The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California | |
Area: | West |
Members: | 728,598 (2023) |
Stakes: | 146 |
Wards: | 1001 |
Branches: | 133 |
Missions: | 15 |
O: | 7 |
U: | 2 |
A: | 3 |
Family History Centers: | 228 |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in California. California has the 2nd most members of the LDS Church in the United States, behind Utah.[1] The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in California, behind the Roman Catholic Church.[2]
A Mormon immigrant company, under direction of Samuel Brannon, departed on the ship Brooklyn from New York on February 4, 1846 en route to the Great Salt Lake Valley via California. The group under the direction of Brannan navigated around Cape Horn and arrived at Yerba Buena on July 31, 1846. The company of around 230 people were the first known Latter-day Saints to set foot in California. Their numbers nearly tripled the population of the small town of Yerba Buena, later renamed San Francisco. While there, Brannan and other church members began publication of one of California's first English-language newspapers, the California Star, in October 1846.[3] One of the Brooklyn saints, Angeline Lovett, set up a school in the old Franciscan Dolores Mission, the first English-language school in California.[4]
During the early autumn of 1846, Brannan led 20 men to the San Joaquin Valley where they founded a Mormon farming village named New Hope Colony. It soon failed as heavy seasonal storms flooded the valley, destroying their crops. Most of the Brooklyn saints left California for Salt Lake City in 1848.[3]
In January 1847, the Mormon Battalion arrived in San Diego. Battalion members helped construct a number of building and public works in San Diego. They then traveled to Los Angeles where they built a fort and raised the first American flag in California. Six discharged battalion members were at Sutter's Mill in northern California when gold was discovered there on January 24, 1848. On their way, they carved an emigrant road that would be used by thousands of westward bound travelers including the gold rush "Forty-Niners."[5]
In February 1856, George Q. Cannon began publication in San Francisco of the Western Standard, a weekly periodical supportive of the church.[6]
Main: History of San Bernardino, California: Mormon San Bernardino
The first colonization from Utah to California came in 1851 when a company of about 450 saints and enslaved people under direction of Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles settled at what is now San Bernardino. The colony was the final settlement in a string of Mormon communities extending 800miles from Salt Lake City in an area known as Deseret. The community thrived, and on July 6, 1851, the San Bernardino Stake, California's first, was organized. The colony was dissolved by the church at the advance of Johnston's Army toward Salt Lake City in 1857. Brigham Young instructed the settlers to return to Utah to colonize. About 1,400 (fewer than half) returned to Utah at the request of the church. The San Bernardino Stake was dissolved in 1857 as well as the ecclesiastical units within the stake.[3]
The Los Angeles Branch was created on March 21, 1895.[7] In 1896, the Northern California and Southern California conferences were organized. The Sacramento Conference was added in 1898.[8] Most missionary work around the turn of the century took place in larger population centers.
On January 21, 1923, the Los Angeles Stake became the first to be created in the state since the San Bernardino Stake had been dissolved. The Los Angeles Stake was divided on May 22, 1927 to form the Los Angeles and Hollywood stakes. On July 10, 1927, the San Francisco Stake was established.[9]
On February 18, 1939, 1,400 people visited the church's exhibit at the opening day of the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. This exhibit was a visitors' center portraying a reduced-size Salt Lake Tabernacle.
