The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints topic's main category Category:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Organization and structure
Name and legal entities
The church teaches that it is a continuation of the Church of Christ established in 1830 by Joseph Smith. This original church underwent several name changes during the 1830s, being called the Church of Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ; in 1834, the name was officially changed to the Church of the Latter Day Saints. In April 1838, the name was officially changed to "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints".: 160  After Smith died, Brigham Young and the largest body of Smith's followers incorporated the LDS Church in 1851 by legislation of the State of Deseret under the name "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", which included a hyphenated "Latter-day" and a British-style lower-case d.Common informal names for the church include the LDS Church, the Latter-day Saints, and the Mormons. The term Mormon Church is in common use. The church requests that the official name be used when possible or, if necessary, shortened to "the Church", "the Church of Jesus Christ", or "Latter-day Saints". In August 2018, church president Russell M. Nelson asked members of the church and others to cease using the terms "LDS", "Mormon" and "Mormonism" to refer to the church, its membership, or its belief system and instead to call the church by its full and official name. Subsequent to this announcement, the church's premier vocal ensemble, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, was officially renamed and became the "Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square".  Reaction to the name change policy has been mixed.The church currently functions as a corporation sole, incorporated in Utah.Intellectual Reserve is a nonprofit corporation wholly owned by the church, which holds the church's intellectual property, such as copyrights, trademarks, and other media.