Community of Christ Temple in Independence, Missouri, USA. Dedicated 1994 The history of the two largest Latter Day Saint denominations began to diverge with assassination of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith Jr. on June 27, 1844 in Carthage, Illinois. Historians sometimes refer to the Midwestern branch of the movement as the Prairie Saints and the Western (or Utah) branch as the Rocky Mountain Saints.
The Community of Christ today has approximately 250,000 members in 50 countries. The church owns two temples, the original Latter Day Saint temple in Kirtland, Ohio (operated as a historic site), and the relatively new temple which serves as the church's headquarters in Independence. The church operates Graceland University with campuses in Lamoni, Iowa and Independence. The church also owns and operates Latter Day Saint historic sites in Lamoni and Nauvoo, Illinois.
The Community of Christ is led by a First Presidency, consisting of a Prophet/President and two counselors. The church's ministry is overseen by a Council of Twelve Apostles and the temporal needs of the church are overseen by the Presiding Bishopric. Meeting together, these quorums are known as the Joint Council. Every two years, delegates from around the world meet together to vote on church business in World Conference.
Within the past several decades, the church has seemed by many to be moving in the direction of greater tolerance, emphasizing its role as a Peace Church. Many changes have occured including the abandonment of Lineal Succession in the offices of the Prophet/President and the Presiding Patriarch, the ordination of women to the priesthood, and the changing of the church's name. Some of these changes have resulted in new schisms, and conservatives in the movement have founded splinter denominations and branches they believe are more in keeping with the movement's traditional beliefs. (See Restoration RLDS branches and the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.)
History of the church
Early History
The early history of the Community of Christ is shared with other denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement, which originated in upstate New York under the leadership of Joseph Smith, Jr. With the assistance of Oliver Cowdery and Sidney Rigdon, Smith dictated and published works of scripture felt to have been inspired, and formed a new Church of Christ. This church grew rapidly. Their strong beliefs, including a revealing God and their close community often seemed peculiar or even threatening to outsiders. Regularly meeting opposition from their neighbors, the early Latter Day Saints established and were driven from several gathering places including Kirtland, Ohio, Independence, Missouri, Far West, Missouri and finally Nauvoo, Illinois. See History of the Latter Day Saint movement.
Period of "Disorganization"
After Smith's assassination in a prison at Carthage, Illinois, the movement fell into confusion and disorganization over the question of succession. Several leaders emerged with claims to the church's presidency and this led to the formation of several Latter Day Saint factions. The largest group of Mormons followed Brigham Young, who led them to the Great Basin area (in what is now Utah) as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (See History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) Other factional leaders included: Sidney Rigdon, James J. Strang, Lyman Wight, Alpheus Cutler, William Smith, and David Whitmer.
The "Reorganization" of the Church
Many Latter Day Saints believed that Smith had designated his eldest son, Joseph Smith III, as successor and some of these waited for young Joseph to take up his father's mantle. Young Joseph was only 11 years old at the time of his father's death—his mother Emma Hale Smith and their family remained in Nauvoo, rather than moving to join any of the factional leaders.
In the 1850s, groups of Midwestern Latter Day Saints who were unaffiliated with any of the factions (or who had left such affiliations) began to come together. Leaders including Jason W. Briggs and Zenos H. Gurley, Sr. began to call for the creation of a New Organization of the Latter Day Saint movement. They invited young Joseph III to lead their New Organization and he accepted only after he believed he received a personal spiritual confirmation that this was the appropriate course of action. At a conference on April 6, 1860 at Amboy, Illinois, Joseph III formally accepted the leadership of what became known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. William Marks, former Stake President of Nauvoo served as Joseph III's counselor in the reorganized First Presidency.
The Presidency of Joseph Smith III
Initially, Joseph III continued to live in Nauvoo, but over time he determined its relative isolation hampered his administrative duties. He moved to Plano, Illinois where the church's print house was established and this served as the headquarters of the church. Joseph III and his brothers, Frederick G. W., Alexander Hale, and David Hyrum served many missions for the church, gathering old Latter Day Saints into the Reorganization.
As the church grew, many members were eager to "gather" together and live some of the teachings of the early church. Although Joseph III avoided calling for a new gathering place, he supported the efforts of members who founded a colony called Lamoni in western Iowa. Smith III eventually relocated to Lamoni, which became the headquarters of the church.
During the late 19th century, Smith III and the church were involved in the Kirtland Temple Suit, which attempted to gain clear title for the church over Mormonism's original temple. In 1880, an Ohio court ruled that the Reorganized church was the legal successor to the original Mormon church, but title of the temple was gained by means of adverse possession. Smith III and the church also were involved in the Temple Lot Suit, which eventually resulted in clearing the title to the original Independence temple lot for the smaller Latter Day Saint denomination, the Church of Christ (Temple Lot).
Late in life, Smith III moved to Independence, Missouri, which his father had designated as the centerplace for the City of Zion. He died on December 10, 1914, having led the Reorganized church for 54 years.
The Presidencies of Frederick M. Smith and Israel A. Smith
Auditorium in Independence, Missouri, USA After Frederick Smith's death in 1946 he was succeeded by his brother Israel A. Smith, who presided over an optimistic era of post-War growth.