Eight more stakes were created in the 1930s, five in the 1940s, and 30 in the 1950s. The completion of the Los Angeles and Oakland temples soon followed.[9]
In 1980, church president Spencer W. Kimball spoke to members in the Los Angeles area in the Rose Bowl, with an estimated 75,000 in attendance.[10]
At the beginning of the year 2000, California had 17 missions, more than any other state in the United States. In the state's major cities, many minority converts were taught and baptized in their native language. With a significant immigration to California from Latin America, five Spanish-speaking stakes have been organized. Various Asian and Polynesian wards function as well, and a Tongan stake was created in San Francisco in 1992. There are currently more than 200 ethnic wards and branches in California.[9] [11]
Church president Gordon B. Hinckley attended the rededication of the historic Hollywood (now Los Angeles California) Stake Center on June 8, 2003.[12]
In July 1996, the sesquicentennial of the arrival of the ship Brooklyn was celebrated through reenactment of the event on a replica ship that sailed into the San Francisco Bay. Church members throughout the state commemorated the anniversary with observances that included an exhibit at the San Francisco Maritime Museum,[13] performances of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Davies Symphony Hall,[14] dedications of plaques honoring the early settlers, and pioneer activities and parades.[15]
In addition to commemorating the arrival of early Latter-day Saint settlers, as well as contributions to the development of the state, members throughout California donated many hours of service in community projects sponsored by wards and stakes, including gathering supplies and food for the needy; cleaning parks, beaches and roadways; painting and repairing homeless shelters, and cleaning up graffiti.[16]
On January 18, 1997, 2,400 church members re-enacted the arrival of the Mormon Battalion in California 150 years earlier. Other Mormon Battalion celebrations along the coast followed on respective anniversaries. On March 6, 1997, Hinckley spoke to a record audience of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council,[17] and on March 19, he addressed the World Forum of Silicon Valley.[18] He also spoke at various church events during the year. A church-produced video depicting the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill was donated to the state of California to be shown continuously at Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma.
Membership growth has slowed in California since 1991 and began to decrease starting in the 2010s.
Year | LDS Membership |
---|---|
1846 | 230 |
1920 | 3,800 |
1930 | 21,254 |
1940 | 44,800 |
1950 | 102,000 |
1960 | 217,600 |
1970 | 349,000 |
1980 | 541,000 |
1991 | 721,000 |
1999 | 740,000 |
2008 | 755,747 |
2012 | 777,061 |
2017 | 767,301 |
2019 | 756,507 |
2023 | 728,598 |
In times of disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, and floods, church members in California have donated countless hours of service, helping communities to recover.
In 1997, members in San Diego donated some 40-50 tons of food to eight community agencies for the homeless and needy.[19]
In May 2003, hundreds of Los Angeles-area Muslims and members of the Pasadena California Stake joined in preparing emergency supplies for Iraqi families. With conflicts of the war with Iraq completed, a humanitarian aid day was set for May 10, 2003, where hygiene kits for some 10,000 families were completed and added to a $650,000 shipment of medical supplies and blankets donated by the church.[20]
Church members in the state have also taken leadership roles in moral issues, such as combating pornography and have cooperated with other congregations of various interfaith endeavors. Members have been active in other moral issues including abortion, gambling, drug and alcohol abuse, and marriage.[21]
List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives:[22] 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 in locations where adherents reside in a different county as their congregational meetinghouse.
