Church name | Organized by | Date | Split from | Current status | Notes |
Pure Church of Christ | | 1831 | Church of Christ | Defunct | First schismatic denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. |
Independent Church | | 1832 | Church of Christ | Defunct | Little is known about this second schismatic denomination apart from the date of establishment, the surname of its founder, and that Hoton denounced Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. |
Church of Christ | | 1836 | Church of the Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Taught that Joseph Smith was not a prophet, and the Book of Mormon was not scripture. |
Church of Christ | | 1837 | Church of the Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Also referred to as the Church of Christ. Believed that Smith was a "fallen prophet". Rejected the Book of Mormon and parts of the Bible. |
Alston Church | | 1839 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Taught that the Latter Day Saints should remain in Missouri, and not emigrate to Illinois. |
Church of Christ | | | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Established with the special mission of ministering to African Americans. |
Church of Jesus Christ, the Bride, the Lamb's Wife | | 1840 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Taught that Smith was not a prophet, and the Book of Mormon was not scripture. |
Church of Christ | | 1842 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Little is known concerning this denomination, except that its founder was one of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon's golden plates |
True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | | 1844 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Opposed plural marriage; published the Nauvoo Expositor. Charges levied against Smith over the destruction of this periodical led to his assassination. |
Name | Organized by | Date | Split from | Current status | Notes |
Council of Friends | | 1920s | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Multiple denominations claim to be true successor | Also known as the Priesthood Council, this group was originally headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Short Creek Community. One of the earliest Mormon fundamentalist groups, originating at end of plural marriage in LDS Church. Later splintered into several groups, particularly upon death of Joseph W. Musser in 1954. Most modern Mormon fundamentalist groups may be traced back to this organization. |
Latter Day Church of Christ | | 1935 | Council of Friends | Roughly 2,000 members | Headquartered in Davis County, Utah. Commonly known as the "Kingston clan" and the "Davis County Cooperative Society". |
Apostolic United Brethren | | 1954 | Council of Friends | Approximately 10,000 members | Headquarters in Bluffdale, Utah. Organized during schism between two groups over issue of presiding authority between Rulon C. Allred and Leroy S. Johnson, upon death of Joseph W. Musser. |
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints | | 1954 | Council of Friends | 6,000 members
| Traditionally headquartered in Colorado City, Arizona, with a community of roughly 700 members near Eldorado, Texas. The FLDS was headed by Warren Jeffs, who was convicted of sexually assaulting multiple children. |
Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times | | 1955 | Apostolic United Brethren | Precise continuity unknown, several hundred or a thousand believers' following one or another putative successors to denomination leadership | Headquartered in Colonia Lebaron, Mexico Established in northern Mexico and elsewhere, this group claims an especial priesthood keys owing to a line of authority through Benjamin F. Johnson, a member of the Council of Fifty. |
Church of the Firstborn | | 1955 | Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times | A hundred or more | Originally headquartered in Salt lake City, Utah., Tom Green, and Robert Black. |
Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly | | 1974 | Apostolic United Brethren | Approximately 400 headquartered in Big Water, Utah | In conjunction with the Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly, Alex Joseph group created the Confederate Nations of Israel in 1977, a Hybrid church–political organization patterned after the Council of Fifty. Members can be from any religious denomination or atheist. Around one-quarter of members practice plural marriage. |
Church of the First Born Lamb of God | | 1972 | Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times | Current status unknown, may continue in LeBaron family in Los Molinos, Baja California | Ervil LeBaron split with his brother, Joel F. LeBaron in 1972. Ervil then ordered his brother Joel killed in 1972, and Apostolic United Brethren leader Rulon C. Allred killed in 1977. LeBaron was extradited to the United States and sentenced to life in prison where he died in 1981. |
