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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington
The Seattle Washington Temple
Area	NA West
Members	281,389 (2022)
Stakes	59
Wards	431
Branches	58
Total Congregations	489
Missions	7
Temples	4 Operating 2 Announced 6 Total
Family History Centers	97

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. The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in Washington, behind the Roman Catholic Church.

History

The first known member of the Church moved to Washington in 1852, 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.

The first branch in Washington was created at Tacoma near the end of 1899, with its first stake being created at Seattle in 1938. Washington's first temple was built in Bellevue in 1980. There are now also temples in Spokane, Richland, and Moses Lake. Temples have been announced in Tacoma and Vancouver.

County Statistics

List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives: 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.

Stakes

As of November 2024, Washington had the following stakes:

1. ^ Stake located outside Washington with congregation(s) meeting in Washington

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 2023, Washington is home to seven missions, three of which are east of the Cascade Mountains, and four are on the west side.

Temples

Columbia RiverMoses LakeSeattleSpokaneTacomaVancouverVancouverVictoriaPortlandTemples in and near Washington (edit) Temples in Washington or with districts extending into Washington (edit) = Operating = Under construction = Announced = Temporarily Closed

Washington currently has four temples in operation. 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. A sixth temple, the Vancouver Washington Temple, was announced October 1, 2023. In addition, members in the Bellingham Washington Stake are served by the Vancouver British Columbia Temple and members in and around Vancouver, Washington are served by the Portland Oregon Temple.

	19. Seattle Washington Temple Official website News & images		edit
	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 m) on a 23.5-acre (9.5 ha) site - designed by Emil B. Fetzer
	59. Spokane Washington Temple Official website News & images		edit
	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 m) on a 2-acre (0.81 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design
	107. Columbia River Washington Temple Official website News & images		edit
	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 m) on a 2.88-acre (1.17 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by A & E Services, Joseph E. Marty Architect
	182. Moses Lake Washington Temple Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size:	Moses Lake, Washington, United States 7 April 2019 by Russell M. Nelson 10 October 2020 by David L. Stapleton 17 September 2023 by Quentin L. Cook 28,933 sq ft (2,688.0 m) on a 17.2-acre (7.0 ha) site
	296. Tacoma Washington Temple (Site announced) Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Size:	Tacoma, Washington 2 October 2022 by Russell M. Nelson 45,000 sq ft (4,200 m) on a 11.6-acre (4.7 ha) site
	331. Vancouver Washington Temple (Site announced) Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Size:	Camas, Washington, United States 1 October 2023 by Russell M. Nelson 43,000 sq ft (4,000 m) on a 15.11-acre (6.11 ha) site

See also

• Religion in Washington (state)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States)

References

1. ^ "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by State:Washington", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved May 29, 2023
2. Category:Washington Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved May 29, 2023
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
15. Vancouver British Columbia LDS Temple District
16. Portland Oregon LDS Temple District
17. "Prophet Announces Eight New Temples at April 2019 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, April 7, 2019
18. "Groundbreaking Held for Moses Lake Washington Temple", newsroom, LDS Church, October 10, 2020, retrieved September 28, 2023
19. "Two US Temples and One in Brazil Dedicated on the Same Day", newsroom, LDS Church, September 17, 2023, retrieved September 28, 2023
20. "President Nelson announces 18 new temples, including 4 near Mexico City, as conference closes", Deseret News, Deseret News, October 2, 2022
21. "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 18 New Houses of the Lord", Newsroom, LDS Church, October 2, 2022
22. Where the 20 new Latter-day Saint temples will be built as Russell Nelson’s record tally continues to rise, Salt Lake Tribune, October 1, 2023
23. "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 20 New Temples", Newsroom, LDS Church, October 1, 2023

Further reading

• Bolton, Herbert E. (January 1926). "The Mormons in the Opening of the Great West". 17. Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine: 40–72. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• Horne, J. Arthur (1968). Latter-day Saints in the Great Northwest. Seattle, WA: Graphic Art Press. OCLC 42251464.
• Jorgensen, Rick B. (2002). A History of the Latter-day Saints in the Columbia Basin of Central Washington, 1850-1972 (M.A. thesis). Brigham Young University.
• Silvester, Melanie L. (April 2002). "A Branch of Faith in the Forest". Ensign. Vol. 32, no. 4. pp. 38–42.
• Smart, William B. (January 1961). "Mormonism's First Foothold in the Pacific Northwest". 29 (1). Utah Historical Quarterly: 21–30. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• Stinebaugh, Thomas L. (2000). "Washington State". Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. pp. 1316–1317. ISBN 1-57345-822-8.

External links

• Newsroom (Washington)
• ComeUntoChrist.org Latter-day Saints Visitor site
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official site

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington (state)
• Christianity in Washington (state)
• Latter Day Saint movement in Washington (state)