![]() The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii | |
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![]() The Laie Hawaii Temple is the oldest operating LDS temple outside of Utah. | |
Area | NA West |
Members | 74,952 (2022) [1] |
Stakes | 16 |
Wards | 127 |
Branches | 16 |
Total Congregations | 143 |
Missions | 2 |
Temples | 2 |
Family History Centers | 26 [2] |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) 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 church's first missionary to have success among the Hawaiians was George Q. Cannon. Among his earliest converts were men well-versed in the Hawaiian language, such as Jonatana Napela and Uaua. After the construction of the Hawaii Temple, the Latter-day Saints founded the Church College of Hawaii, now Brigham Young University-Hawaii (BYU-Hawaii), along with the associated Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), the state's largest living museum, and an entertainment center; [3] which draws a million visitors annually. As the Latter-day Saint population in Hawaii continued to increase, a second church temple for the islands, the Kona Hawaii Temple, was completed in Kailua Kona on the island of Hawaii in 2000.
Hawaii has the highest concentration of Latter-day Saints of U.S. states that do not border Utah. [4] The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in Hawaii, behind the Roman Catholic Church. [5]
Year | Members |
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1851 | 220 |
1920 | 10,745 |
1930 | 14,433 |
1940 | 9,789 |
1950 | 11,855 |
1960 | 18,327 |
1970 | 23,377 |
1980 | 30,241 |
*1989 | 49,000 |
1999 | 55,361 |
2009 | 68,128 |
2019 | 75,009 |
2022 | 74,952 |
*Membership was published as a rounded number. |
The church's first ten missionaries departed San Francisco for Hawaii during the California Gold Rush on the ship Imaum of Muscat, arriving on December 12, 1850, in Honolulu Harbor of what was then known as the Sandwich Islands. [7] With Hiram Clark presiding, the missionaries included Henry Bigler, Hiram Blackwell, George Q. Cannon, John Dixon, William Farrer, James Hawkins, James Keeler, Thomas Morris, and Thomas Whittle. A day after their arrival the group climbed a hill above Honolulu (Pacific Heights), constructed a small, makeshift altar and said a prayer. A week later, the ten missionaries received their assignments: Farrer and Dixon headed to the island of Kaua'i, Cannon, Keeler, and Bigler to Lahaina on the island of Maui, Blackwell and Hawkins to the Big Island of Hawaii, with Morris, Whittle, and Clark staying behind in Honolulu. This group formed the basis of the Sandwich Islands Mission. [8] The church's first congregation in Hawaii was established on the island of Maui in 1851. [9] Among the early converts of Cannon were three prominent native Hawaiians: Napela, Uaua and Kaleohano who would later serve as prominent missionaries and leaders in the LDS Church. [10]
Missionaries led a group of Hawaiian Latter-day Saints in establishing a colony on the island of Lānaʻi in 1854. [11] In 1857, the American missionaries left due to the Utah War. No new missionaries came until Walter M. Gibson arrived in 1861. Gibson instituted irregular activities such as selling the priesthood. Some local leaders, such as Napela, sent letters to Salt Lake City asking for Gibson to be replaced. In response, Ezra T. Benson and Lorenzo Snow of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were sent to take over the leadership of the mission, with the assistance of Joseph F. Smith, who had been a missionary in Hawaii for much of the 1850s. Most of the membership followed Benson, Snow, and Smith, but in the process ownership of the property on Lanai was lost. A new colony for Hawaiian Latter-day Saints was established in Lāʻie. [12]
In 1889, Iosepa, Utah was founded as a colony for Hawaiian Latter-day Saints. This colony functioned until 1915 when the saints there were encouraged to return to Hawaii in anticipation of the building of a temple there. The first stake in Hawaii was organized in 1935. [13]
In 1937, the Japanese Mission was organized in Hawaii to focus on teaching the ethnic Japanese in Hawaii. This mission existed until 1950 when it was merged into the Hawaiian mission. [14]
List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives: [15]
County | Congregations | Adherents | % of Population |
---|---|---|---|
Hawaii | 17 | 10,422 | 5.63 |
Honolulu | 97 | 48,750 | 5.11 |
Kauai | 6 | 3,488 | 5.20 |
Maui | 14 | 7,212 | 4.66 |
As of January 2024, Hawaii had the following stakes:
