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

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Flag of Oregon.svg
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Oregon
Portland Mormon Temple (Clackamas County, Oregon scenic images) (clacDA0239).jpg
The Portland Oregon Temple
Area NA West
Members 150,207 (2022) [1]
Stakes 35
Wards 248
Branches 48
Total Congregations296
Missions 3
Temples 2 Operating
1 Under Construction
3 Total
Family History Centers 76 [2]
Membership in Oregon [3] [1]
YearMembership
19202,796
19305,185
19408,799
195017,885
196029,920
197048,997
198094,093
1990113,774
1999134,438
2009145,429
2019153,540
2022150,207

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Oregon refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Oregon. Oregon has the 9th most members of the church of any U.S. state. [4] Members have had considerable influence in the state throughout its contemporary history and many influential Latter-day Saints have come from Oregon, including Senator Gordon H. Smith.

Contents

History

Early history

Charles W. Nibley's business ventures lead many Saints to settle Oregon. Charles W. Nibley 1931.JPG
Charles W. Nibley's business ventures lead many Saints to settle Oregon.

Missionaries were sent into Oregon from California as early as 1855. [5] The Northwestern States Mission was created in 1897 under the Oneida Stake with George C. Parkinson, who was also the Oneida stake president, as president, and was headquartered in Portland in 1901, [6] : 595  where missionaries had arrived in 1857. [5] The mission was expanded to include the state of Montana in 1898, with the Montana Mission being dissolved and Franklin S. Bramwell being called as president. [6] : 595 

The establishment of the Oregon Lumber Company by Charles W. Nibley, the creation of a lumber mill by David Eccles on the North Powder River, and the purchase of sugar beet farms led to the migration of Latter-day Saint families to the Baker area. [1] [6] : 39  The first branch in Oregon was created in Baker City on July 23, 1893. [5] The first stake was organized from various branches of the Church in Eastern Oregon on June 9, 1901, as the Union Stake (later the La Grande Stake), centered primarily in Union and Baker counties. [6] : 897–898 

The branches in the stake were organized into the first wards in Oregon in La Grande, Mount Glen, Alicel, Baker, Imbler, and Nibley. [6] : 898  Bramwell was called to serve as president of the Union Stake, with him serving as both stake and mission president for about a year until he was released as president of the Northwestern States Mission in 1902. [6] : 595  Bramwell served as stake president until 1914. [6] : 898 

Early 20th century

The Portland Tabernacle. The first purpose-built LDS chapel in Oregon. Portland First Ward 6.jpg
The Portland Tabernacle. The first purpose-built LDS chapel in Oregon.

E. Kimbark MacColl's analysis of Portland, history states "Portland was well endowed with churches, with approximately one for every 600 residents" in the 1890s. [7] In his survey of six leading denominations and all 25 missions, no mention was made of LDS Church denominations or missions. [7]

In 1898, missionaries George and Sam Parkinson of Idaho were sent to Portland to determine whether missionaries should be sent to the city. Jens Christensen Westergaard found out about the missionaries' visit when reading a copy of The Oregonian. Westergaard, who with his wife Petrine had been baptized years before in Sweden but had been unable to practice due to the lack of Church presence in Portland, went to multiple hotels until he found the one with the missionaries. He left a note asking them to come to his house. The next day the missionaries visited with Westergaard and his wife and informed him that they would be writing an unfavorable report about sending missionaries to Portland. The Westergaards asked the elders to send missionaries to Portland and they soon arrived. The Westergaards were later re-baptized in the Willamette River. [8]

The Portland Branch was created on December 19, 1899, and met in a rented room in the Alisky Building at the corner of Morrison and Third. Westergaard was called as Branch President. [8] [5] A permanent chapel, the Portland Tabernacle, was built in 1929, ready for an open house on February 15–17. The building "carried the architectural scheme of an old English manor, being constructed of dense lava stone and bricks of the clinker type, and is declared particularly suited to western Oregon climate and surroundings." [9] It included a maternity room and a basement with 14 classrooms. [9] The architect was C. R. Kaufman, and construction had begun on August 1, 1928. [9]

The completion of the Oregon Short Line Railroad helped bring additional Church members into Oregon, as did the defense industry from World War I and World War II. [10] In 1930 the only wards in Oregon were La Grande 1st and 2nd, Baker, Union, Imbler, and Mt. Glen, with branches in Bend, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Medford, Portland, Hood River, and Salem and total membership of 3,226. [10] A stake was created in Portland on June 26, 1938, [5] with four more in the 1950s, thanks to membership increase with the post-World War II boom. [10] The Medford Stake became the Church's 400th in 1964, [10] and the Portland Temple was dedicated in 1989. [11]

Contemporary history

The Medford Temple was dedicated in 2000, with the Willamette Valley Temple being announced in 2021. [11] In 2023, a temple was announced for Vancouver, Washington which is likely to serve some members in Oregon. [12] A Visitors Center was added on the ground of the Portland Temple in 2012.

