing their leadership through

Followers of Granville Hedrick ("Hedrickites")

The Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and related churches tracing their leadership through Granville Hedrick.

Followers of Sidney Rigdon or William Bickerton ("Bickertonites")

Churches tracing their leadership through Sidney Rigdon or

Followers of Alpheus Cutler ("Cutlerites")

The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) and related churches tracing their leadership through Alpheus Cutler.

Followers of James J. Strang ("Strangites")

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) and related churches tracing their leadership through

Additional Latter Day Saint churches (usually headquartered in U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains)

Other "Prairie Saint" branches of the movement, such as the Church of Christ (Whitmerite), none of which is known to be extant.

Spontaneous or unknown lineage

Those denominations which originated independent from other organizations and do not trace their doctrinal or priesthood lineage to any 19th-century Latter Day Saint factions, but still hold Latter Day Saint beliefs.

Gallery

File:Joseph Smith, Jr. (1843 photograph).jpg, alt=Alleged daguerreotype of Joseph Smith, Alleged daguerreotype of

, founder of the

File:George J Adams.jpg, alt=Portrait of George J. Adams, George J. Adams, founder of the Church of the Messiah (George J. Adams) File:James Brighouse (Latter Day Saint).jpg, alt=Photo of James Brighouse, James Brighouse, founder of the Order of Enoch File:Alpheus Cutler.jpg, alt=Photo of Alpheus Cutler, Alpheus Cutler, founder and first president of the Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) File:William W. Davies.jpg, alt=Photo of William W. Davies, William W. Davies, founder of the Kingdom of Heaven File:Richard Charles Evans.JPG, alt=Portrait of R. C. Evans, R. C. Evans, founder of the Church of the Christian Brotherhood File:PastorOttoFetting1916 cropped.jpg, alt=Photo of Otto Fetting, Photo of Otto Fetting, founder of the Church of Christ (Fettingite) File:Walter_M._Gibson.jpg, alt=Portrait of Walter M. Gibson, Portrait of Walter M. Gibson, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Gibsonite) File:Maurice L. Glendenning.jpg, alt=Photo of Maurice L. Glendenning, Maurice L. Glendenning, founder of the House of Aaron File:WilliamGodbe.jpg, alt=Portrait of William S. Godbe, William S. Godbe, founder of The Church of Zion, also called Godbeites File:Leroy S. Johnson2.jpg, alt=Photo of Leroy S. Johnson, Photo of Leroy S. Johnson, organizer of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints File:William Law (mormon).jpg, alt=Portrait of William Law,

William Law William Law (16869 April 1761) was a Church of England priest who lost his position at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, when his conscience would not allow him to take the required oath of allegiance to the first Hanoverian monarch, George I of Grea ...

, founder of the True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints File:Williamemlellin.gif, alt=Portrait of William E. M'Lellin, William E. M'Lellin, co-founder of the Church of Christ (Whitmerite) File:Joseph Morris (Latter Day Saints).jpg, alt=Portrait of Joseph Morris (Latter Day Saints), Joseph Morris (Latter Day Saints), founder of the Church of the Firstborn (Morrisite) File:Rigdon.gif, alt=Portrait of Sidney Rigdon, Sidney Rigdon, founder of the

Church of Jesus Christ of the Children of Zion Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

File:Isaac Russell.jpg, alt=Portrait of Isaac Russell, Isaac Russell, founder of the Alston Church File:JosephSmith3.jpg, alt=Portrait of Joseph Smith III,

, prophet of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now the

) File:James Strang daguerreotype (1856).jpg, alt=Portrait of James Strang,

, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) File:Charles B Thompson.jpg, alt=Portrait of Charles B. Thompson, Charles B. Thompson, founder of the

Congregation of Jehovah's Presbytery of Zion Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...

File:David Witmer.JPG, alt=Portrait of David Whitmer, David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses and co-founder of the Church of Christ (Whitmerite) File:Lymanwight8.gif, alt=Photo of Lyman Wight, Photo of

Lyman Wight Lyman Wight (May 9, 1796 – March 31, 1858) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the leader of the Latter Day Saints in Daviess County, Missouri, in 1838. In 1841, he was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apo ...

