The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Australia
The Australian organisation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, established through missionary work in the 1840s and formally organised as an Australian mission in 1851.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Australia is the Australian presence of the worldwide Latter-day Saint movement. Its history began in 1840, when seventeen-year-old English convert William James Barratt arrived in Adelaide and began sharing the church's teachings. Barratt baptised Robert Beauchamp in 1842, generally regarded as the first Australian convert; Beauchamp later served as a mission president. Additional early activity included Andrew Anderson's work in New South Wales, where a small branch was organised near Wellington by 1844. Formal missionary administration began on 31 October 1851, when John Murdock and Charles W. Wandell established the Australian Mission in Sydney. The missionaries relied heavily on public preaching, pamphlets and printed material, including thousands of copies of a proclamation directed to Pacific communities. The Sydney Branch was organised in January 1852. Early expansion reached Melbourne, Maitland, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, while New Zealand was also incorporated into the Australasian Mission in 1854. The mission was divided into separate Australian and New Zealand missions in 1898. Growth during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was uneven. The church's former emphasis on gathering converts to Utah encouraged many Australian members to emigrate, while Australia's geographic scale, limited missionary staffing, wars and economic depressions made local administration difficult. Missionary activity was also periodically interrupted when missionaries were recalled during the Utah War and the world wars. By the late nineteenth century only a small number of branches remained active, although the organisation gradually developed more stable local leadership. In 1923 the church was officially recognised in Australia as a religious denomination, and membership increased from approximately 600 in 1910 to about 1,169 in 1925. A major turning point came with church president David O. McKay's 1955 visit to Australia. He supported a permanent chapel-building programme, which produced 19 chapels within two years and laid the physical foundation for sustained expansion. The South Australian Mission was created in 1955, and the first Australian stake was organised in Sydney on 27 March 1960. Additional stakes followed in Brisbane and Melbourne later that year. These developments transferred more administrative responsibility to Australian members and allowed mission leaders to concentrate on missionary work. The Sydney Australia Temple, Australia's first Latter-day Saint temple, was dedicated in September 1984. It became a major centre for worship and family religious ceremonies, alongside meetinghouses, local congregations and missionary facilities. The church's Australian operations now include congregations, stakes, missions, temples, humanitarian and welfare activities, family-history work and missionary programmes. The organisation reported 165,272 members in 300 congregations in Australia as of 31 December 2025, making it the largest Latter-day Saint membership and congregational network in Oceania by those measures. Census self-identification was lower: 61,600 people identified as Latter-day Saints in the 2016 Australian census and 57,868 in 2021, reflecting the difference between administrative membership and census religious affiliation.
History
Latter-day Saint activity in Australia began with William James Barratt, who arrived in Adelaide from England in November 1840. Barratt had been ordained an elder before emigrating and was encouraged to proselytise. His best-documented early success was the baptism of Robert Beauchamp in 1842. Beauchamp later became an Australian mission president. Andrew Anderson arrived with his family in 1842 and organised a small branch near Wellington, New South Wales, by 1844. The first official mission administration began in Sydney on 31 October 1851 under John Murdock and Charles W. Wandell. They preached publicly, held meetings and distributed extensive printed material. The Sydney Branch, initially numbering twelve members, was organised on 4 January 1852. Missionaries soon opened work in Melbourne, Maitland, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania. In 1854, Tasmania and New Zealand were added to the Australian field, creating the Australasian Mission. Early activity was constrained by the gold rush, suspicion of foreign missionaries, transportation costs and the size of the country. The church's nineteenth-century policy of gathering converts to Utah had a particularly strong effect in Australia. Hundreds of Australian members emigrated to the United States between the 1850s and 1900, reducing the size and continuity of local congregations. Missionary work was also disrupted by the Utah War, when missionaries returned to the United States, leaving scattered Australian members to maintain congregations. By the 1860s only about 200 members remained, and local organisation weakened. Robert Beauchamp became mission president in 1867, but the mission again entered a period of instability after his resignation in 1874. The Australasian Mission was formally divided on 1 January 1898, with Andrew Smith becoming president of the new Australian Mission. Brisbane became an important centre; the East Brisbane Branch was organised in 1896, and the first Australian Latter-day Saint chapel opened in Woolloongabba in 1904. Membership grew slowly in the early twentieth century. The church increasingly encouraged members to remain in their home countries, but the older emigration culture persisted. Geographic distance, limited missionary numbers, outdated teaching methods and the effects of the First World War restricted expansion. Australian authorities recognised the church as a religious denomination in 1923, and the government permitted the number of missionaries to rise to 40 in 1924. During the interwar years, mission presidents such as Charles H. Hyde and Clarence H. Tingey placed greater emphasis on local leadership. Tingey helped transfer administrative responsibilities from missionaries to local members, created the Austral Star missionary publication in 1930 and encouraged genealogical activity. The Great Depression and the Second World War again reduced missionary staffing. During the Second World War, missionaries were recalled and many Australian members entered military service, leaving local congregations to operate with limited leadership. Expansion accelerated after David O. McKay visited Australia in 1955 and endorsed a substantial chapel programme. Nineteen chapels were established within two years, with further construction planned. The South Australian Mission was created in 1955, and the first Australian stake was organised in Sydney in March 1960. Stakes in Brisbane and Melbourne followed in October. This reorganisation strengthened local governance and supported a broader network of congregations. The Sydney Australia Temple was dedicated in September 1984 as the country's first temple. It complemented the church's meetinghouses and local congregational structure by providing temple worship and ordinances for Australian members. In the twenty-first century, the Australian organisation has continued to operate congregations, missions, temples, family-history programmes, welfare services and humanitarian initiatives. Administrative membership reported by the church reached 165,272 across 300 congregations at the end of 2025, while census self-identification recorded 57,868 people in 2021. The two measures are not directly equivalent: church membership includes people on the organisation's records, including children and individuals who may not currently participate, whereas the census records voluntary self-identification.
