# The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Colorado. The first congregation of the Church in Colorado was organized in 1897. It has since grown to 148,708 members in 310 congregations.
Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 2.82% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey 2% of Coloradans self-identify themselves most closely with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in Colorado behind the Roman Catholic Church. Colorado has the 10th most members of the LDS Church in the United States.

## History

On August 7, 1846, a settlement of 61 recent converts of the church traveling from Mississippi made camp on the Arkansas River, just east of present-day Pueblo in the southern part of the state. They had come along the main Overland trail to Fort Laramie but discovered the first groups of Mormon Pioneers from Nauvoo had stopped for the winter at Council Bluffs. Rather than turn back to join them; a trapper named John Renshaw led them down to a small adobe trading fort called El Pueblo which was thought to be a more suitable place to spend the winter. They made their camp about a half-mile south of El Pueblo.
While encamped in Pueblo the settlement was also joined by 3 different groups of the Mormon Battalion arriving between September 1846 and January 27, 1847. With the arrival in January, the population of the colony reached 289 people. This temporary colony was the first branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado. The settlement is also widely believed to be the first Anglo settlement in what is now the state of Colorado. The settlement also was the home of the first Anglo born child in Colorado; Sarah Emma Kartchner.
In April 1847, the first members of the settlement began their trek north to Fort Laramie where they were waiting when Brigham Young arrives in June 1847. By the fall of 1848, all the members of the church had left the Pueblo settlement.
The first mission was established in the area in 1896 and the first congregation of the LDS Church in Colorado was organized in January 1897.
The Denver Colorado Temple in Centennial was completed in 1986.
The Fort Collins Colorado Temple was formally dedicated by Dieter F. Uchtdorf on October 16, 2016.

## 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.
| County | Congregations | Adherents | % of Population |
| Adams | 18 | 11,400 | 2.58 |
| Alamosa | 5 | 1,547 | 10.02 |
| Arapahoe | 27 | 14,505 | 2.54 |
| Baca | 0 | | |
| Bent | 0 | | |
| Boulder | 17 | 8,620 | 2.93 |
| Chaffee | 2 | 435 | 2.44 |
| Cheyenne | 0 | | |
| Clear Creek | 1 | 232 | 2.55 |
| Conejos | 8 | 2,343 | 28.38 |
| Costilla | 1 | 161 | 4.57 |
| Crowley | 0 | | |
| Custer | 1 | 117 | 2.75 |
| Delta | 3 | 1,535 | 4.96 |
| Denver | 13 | 10,092 | 1.68 |
| Dolores | 0 | | |
| Douglas | 28 | 13,111 | 4.59 |
| Eagle | 2 | 818 | 1.57 |
| El Paso | 1 | 18,602 | 2.99 |
| Elbert | 2 | 738 | 3.20 |
| Fremont | 2 | 1,434 | 3.06 |
| Garfield | 5 | 2,085 | 3.70 |
| Gilpin | 0 | | |
| Grand | 1 | 253 | 1.71 |
| Gunnison | 2 | 4,157 | 27.13 |
| Hinsdale | 0 | | |
| Huerfano | 0 | | |
| Jackson | 0 | | |
| Jefferson | 22 | 11,175 | 2.09 |
| Kiowa | 0 | | |
| Kit Carson | 1 | 226 | 2.73 |
| La Plata | 4 | 2,126 | 4.14 |
| Lake | 0 | | |
| Larimer | 20 | 8,622 | 2.88 |
| Las Animas | 0 | | |
| Lincoln | 1 | 128 | 2.34 |
| Logan | 1 | 554 | 2.44 |
| Mesa | 18 | 10,060 | 6.86 |
| Mineral | 0 | | |
| Moffat | 3 | 1,339 | 9.71 |
| Montezuma | 5 | 2,277 | 8.92 |
| Montrose | 6 | 2,800 | 6.78 |
| Morgan | 1 | 128 | 0.46 |
| Otero | 1 | 582 | 3.09 |
| Ouray | 0 | | |
| Park | 0 | | |
| Phillips | 0 | | |
| Pitkin | 1 | 268 | 1.56 |
| Prowers | 2 | 439 | 3.50 |
| Pueblo | 8 | 4,287 | 2.70 |
| Rio Blanco | 3 | 1,055 | 15.83 |
| Rio Grande | 2 | 579 | 4.83 |
| Routt | 1 | 356 | 1.51 |
| Saguache | 1 | 196 | 3.21 |
| San Juan | 1 | 35 | 5.01 |
| San Miguel | 0 | | |
| Sedgwick | 0 | | |
| Summit | 1 | 557 | 1.99 |
| Teller | 1 | 713 | 3.05 |
| Washington | 0 | | |
| Weld | 11 | 4,811 | 1.90 |
| Yuma | 1 | 128 | 1.28 |

