The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Australia
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has had a presence in the Australia since 1840.
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First missionaries, convert, and congregation [edit]
The LDS Church was introduced into Australia when William James Barratt, emigrated from England to Adelaide in November 1840.[1] He had been ordained an elder by George A. Smith, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who instructed him to share the gospel whenever he could.[1] Barratt, whose descendants still live in the Adelaide area, eventually drifted away from the church, but not until after he had baptized, probably the first Australian convert, Robert Beauchamp.[2] Beauchamp later became president of the Australian mission. Andrew and Elizabeth Anderson, also British converts, immigrated to Wellington, near Dubbo, New South Wales, with their three children in 1841. Anderson baptized several converts and in 1844 organized the first Australian branch of the Church, in Wellington.[2]
Official LDS missionary work did not begin in Australia until John Murdock and Charles W. Wandell arrived in Sydney from Utah on 30 October 1851.[3]
The first church building was constructed in Brisbane in 1904 and the country’s first temple, located in Sydney, was completed in 1984.[3]
Current status [edit]
As of 6 April 2013, the LDS Church reported 136,617 members, 34 Stakes, 9 districts, 208 Wards, 82 branches, and 5 missions.[3] The five temples in Australia are located in the cities of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney
The membership claimed by the LDS Church in the Australia is approximately 0.57% of the population.[4] However, the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2006 has estimated that members of the church numbered only 52,141,[5] or 0.24% of the population.[4] The difference may reflect the distinction between baptized members and those who still self-identify as Mormon, since, as the church stated in 1994, "keeping people active is a challenge".[6]
Temples [edit]
The Sydney Australia Temple was the first LDS temple built in Australia; it was dedicated in September 1984. Four additional temples were dedicated between 2000 and 2003.
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28. Sydney Australia | ||
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Carlingford, Hornsby Shire, New South Wales, Australia |
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89. Adelaide Australia | ||
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Norwood, Payneham & St Peters, South Australia, Australia |
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90. Melbourne Australia | ||
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Knox, Victoria, Australia |
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106. Perth Australia | ||
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Stirling, Western Australia |
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115. Brisbane Australia | ||
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Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Australia |
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See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b John Devitry-Smith, "William James Barratt: The First Mormon 'Down Under'", BYU Studies, vol. 28, no. 3 (June 2007)
- ^ a b Ruth Goldthorpe (1989). Our Honourable Inheritance : A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Australia (Adelaide)
- ^ a b c A Brief History of the Church in Australia
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of statistics list a population of 21,874,900 or claim of 0.57% and 0.24% of the population by the LDS church and Australian Bureau of statistics respectively.
- ^ 2006 Census of Population and Housing, Religious Affiliation (Full Classification List) By Sex, Australian Bureau of statistics, See Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (line 51)
- ^ R. Val Johnson, “Charting a New Course in Micronesia,” Tambuli, Dec. 1994, p. 41
External links [edit]
- The official Australian internet site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- The Church in Australia by William G. Eggington
- LDS Church News, "Country information: Australia"
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