The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Texas

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Texas
The Dallas Texas Temple
Area	NA Southwest
Members	378,281 (2022)[1]
Stakes	78
Districts	2
Wards	616
Branches	128
Total Congregations	744
Missions	10
Temples	5 Operating 2 Under Construction 3 Announced 10 Total
Family History Centers	138[2]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Texas refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Texas. Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 1.13% in 2007 and 1.21% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey in both years, roughly 1% of Texans self-identify themselves most closely with the LDS Church.^[3]

Texas has the 5th most members of the LDS Church in the United States, and the most members east of the Rocky Mountains.^[4] The LDS Church is the 6th largest denomination in Texas.^[5]

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Increased persecution around Nauvoo in 1844 led Joseph Smith to consider relocating the church outside the borders of the United States. The Republic of Texas, along with other areas in the western United states, were considered by Smith as a place where the church members would be able to peacefully practice their religion. That year, Smith started negotiations with Sam Houston, president of the Republic of Texas, for the southern and western portions of Texas to be the future home of the Latter Day Saints.^[7] Smith sent Lucien Woodworth to Austin to meet with Houston.^[8]

After Smith's death, negotiations with Houston were abandoned.^[9]

In response to Hurricane Ike in 2008, members of the LDS Church across Texas and other parts of the country volunteered relief and service.

Total LDS Church response to Hurricane Ike included:

• 80,640 hygiene kits (six truckloads).
• 8.064 cleaning kits (four truckloads).
• 4 truckloads of water.
• 11,520 blankets (two truckloads).
• 4,800 food boxes (four truckloads) which included rice, vegetable oil, peanut butter, fruit drink mix, and assorted canned goods. Each food box could feed a family of four for a week to 10 days.
• Food, water, generators, sleeping bags, tools, chain saws, tarps and other items.^[10]

In addition to this aid, thousands of church members came into the area as volunteers to assist in clean up efforts.

As of June 2024, Texas had the following stakes:

A few congregations in Southern Texas are not part of a stake or district. These congregations are the Raymondville Branch, Rio Grande City Branch, Roma Branch, and Zapata Branch and are directly administered by the Texas McAllen Mission and part of the McAllen Texas Temple District.

Responsibility for Texas has been shared by several different missions. Originally in the Southern States Mission, it was transferred to the Indian Territory Mission, which later changed its name to the Southwestern States Mission and, in 1904, it became the Central States Mission. Texas remained in the Central States Mission until the Texas Mission was organized in 1931. Texas and Louisiana were combined to form the Texas-Louisiana Mission in 1945. Texas was part of the Gulf States Mission from 1955 to 1960.

In 1961, a new Texas Mission was organized. This became the Texas Dallas Mission in 1974. As the church grew, other missions in Texas were organized.

Austin Dallas El Paso Fort Worth Houston Lubbock McAllen McKinney San Antonio Oklahoma City Tulsa Bentonville Albuquerque Ciudad Juárez (edit) Dallas Fort Worth McKinney (edit) Temples in Texas and Oklahoma (edit) = Operating = Under construction = Announced = Temporarily Closed

As of October 2024, Texas has 5 temples located in the state, with 2 under construction, and 3 more announced. The far western portion of the state is located in the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple District. A few congregations in and around Wichita Falls, TX are in the Lawton Oklahoma Stake and are part of the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple District.

	30. Dallas Texas Temple Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Rededicated: Size: Style: Notes:	Dallas, Texas, United States April 1, 1981 by Spencer W. Kimball January 22, 1983 by Gordon B. Hinckley October 19, 1984 by Gordon B. Hinckley March 5, 1989 by Gordon B. Hinckley 44,207 sq ft (4,107.0 m2) on a 6-acre (2.4 ha) site Sloping roof, six spire - designed by Church A&E Services and West & Humphries The rededication in 1989 was for the addition only
	97. Houston Texas Temple Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Rededicated: Size: Style: Notes:	Spring, Texas, United States September 30, 1997 by Gordon B. Hinckley June 13, 1998 by Lynn A. Mickelsen August 26, 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley April 22, 2018 by M. Russell Ballard 33,970 sq ft (3,156 m2) on a 11-acre (4.5 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Spencer Partnership Architects and Church A&E Services Rededicated after repairing damage from Hurricane Harvey
	109. Lubbock Texas Temple Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: Style:	Lubbock, Texas, U.S. April 2, 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley November 4, 2000 by Rex D. Pinegar April 21, 2002 by Gordon B. Hinckley 16,498 sq ft (1,532.7 m2) on a 2.7-acre (1.1 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Tisdel Minckler and Associates.
	120. San Antonio Texas Temple Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: Style:	San Antonio, Texas, U.S. June 24, 2001 by Gordon B. Hinckley March 29, 2003 by H. Bruce Stucki May 22, 2005 by Gordon B. Hinckley 16,800 sq ft (1,560 m2) on a 5.5-acre (2.2 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Rehler, Vaughn & Koone
	183. McAllen Texas Temple Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size:	McAllen, Texas, United States 5 October 2019 by Russell M. Nelson[11] 21 November 2020 by Art Rascon[12] 8 October 2023 by Dieter F. Uchtdorf 27,897 sq ft (2,591.7 m2) on a 10.61-acre (4.29 ha) site
	238. Fort Worth Texas Temple (Under construction) Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Size:	Burleson, Texas, United States 3 October 2021 by Russell M. Nelson[13][14] 28 October 2023 by Jose L. Alonso 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2) on a 9.37-acre (3.79 ha) site
	248. Austin Texas Temple (Under construction) Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Size:	Cedar Park, Texas 3 April 2022 by Russell M. Nelson[15][16] 17 August 2024 by Michael A. Dunn[17][18] 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2) on a 10.6-acre (4.3 ha) site
	294. McKinney Texas Temple (Site announced) Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced: Size: Notes:	Fairview, Texas 2 October 2022 by Russell M. Nelson[19][20] 44,000 sq ft (4,100 m2) on a 8.16-acre (3.30 ha) site Revised name and site announced on December 4, 2023.[21]
	344. Houston Texas South Temple (Announced) Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced:	Houston, Texas, United States 7 April 2024 by Russell M. Nelson[22][23]
	363. El Paso Texas Temple (Announced) Official website News & images		edit
	Location: Announced:	El Paso, Texas 6 October 2024 by Russell M. Nelson[24][25]

Latter-day Saints have had a significant role in establishing and settling communities within the "Mormon Corridor" and other locations, including the following in Texas:

• Enoch
• Kelsey
• Mormon Mill (Texas)
• Zodiac

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

• Michael Scott Van Wagenen, The Texas Republic and the Mormon Kingdom of God, 2002
• B.H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, v.2, 1912
• Melvin C. Johnsin, Polygamy on the Pedernales: Lyman Wight's Mormon Village in Antebellum Texas, 2006

• [1] Church Newsroom (Texas)
• ComeUntoChrist.org Latter-day Saints Visitor site
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official site