Mormon Sects

Mormonites

The Church of Christ was the original church founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Early members were commonly called Mormonites by outsiders, especially in newspapers, sermons, and public commentary. The nickname came from the Book of Mormon and was often used before “Mormon” became the more familiar label.

This first church existed before the later succession crisis divided the movement into competing branches. Its early identity centered on the Book of Mormon, continuing revelation, spiritual gifts, priesthood authority, baptism, missionary preaching, and the gathering of believers into covenant communities.

The church’s name and structure changed over time as Joseph Smith’s movement developed. What began as a small restorationist church in New York grew into a larger religious movement with gathering places in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and beyond. Later branches of Mormonism would all trace their claims, in one way or another, back to this original 1830 church.

Brighamites

After Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, the largest body of followers eventually united behind Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Critics and rival Mormon factions often referred to Young’s followers as the Brighamites, a nickname used to distinguish them from the many competing succession groups that emerged after Joseph Smith’s death.

Brigham Young argued that the authority to lead the church rested collectively with the Twelve rather than passing to a single successor through hereditary lineage or appointment. During a period of confusion and competing leadership claims, Young gradually consolidated authority and led the largest organized body of Saints westward after increasing violence and instability in Illinois.

The migration to the Great Basin became one of the defining events in Mormon history. Under Brigham Young’s leadership, the church established settlements across Utah and the American West while building a highly centralized religious and social structure. During this period, many Nauvoo-era teachings expanded significantly, including temple ordinances, sealings, plural marriage, priesthood hierarchy, and exaltation theology.

The Utah-based church became increasingly defined by temple worship, continuing prophetic leadership, missionary work, priesthood authority, and ordinances such as the endowment, eternal marriage sealings, and baptism for the dead. The church also developed a strong institutional identity centered around obedience to prophetic leadership and the gathering of Zion under priesthood direction.

During the nineteenth century, conflict with the United States government over plural marriage, political control, and theocratic influence shaped much of the church’s history. Although the LDS Church officially abandoned plural marriage in 1890, the practice remained one of the major reasons later Mormon fundamentalist groups separated from the church.

Over time, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints became by far the largest and most internationally visible branch of Mormonism. Today, when people refer to “the Mormon Church,” they are usually referring to the Utah-based LDS Church, even though it represents only one branch that emerged from the larger succession crisis following Joseph Smith’s death.

Josephites

Another major succession tradition formed around Joseph Smith III, the oldest surviving son of Joseph Smith. His followers became commonly known as Josephites, a nickname used to distinguish them from Brighamites, Strangites, Rigdonites, and other competing branches after Joseph Smith’s death.

During the years immediately following Joseph Smith’s death, many scattered Latter Day Saints rejected Brigham Young’s leadership but did not unite under a single alternative figure. Over time, a coalition formed around the idea that Joseph Smith III should eventually assume leadership once he was old enough. In 1860, he formally accepted leadership of what became the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now known as Community of Christ.

The RLDS tradition rejected plural marriage and denied that Joseph Smith had originated polygamy, instead placing responsibility for the practice on Brigham Young and the Utah church. It also rejected many late Nauvoo temple teachings that became central in LDS Mormonism, including the endowment, celestial marriage theology, and most temple ordinances associated with exaltation.

For much of its history, the RLDS church presented itself as the legitimate continuation of the original Restoration while portraying the Utah church as a later corruption of Joseph Smith’s earlier teachings. The movement remained centered largely in the Midwest rather than the American West and developed a culture that was often more cautious toward centralized authority and temple ritual.

Over time, the church moved closer to mainline Protestant Christianity. It placed increasing emphasis on peace, grace, scripture, social justice, and open worship rather than priesthood hierarchy and temple ordinances. This transition accelerated during the twentieth century and eventually led to the church renaming itself Community of Christ in 2001.

Even with those theological changes, Community of Christ remains one of the most historically important branches of Mormonism because it represented the largest long-term alternative to Brigham Young’s movement and preserved an entirely different interpretation of Joseph Smith’s legacy.

