The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Oklahoma refers to

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) and its members in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 1.20% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey, 1% of Oklahomans self-identify themselves most closely with the LDS Church. The LDS Church is the 8th largest denomination in Oklahoma. The history of the denomination in what would become Oklahoma begins in the 1840s and the Indian Territory Mission was created and placed under the leadership of George Miller in 1855. The first

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

in Oklahoma was dedicated in 2000. The nine stakes based in Oklahoma are located in

Bartlesville Bartlesville is a city mostly in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 37,290 at the 2020 census. Bartlesville is north of Tulsa and south of the Kansas border. It is the county seat of Washington County. The Can ...

, Lawton,

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

Edmond, Oklahoma Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. The population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the fifth largest cit ...

, Stillwater and

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

History

In the late 1840s, George Miller, a former

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

who delayed going to the West, traveled from Winter Quarters to visit his son in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. He and two other members with him, Joseph Kilting and Richard Hewitt, found construction work available in the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It ...

. They arrived in

Tahlequah Tahlequah ( ; ''Cherokee'': ᏓᎵᏆ, ''daligwa'' ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century ...

on July 9, 1847, and began to build houses. They also began to teach others about the LDS Church's faith and doctrine, but antagonism forced Miller to leave in December. Hewitt and Kilting remained to work.Chronicles of Oklahoma
Volume 13. Digital.library.okstate.edu, (accessed November 3, 2013) In 1855,

Orson Spencer Orson Spencer (March 14, 1802 – October 15, 1855) was a prolific writer and prominent member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in several highly visible positions within the church and left an extensive legacy of ...

and James McGaw visited the

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

from

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, and on April 8, five more church missionaries were sent from

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, and four from St. Louis. The Indian Territory

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

was created and placed under the leadership of Miller on June 26, 1855. The missionaries met and reconverted followers of

Lyman Wight Lyman Wight (May 9, 1796 – March 31, 1858) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the leader of the Latter Day Saints in Daviess County, Missouri, in 1838. In 1841, he was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apost ...

. One of these was Jacob Croft who had met missionaries earlier and started for

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. After hearing misconceptions about conditions there, his party settled in Indian Territory and built a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

. As early as July 1855, missionaries preached to about 400 Indians, and the Cherokee

Branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk (botany), trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' ...

was started at Croft's

Spavinaw Creek Spavinaw Creek is a stream that begins in Arkansas and flows west into Oklahoma. The mouth is at located at Lake Hudson. The creek drains 400 square miles of the Ozark Mountain foothills and farm land. Two lakes, Lake Spavinaw and Lake Eucha, w ...

mill. This became mission headquarters. Croft later lead a party of 56 including other former followers of Wight and some re-converted " Strangites" to Utah. Later in the year, missionaries were sent from St. Louis to southern portions of the Cherokee Nations. In 1856, the Princess Creek branch was organized. The Lehi and Nephi branches were organized in 1858. Illness was a problem in the Indian Territory Mission for many years. At least four missionaries died including Orson Spencer. The Remaining Members Migrated to Utah in 1858 and 1859. By 1860, the missionaries (except John A. Richards, who had married an Indian wife) returned to Utah and the mission was discontinued. When Matthew Dalton and John Hubbard returned to begin missionary work in 1877, they found Richards was still faithful, and they received assistance from him. Later that year, Hubbard died and the mission was closed. In 1883, Matthew Dalton and

George Teasdale George Teasdale (8 December 1831 – 9 June 1907) was a Mormon missionary and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Teasdale was born in London, England. Teasdale was ...

of the

Quorum of the Twelve In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve (also known as the Council of the Twelve, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Council of the Twelve Apostles, or the Twelve) is one of the governing bodies or ( quorums) of the church hie ...

reorganized the mission. Tracts in the Cherokee language were printed. Andrew Kimball, father of future church president

Spencer W. Kimball Spencer Woolley Kimball (March 28, 1895 – November 5, 1985) was an American business, civic, and religious leader who was the twelfth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The grandson of early Latter-day S ...