## Stakes

As of August 2023, Colorado had the following stakes:
| Stake | Organized | Mission | Temple District |
| Alamosa Colorado Stake | 29 May 1983 | Colorado Colorado Springs | Albuquerque New Mexico |
| Arapahoe Colorado Stake | 27 Sep 1987 | Colorado Denver North | Denver Colorado |
| Arvada Colorado Stake | 21 Jun 1959 | Colorado Denver North | Denver Colorado |
| Aurora Colorado Stake | 6 Dec 1981 | Colorado Denver North | Denver Colorado |
| Aurora Colorado South Stake | 22 Sep 2013 | Colorado Denver North | Denver Colorado |
| Boulder Colorado Stake | 28 Jan 1973 | Colorado Denver North | Fort Collins Colorado |
| Brighton Colorado Stake | 10 Nov 2013 | Colorado Denver North | Fort Collins Colorado |
| Castle Rock Colorado Stake | 7 Mar 2004 | Colorado Colorado Springs | Denver Colorado |
| Colorado Springs Colorado Stake | 11 Sep 1960 | Colorado Colorado Springs | Denver Colorado |
| Colorado Springs East Stake | 26 Aug 1990 | Colorado Colorado Springs | Denver Colorado |
| Colorado Springs High Plains Stake | 11 Dec 2016 | Colorado Colorado Springs | Denver Colorado |
| Colorado Springs North Stake | 18 May 1980 | Colorado Colorado Springs | Denver Colorado |
| Columbine Colorado Stake | 7 Dec 1980 | Colorado Denver South | Denver Colorado |
| Craig Colorado Stake | 15 Oct 2017 | Colorado Denver South | Vernal Utah |
| Denver Colorado Stake | 30 Jun 1940 | Colorado Denver North | Denver Colorado |
| Denver Colorado North Stake | 28 Jan 1973 | Colorado Denver North | Fort Collins Colorado |
| Durango Colorado Stake | 7 Nov 1971 | New Mexico Farmington | Monticello Utah |
| Fort Collins Colorado Stake | 1 Dec 1968 | Colorado Fort Collins | Fort Collins Colorado |
| Fountain Colorado Stake | 12 Dec 1999 | Colorado Colorado Springs | Denver Colorado |
| Front Range Colorado Stake | 19 Apr 1964 | Colorado Denver South | Denver Colorado |
| Garden City Kansas Stake | 18 May 2003 | Kansas Wichita | Denver Colorado |
| Grand Junction Colorado Stake | 16 Oct 1955 | Colorado Denver South | Monticello Utah |
| Grand Junction Colorado West Stake | 24 Apr 1983 | Colorado Denver South | Monticello Utah |
| Greeley Colorado Stake | 28 Apr 1985 | Colorado Fort Collins | Fort Collins Colorado |
| Highlands Ranch Colorado Stake | 19 May 1985 | Colorado Denver South | Denver Colorado |
| Littleton Colorado Stake | 2 Sep 1973 | Colorado Denver South | Denver Colorado |
| Longmont Colorado Stake | 11 Nov 1990 | Colorado Fort Collins | Fort Collins Colorado |
| Loveland Colorado Stake | 18 Jun 2000 | Colorado Fort Collins | Fort Collins Colorado |
| Manassa Colorado Stake | 10 Jun 1883 | Colorado Colorado Springs | Albuquerque New Mexico |
| Monticello Utah Stake | 23 Sep 1883 | New Mexico Farmington | Monticello Utah |
| Montrose Colorado Stake | 5 Nov 1978 | Colorado Denver South | Monticello Utah |
| Parker Colorado Stake | 15 Sep 1996 | Colorado Denver North | Denver Colorado |
| Parker Colorado South Stake | 13 Mar 2011 | Colorado Denver North | Denver Colorado |
| Pueblo Colorado Stake | 3 Mar 1974 | Colorado Colorado Springs | Denver Colorado |
| Rifle Colorado Stake | 15 Jan 1961 | Colorado Denver South | Vernal Utah |
| Westminster Colorado Stake | 27 Apr 1997 | Colorado Denver North | Fort Collins Colorado |
| Windsor Colorado Stake | 23 Aug 2015 | Colorado Fort Collins | Fort Collins Colorado |
* 1 2 Stake located outside Colorado with congregation(s) meeting in Colorado

