Wikipedia

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

(Redirected from Grand Junction Colorado Temple)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Colorado. The first congregation of the Church in Colorado was organized in 1897.[1] It has since grown to 148,708 members in 310 congregations.


The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado
The Denver Colorado Temple
AreaNA Central
Members148,708 (2022)[1]
Stakes35
Wards275
Branches35
Total Congregations310
Missions4
Temples2 Operating
1 Under Construction
1 Announced
4 Total
Family History Centers64[2]

Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 2.82% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey 2% of Coloradans self-identify themselves most closely with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[3] The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in Colorado behind the Roman Catholic Church.[4] Colorado has the 10th most members of the LDS Church in the United States.[5]

History

edit
Membership in Colorado
YearMembers
19204,376
19306,435
19407,882
195010,728
196019,587
197035,613
198051,857
199088,625
1999112,232
2009137,145
2019150,509
Source: Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac State Information: Colorado[1]

On August 7, 1846, a settlement of 61 recent converts of the church traveling from Mississippi made camp on the Arkansas River, just east of present-day Pueblo in the southern part of the state. They had come along the main Overland trail to Fort Laramie but discovered the first groups of Mormon Pioneers from Nauvoo had stopped for the winter at Council Bluffs. Rather than turn back to join them; a trapper named John Renshaw led them down to a small adobe trading fort called El Pueblo which was thought to be a more suitable place to spend the winter. They made their camp about a half-mile south of El Pueblo.

While encamped in Pueblo the settlement was also joined by 3 different groups of the Mormon Battalion arriving between September 1846 and January 27, 1847. With the arrival in January, the population of the colony reached 289 people. This temporary colony was the first branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado. The settlement is also widely believed to be the first Anglo settlement in what is now the state of Colorado. The settlement also was the home of the first Anglo born child in Colorado; Sarah Emma Kartchner.

In April 1847, the first members of the settlement began their trek north to Fort Laramie where they were waiting when Brigham Young arrives in June 1847. By the fall of 1848, all the members of the church had left the Pueblo settlement.[6]

The first mission was established in the area in 1896 and the first congregation of the LDS Church in Colorado was organized in January 1897.[7]

The Denver Colorado Temple in Centennial was completed in 1986.[8]

The Fort Collins Colorado Temple was formally dedicated by Dieter F. Uchtdorf on October 16, 2016.[9][10]

County Statistics

edit
 
Meetinghouse in Sanford, Colorado
 
A branch meetinghouse in Fox Creek, Colorado, an unincorporated community in Conejos County.

List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives:[11] 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
Adams 18 11,400 2.58
Alamosa 5 1,547 10.02
Arapahoe 27 14,505 2.54
Baca 0
Bent 0
Boulder 17 8,620 2.93
Chaffee 2 435 2.44
Cheyenne 0
Clear Creek 1 232 2.55
Conejos 8 2,343 28.38
Costilla 1 161 4.57
Crowley 0
Custer 1 117 2.75
Delta 3 1,535 4.96
Denver 13 10,092 1.68
Dolores 0
Douglas 28 13,111 4.59
Eagle 2 818 1.57
El Paso 1 18,602 2.99
Elbert 2 738 3.20
Fremont 2 1,434 3.06
Garfield 5 2,085 3.70
Gilpin 0
Grand 1 253 1.71
Gunnison 2 4,157 27.13
Hinsdale 0
Huerfano 0
Jackson 0
Jefferson 22 11,175 2.09
Kiowa 0
Kit Carson 1 226 2.73
La Plata 4 2,126 4.14
Lake 0
Larimer 20 8,622 2.88
Las Animas 0
Lincoln 1 128 2.34
Logan 1 554 2.44
Mesa 18 10,060 6.86
Mineral 0
Moffat 3 1,339 9.71
Montezuma 5 2,277 8.92
Montrose 6 2,800 6.78
Morgan 1 128 0.46
Otero 1 582 3.09
Ouray 0
Park 0
Phillips 0
Pitkin 1 268 1.56
Prowers 2 439 3.50
Pueblo 8 4,287 2.70
Rio Blanco 3 1,055 15.83
Rio Grande 2 579 4.83
Routt 1 356 1.51
Saguache 1 196 3.21
San Juan 1 35 5.01
San Miguel 0
Sedgwick 0
Summit 1 557 1.99
Teller 1 713 3.05
Washington 0
Weld 11 4,811 1.90
Yuma 1 128 1.28

