Just like with every other religion, there are different associations connected to the various branches of Mormonism. When it comes to this belief system, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest of all denominations attached to the Mormon religion. In this article, we will take a look at an array of other groups that you may not be familiar with.
After the murder of Joseph Smith, which took place in 1844, there was a period of time affecting the religion called the Succession Crisis. Two main branches formed between the higher ups that were associated with the religion. Who would lead the way became an important topic. The two main sects of the religion were dubbed the Rocky Mountain Saints and the Prairie Saints.
Now, when we come to the religion of today, you will find that there are more than 100 different organizations that lay claim to being part of the Latter Day Saint movement. These groups can be located throughout the Missouri and Utah area. No matter how large or small the group, they all feel that they are the only Christina church to claim legitimacy to the religion.
Out of all of these groups, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest of all Mormon denominations. This large group of followers is also known as the Church of Jesus Christ, as well as the shortened version of LDS. Out of the two branches, they follow the Rocky Mountain Saint branch of Mormonism. The second largest denomination of Mormons is called the Community of Christ. There are more than 200,000 members associated with this group, which is also referred to as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They originate from the Prairie Saint branch of Mormonism. You will also find that they do not call themselves Mormons. This is largely due to the negative views regarding polygamists within these sects, as well as their thoughts on what the original church was called. They feel that the word Mormon was not part of the original name.
There are plenty of smaller Mormon groups of worship to explore. None can compare to the supposed 11 million members associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Established during 1929, the Church of Christ spreading the “Elijah Message” has more than 12,500 members. With approximately 2,400 members, there is the Church of Christ (Temple Lot; the Church of Christ (Fetting/Bronson) has about 2,000 members. It is not known exactly how many worshippers follow the word of the Aaronic Order, but there are around 20 ministers and 6 centers spread in various locations.
The Apostolic United Brethren has more than 7,000 members. They do not approve of the Latter Day Saints’ allowances for the ordination of African Americans. They also do not believe that women should be allowed to hold positions of leadership. The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) has more than 2,500 in its flock. Additional groups include the United Order Effort, which practices polygamy. Gaining disapproval from the main Latter Day Saint church, its 10,000 members decided to continue their way of life.