## Missions

The Colorado Mission was opened on December 15, 1896, with John W. Taylor as president. This mission was renamed the Western States Mission on April 1, 1907, then the Colorado-New Mexico Mission on June 10, 1970, then the Colorado Mission on October 10, 1972, and the Colorado Denver Mission on June 20, 1974. It was finally renamed the Colorado Denver South Mission on July 1, 1993, upon creation of the Colorado Denver North Mission.
Colorado now contains four missions.
| Mission | Organized |
| Colorado Colorado Springs Mission | July 1, 2002 |
| Colorado Denver South Mission | December 15, 1896 |
| Colorado Denver North Mission | July 1, 1993 |
| Colorado Fort Collins Mission | July 1, 2013 |
The southwestern portion of the state is located in the New Mexico Farmington Mission.

## Temples

* Colorado SpringsDenverFort CollinsGrand JunctionTemples in Colorado
* = Operating = Under construction = Announced = Temporarily Closed
On October 24, 1986, the Denver Colorado Temple was dedicated by President Ezra Taft Benson. On April 2, 2011, the Fort Collins Colorado Temple was announced. Western portions of Colorado are in the Vernal Utah Temple and Monticello Utah Temple districts. Southern portions of Colorado are in the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple district.
| 40. Denver Colorado Temple Official website News & images | 40. Denver Colorado Temple Official website News & images | |
| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: Style: | Centennial, Colorado, United States March 31, 1982 by Spencer W. Kimball May 19, 1984 by Gordon B. Hinckley October 24, 1986 by Ezra Taft Benson 29,177 sq ft (2,710.6 m$^2$) on a 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) site Modern, single-spire design - designed by Church A&E Services and Bobby R. Thomas | Centennial, Colorado, United States March 31, 1982 by Spencer W. Kimball May 19, 1984 by Gordon B. Hinckley October 24, 1986 by Ezra Taft Benson 29,177 sq ft (2,710.6 m$^2$) on a 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) site Modern, single-spire design - designed by Church A&E Services and Bobby R. Thomas |
| 153. Fort Collins Colorado Temple Official website News & images | 153. Fort Collins Colorado Temple Official website News & images | |
| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States April 2, 2011 by Thomas S. Monson August 24, 2013 by Ronald A. Rasband October 16, 2016 by Dieter F. Uchtdorf 42,000 sq ft (3,900 m$^2$) on a 15.69-acre (6.35 ha) site | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States April 2, 2011 by Thomas S. Monson August 24, 2013 by Ronald A. Rasband October 16, 2016 by Dieter F. Uchtdorf 42,000 sq ft (3,900 m$^2$) on a 15.69-acre (6.35 ha) site |
| 218. Grand Junction Colorado Temple (Under construction) Official website News & images | 218. Grand Junction Colorado Temple (Under construction) Official website News & images | |
| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Size: | Grand Junction, Colorado, United States 4 April 2021 by Russell M. Nelson 16 April 2022 by Chi Hong (Sam) Wong 29,000 sq ft (2,700 m$^2$) on a 6.94-acre (2.81 ha) site | Grand Junction, Colorado, United States 4 April 2021 by Russell M. Nelson 16 April 2022 by Chi Hong (Sam) Wong 29,000 sq ft (2,700 m$^2$) on a 6.94-acre (2.81 ha) site |
| 332. Colorado Springs Colorado Temple (Site announced) Official website News & images | 332. Colorado Springs Colorado Temple (Site announced) Official website News & images | |
| Location: Announced: Size: | Colorado Springs, Colorado 1 October 2023 by Russell M. Nelson 45,000 sq ft (4,200 m$^2$) on a 18.6-acre (7.5 ha) site | Colorado Springs, Colorado 1 October 2023 by Russell M. Nelson 45,000 sq ft (4,200 m$^2$) on a 18.6-acre (7.5 ha) site |

## Communities

Latter-day Saints have had a significant role in establishing and settling communities within the "Mormon Corridor", including the following located in Colorado:
* La Jara
* Manassa
* Sanford