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

This article is about the Church in the U.S. state. For the Church in the country, see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Caucasus.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Georgia
The Atlanta Georgia Temple at night.
Area	NA Southeast
Members	89,285 (2022) [1]
Stakes	19
Wards	135
Branches	29
Total Congregations	164
Missions	2
Temples	1
Family History Centers	44 [2]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Georgia refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Georgia. The first branch in Georgia was organized in 1876. It has since grown to 89,285 members in 164 congregations.

Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 0.82% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey, roughly 1% of Georgians self-identify themselves most closely with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ^[3] The LDS Church is the 8th largest denomination in Georgia. ^[4]

Stakes are located in Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Cartersville, Coal Mountain, Columbus, Conyers, Fayetteville, Kingsland, Lilburn, Macon, Marietta, Powder Springs, Roswell, Savannah, Sugar Hill, Tifton, and Winder.

History

Rudger Clawson (left) and Joseph Standing (right), as they were serving as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Membership in Georgia ^{[5] [1]}

Year	Members
1890	175
1930	4,311
1974	14,360
1980	27,210
1990	41,595
1999	57,857
2009	74,644
2019	87,411
2022	89,285

In 1843, missionary work was briefly opened in Georgia by Elder John U. Eldredge. Other missionaries followed to preach and to campaign for Joseph Smith in his presidential bid. The campaign ceased in 1844 with the death of Joseph Smith, and missionary work halted in 1846. ^[6]

Missionary work in Georgia resumed in 1878. The Southern States Mission headquarters was established in Rome (60 miles north of Atlanta). One early convert to the Church donated land and built a chapel at Mormon Springs in Haralson County. ^[6]

Missionaries were initially treated well upon their return to the South, but before long their success led to violent opposition. On July 21, 1879, Elder Joseph Standing was killed by a mob near Varnell's Station. His companion, Rudger Clawson, escaped serious injury. Unable to secure protection for missionaries, the church pulled out all missionaries in Georgia for the next decade. in 1889, a small group of members left to go west by Train. ^[7]

Missionaries returned to Georgia in 1899, but slowly and cautiously due to disease and persecution. Ohio was added to the Southern States mission at the request of President Ben E. Rich, so he would have a place where ill missionaries could recover. ^{[7] [8]}

In 1930, branches were located in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah. Sunday Schools had been established in Cedar Crossing, Douglas, Empire, Glenwood, Milledgeville, and Thomaston. That year, the state membership was 4,311. ^[8]

LeGrand Richards, later a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, served as Southern States Mission mission president from 1934 to 1937, and wrote the outline for A Marvelous Work and a Wonder while in Atlanta. ^[9]

In 1957, the Atlanta Stake was created, taking the northern two-thirds of the state with 3,000 members with wards in Atlanta (2), Columbus, Macon, and Empire. Branches for the stake was located in Buchanan, Athens, Gibson, Milledgeville, and Palmetto. The remainder of the state was covered by the Georgia-Florida and South Georgia districts. ^[10]

Humanitarian relief

From Atlanta, hurricane and flood relief has been shipped to many areas of disaster including Hurricane Andrew, the Albany, Georgia flooding in 1994, Hurricane Opal, Hurricane Katrina as well as many other storms and disasters.

In December 1994, the Church donated 158,000 pounds of food through 26 religious and charitable organizations to the hungry in Atlanta. As various natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes struck Georgia and other areas across the south, Church members in Georgia responded to supply funds, goods, and volunteer help in the aftermath.

Southeast Area based in Atlanta

Though its headquarters is publicly in Salt Lake City, many operations for the North America Southeast Area operate through Atlanta.

In 1919 the headquarters of the Southern States mission moved to Atlanta under mission president Charles A. Callis. At that time, this mission stretched as far west as Arkansas and Louisiana, and as far north as Ohio. ^[11]

In 1983, the Atlanta Georgia Temple was completed and dedicated, being the only temple in the Southeast United States for over 11 years.

Area headquarters in Atlanta include complete temporal and ecclesiastical distribution centers. Family Services for the North America Southeast Area is also based in Atlanta.

