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

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Flag of Colorado.svg
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado
040 Denver, Colorado.JPG
The Denver Colorado Temple
Area NA Central
Members 148,708 (2022) [1]
Stakes 35
Wards 275
Branches 35
Total Congregations310
Missions 4
Temples 2 Operating
1 Under Construction
3 Total
Family History Centers 64 [2]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Colorado. The first congregation of the Church in Colorado was organized in 1897. [1] It has since grown to 148,708 members in 310 congregations.

Contents

Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 2.82% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey 2% of Coloradans self-identify themselves most closely with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [3] The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in Colorado behind the Roman Catholic Church. [4] Colorado has the 10th most members of the LDS Church in the United States. [5]

History

Membership in Colorado
YearMembers
19204,376
19306,435
19407,882
195010,728
196019,587
197035,613
198051,857
199088,625
1999112,232
2009137,145
2019150,509
Source: Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac State Information: Colorado [1]

On August 7, 1846, a settlement of 61 recent converts of the church traveling from Mississippi made camp on the Arkansas River, just east of present-day Pueblo in the southern part of the state. They had come along the main Overland trail to Fort Laramie but discovered the first groups of Mormon Pioneers from Nauvoo had stopped for the winter at Council Bluffs. Rather than turn back to join them; a trapper named John Renshaw led them down to a small adobe trading fort called El Pueblo which was thought to be a more suitable place to spend the winter. They made their camp about a half-mile south of El Pueblo.

While encamped in Pueblo the settlement was also joined by 3 different groups of the Mormon Battalion arriving between September 1846 and January 27, 1847. With the arrival in January, the population of the colony reached 289 people. This temporary colony was the first branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado. The settlement is also widely believed to be the first Anglo settlement in what is now the state of Colorado. The settlement also was the home of the first Anglo born child in Colorado; Sarah Emma Kartchner.

In April 1847, the first members of the settlement began their trek north to Fort Laramie where they were waiting when Brigham Young arrives in June 1847. By the fall of 1848, all the members of the church had left the Pueblo settlement. [6]

The first mission was established in the area in 1896 and the first congregation of the LDS Church in Colorado was organized in January 1897. [7]

The Denver Colorado Temple in Centennial was completed in 1986. [8]

The Fort Collins Colorado Temple was formally dedicated by Dieter F. Uchtdorf on October 16, 2016. [9] [10]

County Statistics

Meetinghouse in Sanford, Colorado LDS meetinghouse in Sanford, Colorado.JPG
Meetinghouse in Sanford, Colorado
A branch meetinghouse in Fox Creek, Colorado, an unincorporated community in Conejos County. Fox Creek, Colorado.JPG
A branch meetinghouse in Fox Creek, Colorado, an unincorporated community in Conejos County.

List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives: [11] Note: Each county adherent count reflects meetinghouse location of congregation and not by location of residence. Census count reflects location of residence which may skew percent of population where adherents reside in a different county as their congregational meetinghouse.

County Congregations Adherents % of Population
Adams 1811,4002.58
Alamosa 51,54710.02
Arapahoe 2714,5052.54
Baca 0
Bent 0
Boulder 178,6202.93
Chaffee 24352.44
Cheyenne 0
Clear Creek 12322.55
Conejos 82,34328.38
Costilla 11614.57
Crowley 0
Custer 11172.75
Delta 31,5354.96
Denver 1310,0921.68
Dolores 0
Douglas 2813,1114.59
Eagle 28181.57
El Paso 118,6022.99
Elbert 27383.20
Fremont 21,4343.06
Garfield 52,0853.70
Gilpin 0
Grand 12531.71
Gunnison 24,15727.13
Hinsdale 0
Huerfano 0
Jackson 0
Jefferson 2211,1752.09
Kiowa 0
Kit Carson 12262.73
La Plata 42,1264.14
Lake 0
Larimer 208,6222.88
Las Animas 0
Lincoln 11282.34
Logan 15542.44
Mesa 1810,0606.86
Mineral 0
Moffat 31,3399.71
Montezuma 52,2778.92
Montrose 62,8006.78
Morgan 11280.46
Otero 15823.09
Ouray 0
Park 0
Phillips 0
Pitkin 12681.56
Prowers 24393.50
Pueblo 84,2872.70
Rio Blanco 31,05515.83
Rio Grande 25794.83
Routt 13561.51
Saguache 11963.21
San Juan 1355.01
San Miguel 0
Sedgwick 0
Summit 15571.99
Teller 17133.05
Washington 0
Weld 114,8111.90
Yuma 11281.28

