20th Century Timeline
1900
A New Century
The 20th century begins with 271,681 members in the Latter-day Saints Church in 40 stakes.
October 17, 1901
The Sixth President is Appointed
Joseph F. Smith becomes the sixth president, following the death of President Lorenzo Snow.
April 6, 1904
The “Second Manifesto”
Joseph F. Smith issued the “Second Manifesto” at the April 1904 general conference, clarifying the end of polygamy and attaching the penalty of excommunication for any member of the Church who attempted to enter into a polygamous marriage.
July 4, 1909
Improvements to Church Buildings
The first modern-era permanent church building in California, Liberty Social Hall, was opened a few miles southwest of Gridley. They held their first religious meeting on Independence Day.
July 27, 1913
International Expansion
Joseph F. Smith breaks ground for the first LDS temple, outside of the United States in Alberta, Canada in the settlement of Cardston.
April 27, 1915
The Instigation of the Family Home Evening
In a letter distributed to the local LDS leaders, president Joseph F. Smith encouraged a church-wide practice of a “Family Home Evening” for families to spend time together and study LDS teachings.
November 23, 1918
A Change in Leadership
Just two weeks after the armistice of 1918, Joseph F. Smith passes away on November 19th and Heber J. Grant becomes the seventh president of the LDS Church.
1920
A New Edition
A committee of Apostles, including Elders George F. Richards, Anthony W. Ivins, Joseph Fielding Smith, James E. Talmage, and Melvin J. Ballard oversaw the creation of a new 1920 edition of the Book of Mormon.
Changes were made to enhance readability and study such as grammatical corrections, double column pages, and added chapter summaries.
1937
Changes in the Church
The LDS Church pageant moves from Palmyra, New York to Hill Cumorah, the location where Joseph Smith is said to have discovered the Golden Plates. The pageant is still performed there to this day.
In the mission field, men who are called to English-speaking missions are to serve for two years. For men called to foreign speaking countries, they are to serve for two and a half years. Women called to missions are to serve 18-22 months.
1950
The Global Church
The conclusion of World War II brought about an era of international expansion for the church, and by 1950 there were organized LDS congregations in 50 countries.
1953
The Church Reaches a New Milestone
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reaches over a million members.
1952-1955
The United Church
President David O. McKay traveled across the globe to visit the international church, traveling more miles than all of his predecessors combined. McKay visited many churches in Europe, an isolated mission in South Africa, members in South America, and the South Pacific.
McKay later remarked that his travels brought about “a keener realization on the part of members of the Church that they are not detached entities but are in reality part of the Church as a whole.”
1956
Student-Led Congregations
The Church organized the first ever student-only congregations, beginning at Brigham Young University and expanding to other colleges. These congregations provided guidance and support for college-aged members and offered students leadership opportunities.
Student wards were also established in areas with a substantial number of college-aged members.
1969
The Formation of the Church’s Social Services Department
The Church expanded on existing social services programs, combining them to form the Church’s Social Services Department. This department offered adoption agency services, foster care for disadvantaged youths, and counseling for families and youth.
In addition to combining existing programs, the Department began to sponsor youth day camps, programs for members in prison, and counseling for drug and alcohol abuse.
1971-1972
The Development of Charitable Organizations
The LDS Church established Deseret Trust Company and other charitable organizations for the purpose of providing developing countries with humanitarian aid and “health missionaries” to educate on nutrition, sanitation, and disease prevention.
1972
A New Curriculum
A new systematic curriculum was established for LDS Sunday schools with a focus on Gospel Doctrine. The only texts were the Bible, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. This curriculum was to be studied in an eight year rotation.
June 9, 1978
The 1978 Revelation on Priesthood
After recieving a revelation, President Spencer W. Kimball announced that Black men would now be able to receive ordination to the priesthood.
In addition, male and female Black members were now allowed to receive temple ordinances such as endowment and celestial marriage.
1981
The 1981 Edition
The LDS Church released a new edition of the Book of Mormon with many textual edits and grammatical changes.
One example of a significant grammatical change that affects the verse’s overall meaning is in 1 Nephi 19:23 where in the 1920 edition says “book of Moses” while the 1981 edition says “books of Moses.”
October 23, 1985
The Dedication of the FamilySearch Library
The FamilySearch Library, located in Salt Lake City, is dedicated. It is one of the largest genealogical libraries in the world which is both owned and operated by the LDS church.
The 1980s
The Renewed Call to Tradition
LDS Church members were called to return to traditional values, particularly by studying the Book of Mormon for the purpose of strengthening their faith in Jesus Christ and to receive guidance during times of trials.
1990
Growing Missionary Efforts
The Church’s missionary work continued to expand with the General Missionary Fund being created to help further efforts of members to support missionaries.
In addition, each new missionary was now provided with their first name tag at no cost to them.
1991
A Worldwide Movement
The global membership of the LDS church surpasses 7 million members and the Church ordained their 500,000th missionary since 1830.
February 16, 1996
The Launch of LDS.org
The official website of the LDS church was launched where users could access materials such as the Book of Mormon and other authoritative texts, transcripts from the General Conferences, and a list of official LDS beliefs.
The website was later replaced by ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Works Consulted
“1945–1990 International Growth.” Mormon History, n.d. https://historyofmormonism.com/mormon-history/international_growth_period/.
“Chronology of Mormon History.” Mormon Stories, July 19, 2024. https://www.mormonstories.org/home/truth-claims/chronology-of-mormon-history/.
“Contemporary Developments Period of the Mormon Church.” Mormon History. Accessed July 17, 2025. https://historyofmormonism.com/mormon-history/contemporary_developments_period/.
Cowan, Richard O., and William E. Homer. “Buildings and Blessings: 1950–1964.” BYU Religious Studies Center, 1996. https://rsc.byu.edu/california-saints/buildings-blessings-1950-1964.
———. “Roots and Branches: 1900–19.” BYU Religious Studies Center, 1996. https://rsc.byu.edu/california-saints/roots-branches-1900-19.
Deseret News. “Major Events for the Church, 1900-1909.” Deseret News, January 9, 1999. https://www.deseret.com/1999/1/9/20774405/major-events-for-the-church-1900-1909/.
Lindbloom, Sharon. “Changing the Book of Mormon.” Mormonism Research Ministry, November 12, 2007. https://mrm.org/changing-the-book-of-mormon.
PBS. “Timeline: The Early History of the Mormons.” PBS.org, 2019. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/mormons-timeline/.
Richman, Larry. “LDS.org Is Replaced by ChurchofJesusChrist.org.” LDS365, June 11, 2019. https://lds365.com/2019/06/11/lds-org-is-replaced-by-churchofjesuschrist-org/.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Family Home Evening—100 Years and Counting.” Churchofjesuschrist.org, 2015. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/family-home-evening-100-years-and-counting?lang=eng.
———. “FamilySearch Library.” Churchofjesuschrist.org, 2025. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/familysearch-library?lang=eng
———. “History of the Scriptures.” Churchofjesuschrist.org, 2020. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/about-the-scriptures/history?lang=eng#title21.
———. “The Life and Ministry of David O. McKay.” Churchofjesuschrist.org, 2025. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-david-o-mckay/the-life-and-ministry-of-david-o-mckay?lang=eng.
———. “The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage.” www.churchofjesuschrist.org, n.d. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/the-manifesto-and-the-end-of-plural-marriage?lang=eng.
———. “Timeline: Missions and Missionaries Research Guide.” history.churchofjesuschrist.org, n.d. https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/training/library/missions-and-missionaries-research-guide/timeline?lang=eng.
Wikipedia Contributors. “1978 Revelation on Priesthood.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, July 2, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_Revelation_on_Priesthood.
———. “Mormonism in the 20th Century.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, September 5, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_in_the_20th_century.
Featured photo courtesy of Charles Roscoe Savage, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. All images above are used for educational purposes under fair use.