Stakes

edit

As of August 2023, Colorado had the following stakes:

Stake Organized Mission Temple District
Alamosa Colorado Stake 29 May 1983 Colorado Colorado Springs Albuquerque New Mexico
Arapahoe Colorado Stake 27 Sep 1987 Colorado Denver North Denver Colorado
Arvada Colorado Stake 21 Jun 1959 Colorado Denver North Denver Colorado
Aurora Colorado Stake 6 Dec 1981 Colorado Denver North Denver Colorado
Aurora Colorado South Stake 22 Sep 2013 Colorado Denver North Denver Colorado
Boulder Colorado Stake 28 Jan 1973 Colorado Denver North Fort Collins Colorado
Brighton Colorado Stake 10 Nov 2013 Colorado Denver North Fort Collins Colorado
Castle Rock Colorado Stake 7 Mar 2004 Colorado Colorado Springs Denver Colorado
Colorado Springs Colorado Stake 11 Sep 1960 Colorado Colorado Springs Denver Colorado
Colorado Springs East Stake 26 Aug 1990 Colorado Colorado Springs Denver Colorado
Colorado Springs High Plains Stake 11 Dec 2016 Colorado Colorado Springs Denver Colorado
Colorado Springs North Stake 18 May 1980 Colorado Colorado Springs Denver Colorado
Columbine Colorado Stake 7 Dec 1980 Colorado Denver South Denver Colorado
Craig Colorado Stake 15 Oct 2017 Colorado Denver South Vernal Utah
Denver Colorado Stake 30 Jun 1940 Colorado Denver North Denver Colorado
Denver Colorado North Stake 28 Jan 1973 Colorado Denver North Fort Collins Colorado
Durango Colorado Stake 7 Nov 1971 New Mexico Farmington Monticello Utah
Fort Collins Colorado Stake 1 Dec 1968 Colorado Fort Collins Fort Collins Colorado
Fountain Colorado Stake 12 Dec 1999 Colorado Colorado Springs Denver Colorado
Front Range Colorado Stake 19 Apr 1964 Colorado Denver South Denver Colorado
Garden City Kansas Stake[a] 18 May 2003 Kansas Wichita Denver Colorado
Grand Junction Colorado Stake 16 Oct 1955 Colorado Denver South Monticello Utah
Grand Junction Colorado West Stake 24 Apr 1983 Colorado Denver South Monticello Utah
Greeley Colorado Stake 28 Apr 1985 Colorado Fort Collins Fort Collins Colorado
Highlands Ranch Colorado Stake 19 May 1985 Colorado Denver South Denver Colorado
Littleton Colorado Stake 2 Sep 1973 Colorado Denver South Denver Colorado
Longmont Colorado Stake 11 Nov 1990 Colorado Fort Collins Fort Collins Colorado
Loveland Colorado Stake 18 Jun 2000 Colorado Fort Collins Fort Collins Colorado
Manassa Colorado Stake 10 Jun 1883 Colorado Colorado Springs Albuquerque New Mexico
Monticello Utah Stake[a] 23 Sep 1883 New Mexico Farmington Monticello Utah
Montrose Colorado Stake 5 Nov 1978 Colorado Denver South Monticello Utah
Parker Colorado Stake 15 Sep 1996 Colorado Denver North Denver Colorado
Parker Colorado South Stake 13 Mar 2011 Colorado Denver North Denver Colorado
Pueblo Colorado Stake 3 Mar 1974 Colorado Colorado Springs Denver Colorado
Rifle Colorado Stake 15 Jan 1961 Colorado Denver South Vernal Utah
Westminster Colorado Stake 27 Apr 1997 Colorado Denver North Fort Collins Colorado
Windsor Colorado Stake 23 Aug 2015 Colorado Fort Collins Fort Collins Colorado
  1. ^ a b Stake located outside Colorado with congregation(s) meeting in Colorado

Missions

edit

The Colorado Mission was opened on December 15, 1896, with John W. Taylor as president.[12] This mission was renamed the Western States Mission on April 1, 1907, then the Colorado-New Mexico Mission on June 10, 1970, then the Colorado Mission on October 10, 1972, and the Colorado Denver Mission on June 20, 1974. It was finally renamed the Colorado Denver South Mission on July 1, 1993, upon creation of the Colorado Denver North Mission.

