Finland
Click here to visit the Finland Mormon Newsroom
4,898
Total Church Membership
3
Stakes
29
Congregations
29
FamilySearch Centers
1
Temples
1
Missions
History
During the 1850s and ’60s, a small number of Finns living abroad joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But it was not until 1875 that Church leaders granted a request from Finnish members to have missionaries sent to their relatives back home. The first of these missionaries were Swedish brothers Carl and Johan Sundström, who were sent from Sweden to preach in Vaasa, Finland, where the country’s first branch was soon established. Because Finland was part of the Russian Empire until 1917, legal and social conditions made preaching difficult, and only a few branches were organized before the end of World War II.
After the war, missionaries were trained in Finnish and assigned to cities around the country. Strong congregations with active youth programs quickly developed. In the 1950s, the Book of Mormon was published in Finnish, and Finnish Saints organized their first temple trip for the dedication of the Bern Switzerland Temple. About 20 years later, in 1977, the first stake in Finland was organized in Helsinki.
Finnish Saints had a unique opportunity to act as a light to the world (see Matthew 5:14) when the Soviet Union eased travel restrictions in the late 1980s, bringing Finnish members into contact with Estonians and Russians who found hope in their example of faith. Some were later called to support emerging congregations in the former Soviet Union. In 2006 Finnish Saints joined with fellow Saints from Estonia and Russia to celebrate the dedication of a temple in Helsinki.
For Journalist Use Only
Timo Koponen
+358 44 274 3103
Risto Leppänen
Espoo,
Finland
Phone: +00 358 400 677 128
Africa
Total Church Membership
849,568
Members
2,721
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
6Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1,298,181
Members
2,113
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
10Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
507,748
Members
1,296
Congregations
Missions
35Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
14Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9,637,503
Members
18,423
Congregations
Missions
175Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
120Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
599,065
Members
1,308
Congregations
Missions
17Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
11Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4,320,129
Members
5,629
Congregations