Stake | Organized | Mission | Temple District |
---|---|---|---|
Hilo Hawaii | 24 Oct 2004 | Hawaii Honolulu | Kona Hawaii |
Honolulu Hawaii | 26 Aug 1955 | Hawaii Honolulu | Laie Hawaii |
Honolulu Hawaii West | 4 Feb 1962 | Hawaii Honolulu | Laie Hawaii |
Kahului Hawaii | 9 Nov 1975 | Hawaii Honolulu | Kona Hawaii |
Kahului Hawaii West | 4 May 2014 | Hawaii Honolulu | Kona Hawaii |
Kaneohe Hawaii | 21 Nov 1971 | Hawaii Honolulu | Laie Hawaii |
Kauai Hawaii | 24 Jul 1977 | Hawaii Honolulu | Laie Hawaii |
Kona Hawaii | 24 Nov 1974 | Hawaii Honolulu | Kona Hawaii |
Laie Hawaii Married Student | 22 Nov 1981 | Hawaii Laie | Laie Hawaii |
Laie Hawaii North | 16 Jan 1983 | Hawaii Laie | Laie Hawaii |
Laie Hawaii | 30 Jun 1935 | Hawaii Laie | Laie Hawaii |
Laie Hawaii YSA 1st | 23 Jan 1977 | Hawaii Laie | Laie Hawaii |
Laie Hawaii YSA 2nd | 24 Oct 2004 | Hawaii Laie | Laie Hawaii |
Makakilo Hawaii | 8 Dec 1996 | Hawaii Honolulu | Laie Hawaii |
Mililani Hawaii | 20 Jan 1980 | Hawaii Honolulu | Laie Hawaii |
Waipahu Hawaii | 20 Feb 1972 | Hawaii Honolulu | Laie Hawaii |
Mission | Organized |
---|---|
Hawaii Honolulu | 12 Dec 1850 |
Hawaii Laie | 3 Jan 2022 |
The Laie Hawaii Temple, formerly known as the Hawaiian Temple or the Hawaii Temple until a standard naming convention for LDS temples was adopted in the early 2000s, is located on the northeast shore of the island of Oʻahu. The temple sits on a small hill a half-mile from the Pacific Ocean in the town of Laie, 35 miles (56 km) from Honolulu. Along with BYU-Hawaii and the PCC, the temple plays an important role in the town of Laie, [16] with the temple Visitors' Center attracting more than 100,000 people annually. [17]
The Hawaii Temple was the first temple the LDS Church built outside of the continental United States. The temple is also the oldest to operate outside of Utah, and the fifth-oldest still in operation. The site of the temple was dedicated by church president Joseph F. Smith on June 1, 1915, and the completed structure was dedicated by church president Heber J. Grant on November 27, 1919.
The Kona Hawaii Temple became the church's seventieth temple, announced on May 7, 1998. Located in the town of Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii, the site of Kona Hawaii Temple was dedicated on March 13, 1999. The structure itself was constructed in concrete, white marble and some native materials. Architects used a simple classical design featuring a single spire. The completion and official dedication was celebrated on January 23, 2000, by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.
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Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Rededicated: Size: Style: Notes: | Laie, Hawaii, United States October 1, 1915 by Joseph F. Smith June 1, 1915 by Joseph F. Smith November 27, 1919 by Heber J. Grant June 13, 1978 by Spencer W. Kimball [18] 42,100 sq ft (3,910 m2) on a 11.4-acre (4.6 ha) site Solomon's Temple, no spire - designed by Hyrum Pope and Harold Burton Thomas S. Monson rededicated the Laie Hawaii Temple on November 20, 2010 [19] following nearly 2 years of renovations that began December 29, 2008. [20] The remodel completed in 1978 expanded the temple from 10,500 square feet (980 m2) to over 47,000 square feet (4,400 m2). | ||
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Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: Style: | Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, U.S. May 7, 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley March 13, 1999 by John B. Dickson January 23, 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley 12,325 sq ft (1,145.0 m2) on a 7.02-acre (2.84 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Church A & E Services, Bob Lowder | ||
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Location: Announced: | Kahului, Hawaii 1 October 2023 by Russell M. Nelson [21] [22] | ||
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Location: Announced: | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States 7 April 2024 by Russell M. Nelson [23] [24] |
Laie Hawaii Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located on the northeast shore of the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. The temple sits on a small hill, half a mile from the Pacific Ocean, in the town of Lāʻie, 35 miles (56 km) from Honolulu. Along with Brigham Young University–Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Laie Hawaii Temple plays an important role in the town of Lā'ie, with the Visitors' Center attracting more than 100,000 people annually.
