Community of Christ

Community of Christ, church formed in 1852 by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, who refused to follow the Mormon leader Brigham Young. The breakaway group called itself the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints until 2001.

The Reorganized Latter Day Saints rejected certain of Young’s doctrines, including that of plural marriage. They claimed that their church was the original church of Latter Day Saints organized by Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the Mormon church, and others on April 6, 1830, in Fayette, New York. In 1852, eight years after Smith’s death, several local churches effected a general organization at Beloit, Wisconsin, under the name Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

On April 6, 2001, the anniversary of the founding of the parent church, the Reorganized Latter Day Saints changed its name to the Community of Christ to distance itself further from the Mormons. Leaders of the Community of Christ noted that a name change had long been under consideration to more clearly reflect the denomination’s quest to build communities and its emphasis on the centrality of Christ.

The Community of Christ adheres to the original teachings of the parent church but repudiates the name Mormon. Church headquarters is in Independence, Missouri. Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, is operated by the Community of Christ.