The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Mexico
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Mexico refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in New Mexico. The first congregation of the Church in New Mexico was organized in 1895. It has since grown to 69,055 members in 137 congregations.
Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 3.34% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey, 1% of New Mexicans self-identify themselves most closely with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 2% of those surveyed in New Mexico in this survey considered identified themselves as Mormon.[3] The LDS Church is the 3rd largest denomination in New Mexico.[4]
Stakes are located in Albuquerque (4), Bloomfield, Farmington, Gallup, Kirtland, Las Cruces, Los Lunas, Rio Rancho, Roswell, Santa Fe, and Silver City.
History
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1920 | 1,313 |
| 1930 | 2,096 |
| 1940 | 3,313 |
| 1950 | 5,557 |
| 1960 | 13,363 |
| 1970 | 21,873 |
| 1980 | 36,881 |
| 1990* | 48,000 |
| 1999 | 57,807 |
| 2009 | 64,872 |
| 2019 | 69,488 |
| 2024 | 69,451 |
| *Membership was published as an estimated or rounded number. Source: Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: New Mexico[1] | |
Mormons first came to New Mexico in 1846. The LDS Church has traditionally had a strong presence in the Four Corners Region of New Mexico, settling the town of Kirtland and other surrounding areas. Mormons found converts among the Zuni Indians.[5]
County Statistics
List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives:[6] 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo | 25 | 14,184 | 2.14 |
| Catron | 2 | 347 | 9.32 |
| Chaves | 3 | 1,351 | 2.06 |
| Cibola | 3 | 1,219 | 4.48 |
| Colfax | 1 | 461 | 3.35 |
| Curry | 1 | 912 | 1.89 |
| De Baca | 1 | 47 | 2.32 |
| Eddy | 3 | 1,457 | 2.71 |
| Grant | 6 | 1,638 | 5.55 |
| Guadalupe | 0 | ||
| Harding | 0 | ||
| Hidalgo | 3 | 448 | 9.15 |
| Lea | 2 | 958 | 1.48 |
| Lincoln | 1 | 426 | 2.08 |
| Los Alamos | 2 | 1,011 | 5.63 |
| Luna | 3 | 914 | 3.64 |
| McKinley | 11 | 9,434 | 13.20 |
| Mora | 0 | ||
| Otero | 3 | 1,426 | 2.24 |
| Quay | 1 | 263 | 2.91 |
| Rio Arriba | 3 | 765 | 1.90 |
| Roosevelt | 2 | 568 | 2.86 |
| San Juan | 24 | 14,690 | 11.30 |
| San Miguel | 1 | 258 | 0.88 |
| Sandoval | 9 | 4,143 | 3.15 |
| Santa Fe | 4 | 2,247 | 1.56 |
| Sierra | 1 | 366 | 3.05 |
| Socorro | 2 | 556 | 3.11 |
| Taos | 3 | 599 | 1.82 |
| Torrance | 1 | 421 | 2.57 |
| Union | 0 | ||
| Valencia | 4 | 2,092 | 2.73 |
Stakes
| Stake | Organized | Mission | Temple District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque New Mexico East | 25 Sep 1966 | New Mexico Albuquerque | Albuquerque New Mexico |
| Albuquerque New Mexico North | 6 Dec 2015 | New Mexico Albuquerque | Albuquerque New Mexico |
| Albuquerque New Mexico | 27 Oct 1957 | New Mexico Albuquerque | Albuquerque New Mexico |
| Albuquerque New Mexico West | 21 May 2000 | New Mexico Albuquerque | Albuquerque New Mexico |
| Amarillo Texas[a] | 31 May 1981 | Texas Lubbock | Lubbock Texas |
| Bloomfield New Mexico | 1 Feb 1976 | New Mexico Farmington | Farmington New Mexico |
| Chinle Arizona[a] | 30 Sep 1990 | New Mexico Farmington | Farmington New Mexico |
| Duncan Arizona[a] | 24 Sep 1978 | Arizona Tucson | Gila Valley Arizona |
| Eagar Arizona[a] | 25 Jan 1987 | Arizona Flagstaff | Snowflake Arizona |
| El Paso Texas Chamizal[a] | 17 Jan 2016 | Texas El Paso | Ciudad Juárez Mexico |
| El Paso Texas Mount Franklin[a] | 29 Aug 1982 | Texas El Paso | Ciudad Juárez Mexico |
| Farmington New Mexico | 21 May 1912 | New Mexico Farmington | Farmington New Mexico |
| Gallup New Mexico | 16 Mar 1975 | New Mexico Farmington | Farmington New Mexico |
| Kirtland New Mexico | 19 Sep 1982 | New Mexico Farmington | Farmington New Mexico |
| Las Cruces New Mexico | 25 Aug 1974 | Texas El Paso | Albuquerque New Mexico |
| Los Lunas New Mexico | 20 Jun 1982 | New Mexico Albuquerque | Albuquerque New Mexico |
| Lubbock Texas[a] | 26 Nov 1967 | Texas Lubbock | Lubbock Texas |
| Lubbock Texas North[a] | 14 Sep 2014 | Texas Lubbock | Lubbock Texas |
| Rio Rancho New Mexico | 16 Jun 2007 | New Mexico Albuquerque | Albuquerque New Mexico |
| Pueblo Colorado[a] | 3 Mar 1974 | Colorado Colorado Springs | Denver Colorado |
| Roswell New Mexico | 13 Mar 1977 | Texas Lubbock | Lubbock Texas |
| Santa Fe New Mexico | 4 Jan 1981 | New Mexico Albuquerque | Albuquerque New Mexico |
| Silver City New Mexico | 17 Apr 1983 | Texas El Paso | Gila Valley Arizona |
- Stake located outside New Mexico with congregation(s) meeting in New Mexico
Missions
On March 7, 1943, the Navajo-Zuni Mission was organized, and specialized with teaching Native Americans in their language. This was renamed the Southwest Indian Mission on January 1, 1949. It was renamed the New Mexico-Arizona Mission on October 10, 1972.
New Mexico became its own mission when the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission was organized on July 1, 1975 with Stanley D. Robers as mission president.[7]
As of May 2025, New Mexico was home to two missions:
| Mission | Organized |
|---|---|
| New Mexico Albuquerque Mission | July 1, 1975 |
| New Mexico Farmington Mission | July 1, 2010 |
In addition to these missions, the Arizona Tucson Mission and the Texas Lubbock Mission covers portions of the state.
Temples
= Operating
= Under construction
= Announced
= Temporarily Closed
On March 5, 2000, the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple was dedicated by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.
On April 4, 2021, church president Russell M. Nelson announced that a temple would be built in Farmington.
|
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| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: Style: |
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States April 4, 1997 by Gordon B. Hinckley June 20, 1998 by Lynn A. Mickelsen March 5, 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley 34,245 sq ft (3,181.5 m2) on a 8.5-acre (3.4 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Fanning Bard & Tatum | |||||
 |
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| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: |
Farmington, New Mexico, United States April 4, 2021 by Russell M. Nelson[8] 30 April 2022 by Anthony D. Perkins[9] 17 August 2025 by Neil L. Andersen[10] 29,066 sq ft (2,700.3 m2) on a 6.63-acre (2.68 ha) site | |||||
Communities
Latter-day Saints had a significant role in establishing and settling communities within the "Mormon Corridor", including the following in New Mexico:
