Members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have
been in New Zealand since 1854.
The
word saint means a regular member of the Church. Thus, the organisation is
Christs church for members in the days preceding his second coming.
There are now
over 91,000 members of the Church in
New Zealand, part of a worldwide membership of over
11 million.
There are more than 140 chapels in New
Zealand that are used to accommodate the growing
number of congregations.
In 1958, the first temple
in New Zealand was dedicated in Temple View,
Hamilton. Temples focus on the eternal family. The family is
fundamental to the Church's doctrine and
practice.
The Church operates
through a huge, unsalaried ministry. More than 200
bishops and branch presidents, and thousands of other
leaders -men and women - serve congregations throughout the
country.
Close to 400 missionaries from throughout the world serve
in New Zealand, over a quarter of whom are
from New Zealand and Australia. Approximately 100 New Zealand missionaries are also serving
volunteer missions in other countries.
Two missions are
established in New Zealand. Each mission supervises approximately
200 missionaries who are serving
in most New Zealand towns. As well
as sharing the gospel, they also give
community service.