On October 14, 2025, Dalin H. Oakes has taken the helm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes called the Mormon Church, a rising world motion anticipated to have greater than 17 million individuals in 2024. Anthropologist Brittany Romanello studied a number of Mormon communities and regarded as their traits of latest leaders in america. Church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has skilled a time of mourning and transition in fresh weeks. On September 28, 2025, a taking pictures and arson assault killed 4 and injured 8 all through a rally at a Mormon church in Michigan. The day earlier than, Church President Russell M. Nelson died on the age of 101. Dalin H. Oaks, the Church’s maximum senior senior chief, used to be named the brand new president on October 14.
The brand new Latter-day Saint president inherits the management of a spiritual establishment this is each deeply American and an increasing number of world. The variety of this motion stands in rigidity with the way it has historically been represented within the media, from the truth tv display The Secret Lives of Mormon Ladies to the Broadway musical The Guide of Mormon.
Dalin H. Oakes (middle, right here in 2016) changed into the 18th president of “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” on the age of 93. Get admission to to this identify is decided at the foundation of seniority. George Frey/AFP
As a cultural anthropologist and ethnographer, I habits analysis on Latter-day Saint communities throughout america, specifically Latin American immigrant ladies and younger adults. When presenting my analysis, I realized that many of us nonetheless carefully affiliate the Church with Utah, the place its headquarters are situated.**
The Latter-day Saint Temple in Cochabamba, Bolivia, used to be devoted in 2000. Parallelepiped09/Wikimedia, CC BI-SA
The church has performed a central position in Utah’s historical past and tradition. As of late, on the other hand, best 42% of its citizens are individuals. The stereotype that Latter-day Saints are essentially white, conservative American citizens is one of the enduring misconceptions about Mormon communities and ideology.**
Many of us are shocked to be informed that there are colourful congregations some distance from the “Mormon Corridor” of the American West. Religious Latter-day Saints will also be discovered far and wide from Ghana and the United Arab Emirates to Russia and mainland China.
General expansion
Joseph Smith based the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in upstate New York in 1830 and right away despatched missionaries to evangelise alongside the frontier. The primary in a foreign country missionaries went to England in 1837.
In a while after International Battle II, non secular leaders revised their missionary way to build up the selection of world missions. This technique has ended in expansion international, specifically in Central The usa, South The usa and the Pacific Islands.
As of late, the Church has greater than 17.5 million individuals, in step with its information. Maximum of them are living out of doors america, unfold over greater than 160 nations.
The church and researchers are monitoring this world expansion, particularly throughout the building of latest temples. Those structures, which aren’t used for Sunday worship however for particular ceremonies akin to weddings, have been as soon as discovered virtually completely in america. As of late they exist in dozens of nations, from Argentina to Tonga.
All through his presidency, which started in 2018, Nelson introduced the development of 200 new temples, greater than any of his predecessors. Temples are a bodily and symbolic illustration of the Church’s dedication to being a world faith, at the same time as cultural tensions persist.
Two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stroll via a missionary coaching middle in Provo, Utah, in 2008. AP Photograph/George Frei
Amongst American individuals, demographics also are converting. 72% of US individuals are white, up from 85% in 2007, in step with the Pew Analysis Heart. The rising selection of Latinos – 12% of america club – performed a very powerful position in keeping up congregations around the nation.
There are congregations in each and every American state, together with the small neighborhood of Grand Blanc, Michigan, the web page of the tragic taking pictures. Suspect Thomas Jacob Sanford, who used to be shot and killed by way of police, lately introduced a tirade in opposition to the Latter-day Saints all through an interview with an area political candidate. Within the days that adopted, an American church member raised loads of hundreds of bucks for the gunman’s circle of relatives.
Greater ache
Regardless of the Church’s variety, its institutional foundations stay firmly anchored in america. Governing our bodies are nonetheless virtually completely white, maximum of whom have been born in america.
Because the Church continues to develop, questions are being raised about whether or not the criteria of the Utah-based church fit the realities of individuals in Manila, Mexico Town, Bangalore or Berlin. What position, even in American congregations, is left for native cultural expression of religion?**
Latin American Mormons and Latin American individuals, as an example, have confronted opposition to cultural traditions regarded as “un-Mormon,” akin to construction altars and choices all through Dia de los Muertos. In 2021, the LDS Church introduced a Spanish-language marketing campaign the use of Day of the Useless imagery to spark pastime amongst Latinos. Many individuals have been overjoyed with this efficiency. Nonetheless, some ladies I spoke with stated the emphasis on whiteness and American nationalism, in addition to the anti-immigrant rhetoric they heard from different individuals, saved them from totally celebrating their tradition.
Even aesthetic main points, akin to musical kinds, continuously replicate a generally American type. The Standardized Hymn Guide, as an example, comprises patriotic songs like “America the Beautiful.” This emphasis on American tradition would possibly appear specifically out of place in nations with prime club charges that experience skilled battle with america army or politics.
Expectancies round get dressed and bodily look additionally raised questions on illustration, belonging and authority. It wasn’t till 2024, as an example, that the Church introduced its individuals dwelling in humid areas variations of the sleeveless holy clothes that Mormons put on below their garments as a reminder in their religion.
Traditionally, the Church regarded as tattoos a taboo – a contravention of the sanctity of the frame. Many areas of the sector have sacred tattoo traditions courting again hundreds of years, together with Oceania, which has a prime charge of Church adherents.
Alternate coming?
Some of the many demanding situations forward, the following president of the LDS Church must work out the way to lead the worldwide church from its American headquarters, a church that continues to be misunderstood and matter to stereotypes, occasionally to the purpose of violence.
The Laie Hawaii Temple opened within the early 1900s, making it one of the crucial oldest within the LDS Church. Kaveh/Wikimedia, CC BI-SA
The selection of Mormons continues to develop in lots of portions of the sector, however with this expansion comes an greater wish to accommodate other cultural sensitivities. The Church, which has at all times been very uniform in its efforts to standardize Mormon historical past, artwork, and instructing, unearths it an increasing number of tricky to take care of that uniformity when congregations span dozens of nations, languages, customs, and histories.
Organizing the LDS Church as a trade, with top-down decision-making, too can make it tricky to handle painful racial histories and the wishes of marginalized teams, akin to LGBTQ+ other folks.
The management transition supplies a chance now not just for the Church, but in addition for most of the people, to higher perceive the a couple of and world dimensions of Latter-day Saint existence nowadays.