The Presidencies of W. Wallace Smith and Wallace B. Smith
After Israel A. Smith's unexpected death in 1958, he was succeeded by his brother W. Wallace Smith, the third son of Joseph III to become church president. Soon after coming into office, W. Wallace appointed Graceland University professor Roy Cheville to be Presiding Patriarch of the church. This move was controversial because the office had previously been held within the Smith family according to the doctrine of Lineal Succession.
In 1976, W. Wallace Smith designated his son Wallace B. Smith as his successor. Wallace B. assumed the presidency in 1978 after a two-year "internship." W. Wallace then retired and became the church's first "president emeritus" until his death in 1989. In 1984, the church extended priesthood ordination to women for the first time. Wallace B. also announced that the church would build a temple, dedicated to peace, in Independence. When the temple was completed and dedicated on April 17, 1994, the headquarters of the church was transferred there from the Auditorium.
The Presidency of W. Grant McMurray
While the pattern had previously been for the presidency to be carried along the Smith patriarchal line, Wallace B. Smith designated W. Grant McMurray as his successor. (See Lineal Succession.) McMurray had served in the Church's historical department since he was 26 years old, until his call as Church secretary in 1982. McMurray became the church's prophet/president in 1996 and Wallace B. became "president emeritus."
At a World Conference in 2000, the church voted to change its name from the "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" to its present name, the "Community of Christ", which more clearly defines the purpose of the church. This change occurred on April 6, 2001.
On November 29, 2004, W. Grant McMurray resigned as Prophet/President without designating a successor. The two remaing members of the First Presidency, President Kenneth N. Robinson and President Peter A. Judd, continued to function in their council's leadership role. Presidents Robinson and Judd announced that the Council of Twelve Apostles, in conjunction with the church's other leadership quorums, would prayerfully consider who should succeed McMurray. Their statement on the matter is expected no later than March 2005. A special World Conference to be convened in June 2005 will then take up the matter.
Major doctrines
Church seal on a set of doors to the Independence Temple In contrast to the Mormons in the LDS tradition whose cosmology includes a Godhead of three "distinct personages" progressing according to a "Plan of Salvation," Latter Day Saints of the Reorganization accept the doctrine of the Trinity.
Temple practices between the two largest Latter Day Saint denominations also differ. Unlike LDS temples whose interiors are restricted to members "in good standing," the temples of the Community of Christ are open to all visitors. In keeping with the Community of Christ's role as a "peace church," the Independence temple was explicitly dedicated to the concept of "peace." Instead of performing the ordinances of baptism for the dead and the Endowment (which are not part of Community of Christ practice), a daily tradition in the Independence temple is a prayer for peace.
Sacraments
The Community of Christ practices eight sacraments:
- Baptism Persons eight years old or older are baptised by immersion for the "remission of sin." Baptisms are performed by a member with priesthood authority.
- Confirmation After baptism a person is "confirmed" a member of the church by the "laying on of hands" of those with priesthood authority. Confirmation is also believed to confer the "gift of the Holy Spirit."
- Blessing of Children Infants and young children are blessed, affirming the commitment of their parents to raise them in the church.
- Communion Bread and grape juice are used to commemorate the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ.
- Marriage The practice of marriage in the Community of Christ is similar to that of most Protestant churches and is not related to the concept of marriage "for time and all eternity" that exists in some of the other Latter Day Saint denominations.
- Administration to the Sick Administration by those with priesthood authority is offered as a special prayer.
- Ordination Ordination is the conferral of priesthood authority to members of the Aaronic and Melchisedec Priesthoods.
- Patriarchal Blessing (now "Evangelist Blessing") Church Evangelists give special blessings of instruction to individuals or congregations.
Scripture
The Community of Christ considers the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants to be scripture.
- The Bible In his lifetime, Joseph Smith, Jr. began a project to "re-translate" the or revise the King James Version of the Bible. Upon his death, the working manuscript was retained in Smith's family and came into the possession of the Community of Christ. The work was edited and is published by the church as the "Inspired Version" of the Bible. (see Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.) Members of the Community of Christ also accept and make use other more recent translations of the Bible.
- The Book of Mormon (For a discussion of the book's contents, see Book of Mormon, and for a discussion of its origins, see Golden Plates.) The Community of Christ publishes two versions of the Book of Mormon. The Authorized Edition is based on the original printer's manuscript and the 1837 Second Edition (or Kirtland Edition) of the Book of Mormon. Its content is similar to the Book of Mormon published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the versification is different. The Community of Christ also publishes a Revised Authorized Edition which attempts to modernize some of the book's language.
- The Book of Doctrine and Covenants This continually growing and evolving work of scripture contains the teachings of the prophet-presidents of the Community of Christ. This edition varies significantly from the current LDS edition and both are much expanded from the original 1835 edition, (see Doctrine and Covenants). In contrast to the general post-1844 practice of the LDS church, the Community of Christ continues to add revelations given by its prophet-presidents. Former President W. Grant McMurray presented the most recent revelation to the church, which was accepted as Section 162, in April 2004.
References
- Richard P. Howard, The Church Through the Years, Herald House: 1992.
- Roger D. Launius, Joseph III: Pragmatic Prophet, University of Illinois Press: 1995.
- Inez Smith Davis, The Story of the Church: A History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and of Its Legal Successor, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 12th edition, Herald House: 1981.
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