Church of the New Covenant in Christ | | 1975 | Apostolic United Brethren | Headquartered in Salem, Oregon | Previously called the "Church of Christ Patriarchal" and the "Evangelical Church of Christ". One of Bryant's estranged wives says Bryant converted temple ordinances into sexual rites and that he authorized a type of "free love" among the members. |
Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | | 1978 | Apostolic United Brethren | Approximately 100-200 members. Headquartered in St. George, Utah. | This small group of about 100–200 people was founded by Gerald Peterson Sr. They claim Gerald Peterson Sr. was the rightful successor to Rulon C. Allred and Spencer W. Kimball. They claim Allred and others, including the God and Jesus, visited Peterson, who held and exercised all priesthood responsibilities and keys. |
Sons Ahman Israel | David Israel | 1981 | Church of the New Covenant in Christ | Based in Cane Beds, Arizona. The number of members is unknown. | One of the lesser known Fundamentalist Groups, organized by David Israel with members of the Apostolic United Brethren and members of John W. Bryant's Group. |
School of the Prophets | | 1982 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Headquartered in Salem, Utah | In 1968 Crossfield published the Book of Onias which condemned many LDS Church leaders. He was excommunicated in 1972. The continuing revelations were later published as the . In 1982 Crossfield established the School of the Prophets, presided over by a president and six counselors. |
Centennial Park | | 1984 | Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints | Roughly 1,500 members | Also known as the "Second Ward". Organized by group who broke from Leroy S. Johnson over questions regarding presiding authority. |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God | | 1990 | Centennial Park | 200–300 members. Headquartered in Bluffdale, Utah | Also known as the "Naylor group" and the "Third Ward". Organized by group who broke from Centennial Park over conflicts in the leadership of Alma Timpson. |
True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days | | 1994 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 300–500 members. Headquartered in Manti, Utah. | Also called "TLC Church" and formed independent of the Woolley or the LeBaron priesthood lineages. |
The Church of the Firstborn and the General Assembly of Heaven | | 2001 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Currently headquartered in Fromberg, Montana | Originally organized in Magna, Utah, by former members of the LDS Church. Practice polygamy and the law of consecration. Dalton purports to be the Holy Ghost and the Father of Jesus. |
Church of Jesus Christ Inc. | | 2002 | Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Headquartered in Bountiful, British Columbia with approximately 700 members | Also known as the Blackmore/Bountiful Community, this schism from the FLDS Church occurred when church president Warren Jeffs excommunicated Blackmore, causing the community of Bountiful to split nearly in half. |
Church of Jesus Christ in Zion | | 2004 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Approximately 1,000 members. Originating in Independence, Missouri | This little-known group is headed by Roger Billings, who like so many is a former member of the mainstream LDS church. |
Name | Organized by | Date | Split off / continuation of | Current status | Notes |
Church of the Potter Christ | | 1857 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Defunct | Potter wore a long beard and white robes; his followers wore black robes; followers emigrated from California to Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1861. |
Church of the Firstborn | | 1861 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Assumed defunct | Remnants of this organization survived into the mid-20th century. Involved in the Morrisite War; believe in reincarnation. Morris claimed to be the successor of James Strang, though his organization broke from the LDS, not the Strangite, church. |
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | | 1861 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Defunct | Organized in Pacific Islands; sold leadership offices to native peoples; gathering place established on Lanai, Hawaii. |
Kingdom of Heaven | | 1866 | Church of the Firstborn | Defunct | Lived a communal life near Walla Walla, Washington, from 1867 to 1881. |
Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Most High | | 1882 | Church of the Firstborn | Disbanded in 1969 | |
Order of Enoch | | 1884 | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Church of the Firstborn | Continues into the 21st century | Believe in reincarnation; rejected plural marriage; believe that Jesus reincarnated as Brighouse and again in 1909 as Dr. Dahesh and that the millennium will commence in the 24th century. |
Third Convention | | 1936 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Continued into the 21st century | Formed by Abel Páez and a dissident group of Mexican Latter-day Saints who broke away from the main body of church authority in 1936 over a dispute about local governance and autonomy of the church in Mexico. |