Stakes

A meetinghouse in Jesup, Georgia

Meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Pearson, Georgia

As of January 2024, the following stakes were located in Georgia:

Stake	Organized	Mission	Temple District
Athens Georgia	2 May 2004	Georgia Atlanta North	Atlanta Georgia
Augusta Georgia	5 Feb 1978	South Carolina Columbia	Columbia South Carolina
Atlanta Georgia	23 Jun 1996	Georgia Atlanta	Atlanta Georgia
Cartersville Georgia	19 Mar 2006	Georgia Atlanta North	Atlanta Georgia
Chattanooga Tennessee [lower-alpha 1]	21 May 1978	Tennessee Knoxville	Atlanta Georgia
Coal Mountain Georgia	6 May 2018	Georgia Atlanta North	Atlanta Georgia
Columbus Georgia	15 Jan 1978	Georgia Atlanta	Atlanta Georgia
Conyers Georgia	6 Mar 2011	Georgia Atlanta	Atlanta Georgia
Dothan Alabama [lower-alpha 1]	2 Mar 1986	Alabama Birmingham	Birmingham Alabama
Fayetteville Georgia	14 May 1978	Georgia Atlanta	Atlanta Georgia
Hilton Head South Carolina [lower-alpha 1]	24 Feb 2019	South Carolina Columbia	Columbia South Carolina
Kingsland Georgia	15 Nov 1987	Florida Jacksonville	Orlando Florida
Lilburn Georgia	5 May 1957	Georgia Atlanta North	Atlanta Georgia
Macon Georgia	10 Mar 1963	Georgia Atlanta	Atlanta Georgia
Marietta Georgia	21 Jun 1987	Georgia Atlanta North	Atlanta Georgia
Newnan Georgia	16 Aug 2020	Georgia Atlanta	Atlanta Georgia
Powder Springs Georgia	23 Nov 1980	Georgia Atlanta	Atlanta Georgia
Roswell Georgia	12 May 1974	Georgia Atlanta North	Atlanta Georgia
Savannah Georgia	7 May 1978	South Carolina Columbia	Columbia South Carolina
Sugar Hill Georgia	26 May 1991	Georgia Atlanta North	Atlanta Georgia
Tallahassee Florida [lower-alpha 1]	21 Jan 1973	Florida Jacksonville	Orlando Florida
Tifton Georgia	26 Oct 1975	Florida Jacksonville	Atlanta Georgia
Winder Georgia	1 Mar 2020	Georgia Atlanta North	Atlanta Georgia

1. Stake located outside Georgia with congregation(s) meeting in Georgia

Missions

Atlanta, Georgia became headquarters for the Southern States Mission when it was opened in 1876 with Henry G. Boyle as president. The mission covered the southern United States from Texas east. As more missions were created, the territorial coverage was reduced. In Jun 1971, the Southern States mission was renamed the Georgia-South Carolina Mission. On June 20, 1974, it was renamed the Georgia Atlanta Mission.

Georgia is now home to two missions.

Mission	Organized
Florida Jacksonville Mission	July 1, 1987
Georgia Atlanta Mission	Nov 1876
Georgia Atlanta North Mission	July 11, 2003
South Carolina Columbia Mission	July 1, 1975

The Georgia Macon Mission which was organized in 2013 was disorganized in 2019. ^[12]

Temples

Main article: Atlanta Georgia Temple

On June 1, 1983 the Atlanta Georgia Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley. For over 11 years (1983-1994), it served as the only temple in the North America Southeast Area.

	21. Atlanta Georgia Temple Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Rededicated: Size: Notes:	Sandy Springs, Georgia, U.S. April 2, 1980 by Spencer W. Kimball March 7, 1981 by Spencer W. Kimball June 1, 1983 by Gordon B. Hinckley November 14, 1997 by Gordon B. Hinckley 34,500 sq ft (3,210 m2) on a 9.6-acre (3.9 ha) site - designed by Emil B. Fetzer The rededication in 1997 was for the addition of a new baptistry, two new sealing rooms, and remodeling. In April 2009, the church announced that the Atlanta Temple would close on July 1 for 15 to 18 months for renovations [13] The temple was rededicated by Thomas S. Monson on May 1, 2011 [14]

