The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a restorationist, nontrinitarian Christian denomination that is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The church is headquartered in the United States in Salt Lake City, Utah and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, it has over 17 million members and over 72,000 full-time volunteer missionaries. The church was the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States as of 2012, and reported over 6.8 million US members as of 2022.
A ward is a local congregation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a smaller local congregation known as a branch.
Brigham Young University–Hawaii (BYU–Hawaii) is a private college in Laie, Hawaii. It is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU–Hawaii was founded in 1955 and it became a satellite campus of Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1974. In 2004, it was made a separate institution. The college's sole focus is on undergraduate education.
Brigham Young University–Idaho is a private college in Rexburg, Idaho. Founded 136 years ago in 1888, the college is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Previously known as Ricks College, it transitioned from a junior college to a baccalaureate institution in 2001.
The Mormon colonies in Mexico are settlements located near the Sierra Madre mountains in northern Mexico which were established by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints beginning in 1885. The colonists came to Mexico due to federal attempts to curb and prosecute polygamy in the United States. Plural marriage, as polygamous relationships were called by church members, was an important tenet of the church—although it was never practiced by a majority of the membership.
The Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners. Approximately 700,000 individuals were enrolled in CES programs in 143 countries in 2011. CES courses of study are separate and distinct from religious instruction provided through wards. Clark G. Gilbert, a general authority seventy, has been the CES commissioner since August 1, 2021.
Sigma Gamma Chi (ΣΓΧ) was a fraternal organization sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although it once was a national organization, it later only operated at the University of Utah.
An Institute of Religion is a local organization that provides religious education for young adults who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with those of other religions also welcome to participate. Local institutes may function in church meetinghouses but may also have a stand-alone building situated adjacent to colleges or universities. The LDS Church describes the purpose of the Institute program as "weekday religious instruction for single and married postsecondary students." Institutes of Religion are professionally directed as part of the Church Educational System, with responsibility for the seminary program and the church's higher education institutions, including Brigham Young University (BYU).
Philip Layton Barlow is a Harvard-trained scholar who specializes in American religious history, religious geography, and Mormonism. In 2019, Barlow was appointed associate director of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. Barlow was the first full-time professor of Mormon studies at a secular university as the inaugural Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University (USU), from 2007 to 2018.
Lambda Delta Sigma (ΛΔΣ) was a college sorority, although originally it was co-educational, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Greek letters in its name match LDS, the common initialization of Latter-day Saints.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in the Hawaiian Islands in 1850, 11 years after the Edict of Toleration was decreed by Kamehameha III, giving the underground Hawaii Catholic Church the right to worship, and at the same time allowing other faith traditions to begin establishing themselves.
The Story of the Latter-day Saints is a single-volume history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard, first published in 1976.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a presence in Mexico since 1874. Mexico has the largest body of LDS Church members outside of the United States. Membership grew nearly 15% between 2011 and 2021. In the 2010 Mexican census, 314,932 individuals self-identified most closely to the LDS Church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alaska refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Alaska. The first congregation of the Church in Alaska was organized in 1938. It has since grown to 33,574 members in 81 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Montana refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Montana. The church's first congregation in Montana was organized in 1895. It has since grown to 51,715 members in 129 congregations.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and a topical guide to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Delta Phi Kappa (ΔΦΚ), was a fraternity for male returned missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at colleges in Utah, Idaho, and Arizona. It existed from 1920 to 1978.
The Logan Institute of Religion is the largest institute of religion in the world, and the oldest in Utah. This facility is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is located in Logan, Utah, adjacent to the campus of Utah State University (USU). The institute provides religion classes to young adults aged 18-30, serves as a meetinghouse for local congregations, and sponsors activities for young adults.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a limited presence in the People's Republic of China and is subject to legal restrictions on the Chinese mainland. Mormonism is not one of the five religions officially recognized by the government of China. Although returned overseas Chinese converts and foreign Latter-day Saints who live in China do attend in-country sacrament meetings, Chinese nationals and expatriates do not attend the same meetings, and the LDS Church has directed its non-Chinese members to avoid proselytizing in Mainland China.