House of Aaron | | 1943 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Less than 1,000 members | Also called "Aaronic Order" and the "Order of Aaron". Religious researchers have categorized The House of Aaron as part of the Latter Day Saint movement, which this denomination disputes. |
Zion's Order, Inc. | | 1951 | Aaronic Order and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Headquartered in Mansfield, Missouri; approximately 100 members | Formerly known as Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi; use all of the scriptures of the LDS Church except section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants, plus 650 revelations to Kilgore. |
Perfected Church of Jesus Christ of Immaculate Latter-day Saints | | 1955 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Unknown | Also called "Restored Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ of Immaculate Latter-day Saints"; Conway claimed to be the reincarnation of Moroni and to have been visited by a reincarnation of Joseph Smith. |
Church of Jesus Christ | | 1983 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah | Bulla taught other Latter-day Saints that he was the "One Mighty and Strong" that Joseph Smith prophesied would come to set the church in order. Bulla was interviewed in the anti-Mormon movie The God Makers II with the title "Mormon Prophet" under his name. |
The Restored Branch of Jesus Christ | | 2007 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Headquartered in Derbyshire, England | Met informally as "The Latter Day Church of Christ" until formal organization. Added the Book of Jeraneck to scriptural canon. |
Name | Organized by | Date | Split off / continuation of | Current status | Notes |
Community of Christ | | 1860 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; some early members came from Strangite church | More than 250,000 members as of 2006 | Second-largest Latter Day Saint denomination. Headquartered in Independence, Missouri. Previously known as the "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" ; organized by Joseph Smith III in 1860. |
Church of the Christian Brotherhood | | 1918 | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Split with RLDS Church due to their denial that Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage; Evans published a book documenting evidence that Smith was a polygamist, then went on to reject most of the tenets of Mormonism. |
Church of Jesus Christ Restored | | 1960s | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Headquartered in Ontario, Canada | Fundamentalist church that split from the RLDS Church and instituted polygamy and the United Order; has about 40 members |
Church of Jesus Christ | | 1980 | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Headquartered in Independence, Missouri | Left RLDS Church in 1980; claimed to be "Elijah and only prophet" of his organization. |
Independent RLDS / Restoration Branches | | 1980s | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | As of 1993, 15,000–30,000 sympathizers who yet retained membership in the RLDS Church ; as of 2011, c. 10,000 members attending several hundred distinct congregations. | Affiliated branches and study groups, with each branch relatively autonomous and the movement as a whole centered in Independence, Missouri. RLDS Church branches that became independent of the RLDS Church individually throughout the 1980s, due to opposition to changes in church doctrines and practices. Most priesthood holders of these branches soon became affiliated with the "Conference of Restoration Elders". At a three-day conference in November 2005, the "Joint Conference of Restoration Branches" was formed, which had 6,000 to 7,000 members as of 2010. Members consider themselves members of the RLDS Church, in a direct line of succession from those who dissented following doctrinal changes roughly coinciding with the church's name change to Community of Christ. |
Church of Jesus Christ Restored 1830 | | Mid-1980s | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Members in Missouri and Africa; headquartered in Tarkio, Missouri | Regards Wallace B. Smith as a "fallen prophet" of the RLDS Church for his opening the priesthood to women and for choosing to build the Independence Temple as opposed to the city of Zion. |
Church of Christ | | 1985 | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Headquartered in Oak Grove, Missouri | Also known as "Lion of God Ministry". Clark broke from the RLDS Church in November 1985. In May 1987, Clark began to issue a newsletter, "The Return". Group adheres closely to the King James Version of the Bible and "The Record of the Nephites" , but does not consider other Mormon scripture to be authoritative. They keep annual feasts, including Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, etc. |
Church of Jesus Christ | | 1986 | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | 200 or so members; headquartered in Independence, Missouri | Largely composed of former members of the RLDS Church who oppose what they consider to be recent doctrinal innovations, especially the giving of the priesthood to women in 1984. |
