Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
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Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The FLDS temple at the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado, Texas
Formation 1930
Purpose/focus Church
Headquarters Hildale, Utah
Membership 10,000
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS Church) is one of the largest Mormon fundamentalist denominations[1][2] and one of America's largest practitioners of plural marriage.[3] The FLDS Church emerged in the 1930s when its founding members left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The split occurred largely because of the LDS Church's renunciation of polygamy and its decision to excommunicate practitioners of plural marriage.
The FLDS Church is estimated to have 10,000 members residing in the sister cities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona; Eldorado, Texas; Mancos, Colorado; Creston and Bountiful, British Columbia; and Pringle, South Dakota.[4]
Since its inception in the 1930s, FLDS Church headquarters have been in Hildale, Utah, which is a twin city with Colorado City, Arizona. However, news reports since 2004 have suggested a possible shift of the church's headquarters to Eldorado, Texas, where a temple has been built by FLDS Church members.[5] As of 2007, the church was being led by Warren Jeffs, who succeeded his father Rulon Jeffs in 2002. For nearly two years, Warren Jeffs had been wanted on sex-crimes charges. From May 2006, until his arrest in August 2006, he was on the FBI's Ten Most-Wanted List.[6] On September 25, 2007, Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape[7][8] and was sentenced to ten years to life in prison.[9]
Warren Jeffs formally resigned as the president of the FLDS Church on November 20, 2007.[10] William E. Jessop, Jeffs' first counselor in the FLDS Church presidency, was named by Jeffs as his successor.[11] Some reports[11] have stated that Jeffs never was the leader of the FLDS.