In 2022, Oregon was home to 248 wards, 48 branches, 35 stakes, and 150,207 Church members. [1] Oregon currently has 76 FamilySearch Centers. [13]

County statistics

List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives: [14] 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
Baker 41,3638.45
Benton 62,8923.38
Clackamas 2914,0583.74
Clatsop 21,4834.00
Columbia 52,4775.02
Coos 42,6264.17
Crook 21,0274.90
Curry 39944.45
Deschutes 95,1743.28
Douglas 74,5404.22
Gilliam 0
Grant 24626.21
Harney 26789.14
Hood River 16893.08
Jackson 158,4714.17
Jefferson 1584 26.892.69
Josephine 74,1435.01
Klamath 83,1334.72
Lake 24125.22
Lane 2412,6873.61
Lincoln 31,5633.40
Linn 114,2243.62
Malheur 134,28413.68
Marion 2510,2013.24
Morrow 27857.03
Multnomah 2516,7212.27
Polk 114,6486.16
Sherman 0
Tillamook 28793.48
Umatilla 134,7486.26
Union 72,3489.12
Wallowa 13304.71
Wasco 21,0844.30
Washington 4523,7634.49
Wheeler 1483.33
Yamhill 104,4464.48

Stakes

LDS Church meetinghouse in Pendleton, Oregon. PendletonChurch.jpg
LDS Church meetinghouse in Pendleton, Oregon.
A Meetinghouse in Milwaukie LDSMeetinghouse.png
A Meetinghouse in Milwaukie

As of January 2024, Oregon had the following stakes:

StakeOrganizedMissionTemple District
Beaverton Oregon10 Nov 1963Oregon PortlandPortland Oregon
Beaverton Oregon West12 Nov 1995Oregon PortlandPortland Oregon
Bend Oregon15 Dec 1968Oregon SalemPortland Oregon
Caldwell Idaho Snake River [lower-alpha 1] 30 Jan 1972Idaho BoiseMeridian Idaho
Cedar Mill Oregon31 Oct 1982Oregon PortlandPortland Oregon
Central Point Oregon7 Mar 1982Oregon EugeneMedford Oregon
Coos Bay Oregon14 Sep 1969Oregon EugeneMedford Oregon
Corvallis Oregon3 Nov 1963Oregon EugenePortland Oregon
Eugene Oregon12 Sep 1976Oregon EugenePortland Oregon
Eugene Oregon Santa Clara17 Apr 1983Oregon EugenePortland Oregon
Forest Grove Oregon20 May 2007Oregon SalemPortland Oregon
Grants Pass Oregon31 Oct 1976Oregon EugeneMedford Oregon
Gresham Oregon26 May 1974Oregon PortlandPortland Oregon
Hermiston Oregon26 May 1974Washington KennewickColumbia River Washington
Hillsboro Oregon12 Oct 1975Oregon PortlandPortland Oregon
Keizer Oregon8 Feb 1976Oregon SalemPortland Oregon
Klamath Falls Oregon22 Mar 1953Oregon EugeneMedford Oregon
La Grande Oregon9 Jun 1901Idaho BoiseColumbia River Washington
Lake Oswego Oregon29 Apr 1984Oregon PortlandPortland Oregon
Lebanon Oregon3 Feb 1980Oregon SalemPortland Oregon
McMinnville Oregon25 Oct 1981Oregon SalemPortland Oregon
Monmouth Oregon24 Aug 1980Oregon SalemPortland Oregon
Mount Hood Oregon10 Oct 1982Oregon PortlandPortland Oregon
Medford Oregon23 Aug 1964Oregon EugeneMedford Oregon
Nyssa Oregon8 Jan 1950Idaho BoiseMeridian Idaho
Ontario Oregon18 Nov 1984Idaho BoiseMeridian Idaho
Oregon City16 Jan 1972Oregon PortlandPortland Oregon
Portland Oregon26 Jun 1938Oregon PortlandPortland Oregon
Rainier Oregon8 Mar 1992Washington VancouverPortland Oregon
Redmond Oregon1 Mar 1981Oregon SalemPortland Oregon
Roseburg Oregon15 May 1977Oregon EugeneMedford Oregon
Salem Oregon22 Jan 1961Oregon SalemPortland Oregon
Springfield Oregon2 Dec 1951Oregon EugenePortland Oregon
The Dalles Oregon26 Jun 1977Washington YakimaPortland Oregon
Tualatin Oregon16 Aug 1992Oregon PortlandPortland Oregon
Walla Walla Washington [lower-alpha 1] 11 Mar 1979Washington KennewickColumbia River Washington
  1. 1 2 Stake located outside of Oregon with congregation(s) meeting in Oregon

