Founded By: Joseph Smith, Jr. on April 6, 1830 (Reorganized in 1860)

Current Leader: W. Grant McMurray (1996- )

Headquarters: Independence, Missouri

Membership: estimated to be 250,000, with members in over 50 countries

Motto: "We proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace."

Address: Community of Christ World Headquarters, 1001 W. Walnut, Independence, MO 64050-3562; (816) 833-1000

Website: www.cofchrist.org

HISTORY:

The RLDS Church shares its early history with the much larger LDS or Mormon Church. Both groups trace their establishment to Joseph Smith, Jr. Smith later wrote that during his teenage years, he became confused about religion, not knowing which church to join. He claimed that he had a significant spiritual experience after going out to the woods to pray, near his home in upstate New York. There are different accounts of exactly what happened that day, but it no doubt affected Joseph immensely. In the official account, he was given a vision in which he said God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and told him that he should join no church, because they were all wrong. This idea that all churches were in error, or in apostasy, would play a significant role in the theology of the latter day saint movement.

On April 6, 1830 Smith and five other men organized the Church of Christ in Fayette, NY. Joseph claimed that all existing churches were in apostasy, as per his vision. However, the Church of Christ, he claimed, was the restoration of the original church established by Jesus Christ in the first century, AD. In 1838 the group was renamed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In 1844, the church lost its leader when Smith was killed by a mob in an Illinois jail.

After the death of its leader and prophet, the church was divided by several who claimed the right to leadership. Among those who vied for power were Brigham Young, Sidney Rigdon, and William Smith. In 1847, the vast majority of the members left with Young, heading for the Great Basin region. This group later became the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which still has its headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT. Many church members would not follow Brigham Young because of his practice of polygamy. Rigdon, who had been an assistant to Smith, led a handful of members with him. William Smith, Joseph's brother, also had a following for a time.

In the early 1850's, many of the church members that did not follow any of these self-proclaimed prophets, began meeting together and praying about the direction in which they should move. Men such as Zenos H. Gurley and Jason W. Briggs voiced the opinion of many members who believed Smith's son, Joseph Smith III, should succeed his father as prophet and president of the church. They encountered a slight problem, however, as young Joseph III did not want to be their prophet. Eventually, though, Joseph III gave in and was ordained as "prophet, seer, and revelator" of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, when it was formed April 6, 1860. Before long, the headquarters of the RLDS church was moved to Independence, MO, which had a very unique significance for the latter day saints. According to Joseph Smith, Jr., the saints were to build a temple in Independence from which Jesus Christ would rule at His second coming.

In keeping with the idea that the prophetic mantle was to be kept within the Smith family, Joseph Smith III appointed his son, Frederick M. Smith to be his successor upon his death. Frederick was succeeded by his brother, Israel A. Smith in 1946. Israel led the church until 1958, when his brother W. Wallace Smith became president.

During the progressive tenure of W. Wallace Smith, factions arose dividing modernists and traditionalists. Upon taking office, he issued a call for Roy Cheville to become the church's Presiding Patriarch. This displeased the fundamentalists, since tradition had dictated that the position should be given only to descendents of the Smith family. For this and other reasons, revelations given to the church during the administration of W. Wallace Smith and his successors are not considered valid by traditionalists.

In an unprecedented move, W. Wallace Smith retired and ordained his son, Wallace B. Smith to the office of president and prophet in 1978. Wallace B. Smith is responsible for many changes within the church, the two most significant being leading the church to ordain women and appointing someone outside the Smith family to be his successor. Both of these events led traditionalists, who generally refer to themselves as "Restorationists," to leave the church.

In 1994, Wallace B. announced that after a two-year period of preparation, W. Grant McMurray who be the next president of the church. In 1996, McMurray, a native Canadian, became the church’s 7^th president and the first outside the Smith family. McMurray has also led the church to make some significant changes, including a decision to change the church’s name to Community of Christ, which it has been known by since April 6, 2001.

AUTHORITY:

The RLDS Church does not hold to the concepts of infallibility and inerrancy regarding their scriptures as do many Protestant churches.

The Church recognizes three written works as scripture, which are referred to as the "standard books." These are the Bible (most commonly the Inspired Version), the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants. The Church does not accept the Pearl of Great Price, as the Mormon Church does; yet, many elements of that book have found their way into the canon of the RLDS Church.

