The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington
As of December 31, 2019, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 289,479 members in 62 stakes, 544 Congregations (476 wards and 67 branches), 97 Family History Centers, seven missions, and three temples in Washington.[1][2] In addition, members in the Bellingham Washington Stake are served by the Vancouver British Columbia Temple[3] and members in and around Vancouver, Washington are served by the Portland Oregon Temple.[4]
![](../I/m/Seattle_Mormon_Temple_01.jpg)
History
The first known member of the Church moved to Washington in 1852,[5] with missionaries arriving in Washington Territory from California as early as 1854. Enough converts were baptized along the Lewis River in the southwest portion of the state that a congregation was created in that area. Tensions escalated to the death of one member in 1911, who was given a secret burial at night.
Members of the Church helped construct the Oregon Short Line Railroad in the 1880s. By 1930, nearly two thousand members lived within the state with chapels located in the Puget Sound Region and in Spokane. Washington saw many members move to the state after the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam and during World War II to work in defense industries.[5]
The first branch in Washington was created at Tacoma near the end of 1899, with its first stake being created at Seattle in 1938.[5] Washington's first temple was built in Bellevue in 1980. There are now also temples in Spokane and Richland and another to be constructed in Moses Lake.[6]
In 2020, the LDS Church canceled services and other public gatherings indefinitely in response to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.[7]
Membership history
Year | Membership |
---|---|
1920 | 1,199 |
1930 | 3,443 |
1940 | 5,113 |
1950 | 11,551 |
1960 | 35,701 |
1970 | 67,203 |
1980 | 138,000 |
1990 | 189,000 |
1999 | 226,411 |
2008 | 257,710 |
2012 | 271,625 |
2015 | 282,356 |
Missions
On July 26, 1897, the Northwestern States Mission was organized to search out Latter Day Saints who had moved to Washington, Oregon, and Montana. On January 1, 1968, The Pacific Northwest Mission was created with Joe E. Whitesides as president. On June 10, 1970, its name changed to the Washington Mission and ultimately the Washington Seattle Mission on June 20, 1974. As of 2016, Washington is home to eight missions, three of which are east of the Cascade Mountains, and five are on the west side.
Mission | President | Organized |
---|---|---|
Washington Everett Mission | Michael S Wilding[8] | 1 July 2001[9] |
Washington Kennewick Mission | Doneal L White[8] | 1 July 2002[10] |
Washington Seattle Mission | Sterling A. Rasmussen | 1 January 1968 |
Washington Spokane Mission | Wayne R Dymock[11] | 1 July 1978[12] |
Washington Tacoma Mission | John D Blatter[13] | 1 July 1990[14] |
Washington Vancouver Mission | Dennis A. McAteer[8] | 1 July 2013[15] |
Washington Yakima Mission | John C. Lewis[11] | 30 June 2015[16] |
Temples
Washington currently has three temples in operation. A fourth temple, the Moses Lake Washington Temple, was announced by President Russell M. Nelson in his concluding talk of the Sunday afternoon session of the 189th annual General Conference on Sunday, April 7, 2019 to be built in Moses Lake, Washington.[17]
|
19. Seattle Washington Temple | ||
Location: |
Bellevue, Washington, United States | ||
|
59. Spokane Washington Temple | ||
Location: |
Veradale, Washington, United States | ||
|
107. Columbia River Washington Temple | ||
Location: |
Richland, Washington, United States |
References
- LDS Newsroom (Statistical Information)
- LDS Temples and Mormon Church Units in Washington
- Vancouver British Columbia LDS Temple District
- Portland Oregon LDS Temple District
- LDS Church News - United States information: Washington
- Washington - LDS Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership
- Lovett, Ian. "Mormon Church Cancels Services World-Wide Amid Coronavirus Crisis", The Wall Street Journal, 12 March 2020. Retrieved on 31 March 2020.
- 2016 LDS Mission Presidents | Deseret News Accessed 10-04-2016
- Washington Everett Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Accessed 10-04-2016
- Washington Kennewick Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Accessed 10-04-2016
- 2015 LDS Mission Presidents | Deseret News Accessed 10-04-2016
- Washington Spokane Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Accessed 10-04-2016
- New Mission Presidents | Deseret News Accessed 10-04-2016
- Washington Tacoma Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Accessed 10-04-2016
- Washington Vancouver Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Accessed 10-04-2016
- Washington Yakima Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Accessed 10-04-2016
- "April 2019 General Conference News and Announcements". Mormon Newsroom. 7 April 2019.
Further reading
- Bolton, Herbert E. (January 1926). "The Mormons in the Opening of the Great West". 17. Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine: 40–72. Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - Horne, J. Arthur (1968). Latter-day Saints in the Great Northwest. Seattle, WA: Graphic Art Press. OCLC 42251464.
- Jorgensen, Rick B. (2002). A History of the Latter-day Saints in the Columbia Basin of Central Washington, 1850-1972 (M.A. thesis). Brigham Young University.
- Silvester, Melanie L. (April 2002). "A Branch of Faith in the Forest". Ensign. Vol. 32 no. 4. pp. 38–42.
- Smart, William B. (January 1961). "Mormonism's First Foothold in the Pacific Northwest". 29 (1). Utah Historical Quarterly: 21–30. Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - Stinebaugh, Thomas L. (2000). "Washington State". Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. pp. 1316–1317. ISBN 1-57345-822-8.
External links
- Newsroom (Washington)
- ComeUntoChrist.org Latter-day Saints Visitor site
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official site