The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Montana
 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Montana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Membership | 50,552 (2019)[1] |
| Stakes | 13 |
| Wards | 87 |
| Branches | 39 |
| Total Congregations | 126 |
| Missions | 1 |
| Temples | 1 operating, 1 under construction |
| Family History Centers | 50[2] |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Montana refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Montana. The church's first congregation in Montana was organized in 1895. It has since grown to 50,552 members in 126 congregations.
Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 4.78% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey, 4% of Montanans self-identify themselves most closely with the LDS Church.[3] The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in Montana behind the Roman Catholic Church.[4]
Stakes are located in Billings (3), Bozeman, Butte, Frenchtown, Glendive, Great Falls (2), Helena, Kalispell, Missoula, and Stevensville.
History[]
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1930 | 1,181 |
| 1940 | 5,210 |
| 1950 | 6,416 |
| 1960 | 23,890 |
| 1980 | 30,784 |
| 1989* | 34,000 |
| 1999 | 39,842 |
| 2009 | 45,517 |
| 2019 | 50,552 |
| *Membership was published as a rounded number. Source: Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac State Information: Montana[1] | |
![[icon]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/20px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by . (May 2021) |
Mormonism in Montana predates the formal arrival of the LDS Church. Members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who dissented from the LDS Church's doctrine regarding polygamy, first arrived in the Montana in 1868. The practice of polygamy was outlawed in the Montana territory, as it was in much of the western United States. It was not until 1896 that the LDS Church, having renounced the former practice of polygamy, arrived in the Montana Territory with the organization of the Montana Mission.[5][6]
Plans to build an LDS Church temple in Montana were announced in August 1996.[7] About 4,800 people gathered during a spring snowstorm to witness the groundbreaking on March 28, 1998.[8]
In 2017, a new meetinghouse was constructed on the Billings West End, adding to the other six buildings in Billings and six others in surrounding area.[9]
County Statistics[]
List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives:[10] 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaverhead | 4 | 1,051 | 11.37 |
| Big Horn | 1 | 802 | 6.23 |
| Blaine | 1 | 168 | 2.59 |
| Broadwater | 1 | 397 | 7.07 |
| Carbon | 2 | 400 | 3.97 |
| Carter | 1 | 86 | 7.41 |
| Cascade | 10 | 4,125 | 5.07 |
| Chouteau | 1 | 167 | 2.87 |
| Custer | 1 | 480 | 4.10 |
| Daniels | 0 | ||
| Dawson | 1 | 411 | 4.58 |
| Deer Lodge | 1 | 542 | 5.83 |
| Fallon | 0 | ||
| Fergus | 1 | 468 | 4.04 |
| Flathead | 9 | 4,011 | 4.41 |
| Gallatin | 9 | 3,582 | 4.00 |
| Garfield | 1 | 58 | 4.81 |
| Glacier | 1 | 294 | 2.19 |
| Golden Valley | 0 | ||
| Granite | 2 | 303 | 9.84 |
| Hill | 1 | 591 | 3.67 |
| Jefferson | 1 | 128 | 1.12 |
| Judith Basin | 0 | ||
| Lake | 3 | 1,415 | 4.92 |
| Lewis and Clark | 6 | 2,965 | 4.68 |
| Liberty | 1 | 56 | 2.39 |
| Lincoln | 3 | 981 | 4.98 |
| Madison | 2 | 407 | 5.29 |
| McCone | 0 | ||
| Meagher | 1 | 48 | 2.54 |
| Mineral | 1 | 209 | 4.95 |
| Missoula | 9 | 4,879 | 4.46 |
| Musselshell | 1 | 270 | 5.95 |
| Park | 2 | 640 | 4.09 |
| Petroleum | 0 | ||
| Phillips | 1 | 138 | 3.25 |
| Pondera | 1 | 276 | 4.49 |
| Powder River | 1 | 32 | 1.84 |
| Powell | 1 | 434 | 6.18 |
| Prairie | 0 | ||
| Ravalli | 6 | 2,606 | 6.48 |
| Richland | 1 | 287 | 2.95 |
| Roosevelt | 2 | 898 | 8.61 |
| Rosebud | 2 | 607 | 6.57 |
| Sanders | 2 | 540 | 4.73 |
| Sheridan | 1 | 86 | 2.54 |
| Silver Bow | 2 | 1,726 | 5.05 |
| Stillwater | 1 | 228 | 2.50 |
| Sweet Grass | 1 | 111 | 3.04 |
| Teton | 2 | 538 | 8.86 |
| Toole | 1 | 282 | 5.30 |
| Treasure | 0 | ||
| Valley | 1 | 200 | 2.71 |
| Wheatland | 1 | 105 | 4.84 |
| Wibaux | 0 | ||
| Yellowstone | 14 | 7,140 | 4.83 |
Stakes[]
As of February 2022, the following stakes had congregations in Montana:
| Stake | Mission | Temple District |
|---|---|---|
| Billings Montana | Montana Billings | Billings Montana |
| Billings Montana East | Montana Billings | Billings Montana |
| Billings Montana South | Montana Billings | Billings Montana |
| Bozeman Montana | Montana Billings | Billings Montana |
| Butte Montana | Montana Billings | Billings Montana |
| Frenchtown Montana | Montana Billings | Spokane Washington |
| Glendive Montana | North Dakota Bismarck | Billings Montana |
| Great Falls Montana | Montana Billings | Cardston Alberta |
| Great Falls Montana East | Montana Billings | Billings Montana |
| Helena Montana | Montana Billings | Billings Montana |
| Kalispell Montana | Montana Billings | Cardston Alberta |
| Missoula Montana | Montana Billings | Spokane Washington |
| Ronan Montana | Montana Billings | Spokane Washington |
| Stevensville Montana | Montana Billings | Spokane Washington |
Missions[]
The Montana–Wyoming Mission was created in June 1970 from the North Central States Mission. The mission name was changed to the Montana Billings Mission four years later.
Temples[]
The Billings Montana Temple was dedicated on November 20, 1999 by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.
The Helena Montana Temple was announced on April 4, 2021 by church president Russell M. Nelson.
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66. Billings Montana Temple | ||
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Location: |
Billings, Montana, United States | ||
| 207. Helena Montana Temple (Under construction) | |||
|
Location: |
Helena, Montana, United States | ||
See also[]
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States)
- Religion in Montana
References[]
- ^ a b "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by State: Montana", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 19 May 2021
- ^ Category:Montana Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved 20 October 2021
- ^ "Adults in Montana: Religious composition of adults in Montana". Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
- ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Facts and Statistics", Church News, 2020. Retrieved on 3 April 2020.
- ^ Cornelius, Don. "Mormonism in Montana 1847-1898". ScholarWorks. University of Montana.
- ^ Olp, Susan. "Thousands expected to mark milestone", Billings Gazette, 19 October 2000. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.
- ^ Hein, David G. "Temple ground made `white and pure'", Deseret News, 4 April 1998. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.
- ^ Olp, Susan. "The LDS church has grown so much in the Billings area, it's reorganizing and adding a building", Billings Gazette, 21 December 2017. Retrieved on 3 April 2020.
- ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Prophet Announces Twenty New Temples at April 2021 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, 4 April 2021
External links[]
- Newsroom (Montana)
- ComeUntoChrist.org Latter-day Saints Visitor site
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official site
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Montana
- Christianity in Montana
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States by state