Strangites

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly nicknamed the Strangites, followed James Strang, who emerged as one of the most serious rivals to Brigham Young after Joseph Smith’s death in 1844. Strang claimed that Joseph Smith had appointed him as successor through a letter shortly before his death and further asserted that he had received angelic ordination, similar to the foundational claims made by Joseph Smith himself.

At a time when leadership of the movement was deeply uncertain, Strang’s claims attracted thousands of followers, including several prominent early Mormons. For a period in the mid-1840s, his church was one of the largest competing branches in Mormonism and posed a real challenge to the authority of the Twelve Apostles.

Strang attempted to preserve many features of early Mormonism while also introducing his own revelations and teachings. His movement produced additional scripture, practiced gathering theology, and established communities in places such as Voree, Wisconsin, and later Beaver Island in Michigan. Strang also emphasized priesthood hierarchy, ceremonial religion, and prophetic authority in ways that overlapped with parts of Nauvoo-era Mormonism.

Over time, Strang’s leadership became increasingly centralized and controversial. He eventually crowned himself king on Beaver Island in a religious-political ceremony that became one of the stranger episodes in Mormon history. Supporters viewed this as part of a divine theocratic order, while critics saw it as authoritarian excess.

The church declined rapidly after Strang was assassinated in 1856. Without his leadership, most followers scattered or joined other Mormon branches. Small Strangite communities still exist today, though the movement never recovered the influence it briefly held during the years immediately following Joseph Smith’s death.

Rigdonites

TThe Church of Christ, commonly nicknamed the Rigdonites, followed Sidney Rigdon, one of the earliest and most influential figures in Joseph Smith’s church. Before the succession crisis, Rigdon had served as a counselor in the First Presidency and was one of the public faces of early Mormonism. He was deeply involved in Mormon preaching, theology, and leadership during the Ohio and Missouri periods of the movement.

After Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, Rigdon argued that no one could fully replace Joseph Smith as prophet. Instead, he claimed that he should act as a temporary “guardian” over the church until proper leadership could be established. This placed him directly into conflict with Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who argued that the Twelve collectively held the authority to lead the church forward.

Rigdon’s church initially attracted some support, especially among members who distrusted the growing authority of the Twelve or who rejected certain Nauvoo-era developments. Over time, however, the movement fractured and declined. Rigdon eventually organized his own church structure in Pittsburgh, and some later restorationist groups traced portions of their lineage back through his movement.

Wightites

The Church of Jesus Christ, commonly nicknamed the Wightites, followed Lyman Wight, an early Mormon apostle who rejected Brigham Young’s leadership after Joseph Smith’s death. Wight did not see himself as simply breaking away. He argued that he was carrying out earlier instructions from Joseph Smith to establish a Mormon colony in Texas.

Before the succession crisis, Joseph Smith had discussed plans involving Texas, including possible settlement, expansion, and negotiations connected to Mormon safety and political survival. After Smith was killed, Wight treated the Texas plan as unfinished business. Rather than follow the Twelve west to Utah, he led a small group of followers south.

Wight’s Texas colonies were built around the idea that his church remained loyal to Joseph Smith’s original direction, not to Brigham Young’s later leadership claims. The group established settlements in places such as Zodiac and later other Texas locations, but it never grew into a large or stable denomination.

Like several early succession branches, Wight’s church faded after its founding generation. Some members eventually joined other Latter Day Saint groups, including the RLDS tradition, while others simply drifted away.

Hedrickites

The Church of Christ (Temple Lot), commonly nicknamed the Hedrickites, followed Granville Hedrick, a former member of several early Latter Day Saint factions who came to believe that the Restoration needed to return to its earlier form. Unlike the Utah-based church under Brigham Young, Hedrick’s church rejected many Nauvoo-era developments, including plural marriage, temple endowment theology, and the more elaborate priesthood system that became central in LDS Mormonism.

