Outline of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Replica of Thorvaldsen's Christus in Temple Square visitors' center

The following outline is provided as an overview of and a topical guide to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church or, informally, the Mormon Church) is a Christian restorationist church that is considered by its followers (often called Mormons) to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations (called wards or branches) and built temples worldwide. It is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith during the period of religious revival in the United States known as the Second Great Awakening.

Nature of the church

An Euler diagram showing the relationship between Christianity, Mormonism, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (not to scale)

The LDS Church can be described as all of the following:

Beliefs

Diagram of the LDS plan of salvation
Main article: Beliefs and practices of the LDS Church
See also: List of Mormon folk beliefs

Social principles

Gender

Sexuality

Main article: Sexuality and Mormonism
LGBTQ people
Main articles: Homosexuality and the LDS Church and Gender minorities and the LDS Church

Race

Main article: Mormon teachings on skin color

Duties

Ordinances

Main article: Ordinance (Latter Day Saints)

Non-temple ordinances

Temple-only ordinances

History

Main article: History of the Latter Day Saint movement

Early history

New York

Ohio

Missouri

Illinois

Pioneer Era

Utah

Modern times

By century

Culture

Main article: Culture of the LDS Church

Education

Family history

Music

Cinema

Mormon studies

Main article: Mormon studies
Journals and Literature

Polygamy

Main article: Mormonism and polygamy

Background

Current state

Main article: Current state of polygamy in the Latter Day Saint movement

In media

Lists

Schools

Brigham Young University

Main article: Brigham Young University

Colleges

Academics

Museums

Student life

Media

Lists

Other schools

Temples

Main article: List of temples (LDS Church)
See also: List of temples by geographic region (LDS Church) and Comparison of temples (LDS Church)

Institutions of the LDS Church

Priesthood

Main article: Priesthood (LDS Church)

Melchizedek

Main article: Melchizedek priesthood (Latter Day Saints)

Aaronic

Main article: Aaronic priesthood (Latter Day Saints)

Quorums

Main article: Quorum (Latter Day Saints)

Positions

Main article: General authority

Defunct Positions

Headquarters

Interior of the Conference Center where the church holds its general conferences twice a year
Main article: Temple Square

Historic sites

Hierarchy of leadership

Jesus Christ
General Authorities
The First Presidency:
President of the Church, 1st Counselor and 2nd Counselor
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and eleven other Apostles
Quorums of the Seventy
The Seven Presidents of the Seventy and several dozen Seventies
First Quorum of the Seventy Second Quorum of the Seventy
Area Presidencies:
Presidents and 1st and 2nd Counselors are filled by Seventies
Local Authorities
Third through Twelfth Quorum of the Seventy (Area Seventies) Temple Presidencies
Stake Presidencies and High Councils Mission Presidencies
Ward Bishoprics or Branch Presidencies Elders Quorums
Deacons Quorums Teachers Quorums Priests Quorums

Organization

Main article: Organization (LDS Church)

Geographical divisions

  Countries and territories with at least one LDS temple
  Countries and territories with no LDS temple, but with organized congregations and/or missionaries
  Countries and territories with no official LDS presence

By country

In the USA

Texts and scriptures

Main article: Standard works
Proposed map of the lands and sites of the Book of Mormon

Bible

Main article: Bible

Book of Mormon

Main article: Book of Mormon

Doctrine and Covenants

Main article: Doctrine and Covenants

Pearl of Great Price

Main article: Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)

Other texts

Important figures

LDS Church Presidents

=Overview

Chronological List

Main article: List of presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Central figures

LDS Church apostles

Other influential figures

Groups

Template of the LDS Church

Position of the LDS Church within the Mormon movement

        — (I.) Major two * —        
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 17.0 million (2022), about 98–99% of Latter Day Saint movement – Utah-based		Dallin H. Oaks
presided 2025–present		Thomas S. Monson
presided 2008–2018		John Taylor
presided 1877–1887		Brigham Young
presided 1844–1877
Joseph Smith Jr.
presided 1830–1844[a]
Community of Christ
 252,000 (2019), about 1–2% of Latter Day Saint movement – Missouri-based		Stassi D. Cramm
presided 2025–present		Wallace B. Smith
presided 1978–1996		Joseph Smith III
presided 1860–1914
 
— (II.) With membership in the thousands * —
The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
 19,029 members (Dec. 31, 2012) – Pennsylvania-based		Joel Gehly
presided 2018–present		William Bickerton
presided 1862–1880		Sidney Rigdon
presided 1844–1847[b]
Church of Christ With the Elijah Message
 over 12,000 members (1998) – Missouri-based		William Draves
presided 1943–1994
Apostolic United Brethren
 approximately 10,000 members (1998)– Utah-based		Mormon fundamentalism
John Woolley / Lorin Woolley
Council of Friends
(Short Creek Community)
presided 1918–1928 / 1928–1934
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
 approximately 10,000 members (2011) – Utah-based
Restoration branches movement which have created the
Joint Conference of Restoration Branches
 6,000–7,000 members[c] (2010) – Missouri-based
Fellowships of the Remnant
About 5,000–10,000 participants (2017). Organized 2013 worldwide by
adherents of a self-subscribed neo-LDS fundamentalist and neo-"Reorganized Latter Day Saint" and Reorganization-like Restorationism revealed through Denver Snuffer
(excommunicated from LDS Church under Monson)
Church of Christ (Fettingite)
 2,000 members (1988); Missouri-based		Otto Fetting
presided 1927–1933
Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
 7,310 members (2013) – Missouri-based		Granville Hedrick
presided 1863–1881
— (III.) Minuscule, founded in the 19th century *† —
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
 300 members (1998) – Wisconsin-based		James Strang
presided 1844–1856
Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite)
 "one branch" (as of 2023) – Missouri-based		Alpheus Cutler
presided 1853–1864


    *^  Membership worldwide; generally church-reported; with an occasional exception
    †^ Once larger

  1. ^ Organized the Church of Christ, the Latter Day Saint movement's original organization, of which multiple denominations currently believe themselves the true successor
  2. ^ See Rigdonite.
  3. ^ Members consider themselves as remaining adherents of the (historical) Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (As of 2011, litigation by the Community of Christ against Restoration Branch individuals and entities generally established CofC's right to both the full and abbreviated RLDS name.)


Comparison with the Community of Christ

Main article: Comparison of the Community of Christ and the LDS Church

See also

References

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