No treatment of RLDS scripture would be complete without outlining the Church’s view of the canon and canonization process. Unlike the members of Protestant and Catholic churches, RLDS members hold that the canon of scripture is yet open and can be added to occasionally, as new revelation is received. This view is similar to that of the Mormon Church, which has added to its canon as recently as 1978. Besides adding new revelations, the RLDS canon has also undergone subtraction, as some "revelations" have come to be considered uncanonical (see Doctrine and Covenants below).

Bible:

The RLDS church officially uses the Inspired Version (IV), which is essentially the King James Version with Joseph Smith, Jr.’s "corrections". Through the first half of the twentieth century, the IV was virtually the only version accepted by RLDS members. It should be noted, however, that many RLDS do use other translations today – such as the New American Standard, Revised Standard, and the New International Versions.

Book of Mormon (BOM):

The content of the RLDS Book of Mormon is basically the same as what is found within the covers of the LDS version. There are, however, two major differences between them.

First, the segmentation of the two books is different; the chapter and verse separations are not the same for both volumes.

Second, the way the two groups view and use the book is different. Members of the LDS church view the BOM as inspired scripture; accurate in literary, archaeological, scientific, and historical aspects. The RLDS church once took this stand, but many members now feel that the BOM is best viewed as an inspired story, and not to be relied upon for secular accuracy.

The Book of Mormon allegedly tells the story of the former inhabitants of the North American continent, starting from about 600 B.C. and continuing until about 421 A.D. There are several groups of people discussed within the BOM, but the two prominent groups are the Nephites and Lamanites. The Lamanites were believed to be the ancestors of the Native Americans who met European explorers when they arrived.

It should be noted that the BOM mentions many things about the peoples and land of pre-Columbian North America that could not have possibly been true. For instance, advanced metallurgy, horses, and compasses are mentioned; all of which did not exist on North America until centuries after the setting for the BOM.

Doctrine and Covenants (D&C):

The D&C was originally published in 1833 as the Book of Commandments. It contains "revelations" by Joseph Smith, Jr. and later RLDS leaders. In 1970, several sections of the D&C were moved to an historical appendix. In 1990, the appendix was removed, thus shedding doubt by many inside the church concerning the inspiration of the book. Many Restorationists who have left the institutional church only accept sections 1 through 144 as inspired without question. Notably missing from the RLDS D&C are Joseph Smith, Jr’s revelations on polygamy and exaltation to godhood. Section 156 was added in 1984, which announced the building of the temple in Independence and opening the priesthood up to women. Many members left when section 156 was canonized, as they saw it as a concrete step in the apostasy of church leaders. Currently, the RLDS D&C contains 161 sections.

Continuing revelation:

The official position of the RLDS Church is that it is being led by a prophet of God, and historically, RLDS prophets have not had trouble being referred to by that title. However, when current leader W. Grant McMurray took office, he made a statement that he would rather the RLDS Church consider itself a "prophetic people", rather than expecting to be led by a man.

The Restorationists consider McMurray illegitimate, since he is not in the Smith family. In fact, many are awaiting a time when they feel God will place his predecessor, Wallace B. Smith, back in power.

BELIEFS:

Pinning down the beliefs of the RLDS Church is not an easy task. Over the years, many of its distinctive doctrines have changed or disappeared. Such ideas as the apostasy of the ancient church, the claim that the RLDS is God’s sole channel of salvation and the importance of the Book of Mormon have all but vanished within the institutional Church. However, the Restorationists basically hold to the same doctrines that the Church held from the early days of the Reorganization Movement.

God the Father:

Unlike the Mormon Church, the RLDS Church teaches an orthodox view of God. God is seen as a Trinity, not three distinct beings. The RLDS church denies the concept within Mormonism that God was once a mortal man and that men can become gods. The Father is seen as the first person in the Godhead, being co-equal with the Son and Holy Spirit. Some Restorationists do believe that the Father has a body as reflected by Joseph Smith, Jr. claiming to have seen Him in his First Vision.

Jesus Christ:

The RLDS view of Jesus would also be considered orthodox by Protestant and Catholic churches. He is believed to be God Incarnate, fully God and fully man. He is also believed to be born of a virgin and to have lived a sinless life. His mission on earth was to atone for sins on the cross and to give a representation of the Father on the earth. The physical death and resurrection is also affirmed. This is in direct contrast with the view held by Mormons that Christ was the first creation of the Father, born in the flesh as the result of natural physical relations, and suffering only to allow a general resurrection for all men.