Stakes

StakeOrganizedMissionTemple District
Alamosa Colorado Stake29 May 1983Colorado Colorado SpringsAlbuquerque New Mexico
Arapahoe Colorado Stake27 Sep 1987Colorado Denver NorthDenver Colorado
Arvada Colorado Stake21 Jun 1959Colorado Denver NorthDenver Colorado
Aurora Colorado Stake6 Dec 1981Colorado Denver NorthDenver Colorado
Aurora Colorado South Stake22 Sep 2013Colorado Denver NorthDenver Colorado
Boulder Colorado Stake28 Jan 1973Colorado Denver NorthFort Collins Colorado
Brighton Colorado Stake10 Nov 2013Colorado Denver NorthFort Collins Colorado
Castle Rock Colorado Stake7 Mar 2004Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver Colorado
Colorado Springs Colorado Stake11 Sep 1960Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver Colorado
Colorado Springs East Stake26 Aug 1990Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver Colorado
Colorado Springs High Plains Stake11 Dec 2016Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver Colorado
Colorado Springs North Stake18 May 1980Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver Colorado
Columbine Colorado Stake7 Dec 1980Colorado Denver SouthDenver Colorado
Craig Colorado Stake15 Oct 2017Colorado Denver SouthVernal Utah
Denver Colorado Stake30 Jun 1940Colorado Denver NorthDenver Colorado
Denver Colorado North Stake28 Jan 1973Colorado Denver NorthFort Collins Colorado
Durango Colorado Stake7 Nov 1971New Mexico FarmingtonMonticello Utah
Fort Collins Colorado Stake1 Dec 1968Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins Colorado
Fountain Colorado Stake12 Dec 1999Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver Colorado
Front Range Colorado Stake19 Apr 1964Colorado Denver SouthDenver Colorado
Garden City Kansas Stake [lower-alpha 1] 18 May 2003Kansas WichitaDenver Colorado
Grand Junction Colorado Stake16 Oct 1955Colorado Denver SouthMonticello Utah
Grand Junction Colorado West Stake24 Apr 1983Colorado Denver SouthMonticello Utah
Greeley Colorado Stake28 Apr 1985Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins Colorado
Highlands Ranch Colorado Stake19 May 1985Colorado Denver SouthDenver Colorado
Littleton Colorado Stake2 Sep 1973Colorado Denver SouthDenver Colorado
Longmont Colorado Stake11 Nov 1990Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins Colorado
Loveland Colorado Stake18 Jun 2000Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins Colorado
Manassa Colorado Stake10 Jun 1883Colorado Colorado SpringsAlbuquerque New Mexico
Monticello Utah Stake [lower-alpha 1] 23 Sep 1883New Mexico FarmingtonMonticello Utah
Montrose Colorado Stake5 Nov 1978Colorado Denver SouthMonticello Utah
Parker Colorado Stake15 Sep 1996Colorado Denver NorthDenver Colorado
Parker Colorado South Stake13 Mar 2011Colorado Denver NorthDenver Colorado
Pueblo Colorado Stake3 Mar 1974Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver Colorado
Rifle Colorado Stake15 Jan 1961Colorado Denver SouthVernal Utah
Westminster Colorado Stake27 Apr 1997Colorado Denver NorthFort Collins Colorado
Windsor Colorado Stake23 Aug 2015Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins Colorado
  1. 1 2 Stake located outside Colorado with congregation(s) meeting in Colorado

Missions

The Colorado Mission was opened on December 15, 1896, with John W. Taylor as president. [12] This mission was renamed the Western States Mission on April 1, 1907, then the Colorado-New Mexico Mission on June 10, 1970, then the Colorado Mission on October 10, 1972, and the Colorado Denver Mission on June 20, 1974. It was finally renamed the Colorado Denver South Mission on July 1, 1993, upon creation of the Colorado Denver North Mission.