County | Congregations | Adherents | % of Population | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alameda | 46 | 24,929 | 1.65 | |
Alpine | 0 | |||
Amador | 2 | 1,196 | 3.14 | |
Butte | 16 | 9,357 | 4.25 | |
Calaveras | 3 | 1,597 | 3.50 | |
Colusa | 1 | 372 | 1.74 | |
Contra Costa | 42 | 21,505 | 2.05 | |
Del Norte | 2 | 1,213 | 4.24 | |
El Dorado | 15 | 7,030 | 3.88 | |
Fresno | 36 | 21,404 | 2.30 | |
Glenn | 3 | 820 | 2.92 | |
Humboldt | 7 | 3,557 | 2.64 | |
Imperial | 5 | 3,149 | 1.80 | |
Inyo | 5 | 4,827 | 26.03 | |
Kern | 38 | 21,095 | 2.51 | |
Kings | 5 | 2,362 | 1.54 | |
Lake | 5 | 2,294 | 3.55 | |
Lassen | 3 | 1,341 | 3.84 | |
Los Angeles | 226 | 150,569 | 1.53 | |
Madera | 5 | 3,355 | 2.22 | |
Marin | 4 | 2,468 | 0.98 | |
Mariposa | 1 | 392 | 2.15 | |
Mendocino | 4 | 2,335 | 2.66 | |
Merced | 10 | 4,448 | 1.74 | |
Modoc | 2 | 344 | 3.55 | |
Mono | 2 | 337 | 2.37 | |
Monterey | 10 | 5,906 | 1.42 | |
Napa | 6 | 2,209 | 1.62 | |
Nevada | 3 | 1,683 | 1.70 | |
Orange | 121 | 66,772 | 2.22 | |
Placer | 33 | 15,179 | 4.36 | |
Plumas | 3 | 755 | 3.77 | |
Riverside | 96 | 51,957 | 2.37 | |
Sacramento | 77 | 44,951 | 3.17 | |
San Benito | 3 | 1,151 | 2.08 | |
San Bernardino | 103 | 52,314 | 2.57 | |
San Diego | 120 | 71,495 | 2.31 | |
San Francisco | 5 | 5,923 | 0.74 | |
San Joaquin | 24 | 15,653 | 2.28 | |
San Luis Obispo | 12 | 6,216 | 2.31 | |
San Mateo | 21 | 13,240 | 1.84 | |
Santa Barbara | 14 | 7,241 | 1.71 | |
Santa Clara | 45 | 24,739 | 1.39 | |
Santa Cruz | 6 | 3,709 | 1.41 | |
Shasta | 11 | 6,843 | 3.86 | |
Sierra | 1 | 101 | 3.12 | |
Siskiyou | 5 | 1,629 | 3.63 | |
Solano | 21 | 10,313 | 2.50 | |
Sonoma | 17 | 9,069 | 1.87 | |
Stanislaus | 31 | 13,859 | 2.69 | |
Sutter | 7 | 3,135 | 3.31 | |
Tehama | 3 | 2,078 | 3.27 | |
Tuolumne | 3 | 1,425 | 2.57 | |
Trinity | 2 | 385 | 2.79 | |
Tulare | 15 | 7,740 | 1.75 | |
Ventura | 44 | 20,123 | 2.44 | |
Yolo | 9 | 4,839 | 2.41 | |
Yuba | 5 | 3,096 | 4.29 |
As of June 2024, California had the following Stakes:
Stake | data-sort-type=date | Organized | Mission | Temple |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anaheim California | 14-Mar-1965 | California Anaheim | Newport Beach California | |
Anderson California | 10-Jun-1979 | California Roseville | Feather River California | |
Antelope California | 6-Mar-1988 | California Sacramento | Sacramento California | |
Antioch California | 3-May-1981 | California Oakland/San Francisco | Oakland California | |
Apple Valley California | 10-Sep-2006 | California San Bernardino | Redlands California | |
Arcadia California | 9-Oct-1977 | California Arcadia | Los Angeles California | |
Auburn California | 27-May-1979 | California Roseville | Sacramento California | |
Bakersfield California East | 18-Jun-1978 | California Bakersfield | Los Angeles California | |
Bakersfield California South | 14-Dec-1986 | California Bakersfield | Los Angeles California | |
Bakersfield California | 27-May-1951 | California Bakersfield | Los Angeles California | |
Brea California | 21-Sep-1975 | California Anaheim | Newport Beach California | |
Camarillo California | 8-Aug-1976 | California Ventura | Los Angeles California | |
Capistrano Valley California | 22-Oct-2023 | California Newport Beach | Newport Beach California | |
Carlsbad California | 6-Nov-1960 | California Newport Beach | San Diego California | |
Carmichael California | 25-Nov-1984 | California Sacramento | Sacramento California | |
Carson City Nevada | 9-Apr-1978 | Nevada Reno | Reno Nevada | |
Cerritos California | 26-Oct-1958 | California Anaheim | Los Angeles California | |
Chatsworth California | 8-Oct-1961 | California Los Angeles | Los Angeles California | |
Chico California | 6-Feb-1972 | California Roseville | Feather River California | |
Chino California | 14-Oct-1979 | California Arcadia | Redlands California | |
Citrus Heights California | 22-Jun-1980 | California Sacramento | Sacramento California | |
Corona California | 19-Nov-1978 | California Riverside | Redlands California | |
Cypress California | 15-Feb-1970 | California Anaheim | Newport Beach California | |
Danville California | 26-Aug-1956 | California Oakland/San Francisco | Oakland California | |
