What Are Latter-day Saints? A Complete Introduction

What Does 'Latter-day Saints' Mean?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian faith community founded on April 6, 1830, by Joseph Smith in Palmyra, New York. Today it has approximately 17 million members worldwide, with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, though its influence and presence extend across every continent and hundreds of countries. This global reach is remarkable for a church that began with just six members and faced decades of persecution and forced displacement.

The term "Latter-day Saints" refers to members who believe they live in the latter days -- the final dispensation of God's work before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The church's official name is deliberately Christ-centered and reflects its core conviction that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of all humanity. Members worship Jesus Christ, study His teachings in the New Testament, and see His influence throughout the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. The emphasis on Christ's centrality distinguishes the faith and shapes how members understand their spiritual journey.

The Mormon Name: Past and Present

Many people are familiar with the nickname "Mormon," which came from the Book of Mormon, a sacred text that members believe was translated by Joseph Smith from ancient golden plates. For decades, the church used "Mormon" in its public messaging and brand identity, even building a prominent public relations campaign around the name. However, in 2018, President Russell M. Nelson, the current president and prophet of the church, asked members to discontinue using the term "Mormon" and to emphasize instead the full name of the church. Members prefer to be called "Latter-day Saints" or simply "Saints" because the name honors Jesus Christ directly and accurately describes their theological identity. This shift reflected a desire to refocus the church's identity on its Savior rather than on any particular book of scripture or cultural nickname.

Are Latter-day Saints Christian?

Yes. The faith is centered on belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior, the Son of God, and the divine being through whom salvation is offered. Members study the Bible as scripture, accept Christ's atonement as fundamental to their faith, practice baptism in His name, and seek to follow His teachings and example. The Latter-day Saint conception of Christian faith is Christ-centered in every way. Where Latter-day Saint doctrine differs from mainstream Protestantism or Catholicism is not in whether Jesus is the Savior, but in how God's nature, His relationship to His children, and the scope of His plan of salvation are understood. These differences, which will be explored in detail elsewhere, are significant but do not diminish the core commitment to Christ that unites Latter-day Saints with other Christian traditions.

What Do Latter-day Saints Believe?

The basic tenets of Latter-day Saint belief include faith in Jesus Christ, repentance from sin, baptism by immersion, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endurance to the end. These principles are outlined in the fourth and fifth Articles of Faith, written by Joseph Smith. Members believe in a living prophet and apostles who receive revelation for the church today, much as Peter and the other apostles did in the New Testament. They believe the Bible is the word of God "as far as it is translated correctly," and that God has revealed additional scripture through Joseph Smith and subsequent prophets: the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. This belief in ongoing revelation is perhaps the most significant distinguishing feature of Latter-day Saint theology.

Latter-day Saints are organized into local congregations called wards, grouped into larger geographic areas called stakes. Members meet each Sunday for sacrament meeting (similar to a church service), Sunday School, and meetings of various age-specific and gender-specific groups such as Relief Society, Young Men, Young Women, and Primary. The organizational structure reflects a desire to create close-knit communities where spiritual development and mutual support occur at the local level. The church emphasizes strong family bonds, personal revelation, and service to others. Members follow a health code called the Word of Wisdom, pay tithing (one-tenth of their income), and strive to live by the thirteen Articles of Faith, which were written by Joseph Smith and encapsulate core LDS teachings. For members, these commitments are not burdensome obligations but expressions of their faith and covenants with God.

Growth and History

The church has grown dramatically since its founding with six members. It survived forced migration from the Midwest, established a headquarters in the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847 under Brigham Young's leadership, and adapted its practices and organization over the centuries. The westward migration was marked by hardship and persecution, yet the resilience of early members led to the establishment of thriving communities throughout the western United States and eventually around the world. Today the church is one of the largest and most recognizable faith communities in the world, known for its humanitarian work, historical sites, and significant contributions to education, genealogy, and family-focused community programs. The transformation from a persecuted minority to a globally recognized religious organization is a central part of Latter-day Saint identity.

For a curious outsider, the most important thing to understand is that Latter-day Saints see themselves as part of the Christian tradition, with the added conviction that God has not ceased speaking to His people and that the fullness of His gospel has been restored in these latter days through modern prophets and revelation. This restored gospel, from the Latter-day Saint perspective, includes not just spiritual truths but also the proper organization, ordinances, and authority necessary for complete salvation and exaltation. Understanding Latter-day Saints requires recognizing both their deep rootedness in Christian tradition and their conviction that something essential was lost and then restored.