| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Pennsylvania | |
| Area: | Northeast |
| Members: | 53,025 (2023) |
| Stakes: | 13 |
| Districts: | 0 |
| Wards: | 80 |
| Branches: | 27 |
| Missions: | 2 |
| O: | 1 |
| U: | 1 |
| A: | 1 |
| Fhc: | 46 |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Pennsylvania refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Pennsylvania. Joseph and Emma Smith lived in Northern Pennsylvania near the Susquehanna River just prior to the organization of the Church of Christ. Much of the translation of the Book of Mormon and revelation of the priesthood occurred here during that time.
Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 0.41% in 2019.[1] According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey, less than 1% of Pennsylvanians self-identify themselves most closely with the LDS Church.[2] The church is the 13th largest denomination in Pennsylvania.[3]
Joseph Smith and other future members of the Church of Christ, the original name of the Latter Day Saint church founded by Smith, were baptized in the Susquehanna River in May 1829.[4] [5]
A total of 12 congregations were organized in Pennsylvania in the 1830s, before members gathered to Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois.[6]
In 2016 Inga Saffron, architecture critic for The Philadelphia Inquirer, called the new Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple "the most radical work of architecture built in Philadelphia in a half-century ... because it dares to be so out of step with today's design sensibilities and our bottom-line culture." Estimating its cost as more than $100 million, she wrote that the temple was "the real classical deal" and "a bold incursion into the hierarchical fabric of Philadelphia".[7]
As of January 2024, Pennsylvania had the following stakes:
| Stake | Mission | Temple District | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altoona Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Pittsburgh | Washington D.C. | |
| Gettysburg Pennsylvania | Maryland Baltimore | Washington D.C. | |
| Hagerstown Maryland | Maryland Baltimore | Washington D.C. | |
| Harrisburg Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Pittsburgh | Philadelphia Pennsylvania | |
| Jamestown New York | Pennsylvania Pittsburgh | Palmyra New York | |
| Lancaster Pennsylvania | Maryland Baltimore | Philadelphia Pennsylvania | |
| Philadelphia Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Philadelphia | Philadelphia Pennsylvania | |
| Pittsburgh Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Pittsburgh | Washington D.C. | |
| Pittsburgh Pennsylvania North | Pennsylvania Pittsburgh | Columbus Ohio | |
| Pittsburgh Pennsylvania West | Pennsylvania Pittsburgh | Columbus Ohio | |
| Reading Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Philadelphia | Philadelphia Pennsylvania | |
| Scranton Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Philadelphia | Philadelphia Pennsylvania | |
| Valley Forge Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Philadelphia | Philadelphia Pennsylvania | |
| Williamsport Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Pittsburgh | Philadelphia Pennsylvania | |
| Youngstown Ohio | Ohio Columbus | Columbus Ohio |