Jonatana Napela or Jonathan Hawaii Napela was one of the earliest Hawaiian converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii, joining in 1851. He helped translate the Book of Mormon into the Hawaiian language, as "Ka Buke a Moramona," working with missionary George Q. Cannon. Napela was appointed to serve as a superintendent of the colony at Kalaupapa, Molokaʻi, which he did for several years. He had accompanied his wife there after her diagnosis with leprosy. While at the settlement, he led LDS Church members and collaborated with Roman Catholic priest-missionary, Father Damien, to serve all the people of the settlement, most of which were Protestant.
Since its organization in New York in 1830, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a presence in Canada. The church's first missionaries to preach outside of the United States preached in Upper Canada; the first stake to be established outside of the U.S. was the Alberta Stake; and the Cardston Alberta Temple was the first church temple built outside of the boundaries of the United States.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a presence in Tonga since 1891. The Tongan Mission was organized in 1916. However, due to anti-Mormon sentiment and government policies, the LDS Church did not grow steadily in Tonga until 1924. Between 1946 and 1956, church leaders published Tongan translations of the scriptures and built a church-sponsored school known as the Liahona School. In 1968, Tonga's first LDS stake was organized and the Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple was dedicated in 1983.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Marshall Islands refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Marshall Islands. As of 2022, there were 6,832 members in 13 congregations, making it the second largest body of LDS Church members in Micronesia, behind Kiribati. The Marshall Islands has the second most LDS Church members per capita in Micronesia, and the fourth most members per capita of any independent country in the world, behind Tonga, Samoa, and Kiribati.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Malaysia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Malaysia. In 2019 membership was nine times what it was in 1999 and number of congregations more than doubled during the same time period.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the second-largest religious denomination in Arizona, behind the Roman Catholic Church. In 2022, the church reported 439,411 members in Arizona, about 6% of the state's population. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey, roughly 5% of Arizonans self-identify most closely with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Utah. Utah has more church members than any other U.S. state or country. The LDS Church is also the largest denomination in Utah.
Edward L. Clissold was a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in both Hawaii and Japan.
Flora Amussen Benson was the wife of Ezra Taft Benson, the 13th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and mother of Reed Benson, political activist.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had its first presence in French Polynesia in 1843 when the first missionaries arrived in the country. It was also the location of the first foreign-language mission of the church which was created that same year. It existed until 1852 when it was closed due to restrictions by the French government, and the missionaries left the territory. In 1892, the mission resumed with the return of the missionaries after general religious tolerance was established.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Massachusetts refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Massachusetts.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Isle of Man refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Isle of Man. As of 31 December 2022, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 281 members in one congregation, the Douglas Ward, in the Isle of Man. In 2019, the Isle of Man had the 2nd most LDS Church members per capita in Europe, behind Portugal. Despite their small numbers, Manx Mormons have a heritage going back over a hundred and fifty years, which is obscured by their tendency to emigrate to the US and by the LDS Church administering the Isle of Man as part of England, when it is not actually part of the United Kingdom.
Pacific Islanders have a particular place in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its first non-English-speaking mission was in the region in 1844, less than twenty years after the church's founding, and there are currently six temples among the Pacific Island regions of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. In 2015 the Latter-day Saint population in the area was increasing in percentage and absolute numbers.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and a topical guide to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Kaleohano was a Hawaiian ali'i, missionary, and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was born in 1831 to a noble family and was one of the first converts of missionary George Q. Cannon. After his baptism, Kaleohano served multiple missions throughout Hawaii and became a prominent community leader in Lā'ie. With his wife Kaahanui, he was the father of six children.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kiribati refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Kiribati. In 1976 the first branch was organized in Tarawa. As at the 2020 Census, there were 6,720 people declaring as LDS members. According to LDS church, as of year-end 2022, there were 22,210 members in 43 congregations, making it the largest body of LDS Church members in Micronesia. Kiribati also has the most LDS Church members per capita in Micronesia, and the third most members per capita of any country in the world, behind Tonga and Samoa.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Maine refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Maine. Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 0.81% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey, roughly 2% of Mainers self-identify themselves most closely with the LDS Church.
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