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

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Maine
Flag of Maine.svg
Area NA Northeast
Members 11,384 (2024) [1]
Stakes 3
Wards 17
Branches 9
Total Congregations26
FamilySearch Centers 10 [2]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Maine refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) 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. [3]

Contents

The LDS Church is the 6th largest denomination in Maine. [4]

History

In June, 1832, the first recorded Latter-day Saint missionaries – Horace Cowen and Hazen Aldrich, visited Maine. They lodged in the home of Daniel Bean, Jr., who lived in an unorganized territory "just north of Lake Umbagog." Missionaries of all denominations were "usually welcomed" by the community, "for the news they brought from the 'civilized' world, and for many the preaching provided a change from the daily round of farm work and homemaking chores." [5]

Cowen and Aldrich's preaching "was so well received that the Mormons soon organized a church of a large number of members, entirely breaking up the Free Will Baptists and the Congregationalists." [5]

On September 19, 1832, missionaries Orson Hyde and Samuel Smith crossed the Piscataqua River and entered Maine. Shortly after, a branch was established in the Saco-Biddleford area. Other branches followed, and in 1835, members of the newly organized Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met in Farmington to establish the Maine Conference which, at the time, consisted of 4 branches and 100 members.

By 1844, 500 persons were baptized. Most migrated west during this time to join the main body of the church. [6] Peter Smith Bean, the son of Daniel Bean Jr., later would recall about his community: "“They took whole families . . . . Half the settlers left and were believers in the Mormon doctrine.” [5]

Stakes

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Augusta*
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Bangor
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Portland
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Exeter
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Green = Stake Center
*The Augusta Stake Center is located in Farmingdale and the Portland Stake Center is located in Topsham.

As of September 2025, the following stakes exist in Maine: [7]

StakeOrganizedWardsBranchesMissionTemple
Augusta Maine Stake [8] 23 June 196853New Hampshire ManchesterBoston Massachusetts
Bangor Maine Stake [8] 20 April 198645New Hampshire ManchesterBoston Massachusetts
Exeter New Hampshire Stake* [9] 6 Sep 19811New Hampshire ManchesterBoston Massachusetts
Portland Maine Stake [10] 8 June 202571New Hampshire ManchesterBoston Massachusetts

Mission

Most of the state is in the New Hampshire Manchester Mission with the far eastern side being in the Canada Montreal Mission. [7]

Temples

Most of the state is in the Boston Massachusetts Temple District [11] with the far eastern side being in the Halifax Nova Scotia Temple District. [12]

On December 14, 2025, the intent to build the Portland Maine Temple was announced by the church's First Presidency. [13]

edit
Location:
Announced:		 Portland
14 December 2025 by Dallin H. Oaks [14]

See also

Religion in Maine

References

  1. ↑ "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by State: Maine", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved April 2, 2022
  2. ↑ Category:Maine Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved March 28, 2022
  3. ↑ "Adults in Maine: Religious composition of adults in Maine". Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Pew Research Center . Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  4. ↑ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved April 19, 2021. Note:While it's the sixth largest denomination in Maine, it's the seventh largest denomination when "nondenominational" is considered as a denomination.
  5. 1 2 3 "Western Maine Saints [Part 1]: Mormon Missionaries in the 1830s · Museums of the Bethel Historical Society - Online Collections & Catalog". bethelhistorical.org. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  6. ↑ York, Carole A. (Winter 2010). "Western Maine saints: The first Mormons of western Maine 1830--1890". University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Classic Maps", churchofjesuschrist.org, retrieved 2021-05-03
  8. 1 2 Hall, Richard; Avant, Gerry; Stahle, Shaun, eds. (February 2012). "Maine". 2012 Church Almanac . Deseret News. p. 360. ISBN   978-1-60907-002-1.
  9. ↑ Hall, Richard; Avant, Gerry; Stahle, Shaun, eds. (February 2012). "New Hampshire". 2012 Church Almanac . Deseret News. p. 374. ISBN   978-1-60907-002-1.
  10. ↑ Hall, Richard; Avant, Gerry; Stahle, Shaun, eds. (February 2012). "New Brunswick". 2012 Church Almanac . Deseret News. p. 445. ISBN   978-1-60907-002-1.
  11. ↑ "Boston Massachusetts Temple District", churchofjesuschristtemples.org, retrieved 2021-02-15
  12. ↑ "Halifax Nova Scotia Temple District", churchofjesuschristtemples.org, retrieved 2021-05-03
  13. ↑ "Temple to Be Built in Portland, Maine: The temple will be the 383rd worldwide and the first in Maine", Church Newsroom, 2025-12-14
  14. ↑ Church of Jesus Christ announces Maine’s first temple during stake Christmas fireside, Deseret News , 14 December 2025. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
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