Missions to Missouri surrounded much of the early church experience in other parts of the country. It was while missionaries were on the way to Missouri that they took a detour to Kirtland to share with friends there, a detour that had a definite impact on the church history.

The early mission to Missouri had two primary objectives. One was to share the gospel with the native Americans. A second was to create God’s kingdom on earth, a kingdom they called Zion. Their attempts to preach to the native Americans met with resentment from Missourians who saw the Indians only as savages to be removed out of their way. And their attempts to create God’s kingdom on earth ran counter to the way of life the Missourians enjoyed—a somewhat ribald way of life that prided itself on individualism, that favored or tolerated slavery, and that did not want close contact with the Indians.

Three of the missionaries decided to stay in Missouri,  sending Parley P. Pratt back to Kirtland, by now a significant church gathering point, to report on the prospects in Jackson County.  Joseph was pleased with the report and identified Independence as the focal gathering place for the church. Land was dedicated for a temple, a printing press was established, and a school was established. But problems began to develop. Many of the new settlers were Easterners, and their habits, way of life, and beliefs were far different from those who had chosen to settle in the West. Neither side was totally blameless, but neither seemed willing or able to understand the other’s point of view.

First courthouse in Independence (Community of Christ archives)

In 1833, the church was expelled from Jackson County. Some members went back to Kirtland, but most of them moved to Clay County where they were offered temporary shelter.

Although the Clay County citizens were willing to offer a haven, the numbers of church members grew so rapidly that by 1836, another crisis was reached. The citizens worried about the influx of church members and, although they did not want to use force to remove them, there were discussions and meetings about an appropriate course of action. In June 1836, a formal declaration demanded that the church leave the county.

That summer, the church began negotiations with the Missouri legislature to set up a county that would be a political sanctuary for the church. Caldwell and Daviess counties were chartered in December 1836, and an unwritten agreement set aside Caldwell County for the church.

But turmoil continued. There were disagreements between leaders in the church as well as unrest between church and non-church members, known as "Gentiles." The collapse of Kirtland had brought many people to Caldwell County, and they were spilling over into neighboring counties. "Gentiles" began to fear that church members would soon dominate the economic and political life of "their" counties.

Persecution began again. Church members formed into companies of militia to defend their settlements, and attacks and counterattacks increased. In 1838, tensions came to a boiling point as church members attempted to vote in a local election while others were determined to block them from doing so. This began the "Mormon War," a series of skirmishes between the two groups. 

Governor Lilburn Boggs (Community of Christ archives)

Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an order that the church members must either be exterminated or driven from Missouri altogether. Many of the church leaders, including Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Parley P. Pratt, were jailed on charges of treason and murder. Church members were forced to give up their firearms and, with their leaders in jail, were at the mercy of those who hated them.  In January 1839, the church members left Missouri. Going nearly 200 miles, they finally found temporary shelter in Quincy, Illinois, in March.

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