The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Marshall Islands refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in the Marshall Islands. As of 2021, there were 6,977 members in 13 congregations, making it the second largest body of LDS Church members in Micronesia, behind Kiribati. The Marshall Islands has the second most LDS Church members per capita in Micronesia, and the fourth most members per capita of any independent country in the world, behind Tonga, Samoa, and Kiribati. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics

First missionaries, convert, and congregation

The first

Mormon missionaries Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—widely known as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and commu ...

in the Marshall Islands were William Wardel and Steven Cooper, who arrived on 3 February 1977. Misao Lokeijak was the first person in the Marshall Islands to become a member of the LDS Church. Lokeijak was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

in 1977, shortly after

first arrived in Majuro. Lokeijak had previously been introduced to Mormonism in Hawaii. On 11 May 1978, the

Laura Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay on ...

Branch of the church was created and Lokeijak was made the first branch president in the Marshall Islands.

Church growth

At the end of 1977, there were 27 members of the LDS Church in the Marshall Islands. By the end of 1979, there were 177. In 1984, there were enough members to justify the construction of two meetinghouses, one in Laura and one in

Rita Rita may refer to: People * Rita (given name) * Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984) * Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962) * Rita (Japanese singer) * Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita Places * Djarrit, also known as Rita, a ...

. The meetinghouse in Laura was dedicated on 13 January 1986 and the one in Rita on 14 January. In 1987, the Majuro District (of the Micronesia Guam Mission) was organized with five constituent branches. By 1990, there were over 1000 members of the church in the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands Majuro Mission was created in 2006 and the first

stake Stake may refer to: Entertainment * '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game * ''The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film * "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from '' Book of Dreams'' * ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...

was established in Majuro in June 2009."The Marshall Islands"
'' Ensign'', April 2011, p. 70.

Stakes and Congregations

As of October 2022, the Marshall Islands included the following Stakes and Congregations: Kwajalein Marshall Islands Stake *Ebeye 1st Ward *Ebeye 2nd Ward *Ebeye 3rd Ward *Kwajalein Ward *Lae Ward Majuro Marshall Islands Stake *Ajeltake Ward *Delap Ward *Jenrok Ward *Laura Ward *Long Island Majuro Ward *Rita Ward *Uliga Ward In addition to the congregations in these two stakes, the Marshall Islands/Kiribati Mission Branch serves individuals and families not in proximity of a meetinghouse.

Missions

The Marshall Islands/Kiribati Mission includes the entirety of the Marshall Islands as well as Kiribati and

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...

Temples

The Marshall Islands is currently located in the

Suva Fiji Temple The Suva Fiji Temple is the 91st operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The LDS Church in Fiji The first missionaries visited Fiji in 1953. The first recorded meeting of the Church was held July 25, 1954, ...

District. Construction on the

Yigo Guam Temple The Yigo Guam Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Yigo, Guam. History The intent to construct the temple was announced by church president Russell M. Nelson on October 7, 2018. The Yigo Guam T ...

started on May 4, 2019, and on October 4, 2020 the

Tarawa Kiribati Temple The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kiribati refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Kiribati. In 1976 the first branch (small congregation) was organized in Tarawa. As at the 2020 Ce ...

was announced by 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 ...

bringing the nearest location of a temple closer.

Notes

References

*''2008 Deseret Morning News Church Almanac'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Morning News, 2007) s.v. "Marshall Islands" *

Arnold K. Garr Arnold Kent Garr (born June 14, 1944) was the chair of the department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 2006 to 2009. He was also the lead editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History''. Biography ...

Donald Q. Cannon Donald Quayle Cannon (born 1936) is a retired professor at Brigham Young University who specializes in Latter-day Saint history, particularly early Latter-day Saint history and international Latter-day Saint history. As a young man, Cannon was a ...

, and

Richard O. Cowan Richard Olsen Cowan (born 1934) is a historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and a former professor in the Church History Department of Brigham Young University (BYU). He was one of the longest-serving BYU faculty a ...

(eds.) (2000). ''Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book) pp. 712–713 *Joshua J. Perkey
"Sailing True in the Marshall Islands"
''

Liahona Liahona may refer to: *Liahona (Book of Mormon), in the Book of Mormon, a brass ball of "curious workmanship" that provided directions for Lehi and his party while traveling * ''Liahona'' (magazine), a periodical published by The Church of Jesus Chr ...

'', Apr. 2011, pp. 32–37

External links

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Pacific Area
ComeUntoChrist.org
Latter-day Saints Visitor site
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Official site {{LDS-Pacific, show Marshall Islands Marshall Islands Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1977 establishments in the Marshall Islands 1977 in Christianity