Del Mar California | 7-Jan-1990 | California San Diego | San Diego California | |
Downey California | 19-Apr-1959 | California Los Angeles | Los Angeles California | |
East Los Angeles California (Spanish) | 26-Feb-1950 | California Arcadia | Los Angeles California | |
El Cajon California | 20-Apr-1958 | California San Diego | San Diego California | |
El Dorado California | 19-Nov-1978 | California Sacramento | Sacramento California | |
Elk Grove California | 15-Jun-1969 | California Sacramento | Sacramento California | |
Escondido California | 24-Sep-1972 | California Newport Beach | San Diego California | |
Eureka California | 22-Oct-1961 | California Santa Rosa | Medford Oregon | |
Fairfield California | 16-Feb-1975 | California Santa Rosa | Oakland California | |
Folsom California | 12-Feb-1967 | California Sacramento | Sacramento California | |
Fontana California | 22-Jun-1986 | California San Bernardino | Redlands California | |
Fremont California | 11-Dec-1966 | California San Jose | Oakland California | |
Fresno California East | 15-Sep-1963 | California Fresno | Fresno California | |
Fresno California North | 12-Feb-1984 | California Fresno | Fresno California | |
Fresno California | 20-May-1951 | California Fresno | Fresno California | |
Fresno California West | 12-Feb-1984 | California Fresno | Fresno California | |
Glendora California | 14-Nov-1976 | California Arcadia | Los Angeles California | |
Gridley California | 4-Nov-1934 | California Roseville | Feather River California | |
Hacienda Heights California | 17-Sep-1967 | California Arcadia | Los Angeles California | |
Hanford California | 6-Aug-1978 | California Fresno | Fresno California | |
Hemet California | 17-Sep-1978 | California Riverside | Redlands California | |
Hesperia California | 22-Feb-1987 | California San Bernardino | Redlands California | |
Huntington Beach California | 5-Jun-1966 | California Anaheim | Newport Beach California | |
Inglewood California | 26-Nov-1939 | California Los Angeles | Los Angeles California | |
Irvine California | 12-Apr-1987 | California Newport Beach | Newport Beach California | |
Klamath Falls Oregon | 22-Mar-1953 | Oregon Eugene | Medford Oregon | |
La Crescenta California | 7-Jun-1970 | California Arcadia | Los Angeles California | |
La Verne California | 21-Jan-1962 | California Arcadia | Los Angeles California | |
Laguna Niguel California | 20-Jun-1982 | California Newport Beach | Newport Beach California | |
Lake Elsinore California | 22-Sep-2013 | California Riverside | San Diego California | |
Lake Havasu City Arizona | 14-Mar-1976 | Nevada Las Vegas | Las Vegas Nevada | |
Lancaster California East | 18-May-1991 | California Bakersfield | Los Angeles California | |
Lancaster California | 28-Nov-1976 | California Bakersfield | Los Angeles California | |
Lincoln California | 30-Jan-2011 | California Roseville | Feather River California | |
Livermore California | 13-Sep-1987 | California San Jose | Oakland California | |
Lodi California | 10-Apr-1977 | California Modesto | Sacramento California | |
Long Beach California East | 12-Feb-1950 | California Anaheim | Newport Beach California | |
Long Beach California | 3-May-1936 | California Anaheim | Los Angeles California | |
Los Altos California | 24-Aug-1975 | California San Jose | Oakland California | |
Los Angeles California Santa Monica | 1-Jul-1951 | California Los Angeles | Los Angeles California | |
Los Angeles California | 22-May-1927 | California Los Angeles | Los Angeles California | |
Manteca California | 22-Mar-1981 | California Modesto | Oakland California | |
Medford Oregon | 23-Aug-1964 | Oregon Eugene | Medford Oregon | |
Menifee California | 15-Oct-1995 | California Riverside | Redlands California | |
Menlo Park California | 23-Jun-1946 | California San Jose | Oakland California | |
Merced California | 15-Sep-1974 | California Fresno | Fresno California | |
Mission Viejo California | 8-May-1977 | California Newport Beach | Newport Beach California | |
Modesto California North | 26-Oct-1975 | California Modesto | Oakland California | |
Modesto California | 7-Jun-1964 | California Modesto | Oakland California | |