Hedrick and his followers gathered to Independence, Missouri, because early Mormon revelation had identified the area as the center place of Zion. Their church eventually gained control of the Temple Lot, the land where Joseph Smith had designated a future temple site. That property became the defining feature of the movement and remains the reason the group is often called the Temple Lot church.

The church’s theology is generally restorationist and conservative in the sense that it tries to preserve what it sees as the original teachings of Joseph Smith before later expansion. It accepts the Book of Mormon and early Restoration claims, but rejects much of the temple-centered theology that developed in Nauvoo and Utah.

Bickertonites

The Church of Jesus Christ, commonly called the Bickertonite church, traces its origins to William Bickerton, a convert connected to the Sidney Rigdon succession movement after Joseph Smith’s death. Over time, Bickerton helped organize a separate restorationist tradition that attempted to preserve early Mormon beliefs while rejecting many of the teachings that later became central in Utah Mormonism.

The church places strong emphasis on New Testament Christianity, preaching, repentance, baptism, spiritual gifts, and apostolic restoration. Worship services are often centered on sermons, testimony, healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and communal worship rather than temple ritual or ceremonial ordinances.

Unlike the LDS Church, the Bickertonite tradition rejects most Nauvoo temple theology. It does not practice the endowment, eternal sealings, baptism for the dead, temple garments, or the broader exaltation system that developed under Brigham Young. In many ways, the church reflects an earlier form of Mormon restorationism that remained focused on the Book of Mormon, primitive Christianity, and charismatic spiritual experience rather than temple-centered theology.

The church also rejected plural marriage and many later LDS doctrinal developments tied to Utah Mormonism. Because of this, it developed along a very different path from the Utah-based church, despite sharing belief in Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the idea of restored priesthood authority.

Today, The Church of Jesus Christ remains one of the larger non-LDS branches of Mormonism. Although far smaller than the Utah church, it represents an important surviving tradition from the early succession crisis and preserves a version of Mormonism that looks very different from mainstream LDS culture.

Cutlerites

The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite), commonly called the Cutlerites, followed Alpheus Cutler, an early Mormon leader who had been closely connected to Joseph Smith during the Nauvoo period. Cutler had participated in temple construction, priesthood councils, and some of the late Nauvoo ceremonial developments that later became central to Utah Mormonism.

After Joseph Smith’s death, Cutler initially remained connected to the followers of Brigham Young, but tensions gradually developed over questions of authority, succession, and the legitimacy of later leadership structures. Cutler eventually came to believe that the church under Brigham Young had lost divine authority and that certain priesthood keys survived only through him.

The Cutlerite church preserved some Nauvoo-era temple traditions that many other non-LDS branches rejected entirely. Historically, this included forms of temple worship, sacred ceremonial practices, and priesthood-centered theology tied to Joseph Smith’s final teachings. Because of this, the movement occupies a unique position in Mormon history. It rejected Brigham Young’s leadership while still preserving elements of Nauvoo temple theology that most non-Utah branches abandoned.

The church maintained very strong claims regarding priesthood continuity and legitimacy. In Cutlerite belief, authority was not simply inherited institutionally through the Twelve Apostles but depended on specific priesthood commissions and divine authorization connected to Joseph Smith’s final period in Nauvoo.

Whitmerites

The Church of Christ (Whitmerite), commonly called the Whitmerites, centered on David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon. Whitmer remained one of the most important surviving figures from the earliest years of Mormonism and spent much of his later life defending his testimony of the Book of Mormon while criticizing many developments that emerged later in Joseph Smith’s ministry.

Whitmer became increasingly critical of centralized leadership, expanding priesthood structures, temple theology, and what he viewed as doctrinal innovations introduced during the Nauvoo period. He argued that the original Restoration had become corrupted and that the movement needed to return to its earlier form centered on the Book of Mormon, repentance, simple church organization, and the teachings found in the earliest years of the church.

The Whitmerite movement emphasized the authority of the Book of Mormon while rejecting many later institutional and theological developments. This included skepticism toward temple ordinances, elaborate priesthood hierarchy, and some of the later revelations associated with Joseph Smith’s final years. In many ways, the movement reflected an attempt to separate the earliest phase of Mormonism from the later Nauvoo system that developed under both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

The movement itself remained relatively small and fragmented, but Whitmer’s influence extended beyond the size of his church. Because he was one of the Three Witnesses, his testimony carried symbolic importance across nearly every branch of Mormonism. Even groups that rejected his later criticisms still pointed to his witness of the Book of Mormon as foundational evidence for the movement’s truth claims.

Brewsterites

The Church of Christ (Brewsterite), commonly called the Brewsterites, was connected to James Colin Brewster, a young claimant to revelation, and Hazen Aldrich, an early Latter Day Saint leader who supported Brewster’s prophetic claims.

Brewster claimed to receive revelations as a child, and his messages attracted followers during a period when Mormon succession was still unsettled. His revelations included instructions about gathering and eventually pointed followers toward a promised land called Bashan, which was described as a place of refuge and divine preparation.

Gladdenites

The Church of Jesus Christ of Zion, commonly called the Gladdenites, followed Gladden Bishop, an early Mormon leader who rejected Brigham Young’s authority after Joseph Smith’s death and later claimed prophetic authority for himself.

Bishop had previously served in leadership positions during the Nauvoo period, but conflict developed between him and other church leaders. After the succession crisis, he became increasingly outspoken in his criticism of Brigham Young and the direction of the movement under the Twelve Apostles.

Gladden Bishop eventually organized his own church structure and claimed divine authority through visions and revelation. His movement became associated with the name Church of Jesus Christ of Zion and centered on the belief that legitimate prophetic leadership still existed outside the larger Mormon succession groups.

The movement remained small and unstable, with limited long-term organization or institutional development.

Morrisites

The Church of Jesus Christ of the Saints of the Most High, commonly called the Morrisites, followed Joseph Morris, a former LDS member in Utah who claimed prophetic authority during the early 1860s.

Morris taught that he received revelations and divine messages concerning the last days and the imminent return of Christ. His followers gathered around him in Utah during a period when apocalyptic expectation and prophetic authority still carried enormous influence within Mormon culture.

Conflict developed between Morris and the leadership of Brigham Young’s church over revelation, authority, and loyalty. Morris and his followers increasingly separated themselves from LDS control and gathered into their own community near South Weber, Utah.

Tensions escalated after local authorities attempted to arrest Morris and other members of the movement. The confrontation eventually turned violent in 1862 in what became known as the Morrisite War. Armed conflict broke out between Morrisites and territorial militia forces connected to the Utah government. Joseph Morris and several followers were killed during the fighting.

After Morris’s death, the movement fragmented quickly. Some surviving followers later joined other Mormon groups, including portions of the RLDS movement.

Fettingites and Elijah Message Groups

The Church of Christ (Fettingite), commonly called the Fettingites, developed out of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) after Otto Fetting claimed to receive messages from John the Baptist.

Fetting’s messages were originally accepted by many within the Temple Lot church, especially because they dealt with temple construction, authority, and divine instruction for the Restoration. The conflict came later, when additional messages challenged existing leadership and authority structures within the church.

The dispute eventually caused a split. Those who accepted Fetting’s messages as genuine revelation separated from the Temple Lot church and formed what became known as the Fettingite branch. The movement kept many Temple Lot beliefs, including emphasis on Independence, Missouri, the Book of Mormon, and restorationist Christianity, while adding Fetting’s angelic messages as authoritative instruction.

The Church of Christ with the Elijah Message developed from the same general environment after William A. Draves claimed to receive additional messages from John the Baptist. Draves’s revelations continued the message tradition associated with Fetting but created another division among those who accepted angelic instruction.

This church became known for its use of The Word of the Lord, a collection of messages believed by adherents to have been delivered by John the Baptist. These messages shaped the church’s identity, authority claims, and understanding of its role within the Restoration.

The Elijah Message tradition remained closely tied to Independence, Missouri, temple expectations, and the belief that John the Baptist had returned as a messenger to direct the latter-day work.

LeBaronites

The Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, commonly connected with the LeBaronites, emerged from Mormon fundamentalist circles tied to the LeBaron family, especially Joel LeBaron.

Joel LeBaron claimed priesthood authority through a line separate from mainstream LDS leadership and organized his movement around ideas of prophetic authority, plural marriage, and a restored order of priesthood government. The movement was based largely in Mexico, where several Mormon fundamentalist communities had already developed outside direct LDS Church control.

The LeBaron movement later fractured through competing leadership claims within the family. Ervil LeBaron, Joel’s brother, formed a rival faction and claimed higher authority for himself. His leadership became associated with violence, intimidation, and murder, including violence directed against rival fundamentalist leaders and former followers.

Because of these schisms, the LeBaron name became tied not only to Mormon fundamentalist theology but also to some of the most violent episodes in modern Mormon splinter history.

FLDS and Mormon Fundamentalists

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly called the FLDS Church, developed out of Mormon fundamentalist efforts to preserve plural marriage after the LDS Church officially abandoned the practice in 1890.

Many Mormon fundamentalists believed the LDS Church could not legitimately end plural marriage because they viewed it as an eternal commandment tied to exaltation and priesthood authority. Out of this environment emerged competing priesthood claims and underground fundamentalist networks that operated independently from the Utah-based church.

The FLDS tradition is often historically connected to the teachings and priesthood claims of Lorin C. Woolley, who taught that priesthood authority to continue plural marriage had been preserved outside the LDS Church through a separate line of authority. Later fundamentalist organizations developed under different leaders, but Woolley’s claims became foundational to many of them.

The FLDS Church emphasized plural marriage, strict religious hierarchy, prophetic leadership, older forms of temple theology, and priesthood lineage. Members were often taught that the mainstream LDS Church had compromised essential teachings in exchange for social acceptance and legal survival.

Over time, the movement became increasingly isolated and authoritarian under later leaders. Public attention intensified during the leadership of Warren Jeffs, whose control over the church and later criminal convictions brought widespread scrutiny to the group.

Apostolic United Brethren

The Apostolic United Brethren, commonly called the AUB, is a Mormon fundamentalist group that preserved plural marriage and priesthood authority outside the LDS Church.

The movement developed out of the same general fundamentalist environment that emerged after the LDS Church officially abandoned plural marriage. Like other Mormon fundamentalist groups, the AUB teaches that priesthood authority to continue plural marriage survived independently from the mainstream church.

The group became especially associated with leaders such as Rulon C. Allred and later Owen Allred. Compared to some other fundamentalist groups, the AUB developed a reputation for being less isolated from surrounding society. Members often lived in ordinary communities, worked regular jobs, and interacted more openly with the outside world.

The AUB preserves many elements of older Mormon fundamentalist theology, including plural marriage, priesthood hierarchy, temple-oriented beliefs, and the idea that essential teachings were abandoned by the LDS Church. At the same time, the group generally avoided the extreme isolation and rigid communal control associated with organizations such as the FLDS Church.

Because of its relative openness, the AUB became one of the more publicly visible Mormon fundamentalist groups in the modern era.

Kingston Group

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God, commonly called the Kingston Group, developed as a Mormon fundamentalist branch connected to the Kingston family and the Davis County Cooperative Society.

The movement emerged out of the larger Mormon fundamentalist world that formed after the LDS Church abandoned plural marriage. Under leaders such as Charles W. Kingston, the group developed a highly controlled communal structure built around shared economic systems, priesthood authority, and family lineage.

The Kingston Group became especially known for its emphasis on economic communalism through the Davis County Cooperative, which operated businesses and financial systems tied closely to the religious community itself. Loyalty to the group and participation in its internal economic structure became central parts of community life.

The group also emphasized priesthood lineage and internal marriage structures, including plural marriage and closely managed family arrangements. Leadership authority remained heavily concentrated within the Kingston family line, contributing to the church’s insular reputation.