Missions

On July 26, 1897, the Northwestern States Mission was organized to search out Latter-day Saints who had moved to Oregon and Washington. On June 10, 1970, its name changed to the Oregon Mission and ultimately the Oregon Portland Mission on June 20, 1974. On July 1, 1990, the Oregon Eugene Mission was organized; and in July 2013, the Oregon Salem Mission was organized.

MissionOrganized
Oregon Eugene Mission July 1, 1990
Oregon Portland Mission July 26, 1897
Oregon Salem Mission July 1, 2013

In addition to these missions, the Idaho Boise Mission covers the eastern portion of the state while the Washington Kennewick, Washington Vancouver, and Washington Yakima missions cover portions of Northern Oregon.

Notable Oregonian members

Gordon Smith official portrait.jpg
Ammon Bundy January 23, 2016.jpg
Danny, calm as always.jpg
ErinChambers.JPG
Senator Gordon H. Smith, Ammon Bundy, Danny Ainge, and Erin Chambers are examples of notable Saints from Oregon, showing the influence of Mormonism in the state.

See Also: List of Latter Day Saints and Category:Latter Day Saints from Oregon

Temples

Temples in and near Oregon ( edit )
ButtonRed.svg = Operating
ButtonBlue.svg = Under construction
ButtonYellow.svg = Announced
ButtonBlack.svg = Temporarily Closed

Oregon currently has two operating temples and one under construction. The Columbia River and Meridian Idaho temples serve portions of Eastern Oregon.

Portland Oregon Temple.jpg
edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:		 Lake Oswego, Oregon, U.S.
April 7, 1984 by Spencer W. Kimball
September 20, 1986 by Gordon B. Hinckley
August 19, 1989 by Gordon B. Hinckley
80,500 sq ft (7,480 m2) on a 7.3-acre (3.0 ha) site
Modern, six-spire design - designed by Leland A. Gray
Templo de Medford Oregon.jpg
edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:		 Central Point, Oregon, U.S.
March 15, 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley
May 20, 1999 by D. Lee Tobler
April 16, 2000 by James E. Faust
10,700 sq ft (990 m2) on a 2-acre (0.81 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Dan Park, Church A&E Services, Joseph E. Marty, Architect
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Oregon
edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Size:
Notes:		 Springfield, Oregon, U.S.
April 4, 2021 by Russell M. Nelson [11]
29 October 2022 by Valeri V. Cordón [15]
30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2) on a 10.5-acre (4.2 ha) site
Official name, anticipated size, location, and exterior rendering released on September 2, 2021. [16]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by State: Oregon", Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, retrieved May 20, 2023
  2. ↑ Category:Oregon Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved March 28, 2022
  3. ↑ Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Oregon
  4. ↑ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Northwestern States Mission manuscript history and historical reports, 1857-1972 / Volume 1, 1896-1912 / Part 1, 1896-1898", Church History Catalog, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, retrieved May 20, 2023
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jenson, Andrew (January 1, 1941). Encyclopedic history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Publishing Company. ASIN   B0007EL5NK.
  7. 1 2 MacColl, E. Kimbark (November 1976). The Shaping of a City: Business and politics in Portland, Oregon 1885 to 1915. Portland, Oregon: The Georgian Press Company. pp. 178–179. OCLC   2645815.
  8. 1 2 Westergaard, Jens Christensen (1946). Synopsis Life History of Jens Christensen Westergaard. Metropolitan Print Company.
  9. 1 2 3 "New Chapel Soon Ready". The Oregonian. February 10, 1929.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "United States information: Oregon", Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, retrieved May 20, 2023
  11. 1 2 3 "Prophet Announces Twenty New Temples at April 2021 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, April 4, 2021
  12. ↑ "First Latter-Day Saints temple in Clark County will be built in Camas". The Columbian. April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  14. ↑ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  15. ↑ https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/ground-broken-for-willamette-valley-oregon-temple
  16. ↑ "Official Name Announced for Temple to be Built in Oregon", Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, September 2, 2021
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