Monterey California | 2-Mar-1958 | California San Jose | Oakland California | |
Moreno Valley California | 27-Sep-1987 | California Riverside | Redlands California | |
Morgan Hill California | 15-May-1977 | California San Jose | Oakland California | |
Murrieta California | 20-Mar-1988 | California Riverside | San Diego California | |
Napa California | 17-Apr-1960 | California Santa Rosa | Oakland California | |
Newbury Park California | 18-Aug-1974 | California Ventura | Los Angeles California | |
Newport Beach California | 31-Mar-1968 | California Newport Beach | Newport Beach California | |
North Hollywood California | 16-Sep-1956 | California Los Angeles | Los Angeles California | |
Oakland California East (Tongan) | 18-Feb-2007 | California Oakland/San Francisco | Oakland California | |
Oakland California | 2-Dec-1934 | California Oakland/San Francisco | Oakland California | |
Ontario California | 9-Dec-1979 | California Riverside | Redlands California | |
Orange California | 8-Dec-1957 | California Anaheim | Newport Beach California | |
Palm Desert California | 27-Aug-1967 | California San Bernardino | Redlands California | |
Palmdale California | 12-May-1968 | California Bakersfield | Los Angeles California | |
Palos Verdes California | 18-Jan-1976 | California Los Angeles | Los Angeles California | |
Pasadena California | 15-Oct-1939 | California Arcadia | Los Angeles California | |
Penasquitos California | 21-Sep-1986 | California San Diego | San Diego California | |
Porterville California | 16-Jun-1996 | California Fresno | Fresno California | |
Poway California | 26-Aug-1979 | California San Diego | San Diego California | |
Quincy California | 14-Oct-1979 | Nevada Reno | Reno Nevada | |
Rancho Cucamonga California | 28-Jun-1987 | California Arcadia | Redlands California | |
Redding California | 13-Dec-1960 | California Roseville | Feather River California | |
Redlands California | 4-Jun-1978 | California San Bernardino | Redlands California | |
Reno Nevada | 9-Feb-1941 | Nevada Reno | Reno Nevada | |
Rialto California | 20-Mar-1966 | California San Bernardino | Redlands California | |
Ridgecrest California | 16-Aug-1970 | California Bakersfield | Los Angeles California | |
Riverside California | 26-Oct-1952 | California Riverside | Redlands California | |
Rocklin California | 19-Apr-1992 | California Roseville | Sacramento California | |
Roseville California | 17-May-1970 | California Roseville | Sacramento California | |
Sacramento California Cordova | 22-Jun-1980 | California Sacramento | Sacramento California | |
Sacramento California East | 6-Dec-1959 | California Sacramento | Sacramento California | |
Sacramento California North | 12-Dec-1954 | California Sacramento | Sacramento California | |
Sacramento California | 4-Nov-1934 | California Sacramento | Sacramento California | |
San Bernardino California | 6-Jul-1851 | California San Bernardino | Redlands California | |
San Clemente California | 13-Jun-2004 | California Newport Beach | Newport Beach California | |
San Diego California East | 30-Nov-1975 | California San Diego | San Diego California | |
San Diego California South | 19-Sep-1976 | California San Diego | San Diego California | |
San Diego California | 9-Feb-1941 | California San Diego | San Diego California | |
San Fernando California (Spanish) | 6-Dec-1992 | California Los Angeles | Los Angeles California | |
San Francisco California East (Tongan) | 10-May-1992 | California Oakland/San Francisco | Oakland California | |
San Francisco California | 10-Jul-2027 | California Oakland/San Francisco | Oakland California | |
San Jose California South | 11-Feb-1968 | California San Jose | Oakland California | |
San Jose California | 30-Nov-1952 | California San Jose | Oakland California | |
San Leandro California | 21-May-1961 | California Oakland/San Francisco | Oakland California | |
San Luis Obispo California | 22-Sep-1957 | California Ventura | Los Angeles California | |
San Marcos California | 11-Sep-2022 | California Newport Beach | San Diego California | |
San Mateo California | 24-Feb-1985 | California Oakland/San Francisco | Oakland California | |