, founder of the

Church of Christ (Wightite) Lyman Wight (May 9, 1796 – March 31, 1858) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the leader of the Latter Day Saints in Daviess County, Missouri, in 1838. In 1841, he was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apost ...

File:Lorin C. Woolley2.jpg, alt=Photo of Lorin C. Woolley, Photo of Lorin C. Woolley, known as the father of

amongst most fundamentalist denominations File:BrighamYoung1.jpg, alt=Portrait of Brigham Young,

, prophet of

File:KirtlandTemple Ohio USA.jpg, alt=The Kirtland Temple, Kirtland Temple Built by Joseph Smith's Church of Christ; passed through hands of several factions after Smith's death; today owned by the LDS Church File:Salt Lake Temple, Utah - Sept 2004-2.jpg, alt=The Salt Lake Temple,

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a Temple (LDS Church), temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

of the LDS Church, in Salt Lake City, Utah File:Independence - RLDS Temple 02.jpg, alt=The Independence Temple, Independence Temple of the

, in Independence, MO File:Temple-lot2.jpg, alt=Temple Lot, Independence, Missouri, Panorama of the Temple Lot in

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

, with (L to R) the Stone Church, the Temple Lot Church, the Independence Temple, and the

Auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

File:Independence - Church of Christ Temple Lot 02.jpg, alt=Church of Christ (Temple Lot), World Headquarters and Independence Branch of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), located in Independence, Missouri File:Independence - Restoration Branch 02.jpg, alt=Outreach Restoration Branch, Current location of the Outreach Restoration Branch, in Independence, Missouri. Previously the location of the now-defunct Church of Christ (Hancock). File:VoreeChurch.jpg, alt=Meetinghouse of Strangite Branch, Meetinghouse of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), in Voree, Wisconsin File:Church of Christ with the Elijah Message.jpg, alt=Headquarters of the Church of Christ with the Elijah Message, Headquarters and Independence Branch of the Church of Christ with the Elijah Message, in Independence, Missouri File:Independence - Fettingite Bronsonite 02.jpg, alt=Church of Christ (Fettingite), Meetinghouse of the Church of Christ (Fettingite), in Independence, Missouri File:Independence - Zion's Branch 02.jpg, alt=Church of Jesus Christ (Zion's Branch), Meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ (Zion's Branch), in Independence, Missouri File:BickertoniteChurch.jpg, alt=Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), Meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) in Monongahela, PA File:Independence - Cutlerite Church 01.jpg, alt=Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite), Headquarters and sole branch of the Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) in Independence, Missouri File:Independence - Elijah Message Church B.jpg, alt=Church of Christ (Assured Way), Headquarters of the Church of Christ with the Elijah Message (Assured Way of the Lord), Inc. in Independence, Missouri File:FLDS Eldorado hi.jpg, alt=FLDS Temple, Temple of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Eldorado, Texas File:Independence - Remnant LDS 02.jpg, alt=Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Meetinghouse and Conference Center of the

Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, usually referred to as the Remnant Church, is a denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The prophet / president of the church is Terry W. Patience. History In the 1970s and 1980s, ...

, in Independence, Missouri File:TLC redbrickstore.jpg, alt=TLC "Red Brick Store", "Red Brick Store" of the

True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days (TLC) is a breakaway sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is headquartered in Manti, Utah, United States, where as of 2004 it maintained a ...

Manti, Utah Manti ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sanpete County, Utah, Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,429 at the 2020 United States Census. Description Manti was the first community in Utah to be settled outside the Wasa ...

File:Independence - Fettingite DeWolf 02.jpg, alt=Church of Christ (Restored), Meetinghouse of the Church of Christ (Restored), in Independence, Missouri File:Independence - Restoration LDS 02.jpg, alt=Restoration Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Meetinghouse of the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in Independence, Missouri File:Colorado City schoolhouse.jpg, alt=Schoolhouse of the Short Creek Community, Schoolhouse of the Short Creek Community in Colorado City, Arizona (site of the 1953 Short Creek raid). File:Race Track Church.jpg, alt=Church of the Firstborn (Morrisite), Abandoned meetinghouse of the Church of the Firstborn (Morrisite), in Powell County, Montana File:Righteous Branch Temple.jpg, alt=Pyramid shaped temple of the Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pyramid-shaped temple and headquarters of the Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located near Modena, Utah

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement Denominations Latter Day Saint Latter Day Saint movement