The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

What's in a name? Today, I will talk to those who are not of my faith and explain the name of our church. At first it seems to be long -- quite a mouthful. But under analysis, one may find it isn't that long at all, and a perfect name for this church.

We are a "Church"

That is, we are an organization of gathering and worshipping. This is similar to all other churches, which all have different structures and different worshipping styles. The purpose is to provide places of meeting together to worship, to teach and preach, and to provide a community where members can help each other, and also provide services to the surrounding community as well. A church is a construct -- something we can join and unify with.

"Jesus Christ" is the center of our Church 

That is, He is the one we worship, praise, and follow. Consider the following commentary from 3 Nephi 27:8-10.

And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you;

And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.

In contrast, you may notice that many other denominations rather go by the name of a man (Lutherans) or a doctrine in which they may stand out (Seventh-day Adventists), a convenient monicker describing the history of the church (Baptists or Methodists), or even some other ominous name (Catholic meaning "Universal"). 

Likewise, you can compare with other Restoration movement denominations who also take on the name of Christ: Disciples of Christ, Church of Christ, Community of Christ, and so on. Thus capturing the idea of: yes, it's important to have Christ central in the name of our church, so we can all remember our main purpose in worshipping.

There are also the Jehovah's Witnesses, a similar naming convention, as Jehovah does indeed seem to be the center of their church, but it's worth pointing out that as per their doctrine, Jesus is separate from Jehovah, and it is the latter they worship. The name of their church successfully captures what their center is.

With this in mind, it is technically incorrect to call my church the "Mormon Church" or call the members "Mormons," because the ancient prophet named Mormon is not the center of our church doctrine and it never has been. Mormon was simply an abridger of the extra set of scripture that we've received called the Book of Mormon, which is meant to be a companion of the Holy Bible, which I'll save for a later discussion.

We are the "Latter-day Saints"

The last bit of the name clarifies the people the Church was created for. Our current epoch is referred to as the "Last Days" or "Latter Days" (think Revelations), and the "Saints" are the members of this church. In other words, I am a Latter-day Saint because I am a member and I live in the Last Days.

This is a subtle, yet important distinction. In reality, there is only ONE Church of Christ. However, this particular manifestation is unique to this current time. While this Church is the same church that Christ created in his time, it is somewhat different in some aspects of its organization. And this is dealing mostly with temporal or mortal concerns. The Early Church had its own mission and goals, and the Latter-day version has different temporal needs and goals, such as reaching a much larger audience. The doctrines may be the same, but there are slight differences in the organization, built to withstand a church of millions (or perhaps billions) of members.

Also, note that it would be incorrect to call us the "Latter-day Saint Church" (or "LDS Church" for short), because that would be like saying it's the "Member Church." On the other hand, it would be correct to call me a "Latter-day Saint," because I am indeed a member.

Bringing it together

And thus we can see that our name is a conglomeration of three parts: 

Church (organization) + Jesus Christ (the center) + Latter-day Saints (the members and timing)

The official name comes from modern-day revelation back in 1838 in D&C 115:4-6 ...

For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations; And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.

But tell me again: why do you still call yourself the "Mormon" Mel?

A good question. I have my reasons, including the results of a very successful PR campaign on the part of Presidents Hinckley and Monson. 

President Nelson (who had died this past month) did an excellent job of reminding us what our Church has always been about: Jesus Christ. But I was already there -- always. I try to do my job in helping people understand the name of our Church, but I'm also maximizing the chances of being heard by outsiders. You can read more about this particular discussion here.

Thanks for reading and let me know -- what do you think about this discussion?