Kirtland, Ohio (1831-1838)

The welcome the missionaries received in Kirtland was to have important consequences for the young church. Sidney Rigdon accepted the story Parley Pratt shared with him and joined the movement, soon becoming a trusted associate and scribe for Joseph.

Persecution was increasing in New York, and by January 1831, Joseph encouraged church members there to move to Kirtland. Many of the members already in Kirtland had come to the church from communal organizations where all things were held in common. Joseph provided the church with a Law of Consecration that had four basic principles:

• All persons are equally accountable to God for their economic resources and opportunities.
• Surplus consecrations of individual wealth would create a community storehouse that would distribute resources to the poor and needy.
• Stewards would be economically equal.
• There would be interdependence between communal life and individualism, neither being more important than the other.

Education was important to the early church. Schools for children were opened in Kirtland and education for their ministers also became an important priority. Besides basic subjects, ministerial education included Hebrew and lectures on theology.

A church press was established in Kirtland in 1833. Its purpose was to provide educational materials as well as church periodicals to provide doctrinal articles and inform inquirers about the church.

Kirtland was the hub for missionary activity from 1831-1837. Missionaries crisscrossed Ohio on their way to and from missions to Missouri, New England, the Western Reserve, and England. Missionaries also spent short-term preaching assignments in the city itself. This mission work created some controversy in the surrounding area. Some churches lost members and resented the new denomination. Others ridiculed religious practices of the church.

(Community of Christ archives)

The Kirtland Temple, the "House of the Lord," was a significant spiritual and economic resource. Begun in 1833, it was dedicated in 1836. The building of it provided work for poor immigrants who found it difficult to find work among those who were not members of the church. It also provided a focus for spiritual experiences.

The main floor of the Kirtland Temple was used for various services of worship, and the second floor was a school for the ministry. The third floor contained rooms for the "Kirtland High School" during the day and priesthood meetings in the evening. The west third floor room was Joseph Smith Jr.'s office.

Joseph had continued to bring prophetic guidance to the church through a series of documents. Previous attempts to publish them in a book had failed, but in Kirtland, church members approved the collection and publication of these revelations and the theology and beliefs of the church in the Doctrine and Covenants.

However, all was not well in Kirtland. The church became caught up in the depression of 1837-1838. As did political leaders in many other communities, church leaders in Kirtland tried to set up a bank with Rigdon as secretary and Joseph Smith as treasurer to shore up their failing economy.  

The Ohio legislature did not give them the expected charter, so they decided to do business as the Kirtland Safety Society Anti-Banking Company. Confidence in the venture soon faded, and by the summer of 1837, the bank failed.

(Community of Christ archives)

For many, that was the final straw. Joseph became a focal point of negative reaction. Persecution began again—both from inside and outside the church. Rigdon and Smith were forced to flee for their lives, and in July 1838, members were forced from Kirtland, moving to Daviess County, Missouri.

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