- 2025
Reported Australian membership reaches 165,272
[1]The church reported 165,272 members in 300 congregations as of 31 December 2025.
- 1984
Sydney Australia Temple dedicated
[1]The first temple in Australia was dedicated and began operations in September.
- 1960
First Australian stake organised
[1]The Sydney Stake was organised on 27 March, followed by Brisbane and Melbourne stakes later in the year.
- 1955
Chapel-building expansion begins
[1]David O. McKay's visit led to an extensive programme of permanent meetinghouses.
- 1904
First Australian chapel opens
[1]The first Latter-day Saint chapel in Australia opened at Woolloongabba, Brisbane.
- 1898
Australian Mission separated from New Zealand
[1]The Australasian Mission was divided into distinct Australian and New Zealand missions.
- 1851
Australian Mission established
[1]John Murdock and Charles W. Wandell established the mission in Sydney on 31 October.
- 1842
First recorded Australian baptism
[1]Barratt baptised Robert Beauchamp, who later served as a mission president.
- 1840
First missionary arrival
[1]William James Barratt arrived in Adelaide and began introducing Latter-day Saint teachings.
Products and positioning
Religious denomination and community-based faith organisation
Religious worship · 1844
Local congregations
Wards and branches provide regular worship, preaching, religious instruction, pastoral support and community activities for members and visitors throughout Australia.
Temple worship · 1984
Sydney Australia Temple
Dedicated in 1984, the Sydney Australia Temple is the country's first Latter-day Saint temple. It serves temple patrons through ceremonies and ordinances distinct from regular Sunday congregational worship.
Religious outreach · 1840
Missionary programme
Full-time and local missionaries teach the church's beliefs, invite participation in worship and provide community outreach. The programme has operated in changing forms since the arrival of the first missionary in 1840.
Genealogy · 1931
Family-history services
Australian congregations support genealogical research and family-history work, an activity that became more formally organised during the 1930s and remains an important part of Latter-day Saint religious practice.
Brand decisions
1955
Authorise a permanent chapel-building programmeStrategyBackground
Growth was being limited by inadequate permanent facilities and the geographical spread of Australian congregations.
Action taken
Following David O. McKay's visit, the church initiated a national building programme that produced 19 chapels within two years and planned additional facilities.
Aftermath
The programme provided durable meeting spaces, strengthened local congregational life and supported faster membership growth after the 1950s.
1898
Separate the Australian and New Zealand missionsStrategyBackground
The combined Australasian Mission covered a large and diverse territory, making focused administration difficult.
Action taken
Church leaders created separate Australian and New Zealand missions on 1 January 1898.
Aftermath
The change enabled greater attention to Australian missionary areas and local congregational development.
Recent events
- 1984
Sydney Australia Temple begins operations[1]
Product launch
Australia's first Latter-day Saint temple was dedicated and began operating in September 1984.
- 1960
First Australian stake organised in Sydney[1]
Leadership change · Other
The first Australian stake was organised in Sydney on 27 March, followed later that year by stakes in Brisbane and Melbourne.
- 1955
David O. McKay visit leads to chapel expansion[1]
Other
A visit by church president David O. McKay encouraged a permanent building programme and marked a significant acceleration in Australian institutional growth.
- 1898
The Australasian Mission is divided[1]
Other
The former Australasian Mission was separated into Australian and New Zealand missions, permitting more focused administration and missionary work in Australia.
- 1851
The Australian Mission is established in Sydney[1]
Other
John Murdock and Charles W. Wandell formally opened the Australian Mission, creating the first sustained central administration for the church in Australia.
Sources1 sources
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