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

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. It has since grown to 148,945 members in 315 congregations.

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. The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in Colorado behind the Roman Catholic Church. Note:While it's the 2nd largest denomination in Colorado, it's the 3rd largest denomination when "nondenominational" is considered as a denomination. Colorado has the 10th most members of the LDS Church in the United States.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States)

History

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."Your Colorado Church History Tour", Church of Jesus Christ in Colorado.

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."Facts and Statistics", Church News, 2020. Retrieved on 1 April 2020.

The Denver Colorado Temple in Centennial was completed in 1986.Reid, T.R. "Religious Intolerance Greets Mormon Temple's Invitation", The Washington Post, 22 September 1986. Retrieved on 22 March 2020.

The Fort Collins Colorado Temple was formally dedicated by Dieter F. Uchtdorf on October 16, 2016."Mormons dedicate their second temple in Colorado", The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah, 4 November 2016. Retrieved on 27 January 2020.

County Statistics

List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives: 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 PopulationAdams1811,4002.58Alamosa51,54710.02Arapahoe2714,5052.54Baca0Bent0Boulder178,6202.93Chaffee24352.44Cheyenne0Clear Creek12322.55Conejos82,34328.38Costilla11614.57Crowley0Custer11172.75Delta31,5354.96Denver1310,0921.68Dolores0Douglas2813,1114.59Eagle28181.57El Paso118,6022.99Elbert27383.20Fremont21,4343.06Garfield52,0853.70Gilpin0Grand12531.71Gunnison24,15727.13Hinsdale0Huerfano0Jackson0Jefferson2211,1752.09Kiowa0Kit Carson12262.73La Plata42,1264.14Lake0Larimer208,6222.88Las Animas0Lincoln11282.34Logan15542.44Mesa1810,0606.86Mineral0Moffat31,3399.71Montezuma52,2778.92Montrose62,8006.78Morgan11280.46Otero15823.09Ouray0Park0Phillips0Pitkin12681.56Prowers24393.50Pueblo84,2872.70Rio Blanco31,05515.83Rio Grande25794.83Routt13561.51Saguache11963.21San Juan1355.01San Miguel0Sedgwick0Summit15571.99Teller17133.05Washington0Weld114,8111.90Yuma11281.28

Stakes StakeOrganized Mission Temple DistrictAlamosa Colorado29 May 1983Colorado Colorado SpringsAlbuquerque New MexicoArapahoe Colorado27 Sep 1987Colorado Denver EastDenver ColoradoArvada Colorado21 Jun 1959Colorado Fort CollinsDenver ColoradoAurora Colorado6 Dec 1981Colorado Denver EastDenver ColoradoAurora Colorado South22 Sep 2013Colorado Denver EastDenver ColoradoBoulder Colorado28 Jan 1973Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins ColoradoBrighton Colorado10 Nov 2013Colorado Denver EastFort Collins ColoradoCastle Rock Colorado7 Mar 2004Colorado Denver EastDenver ColoradoColorado Springs Colorado11 Sep 1960Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver ColoradoColorado Springs East26 Aug 1990Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver ColoradoColorado Springs High Plains11 Dec 2016Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver ColoradoColorado Springs North18 May 1980Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver ColoradoColumbine Colorado7 Dec 1980Colorado Denver WestDenver ColoradoCraig Colorado15 Oct 2017Colorado Denver WestVernal UtahDenver Colorado30 Jun 1940Colorado Denver EastDenver ColoradoDenver Colorado North28 Jan 1973Colorado Denver EastFort Collins ColoradoDurango Colorado7 Nov 1971New Mexico FarmingtonFarmington New MexicoFort Collins Colorado1 Dec 1968Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins ColoradoFountain Colorado12 Dec 1999Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver ColoradoFront Range Colorado19 Apr 1964Colorado Denver WestDenver ColoradoFruita Colorado8 Jun 2025Colorado Denver WestGrand Junction ColoradoGarden City Kansas Stake18 May 2003Kansas WichitaDenver ColoradoGrand Junction Colorado16 Oct 1955Colorado Denver WestGrand Junction ColoradoGrand Junction Colorado West24 Apr 1983Colorado Denver WestGrand Junction ColoradoGreeley Colorado28 Apr 1985Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins ColoradoHighlands Ranch Colorado19 May 1985Colorado Denver WestDenver ColoradoLittleton Colorado2 Sep 1973Colorado Denver WestDenver ColoradoLongmont Colorado11 Nov 1990Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins ColoradoLoveland Colorado18 Jun 2000Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins ColoradoManassa Colorado10 Jun 1883Colorado Colorado SpringsAlbuquerque New MexicoMontrose Colorado5 Nov 1978Colorado Denver WestGrand Junction ColoradoParker Colorado South13 Mar 2011Colorado Denver EastDenver ColoradoParker Colorado15 Sep 1996Colorado Denver EastDenver ColoradoPueblo Colorado3 Mar 1974Colorado Colorado SpringsDenver ColoradoRifle Colorado15 Jan 1961Colorado Denver WestGrand Junction ColoradoWestminster Colorado27 Apr 1997Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins ColoradoWindsor Colorado23 Aug 2015Colorado Fort CollinsFort Collins Colorado

Missions The Colorado Mission was opened on December 15, 1896, with John W. Taylor as president.. Grampa Bill's General Authority Pages 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 Colorado Denver South Mission Colorado Denver North Mission Colorado Fort Collins Mission The southwestern portion of the state is located in the New Mexico Farmington Mission.

Temples

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.

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

La Jara Manassa Sanford

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

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