Holy Spirit:

In RLDS theology, the Holy Spirit is identified as both a person and an impersonal force. He is also referred to as the "shared mind" and "living presence of the Father and Son."

Man/Sin:

Men, according to the RLDS Church, are not born with original sin. They are not accountable until age eight, when they are normally baptized.

Salvation:

In the early days of the Reorganization, the church taught that salvation was found only within its membership. As the concept of Zion (see below) became more prominent in RLDS thinking, some emphasis began to be placed on corporate, rather than personal salvation. Today, the institutional church teaches that salvation is to be found in the body of Christ, which consists of all those who believe in Christ. The Restorationists still hold to the conviction that salvation is found in no other church. Both groups believe that those who have died without the chance to hear the gospel will have an opportunity after death to accept it.

Sacraments:

The RLDS church practices eight sacraments pertaining to salvation and church life.

• In Baptism, people who are eight years old or older are baptized for the remission of sins. This is considered to be the act of being "born again". It is by immersion and only performed by one considered to have proper priesthood authority.
• In the sacrament of Confirmation, those who have been baptized have hands laid on them and are "given" the gift of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation seals the candidate’s membership in the church.
• In the Blessing of Children, babies and young children are blessed and the church and parents make a commitment to raise the child in the church.
• Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is observed in much the same way as it is in most Protestant churches. Grape juice and bread are used to commemorate the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ.
• Marriage is solemnized as it is in other faiths and by civil authorities. Marriage for eternity, as it is practiced in LDS temples, is not a part of RLDS beliefs.
• Administration to the sick is offered to both members and nonmembers. Prayer is offered by members of the priesthood for the relief of sickness and/or stress.
• Ordination is the rite by which members of the Aaronic and Melchisedec priesthoods are set apart for the work of the ministry in the RLDS church.
• In the Patriarchal blessing, also called the Evangelist’s blessing, individuals and congregations are blessed and given spiritual insight and instruction.

Zion:

Though exactly what "Zion" is has changed somewhat over the years, it remains a central concept that is very important to RLDS life and theology. In the early years of the movement started by Joseph Smith, Jr., Zion was a physical place to which members should move. That is still the meaning accepted by Restorationists, who believe they should "gather" to Zion (Independence) to wait for the second coming of Christ. Zion is now viewed by the Church as a "commitment to pursuing God’s kingdom through the establishment of Christ-centered communities in families, congregations, neighborhoods, cities, and throughout the world."

Priesthood:

The RLDS priesthood is open to both men and women and is made up of two orders, the Aaronic and Melchisedec. The Aaronic priesthood includes the offices of deacon, teacher, and priest. The Melichisedec priesthood includes the offices of elder and high priest.

Restorationists believe that priesthood authority had been lost because existing churches had been in apostasy for hundreds of years. RLDS tradition teaches that the priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith, Jr. in May of 1829 by messengers from God. These messengers were, he claimed, John the Baptist and the apostles Peter, James, and John. Even to the modernists in the RLDS church, priesthood is not merely a simple ordination by church members, but is considered necessary to perform the church's sacraments and to preside over congregations.

FACILITIES:

The world headquarters of the RLDS church is located in Independence, Missouri, including the 5,800 seat Auditorium and Temple Complex.

The RLDS Church owns two temples, which are much different than the more than 100 the Mormon church operates. The Kirtland, Ohio temple, which was built during the lifetime of Joseph Smith, Jr., is now primarily a tourist attraction. The temple complex in Independence is the hub of many administrative activities for the Church. The secret ceremonies on behalf of the living and dead performed in LDS temples are missing in their RLDS counterparts.

Herald House is the publishing arm of the RLDS church. It prints the RLDS scriptures as well as a monthly magazine, the Saints’ Herald. The Church sponsors two institutions of higher learning, Graceland College and Park College. Graceland , which has a highly regarded Nursing program, is located in Lamoni, Iowa. Park College is located in the Kansas City, Missouri area. The church also operates a home for the aged called Resthaven.

SPLINTER GROUPS:

A few of the groups which have left the fellowship of the RLDS church are listed below: