Where We Worship: North Idaho LDS church growing

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in 1830 by founder and first president Joseph Smith. Across the globe, there are 17.5 million members practicing and following their doctrines.

“We have more non-English speaking members than English speaking. The church is evolving,” said Richard Dance, the Church’s North Idaho region communication director.

In North Idaho, specifically, Dance reported the data (June 2025) shows there are more than 23,000 members from Lewiston in the south to Bonner’s Ferry in the north. It is home to eight stakes, which is a group of approximately eight congregations with about 400 members each.

It’s interesting to note that this church landed on its spiritual feet solidly following COVID-19 disruptions. They not only sustained themselves, but rebounded with healthy membership growth.

“We as a church in Northern Idaho have grown 5.33% each year (December 2021-June 2025), which is big and much faster than the average growth in the state of Idaho (0.51%) or even worldwide (3%),” Dance said.

First North Idaho temple on the horizon

Continuous regional growth has spurred the decision to build a temple in Coeur d Alene. It will take several years to complete.

This will be the 10th church temple in Idaho. Dance said more details are soon to come, likely in the next several months. Currently, the nearest Temple for North Idaho members is in Spokane.

According to Dance, the Church has prioritized building temples globally at a clip of 30 a year. “These are magnificent structures with the finest craftsmanship that we believe are houses of the Lord,” Dance said.

Temples are the most sacred places of worship, and only members can attend. The main uses of a temple include proxy baptisms for the dead, sealings (temple marriage), prayer, instruction and quiet contemplation spaces.

Much to learn about Latter-day Saints

The faith principles of this religion and how its congregations worship continue to be somewhat of a mystery to those around them.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a very safe place for families. We’re just normal people,” said Marilyn Griffitts, a long-time Hayden Lake Stake member and communication director. “Whatever your situation in life, we trust Christ can be a source of strength for you.”

Latter-day Saints have a total of four sacred texts that foundationally guide their lives.

“We believe the Bible is the Word of God. We believe the Book of Mormon (written in 1842) to be the Word of God, also,” said Steve Griffitts, former Hayden Lake Stake bishop and current communication director. Their other two books include the Doctrine and Covenants and the “The Pearl of Great Price.”

“We believe that a prophet of God, Joseph Smith, was the first prophet of the restored gospel,” said Steve Griffitts. “We don’t revere him as a savior, but simply as a prophet just like Noah or Abraham in the Bible.”

“It’s just another testament of Jesus Christ on this continent, not the old world,” Steve Griffitts said.

Adapting their ways

Latter-day Saints, like many religions today, are changing how they share their faith and beliefs in an ever-evolving culture around them. The Griffitts provided two recent examples.

“We don’t call ourselves Mormons anymore,” Steve Griffitts said. In 2018, The Church leadership made an official announcement striking the term from the Latter-day Saints vocabulary and requested people stop using it.

“The word Mormon was often used in a derogatory way,” he said. “And people did not think we believed in Jesus.”

Instead, he said the full name (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is a more accurate representation of what they embody in their faith.

A second example of adaption is their well-known reliance on door-to-door gospel preaching.

“Generally, we don’t knock on people’s doors now,” said Marilyn Griffitts. “We discovered it wasn’t effective, and we rely more on personal connections.”

Welcome all to worship

However, one aspect of their faith that hasn’t changed has been their worship service. All members encourage and peacefully invite others to come worship with them, a community of people who seek to be “more Christlike” and want to learn from each other.

“We are clannish, and there is comfort in that,” Marilyn Griffitts.

“But it is all our jobs and definitely within our hearts to welcome anyone who come through our doors,” Steve Griffitts said.

Sunday Church services, called “sacrament meetings,” are held in neighborhood meetinghouses (or buildings). Service times vary based on location. A newcomer can easily identify a convenient worship place by using their online web locator tool.

“All buildings have the same floorplan and blueprint within,” said Steve. “Visitors are welcome to join our meetings at any location,” Steve Griffitts said.

Connecting community and faith

Weekly services follow a two-hour format. The main meeting is called the sacrament meeting and consists of songs, prayers and sermons (or “talks”) by different congregation members. The sacrament (or communion) is offered as bread and water to members only.

The second hour offers participants further study for children and adults. During the week, many youth and adult activities are available in the meetinghouse.

“It is a gathering place for families and our general community,” Marilyn Griffitts said.

Commonly known Latter-day Saints practices continue to anchor their culture and beliefs including: restrictive dietary guidelines (no alcohol, tobacco, coffee, etc.); their worldwide missionary program; and the Church’s unpaid leaders protocols (president, stake bishop and other leadership positions).

Place for genealogy information

Across Northern Idaho, there are 12 Family Research Centers located in Latter-day Saints meetinghouses, and Church members operate these facilities. The number of area centers has tripled in the past three years because of increased need, Dance said. These centers offer free genealogy research (FamilySearch.org), personal volunteer support and on-site computers.

“This is a community resource available to anyone,” Marilyn Griffitts said.

Charity at its core

Giving and helping others are pillars of daily life for a Latter-day Saints member. It is one of the Church’s four missions, and its members follow it with true heart.

“We don’t turn our back on neighbors in need,” Marilyn Griffitts said.

JustServe.org is yet another Church community-focused organization that connects volunteers to service needs locally and across the country.

Offering peace

There is certainly much to tell and know about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“We’re an open book,” Marilyn Griffitts said. “And we welcome questions!”

She hopes anyone who crosses paths with her congregation members recognize what’s truly in their souls and that they follow the teachings of Jesus.

“We have centered ourselves around the first great commandment, which is to love God with all your heart, might, mind and strength and secondly is to love your neighbor as yourself,” Marilyn Griffitts said. “If you can do those two things – you don’t need to worry about the rest.”

This story was written in partnership with FāVS News, a nonprofit newsroom covering faith and values in the Inland Northwest.