Colorado now contains four missions.

MissionOrganized
Colorado Colorado Springs Mission July 1, 2002
Colorado Denver South Mission December 15, 1896
Colorado Denver North Mission July 1, 1993
Colorado Fort Collins Mission July 1, 2013

The southwestern portion of the state is located in the New Mexico Farmington Mission.

Temples

  • ButtonRed.svg = Operating
  • ButtonBlue.svg = Under construction
  • ButtonYellow.svg = Announced
  • ButtonBlack.svg = Temporarily Closed

On October 24, 1986, the Denver Colorado Temple was dedicated by President Ezra Taft Benson. On April 2, 2011, the Fort Collins Colorado Temple was announced. Western portions of Colorado are in the Vernal Utah Temple and Monticello Utah Temple districts. Southern portions of Colorado are in the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple district.

Denver LDSTemple.JPG
edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:		 Centennial, Colorado, United States
March 31, 1982 by Spencer W. Kimball
May 19, 1984 by Gordon B. Hinckley
October 24, 1986 by Ezra Taft Benson
29,177 sq ft (2,710.6 m2) on a 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) site
Modern, single-spire design - designed by Church A&E Services and Bobby R. Thomas
Fort Collins LDS Temple.jpg
edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:		 Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
April 2, 2011 by Thomas S. Monson [13] [14]
August 24, 2013 by Ronald A. Rasband [15]
October 16, 2016 by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
42,000 sq ft (3,900 m2) on a 15.69-acre (6.35 ha) site
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado
edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Size:		 Grand Junction, Colorado, United States
4 April 2021 by Russell M. Nelson [16]
16 April 2022 by Chi Hong (Sam) Wong [17]
29,000 sq ft (2,700 m2) on a 6.94-acre (2.81 ha) site
 edit
Location:
Announced:		 Colorado Springs, Colorado
1 October 2023 by Russell M. Nelson [18] [19]

Communities

Latter-day Saints have had a significant role in establishing and settling communities within the "Mormon Corridor", including the following located in Colorado:

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by State: Colorado", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved April 10, 2022
  2. ↑ Category:Colorado Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved August 18, 2022
  3. ↑ "Adults in Colorado: Religious composition of adults in Colorado". Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Pew Research Center . Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  4. ↑ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021. Note:While it's the 2nd largest denomination in Colorado, it's the 3rd largest denomination when "nondenominational" is considered as a denomination.
  5. ↑ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States)
  6. ↑ "Your Colorado Church History Tour", Church of Jesus Christ in Colorado.
  7. ↑ "Facts and Statistics", Church News , 2020. Retrieved on 1 April 2020.
  8. ↑ Reid, T.R. "Religious Intolerance Greets Mormon Temple's Invitation", The Washington Post , 22 September 1986. Retrieved on 22 March 2020.
  9. ↑ "Fort Collins Colorado Temple Is Dedicated: 153rd Mormon temple in the world, second in Colorado", Newsroom, LDS Church, October 16, 2016
  10. ↑ "Mormons dedicate their second temple in Colorado", The Salt Lake Tribune , Utah, 4 November 2016. Retrieved on 27 January 2020.
  11. ↑ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  12. ↑ John Whittaker Taylor . Grampa Bill's General Authority Pages
  13. ↑ "Fort Collins Colorado Temple", ldschurchtemples.com, retrieved April 2, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Site Announced for Fort Collins Temple", LDS Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , retrieved August 10, 2011.
  15. ↑ Sterzer, Rachel (August 24, 2013), "Elder Rasband breaks ground for Fort Collins Colorado Temple", Deseret News , retrieved August 25, 2013
  16. ↑ "Prophet Announces Twenty New Temples at April 2021 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, 4 April 2021
  17. ↑ https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-dates-set-for-temples-in-nevada-and-colorado
  18. ↑ Where the 20 new Latter-day Saint temples will be built as Russell Nelson’s record tally continues to rise, Salt Lake Tribune, 1 October 2023
  19. ↑ "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 20 New Temples", Newsroom, LDS Church, 1 October 2023

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