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

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. 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. The church is the 13th largest denomination in Pennsylvania. Note:While it's the thirteenth largest denomination in Pennsylvania, it's the fourteenth largest denomination when "nondenominational" is considered as a denomination.

History

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.

A total of 12 congregations were organized in Pennsylvania in the 1830s, before members gathered to Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois."Facts and Statistics", Church News, 2020. Retrieved on 3 April 2020.

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".

Stakes

As of September 2026, Pennsylvania had the following stakes: StakeOrganizedMissionTemple DistrictAltoona Pennsylvania23 Jul 1978Pennsylvania PittsburghPittsburgh PennsylvaniaGettysburg Pennsylvania28 March 2021Maryland BaltimoreWashington D.C.Hagerstown Maryland19 Apr 1970Maryland BaltimoreWashington D.C.Harrisburg Pennsylvania12 Aug 1979Pennsylvania PittsburghPhiladelphia PennsylvaniaHiram Ohio Stake18 Feb 2007Ohio ColumbusPittsburgh PennsylvaniaJamestown New York16 May 1995Pennsylvania PittsburghPittsburgh PennsylvaniaLancaster Pennsylvania24 Mar 2013Maryland BaltimorePhiladelphia PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia Pennsylvania16 Oct 1960Pennsylvania PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia PennsylvaniaPittsburgh Pennsylvania11 May 1969Pennsylvania PittsburghPittsburgh PennsylvaniaPittsburgh Pennsylvania North26 Nov 1978Pennsylvania PittsburghPittsburgh PennsylvaniaPittsburgh Pennsylvania West7 Sep 2014Pennsylvania PittsburghPittsburgh PennsylvaniaReading Pennsylvania31 Oct 1982Pennsylvania PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia PennsylvaniaScranton Pennsylvania2 Aug 1979Pennsylvania PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia PennsylvaniaValley Forge Pennsylvania14 Feb 1999Pennsylvania PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia PennsylvaniaWilliamsport Pennsylvania13 Apr 1997Pennsylvania PittsburghPhiladelphia Pennsylvania

Missions Pennsylvania Philadelphia Mission Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Mission

Temples

References

Further reading

External links

Newsroom (Pennsylvania) ComeUntoChrist.org Latter-day Saints Visitor site The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official site