The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington (state)

The U.S. state of Washington has the sixth most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States.[3] The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in Washington, behind the Roman Catholic Church.[4]


The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington
The Seattle Washington Temple
AreaNA West
Members283,609 (2021)[1]
Stakes61
Wards457
Branches64
Total Congregations521
Missions7
Temples3 Operating
1 Under Construction
1 Announced
5 Total
Family History Centers97[2]

History
Membership in Washington
YearMembership
19201,199
19303,443
19405,113
195011,551
196035,701
197067,203
1980*138,000
1990*189,000
1999226,411
2009257,710
2019289,479
*Membership was published as a rounded number.
Source: Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Washington[1]

The first known member of the Church moved to Washington in 1852,[5] with missionaries arriving in Washington Territory from California as early as 1854. Enough converts were baptized along the Lewis River in the southwest portion of the state that a congregation was created in that area. Tensions escalated to the death of one member in 1911, who was given a secret burial at night.

Members of the Church helped construct the Oregon Short Line Railroad in the 1880s. By 1930, nearly two thousand members lived within the state with chapels located in the Puget Sound Region and in Spokane. Washington saw many members move to the state after the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam and during World War II to work in defense industries.[5]

The first branch in Washington was created at Tacoma near the end of 1899, with its first stake being created at Seattle in 1938.[5] Washington's first temple was built in Bellevue in 1980. There are now also temples in Spokane and Richland, one to be dedicated in Moses Lake and another announced in Tacoma.[6]

County Statistics
Seattle North Stake meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Meetinghouse in Auburn

List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives:[7] 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 Population
Adams 9 2,245 11.99
Asotin 2 1,457 6.74
Benton 31 14,294 8.16
Chelan 7 2,777 3.83
Clallam 7 3,102 4.34
Clark 37 20,793 4.89
Columbia 1 286 7.01
Cowlitz 7 4,513 4.41
Douglas 3 797 2.07
Ferry 1 296 3.92
Franklin 19 7,338 9.39
Garfield 0
Grant 19 7,562 8.49
Grays Harbor 6 3,254 4.47
Island 4 2,335 2.97
Jefferson 2 876 2.93
King 110 56,985 2.95
Kitsap 19 11,093 4.42
Kittitas 5 1,702 4.16
Klickitat 2 945 4.65
Lewis 7 4,304 5.70
Lincoln 1 215 2.03
Mason 4 2,587 4.26
Okanogan 4 1,153 2.80
Pacific 2 806 3.85
Pend Oreille 1 112 0.86
Pierce 52 33,152 4.17
San Juan 1 323 2.05
Skagit 6 3,870 3.31
Skamania 1 409 3.70
Snohomish 41 22,684 3.18
Spokane 48 24,246 5.15
Stevens 4 1,829 4.20
Thurston 18 10,774 4.27
Wahkiakum 1 212 5.33
Walla Walla 6 2,468 4.20
Whatcom 10 5,438 2.70
Whitman 5 1,792 4.00
Yakima 17 8,243 3.39

Missions

On July 26, 1897, the Northwestern States Mission was organized to search out Latter Day Saints who had moved to Washington, Oregon, and Montana. On January 1, 1968, The Pacific Northwest Mission was created with Joe E. Whitesides as president. On June 10, 1970, its name changed to the Washington Mission and ultimately the Washington Seattle Mission on June 20, 1974. As of 2016, Washington is home to eight missions, three of which are east of the Cascade Mountains, and five are on the west side.

Mission Organized
Washington Everett Mission July 1, 2001[8]
Washington Kennewick Mission July 1, 2002[9]
Washington Seattle Mission January 1, 1968
Washington Spokane Mission July 1, 1978[10]
Washington Tacoma Mission July 1, 1990[11]
Washington Vancouver Mission July 1, 2013[12]
Washington Yakima Mission June 30, 2015[13]

Temples
Temples in Washington or with districts extending into Washington

Red = Operating
Blue = Under construction
Yellow = Announced
Black = Temporarily Closed

Washington currently has three temples in operation. A fourth temple, the Moses Lake Washington Temple, was announced by President Russell M. Nelson in his concluding talk of the Sunday afternoon session of the 189th annual General Conference on Sunday, April 7, 2019, to be built in Moses Lake, Washington [14] and is currently under construction. A fifth temple, the Tacoma Washington Temple, was announced by President Russell M. Nelson in his concluding talk of the Sunday afternoon session of the October 2022 General Conference on Sunday, October 2, 2022, to be built in Tacoma, Washington. [15] In addition, members in the Bellingham Washington Stake are served by the Vancouver British Columbia Temple[16] and members in and around Vancouver, Washington are served by the Portland Oregon Temple.[17]
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:		 Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
November 15, 1975 by Spencer W. Kimball
May 27, 1978 by Marion G. Romney
November 17, 1980 by Spencer W. Kimball
110,000 sq ft (10,000 m2) on a 23.5-acre (9.5 ha) site - designed by Emil B. Fetzer
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:		 Veradale, Washington, United States
August 13, 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley
October 10, 1998 by F. Melvin Hammond
August 21, 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley
10,700 sq ft (990 m2) on a 2-acre (0.81 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:		 Richland, Washington, United States
April 2, 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley
October 28, 2000 by Stephen A. West
November 18, 2001 by Gordon B. Hinckley
16,880 sq ft (1,568 m2) on a 2.88-acre (1.17 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by A & E Services, Joseph E. Marty Architect
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Open House:
Dedicated:
Size:		 Moses Lake, Washington, United States
7 April 2019 by Russell M. Nelson[18]
10 October 2020 by David L. Stapleton
4-17 August 2023
scheduled for 17 September 2023
20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) on a 17-acre (6.9 ha) site
Location:
Announced:		 Tacoma, Washington
October 2, 2022 by Russell M. Nelson[19][20]

See also

References
  1. "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by State:Washington", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved April 12, 2022
  2. Category:Washington Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved April 11, 2022
  3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States)
  4. "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved April 19, 2021. Note:While it's the 2nd largest denomination in Washington, it's the third largest denomination when "nondenominational" is considered as a denomination.
  5. LDS Church News - United States information: Washington
  6. Washington - LDS Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership
  7. "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  8. Washington Everett Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
  9. Washington Kennewick Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
  10. Washington Spokane Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
  11. Washington Tacoma Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
  12. Washington Vancouver Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
  13. Washington Yakima Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
  14. "April 2019 General Conference News and Announcements". Mormon Newsroom. April 7, 2019.
  16. Vancouver British Columbia LDS Temple District
  17. Portland Oregon LDS Temple District
  18. "Prophet Announces Eight New Temples at April 2019 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, April 7, 2019
  19. "President Nelson announces 18 new temples, including 4 near Mexico City, as conference closes", Deseret News, Deseret News, October 2, 2022
  20. "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 18 New Houses of the Lord", Newsroom, LDS Church, October 2, 2022

Further reading
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