Colorado now contains four missions.

Mission Organized
Colorado Colorado Springs Mission July 1, 2002
Colorado Denver South Mission December 15, 1896
Colorado Denver North Mission July 1, 1993
Colorado Fort Collins Mission July 1, 2013

The southwestern portion of the state is located in the New Mexico Farmington Mission.

Temples

edit
  •   = Operating
  •   = Under construction
  •   = Announced
  •   = Temporarily Closed

On October 24, 1986, the Denver Colorado Temple was dedicated by President Ezra Taft Benson. On April 2, 2011, the Fort Collins Colorado Temple was announced. Western portions of Colorado are in the Vernal Utah Temple and Monticello Utah Temple districts. Southern portions of Colorado are in the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple district.

edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style: 		Centennial, Colorado, United States
March 31, 1982 by Spencer W. Kimball
May 19, 1984 by Gordon B. Hinckley
October 24, 1986 by Ezra Taft Benson
29,177 sq ft (2,710.6 m2) on a 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) site
Modern, single-spire design - designed by Church A&E Services and Bobby R. Thomas
edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size: 		Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
April 2, 2011 by Thomas S. Monson[13][14]
August 24, 2013 by Ronald A. Rasband[15]
October 16, 2016 by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
42,000 sq ft (3,900 m2) on a 15.69-acre (6.35 ha) site
 
edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Size: 		Grand Junction, Colorado, United States
4 April 2021 by Russell M. Nelson[16]
16 April 2022 by Chi Hong (Sam) Wong[17]
29,000 sq ft (2,700 m2) on a 6.94-acre (2.81 ha) site
 
edit
Location:
Announced:
Size: 		Colorado Springs, Colorado
1 October 2023 by Russell M. Nelson[18][19]
45,000 sq ft (4,200 m2) on a 18.6-acre (7.5 ha) site

Communities

edit

Latter-day Saints have had a significant role in establishing and settling communities within the "Mormon Corridor", including the following located in Colorado:

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by State: Colorado", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved April 10, 2022
  2. ^ Category:Colorado Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved August 18, 2022
  3. ^ "Adults in Colorado: Religious composition of adults in Colorado". Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  4. ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021. Note:While it's the 2nd largest denomination in Colorado, it's the 3rd largest denomination when "nondenominational" is considered as a denomination.
  5. ^ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States)
  6. ^ "Your Colorado Church History Tour", Church of Jesus Christ in Colorado.
  7. ^ "Facts and Statistics", Church News, 2020. Retrieved on 1 April 2020.
  8. ^ Reid, T.R. "Religious Intolerance Greets Mormon Temple's Invitation", The Washington Post, 22 September 1986. Retrieved on 22 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Fort Collins Colorado Temple Is Dedicated: 153rd Mormon temple in the world, second in Colorado", Newsroom, LDS Church, October 16, 2016
  10. ^ "Mormons dedicate their second temple in Colorado", The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah, 4 November 2016. Retrieved on 27 January 2020.
  11. ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  12. ^ John Whittaker Taylor. Grampa Bill's General Authority Pages
  13. ^ "Fort Collins Colorado Temple", ldschurchtemples.com, retrieved April 2, 2011.
  14. ^ "Site Announced for Fort Collins Temple", LDS Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, retrieved August 10, 2011.
  15. ^ Sterzer, Rachel (August 24, 2013), "Elder Rasband breaks ground for Fort Collins Colorado Temple", Deseret News, retrieved August 25, 2013
  16. ^ "Prophet Announces Twenty New Temples at April 2021 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, 4 April 2021
  17. ^ https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-dates-set-for-temples-in-nevada-and-colorado
  18. ^ Where the 20 new Latter-day Saint temples will be built as Russell Nelson’s record tally continues to rise, Salt Lake Tribune, 1 October 2023
  19. ^ "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 20 New Temples", Newsroom, LDS Church, 1 October 2023

Further reading

edit
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_in_Colorado&oldid=1231783524#Temples"