, presided over the mission in 1885. Although he had contracted

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

, he carried on the work and was assisted by John Richards, and later by additional full-time missionaries. In 1892, the first meetinghouse was built in Manard (Cherokee County). Another was built in

Massey Massey may refer to: Places Canada * Massey, Ontario * Massey Island, Nunavut New Zealand * Massey, New Zealand, an Auckland suburb United States * Massey, Alabama * Massey, Iowa * Massey, Maryland People * Massey (surname) Educati ...

(Choctaw Nation). On November 7, 1911, a branch was established at

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...

with 113 members but was later dissolved. It was not until May 1, 1960, when the branch was again organized in Gore. A Sunday school that began in

in 1924 became a branch on October 13, 1945. Membership increased slowly as many converts moved to Utah. Membership increased in the 1950s and 1960s. Two stakes were created in 1960. The Tulsa Stake was created on May 1, 1960, and the Oklahoma City Stake on October 23, 1960. The Latter-day Saint community reached out to those in need after the

destruction Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kind ...

of the

Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a United States federal government complex located at 200 N.W. 5th Street in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. On April 19, 1995, at 9:02 a.m. the building was the target of the Oklahoma City bombing ...

in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. In 1999, thousands of Latter-day Saint volunteers from Oklahoma and surrounding areas came to Oklahoma in response to the

1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak The 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak was a significant tornado outbreak that affected much of the Central and parts of the Eastern United States, with the highest record-breaking wind speeds of . During this week-long event, 154 tornadoes touched ...

to provide rescue, relief, and recovery for the victims of the storm. Latter-day Saints in Oklahoma provided relief to victims of other disasters including floods in 2007, the Mid-May 2008 tornado outbreak sequence, and provided aid to victims of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. On October 17, 2021, the LDS Church donated $2 million to the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. The donation is intended to assist Native Americans in learning about their ancestral past.

Stakes

There are eleven stakes with their stake center located in Oklahoma. All eleven of these stakes are located in the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple district and the Oklahoma Oklahoma City Mission. Five other stakes have congregations in Oklahoma. As of November 2023, the following stakes had congregations in Oklahoma: * *Stakes with stake centers located outside the state.

Missions

On March 29, 1898, Oklahoma became part of the Southwestern States Mission, and it was included in the Central States Mission on April 4, 1904. The Oklahoma Mission was created on June 10, 1970, renamed the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission in 1974. The Oklahoma Oklahoma City Mission was created in 1990. In 2015, at the request of Scott K. Shumway,

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission, its headquarters were relocated to

Bentonville, Arkansas Bentonville is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, tenth-largest city in Arkansas, United States and the county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, Benton County. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers adja ...

, which was geographically located in the center of the mission boundaries. In June 2015, business was presented in the units across the mission boundaries sustaining the official name change to the Arkansas Bentonville Mission. In December 2016, the Tulsa, Tulsa East, and Bartlesville stakes were transferred from the Arkansas Bentonville Mission to the Oklahoma Oklahoma City Mission. With this change, all 8 stakes in the state of Oklahoma were within the same mission boundaries.

Temples

The Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple was dedicated on July 30, 2000, by James E. Faust of the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

. The temple was closed for more than two years for an extensive renovation and was rededicated on May 19, 2019, by Henry B. Eyring. An open house was held for the public before the dedication and guests included 20 state legislators.Hinton, Carla
"Oklahoma City Temple has open house"
''

Oklahoman Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

'', 24 April 2019. Retrieved on 22 March 2020. On October 5, 2019, during the church's general conference, church president

Russell M. Nelson Russell Marion Nelson Sr. (born September 9, 1924) is an American religious leader and retired surgeon who is the 17th and current president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Nelson was a member of the LDS Church ...

announced plans to construct the Bentonville Arkansas Temple. This temple will likely include congregations in Northeast Oklahoma as part of its district.

References

External links