Denominations in the LDS Restorationist movement

The Community of Christ

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Current status:

The Community of Christ was formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints -- the "RLDS Church". They were organized on 1860-APR-6 in Amboy, IL. Their head office moved several times and finally settled in Independence MO in 1920. They do not refer to themselves as "Mormons" -- a term long associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and some other LDS Restorationist denominations and sects -- because of the term's association with polygyny and because they believe the name was not part of the original church.

Their temple was dedicated in Independence MO in 1994. They also maintain the original temple in Kirtland OH as a historical site. They have about 250,000 members in congregations in almost 40 countries worldwide.

They changed their name to the "Community of Christ" in 2001-APR. Their official web site is at:  http://cofchrist.org/

Comparisons between the CofC and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church, Mormons) and the CofC are the two largest denominations in the "LDS Restorationist" movement. Originally, these denominations believe that the true Christian church died out at the start of the 2nd Century CE. By this time, all the apostles had died and the Christian movement allegedly abandoned many of the teachings of Jesus, Paul, etc. The true church was restored by Joseph Smith's ordination and his subsequent founding of the original LDS church. The CofC has since abandoned this belief.

The largest denomination is the LDS Church at about 10 million members; the second largest is the CofC at about 1/40th of that size.

The CofC does not accept many of the beliefs and practices of the LDS:

History of the CofC Church:

As described in the essay on the LDS Restorationism movement, Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was a resident of Palmyra in upstate New York. His family of origin were affiliated with the "Seekers" - a movement of Christians from the Quakers, Presbyterians, Seventh Day Adventists, and others who were not affiliated with a church, but which respected the teachings of all denominations. Joseph was deeply troubled by the multiplicity of Christian sects and felt called by Jesus and God to found founded the Latter-day Saints (LDS) church in Fayette, NY on 1830-APR-6. Due to persecution, he and his followers first moved to Kirtland, OH, then to Independence, MO, which Smith called Zion, the center of God's earthly kingdom. Next, the church moved to Nauvoo, IL where Joseph and his brother were killed by a vigilante mob in 1844.

The death of the original leader often triggers a crisis in the faith group. The LDS church was no exception. No consensus could be reached within the LDS church over a successor to Joseph Smith Jr. The prophet's widow felt that authority should transfer to their son, Joseph Smith III. But Brigham Young (1801-1877) felt that he should become the second president/prophet of the church. Young later led about 19,000 followers to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, where they established Salt Lake City and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A minority of members, totaling about 1,000 stayed behind. The son initially refused leadership of the church; he accepted it in 1859. The "Reorganized" church was established in 1852 in Beloit WI. It became the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" in 1860 with about 300 members. Both the Missouri and Utah groups used the same name, but with different capitalization. The CofC church added the word "Reorganized" to their name in 1869 in order to distance them from the Utah denomination, and to signify their effort to reorganize the Seeker movement. Successive presidents / prophets of the Reorganized Church initially followed a type of apostolic succession: all were been descendants of Joseph Smith Jr., until recent years.

During the 1870s the LDS church initiated suits against the RLDS church, asking the courts for title to some of its land, personal property, and a change of the RLDS name. The courts denied the LDS Church's claim of being the original church. In 1880, an Ohio court declared the CofC to be the legal owner of Joseph Smith's property, including the Kirkland Temple and the Temple Lot.

The church is administered by a three-person First Presidency and a Quorum of Twelve Apostles. Church beliefs, policies etc are approved by delegates to their world conference, which is held in Independence every two years. They have been actively spreading the gospel in non-Western countries since 1960. The church publishes a periodical called "Saints Herald". An academic journal, "Restoration Studies" is also occasionally produced.

CofC religious texts:

They originally recognize Joseph Smith Jr's "Inspired Version" of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures as revelations from God. Increasingly, more modern English translations, like the NRSV are being used in its place. They also recognize to additional texts as additional witnesses of Jesus, which are secondary to the Bible:

Unlike the LDS church, they do not recognize The Pearl of Great Price as part of God's revelation.

CofC beliefs and practices:

The CofC church has gradually become more liberal than the main LDS organization. The CofC does not have a formal creed that its members must accept. However, a consensus exists on the following beliefs:

Cutbacks at the CofC:

The denomination appears to have fallen on hard economic times. They announced on 2006-JUN-14 that they have adopted a plan for downsizing their organization during the following six months. Staff reductions will total about 80 persons "including early retirements, voluntary separations and involuntary separations." The new plan will maintain over 400 ministers, in churches around the world and in their international headquarters in Independence, MO.

Church president Steve Veazey said:

"We are sad that it has become necessary to reduce and re-deploy staff due to changing economic circumstances. The church is extending every type of employment transition and pastoral support within its ability to those whose lives are being disrupted by these changes. The Community of Christ continues to remain faithful to God in responding to leadership challenges as we passionately pursue our mission to proclaim Jesus Christ and to promote communities of peace throughout the world. We are grateful for all of our employees and the vast number of volunteer ministers who do so much to support the world-wide ministries of the church."

References:

1. The CofC church home page is at:   http://cofchrist.org/
2. Their postal address is: The Auditorium, Box 1059, Independence, MO 64051
3. "New Organizational Design," at: http://www.cofchrist.org/

Copyright 1997 to 2007 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.
Latest update: 2007-FEB-20
Author: B.A. Robinson