Lundgren Group | Jeffrey Lundgren | 1988 | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct; approximately 20 followers; headquartered in Kirtland, Ohio | The denomination broke off from the RLDS Church when Lundgren was dismissed from the church on October 10, 1988. Lundgren was executed by the state of Ohio on October 24, 2006, for the murder of Dennis Avery and four of his family members. |
Restoration Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | | 1991 | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Headquartered in Independence, Missouri | The church broke off from the Community of Christ because of its belief that women should not hold the priesthood. |
Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | | 2000 | Independent RLDS / Restoration Branches | 1,000–2,000 members; headquartered in Independence, Missouri | Chiefly composed of former members of the RLDS Church who were part of the Independent RLDS / Restoration Branches. They oppose what they consider to be recent doctrinal innovations, especially the passing of the church presidency to someone not descended from Joseph Smith. |
Name | Organized by | Date | Split off / continuation of | Current status | Notes |
Church of Christ | | 1863 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; some members from Gladdenites | 5,000 members; headquartered on the Temple Lot in Independence, Missouri | Owns the Temple Lot; adherents commonly referred to as "Hedrickites." |
Church of Christ | | 1929 | Church of Christ | Denomination divided into various factions | A denomination which split with the Temple Lot church over reported revelations from John the Baptist to its founder, Otto Fetting; adopted seventh day sabbatarianism under Apostle S.T. Bronson in 1950s. |
Church of Christ at Halley's Bluff | | 1932 | Church of Christ | Headquartered at Schell City, Missouri; less than 100 members | Members originally believed Otto Fetting's revelations but did not join the Church of Christ. Formally named "Church of Christ at Zion's Retreat" until a 1972 schism in which Dan Gayman led most of its followers away to his Church of Israel. |
Church of Christ | | | Church of Christ | Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri;approx. 450 members | Split from Fettingite organization in late 1930s when that denomination initially accepted William Draves' "messages"; claims to be the true continuation of Fetting's church. Non-sabbatarian. |
Church of Christ with the Elijah Message | | 1943 | Church of Christ | c. 12,500 members worldwide as of 1987. Headquartered in Independence, Missouri | Split with the Church of Christ when that denomination rejected revelations from John the Baptist given to its founder, William Draves, following the death of Otto Fetting. |
Church of Christ | Pauline Hancock | 1946 | Church of Christ | Defunct as of 1984 | First Latter Day Saint denomination to be established by a woman; accepted KJV Bible and Book of Mormon only; later rejected Book of Mormon and dissolved itself in 1984. Among its former members were Jerald and Sandra Tanner, opponents of the Latter Day Saint movement and founders of the Utah Lighthouse Ministry. |
Church of Christ | | 1965 | Church of Christ with the Elijah Message | Around 35 members | Leighton-Floyd and Burt split with the Church of Christ with the Elijah Message during the reincorporation of that church under its present name. Leighton-Floyd left shortly after the formation, with Burt assumed leadership of the group. The membership is centered on an agricultural cooperative near Holden, Missouri. |
Church of Israel | | 1972 | Church of Christ at Halley's Bluff | Headquartered in Missouri | Name was "Church of Our Christian Heritage" until incorporation in 1981. The church has been accused of being a Christian Identity church, a charge which is denied by Gayman. Few Latter Day Saint beliefs or practices remain in the church. |
The Church of Christ With the Elijah Message, The Assured Way of the Lord, Inc. | | 2004 | Church of Christ with the Elijah Message | Headquartered in Independence, Missouri | Split from the Church of Christ with the Elijah Message, Inc., which in turn split from the Church of Christ With the Elijah Message; founders claim that they are the legitimate continuation of William Draves' organization. |
Name | Organized by | Date | Split off / continuation of | Current status | Notes |
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | | 1844 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | A few hundred members; headquartered in Voree, Wisconsin | Currently split between proponents and opponents of incorporation in 1961. Anti-incorporation factions headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana and Independence, Missouri |
Church of Christ | | 1846 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Short-lived denomination formed in Voree, Wisconsin. |
