The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daay Saints (RLDS) emerged in Illinois in the late 1850s from a conglomeration of groups that broke from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Originally known as the New Organization, the group opposed the ascendancy of Brigham Young to the head of the LDS church, believing instead that Joseph Smith’s son, Joseph Smith III, was the true heir to his father’s position. They also disagreed with the continuing practice of polygamy in the LDS church. Throughout the 19th century, the RLDS church sent missionaries to Utah in an effort to convert members of the LDS church into their congregation. Despite some initial success, proselytizing slowed when the LDS church banned polygamy in 1890, thus removing the most easily discernable difference between the two groups.

In 1920, Smith’s son, Frederick M. Smith, established the headquarters of the RLDS church at Independence, Missouri, where it remains today. Under the leadership of Church President-Prophet W. Grant McMurray, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed its name to Community of Christ in 2001. Today, led by Stephen M. Veazey, the church boasts approximately 250,000 members in 50 nations.