Compared to some other Mormon fundamentalist groups, the Kingston Group maintained a lower public profile for many years, though former members and investigative reporting later brought increased public attention to its internal practices and structure.

True and Living Church

The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days, often shortened to TLC, was founded by James D. Harmston in the 1990s as part of the Mormon fundamentalist tradition.

Harmston taught that the LDS Church had lost divine authority by abandoning earlier teachings and compromising with the modern world. His movement claimed that essential truths connected to priesthood authority, plural marriage, temple theology, and prophetic leadership needed to be restored through a new church structure.

The group preserved plural marriage and emphasized strict priesthood-centered theology. Harmston also claimed visionary experiences and prophetic authority, including teachings connected to exaltation and divine encounters.

The church developed a relatively isolated communal structure and attracted attention for its apocalyptic expectations and authoritarian leadership style. Former members later described strong internal control and intense religious pressure within the movement.

Crossfieldites

The School of the Prophets stream, commonly associated with the Crossfieldites, traces to Robert C. Crossfield and his claimed modern revelations.

Crossfield, also known by the religious name Onias, produced revelations that were later collected in texts such as the Second Book of Commandments. These messages often focused on repentance, judgment, priesthood authority, the failures of existing Mormon institutions, and apocalyptic warnings about the last days.

The movement was not a large denomination in the same sense as the LDS Church, Community of Christ, or the Temple Lot church. It functioned more as an independent Mormon fundamentalist revelation movement, centered on prophetic messages and claims that God was continuing to speak outside established church structures.

The Crossfieldite stream attracted attention mostly because of its additional scripture and its criticism of existing Mormon leadership.

Restoration Branches

The Restoration Branches developed from conservative RLDS members who separated from the Reorganized Church, especially after changes involving women’s ordination, theology, and scripture.

These groups often describe themselves as preserving the earlier RLDS tradition before Community of Christ moved in a more liberal and ecumenical direction. They are decentralized, so practices vary by congregation.

Snufferites / Remnant Fellowships

The Remnant fellowships, sometimes nicknamed Snufferites, are connected to Denver Snuffer and a network of independent restorationist groups that emerged during the early twenty-first century.

The movement grew largely out of dissatisfaction with centralized LDS institutional authority and a belief that modern Mormonism had drifted away from early Restoration teachings. Denver Snuffer became a central figure after publishing theological critiques of the LDS Church and promoting the idea that individuals could seek direct revelation and covenant relationship with God outside institutional control.

The fellowships emphasize personal revelation, covenant renewal, home worship, rebaptism, and attempts to recover what participants view as the original teachings and practices of early Mormonism. Meetings are generally decentralized and locally organized rather than controlled through a formal church hierarchy.

Unlike many earlier Mormon movements, the fellowships do not operate as a single unified denomination with a centralized governing structure. Different groups vary in theology, leadership, and practice, though they are often connected through shared conferences, teachings, scriptures, and restorationist ideas.

The movement also places strong emphasis on continuing revelation and the belief that God can work directly through individuals without requiring institutional mediation through a centralized church organization.

Araneck Movement

The Restored Branch of Jesus Christ is associated with Matthew Gill and a small restorationist movement sometimes connected to the Araneck tradition.

The movement accepts additional scripture beyond the traditional Mormon canon, including texts associated with The Chronicles of the Children of Araneck, such as The Book of Jeraneck and The Book of Rayaneck. These writings function as revealed scripture within the movement and help shape its theology, identity, and understanding of the Restoration.

Like many smaller restorationist groups, the movement centers heavily on continuing revelation and the belief that God still calls prophets and reveals new scripture after Joseph Smith. Its teachings combine familiar restorationist themes with new prophetic material and expanded sacred history.

The movement remains very small and exists largely outside mainstream awareness, but it reflects the continuing pattern within Mormonism of new groups forming around revelation, prophetic authority, and expanded scriptural canons.