Church of the Messiah | | 1861 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Led followers from Maine to Palestine; attempt to establish mission there failed. |
Holy Church of Jesus Christ | | 1964 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Caffiaux claimed to be the rightful successor to James J. Strang. Church headquartered in France. |
Church of Jesus Christ | | 1965 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Extant; one congregation led by Richard Drew, Theron's son | Drew organized the church after being excommunicated from the Strangite church, on account of Drew's promotion of Merl Kilgore as the "One Mighty and Strong" and a potential successor to James Strang. |
True Church of Jesus Christ Restored | | 1974 | Church of Christ with the Elijah Message and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Headquartered in Independence, Missouri | Difficult to categorize; Roberts claimed to be Strang's successor. |
Name | Organized by | Date | Split off / continuation of | Current status | Notes |
Church of Christ | | | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Extant until around 1858 | Wight rejected the claims of leadership made by Brigham Young, William Smith, and James Strang. He moved a group of Latter Day Saints to the central Texas frontier. He accepted Joseph Smith III as his father's successor, but did not live long enough to join the RLDS Church. |
Church of Christ | | | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Extant until around 1925 | William E. McLellin claimed that Joseph Smith had designated David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses, as his successor. By 1925, most remaining members of the Whitmerite church had united with the Church of Christ. |
Church of Christ | | 1848 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Published a periodical entitled The Olive Branch. |
The Bride, the Lamb's Wife | | 1848 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Syfritt claimed to have been taken to heaven to converse with Joseph Smith, who designated him as his true successor. |
Congregation of Jehovah's Presbytery of Zion | | 1848 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Defunct | Also called Baneemyites and Conjespresites. Thompson claimed to be "Baneemy" mentioned in. Said the church had been rejected by God following Joseph Smith's death, and he had been called to renew the priesthood among the gentiles. |
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | | 1851 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Dissolved after Bishop's death in 1865 | Many members later helped to form the Church of Christ. |
Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | | 1994 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Extant as of 1998; status currently unknown | The denomination holds to the canonicity of the Bible and the Book of Mormon, but does not accept other texts in the Latter Day Saint movement such as the Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants. |
Name | Organized by | Date | Split off / continuation of | Current status | Notes |
Independent Latter Day Saint congregations in Nigeria | | | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Extant until around 1978 | After LDS Church missionaries visited the town of Uyo in 1953, Obot decided to form unauthorized branches of the church in Nigeria and wrote for more information to church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. However, due to Nigerian government visas restrictions and the absence of church leadership, these branches deviated from LDS Church doctrine. This included some practicing of polygamy and establishing their own black priesthood hierarchy, both of which were prohibited at the time by church doctrine. |
Independent Latter Day Saint congregations in Ghana | | 1964 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | Extant until around 1978 | Upon receiving a copy of the Book of Mormon, Johnson started "Latter day Saint" congregations in Ghana independent from any Latter Day Saint denomination. In 1976, Johnson went to find "The Mormons" and found the RLDS Church instead. However, no further contact was established with the RLDS Church. Upon the announcement of the 1978 Revelation on Priesthood, allowing those of black African descent into the priesthood, Johnson and most of his group were baptized into the LDS Church. |
Apostolic Divine Church of Ghana | | 1976 | Independent Latter-Day Saint congregations in Ghana | Extant for only a few months | The Cape Coast group of the independent Latter Day Saint congregations in Ghana schismed when ongoing contact was not established with the LDS Church or RLDS Church in 1976. Some of the individuals in this group formed the Apostolic Divine Church of Ghana, however, this denomination lasted only a few months. |
Fellowships of the remnants | Spontaneously formed around the teachings of Denver C. Snuffer Jr. | 2013 | Affiliated fellowship groups in schism with the mainstream LDS Church | | As of 2017, has about 5,000 adherents within about fifty fellowships worldwide |