San Rafael California | 23-Jun-1968 | California Santa Rosa | Oakland California | |
Santa Ana California South (Spanish) | 5-Jan-1992 | California Anaheim | Newport Beach California | |
Santa Barbara California | 18-Mar-1951 | California Ventura | Los Angeles California | |
Santa Clarita California | 19-May-1974 | California Bakersfield | Los Angeles California | |
Santa Cruz California | 24-Apr-1977 | California San Jose | Oakland California | |
Santa Margarita California | 17-Jan-1993 | California Newport Beach | Newport Beach California | |
Santa Maria California | 20-Oct-1963 | California Ventura | Los Angeles California | |
Santa Rosa California | 7-Jan-1951 | California Santa Rosa | Oakland California | |
Saratoga California | 10-Nov-1963 | California San Jose | Oakland California | |
Simi Valley California | 10-Dec-1967 | California Ventura | Los Angeles California | |
Stockton California | 25-Apr-1948 | California Modesto | Sacramento California | |
Sunset Beach California | 16-Jan-1977 | California Anaheim | Newport Beach California | |
Temecula California | 03-Dec-2023 | California Riverside | San Diego California | |
Temecula California North | 27-Apr-2003 | California Riverside | San Diego California | |
Thousand Oaks California | 11-Jan-1987 | California Ventura | Los Angeles California | |
Torrance California North | 29-May-1955 | California Los Angeles | Los Angeles California | |
Turlock California | 23-Mar-1986 | California Modesto | Oakland California | |
Ukiah California | 30-Oct-1977 | California Santa Rosa | Feather River California | |
Upland California | 13-Aug-1972 | California Arcadia | Redlands California | |
Vacaville California | 26-May-1991 | California Santa Rosa | Sacramento California | |
Valencia California | 2-Feb-1992 | California Bakersfield | Los Angeles California | |
Ventura California | 30-May-1971 | California Ventura | Los Angeles California | |
Victorville California | 30-Jan-1983 | California San Bernardino | Redlands California | |
Visalia California | 24-Aug-1969 | California Fresno | Fresno California | |
Vista California | 8-Oct-1978 | California Newport Beach | San Diego California | |
Walnut Creek California | 16-Feb-1986 | California Oakland/San Francisco | Oakland California | |
Whittier California | 26-Apr-1959 | California Arcadia | Los Angeles California | |
Woodland California | 22-Jun-1980 | California Santa Rosa | Sacramento California | |
Yorba Linda California | 24-Feb-1985 | California Anaheim | Newport Beach California | |
Yuba City California | 4-Nov-1979 | California Roseville | Feather River California | |
Yucaipa California | 25-Apr-2004 | California San Bernardino | Redlands California | |
Yucca Valley California | 9-Jan-1994 | California San Bernardino | Redlands California |
The California Mission was opened on July 31, 1846 with Samuel Brannan as president. It was discontinued in 1858 due to the Utah War, but later reopened in 1892 with Luther Dalton, who began missionary labors in San Francisco and Oakland. In 1894, Karl G. Maeser relocated to California to direct the Utah exhibit in the state's mid-winter fair and to serve as president of the California Mission.
Mission | Organized | |
---|---|---|
California Anaheim Mission | 10 July 1966 | |
California Arcadia Mission | 7 July 1969 | |
California Bakersfield Mission | 1 July 2013 | |
California Fresno Mission | 1 July 1975 | |
California Los Angeles Mission | 23 Aug 1892 | |
California Modesto Mission | 1 July 2015 | |
California Newport Beach Mission | 1 July 1993 | |
California Oakland/San Francisco Mission | 1 July 1969 | |
California Riverside Mission | 1 July 1990 | |
California Roseville Mission | 1 July 1993 | |
California Sacramento Mission | 2 Jan 1942 | |
California San Bernardino Mission | 1 July 1980 | |
California San Diego Mission | 1 August 1974 | |
California San Jose Mission | 1 July 1978 | |
California Santa Rosa Mission | 1 July 1985 | |
California Ventura Mission | 1 July 1978 |
In addition to these missions, much of the area East of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California is located in the Nevada Reno Mission.