Many people are surprised to learn that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not the only religious organization that is based on the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr., and uses the Book of Mormon (along with the Bible and other works) as holy scripture. In fact, there are around a half-million people who are Latter Day Saints but belong to churches that are not in communion with the 13 million-member LDS Church. Here are examples.
Many of these alternative churches who still use "Latter Day Saints" in their official names prefer the original English spelling used by the movement in the first half of the 19th century. The LDS Church, however, typically chooses to include a hyphen, spelling the phrase as "Latter-day Saints". Among all the churches, it is generally understood that "saint" is a term used to identify a follower of Jesus Christ, with the "latter day" addition used to identify followers in more recent times versus saints who lived anciently and are sometimes referred to as "former day saints". In addition, many members of the smaller denominations do not identify themselves as Mormons, and often will gently but firmly object to being referred to as such.
After the LDS Church, the Community of Christ is easily the largest of all the churches tracing their heritage back to Joseph Smith Jr. Known for many years as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Community of Christ is headquartered In Independence, Missouri, and claims around 250,000 members in 50 countries around the world. While sharing some elements of organization with the larger LDS Church, the belief system for the Community of Christ has developed along different lines. Key beliefs within this body include an open canon of scripture, the cause of Zion, and continuing revelation. This church owns the Kirtland Ohio Temple, which was built by the Latter Day Saint movement in 1836, and also operates a temple, dedicated in 1994, as part of its headquarters complex. People of any religious persuasion are welcome to worship in Community of Christ temples. While there is a core group of beliefs that most members identify with, there is a wide diversity of opinions held on many doctrinal and social issues. The Community of Christ is more ecumenical than some of the other Latter Day churches, and is much more likely to work with other faiths’ traditions in order to bring about positive change in the community.
Another significant group of non-Mormon Latter Day Saints is the Restoration Branches movement. These independent congregations pulled away from the institutional RLDS Church (now the Community of Christ) during the 1980’s over issues of increasingly liberalized doctrines and the practice of the ordination of women. There are roughly 200 independent Restoration Branches currently functioning in several countries around the world, with membership figures ranging anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 adherents. While there is no central organization to oversee the function of these branches or congregations, Latter Day Saints associated with this movement tend to be conservative in doctrinal matters and hold a literal interpretation of scripture.
The Church of Christ (Temple Lot) is a small but significant Latter Day Saint denomination that is also headquartered in Independence, Missouri. This church holds title to a portion of the lot purchased by the Latter Day Saints in the 1830’s for the building of a temple in that city. Tradition places the cornerstone for that temple (never built) on the section of the original 63 acre lot owned by the Temple Lot group. Over the years, this church has made some attempts to build a temple, but due to internal schisms has never managed the task. They also tend to be very conservative in their beliefs, and have developed a unique system for receiving revelations that guide the church. Unlike some other Latter Day Saint bodies, this church does not have a First Presidency; the Council of Twelve Apostles serves as the highest authority in the church.
The Church of Jesus Christ, headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, is composed of roughly 250 congregations found throughout North, Central, and South America. Membership is estimated to be around 10,000 members in total. In addition, the Church is found in parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe, with a fair concentration of adherents found in Italy. Considered to be fundamental in their approach to matters of faith, this church traces its heritage back to William Bickerton, who helped organize the Church in 1862 and served as its first president. Today, the Church of Jesus Christ has a unique organizational system in which three of the members of the Council of Twelve also function as a quorum of the First Presidency.
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a denomination that continues to practice the belief of plural marriage that was officially abandoned by the LDS Church during the 1890’s. Estimated membership is between six and twelve thousand members. While this body has tended to take an isolationist stance, that has begun to change. More members are making use of the Internet to present their beliefs and educate people about who they are and how they live. This group built its first temple in Eldorado, Texas, in 2006.
Other Latter Day Saint churches have emerged over the years. Altogether, there are roughly fifty different denominations within the movement, with membership ranging from as few as thirty to several thousand. Each of these churches hold some common ground with each other, but also have developed along their own lines, creating many different views of what it means to be a Latter Day Saint. While most do not have a history as dramatic as that of the LDS Church, they often can provide interesting insights into how this movement continues to evolve.
