Succession Crisis Latter Day Saint MovementEdit

The Succession Crisis of the Latter Day Saint movement refers to the factional disputes that erupted after the death of Prophet Joseph Smith in 1844. With the collapse of Smith’s personal leadership, multiple figures claimed to inherit his authority and guide the church through a turbulent transition. The immediate result was a splintering into separate denominations that traced their origins to competing claims of priesthood, revelation, and institutional legitimacy. Over the long run, these divisions helped define the future shape of American Mormonism, with a large, centralized church ultimately forming in the West under Brigham Young, a major eastern affiliate becoming the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now the Community of Christ), and a handful of smaller groups continuing as their own distinct movements.

Background and the framework of succession

Joseph Smith established a church structure centered on priesthood authority, with the First Presidency at its apex and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles serving as a key governing body. When Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed in the aftermath of the 1844 violence at Carthage, Illinois, the question of who should lead the church became contentious. For many adherents, continuing the line of Smith’s prophetic authority through the existing organizational framework seemed essential to preserve doctrinal continuity and the work of gathering Israel. For others, different interpretations of Smith’s teachings and arrangements for succession suggested alternate leaders or lines of authority.

Leading claimants and their movements

  • Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

    • Brigham Young emerged as the strongest organized faction within the Twelve Apostles, emphasizing continuity with Smith’s Latter Day Saint governance and the practical needs of a church soon to be reoriented toward gathering and establishing a community in the western territories. Under Young, the church pursued organized migration to the Rocky Mountain region, creating a durable core for a church-state project in Utah. The Twelve’s authority, reinforced by a broad base of local leadership, became the backbone of what would become the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the long term. See Brigham Young and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

  • Sidney Rigdon

    • Sidney Rigdon, long a close associate of Smith, argued that his position in the First Presidency gave him rightful leadership, and some of his supporters attempted to establish a separate administrative line. Rigdon’s faction quickly waned as organizational loyalty coalesced around the Twelve, but his challenge highlighted how the First Presidency and its counselors were central to defining legitimate succession in the minds of many adherents. See Sidney Rigdon.

  • James Strang

    • James Strang claimed that Smith had designated him as successor and that he possessed directing revelations for the church. He organized a following and established a settlement on Beaver Island, Michigan, where he exercised priesthood authority and conducted church business. Strang’s movement persisted for several years, maintaining its own priesthood structure and scriptures, but it eventually dissolved after Strang’s murder in 1856. See James Strang and Beaver Island (Michigan).

  • Joseph Smith III and the Reorganized Church

  • Other denominations

    • Various smaller groups also claimed continuity with Smith’s movement, including the Temple Lot Church (Church of Christ), which asserted that it maintained the original church’s lineage and temple rights in Independence, Missouri. These groups persisted with divergent practices and teachings, contributing to the broader mosaic of the early Latter Day Saint movement. See Church of Christ (Temple Lot).

Controversies and debates surrounding the crisis

  • Doctrinal legitimacy vs. political legitimacy
    • A central controversy was whether leadership should be determined by a continuing line of priesthood authority following Smith’s death, or whether charismatic claimants could establish legitimacy through visions, revelations, or expectations set by Smith’s last instructions. Proponents of a line-of-succession approach tended to align with the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency, while other factions argued for alternative lines or revelations.
  • The role of the Twelve Apostles
    • The decision to place trust in the Quorum of the Twelve as the primary governing body—especially for a church on the move—had lasting consequences for the structure and culture of the largest branch. Critics from competing factions argued that they could legitimately lead without the same institutional safeguards, while supporters stressed stability and continuity under established priesthood authority. See First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
  • Regional and cultural consequences
    • The crisis precipitated a mass migration to the west and the creation of a distinct religious-political project in what would become Utah. That westward movement hardened regional identities, contributed to the development of cooperative communities, and influenced relations with federal and territorial authorities. See Utah and Mormon migration.
  • The RLDS path vs. the LDS path
    • The formation of the RLDS Church under Joseph Smith III offered a different trajectory—one that emphasized a federated, prophet-led but less expansionist community and a revision of certain practices (notably on polygamy) that became controversial in other branches. See Community of Christ and Polygamy in the Latter Day Saint movement.

Impact and legacy

  • Consolidation of a major western church
    • The Brigham Young-led faction established a durable, centralized church in the western United States, which grew into a large religious movement with extensive social, educational, and political institutions in Utah and surrounding areas. This lineage remains the largest and most influential continuation of Smith’s legacy in North American religious life. See The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  • A parallel eastern and midwestern continuum
    • The RLDS Church, under Joseph Smith III, developed along a different track—more centralized, slower to expand internationally, and often more cautious in its approach to practices like plural marriage. The RLDS Church eventually rebranded as the Community of Christ, reflecting broader ecumenical and mission-oriented ambitions. See Community of Christ.
  • Persisting minority branches
    • The Strangites, Temple Lot, and other minor denominations maintained faith communities by affirming their own interpretations of revelation and church governance. While smaller in scale, these branches preserved historical claims and offered alternative models of religious authority within the broader movement. See Church of Christ (Temple Lot).

See also