See also

• LDS Church portal

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States)
• John Hamilton Morgan
• Rudger Clawson

References

1. "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by State: Georgia", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 16 May 2023
2. Category:Georgia Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved March 28, 2022
3. "Adults in Georgia: Religious composition of adults in Georgia". Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Pew Research Center . Retrieved 2021-05-16.
4. "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021. Note:While it's the eighth largest denomination in Georgia, it's the ninth largest denomination when "nondenominational" is considered as a denomination.
5. Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac State Information: Georgia
6. Jenson, Andrew. Encyclopedic History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Deseret News Publishing Company
7. History of the Church:Transitions: Early-Twentieth-Century Period .BYU Studies.Retrieved 24 Jan 2008
8. Berrett, LaMar C. (July 1960), History of the Southern States Mission, [masters thesis], Brigham Young University , retrieved 2009-07-01
9. Lucille C. Tate, "LeGrand Richards: A Marvelous Work and a Wonder", Tambuli , February 1983.
10. "William L. Nicholls to Preside over New Atlanta Stake", Church News , May 11, 1957.
11. Richard E. Bennett, "Elder Charles A. Callis: Twentieth-Century Missionary", Ensign , April 1981, p. 46.
12. "Church Announces New Missions, Boundary RealignmentsFour new missions to open in July". www.newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
13. Atlanta Georgia Temple set to close in July for renovation (April 4, 2009). Church News published by Deseret News Publishing Company. Last accessed April 26, 2009.
14. LDS Church announcement about temple rededication

Further reading

• Buice, David (Fall 1980), "Excerpts from the Diary of Teancum William Heward, Early Mormon Missionary to Georgia", Georgia Historical Quarterly , 64 (3): 317–325, JSTOR   40580649
• Driggs, Ken (1989), "'There is no law in Georgia for Mormons': The Joseph Standing Murder Case of 1879", Georgia Historical Quarterly , 73 (4): 745–772, JSTOR   40582059
• Engel, Mary Ella (2009), Praying with One Eye Open: A Gendered Interpretation of Mormon Joseph Standing's Murder in Appalachian Georgia (Ph.D thesis), University of Georgia, OCLC   435979640
• Hatch, William Whitridge (1968), There Is No Law: A History of Mormon Civil Relations in the Southern States, 1865-1905, New York: Vantage Press, LCCN   78003018, OCLC   8929
• Luce, W. Ray (March 3, 2009), "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", New Georgia Encyclopedia , University of Georgia Press
• Mason, Patrick Q. (June 2005), Sinners in the hands of an angry mob: Violence against religious outsiders in the U.S. South, 1865-1910 (PDF) (Ph.D thesis), Notre Dame, Indiana: Graduate Program in History, University of Notre Dame
• Mason, Patrick Q. (2011), The Mormon Menace: Violence and Anti-Mormonism in the Postbellum South, New York: Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199740024.001.0001, ISBN   978-0199740024, OCLC   591788290
• Nicholls, William L. (May 1964), "Growth of the Church in Atlanta", The Instructor , 99 (5): 200–201
• Nicholson, John (1886), The Martyrdom of Joseph Standing; or, The Murder of a "Mormon" Missionary: a True Story, Salt Lake City: The Deseret News Company, OCLC   11376948
• Richardson, Arthur M.; Morgan, Nicholas G (1965), The Life and Ministry of John Morgan, N.G. Morgan, OCLC   11905358
• Seferovich, Heather M. (1996), History of the LDS Southern States Mission, 1875-1898 (Master Thesis), Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, OCLC   52116412
• Webster, Gerald R. (May 2000), "Geographical Patterns of Religious Denomination Affiliation in Georgia, 1970-1990: Population Change and Growing Urban Diversity", Southeastern Geographer, 40: 25–51
• Williams, David S. (2008), From Mounds to Megachurches: Georgia's Religious Heritage, Athens: University of Georgia Press, ISBN   9780820331751, LCCN   2008010957, OCLC   213466225

• "Georgia", Deseret News 2010 Church Almanac

External links

• Newsroom (Georgia)
• ComeUntoChrist.org Latter-day Saints Visitor site
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official site