Community of Christ (differentiation From LDS Church) - Recent Transformation in Community of Christ

Recent Transformation in Community of Christ

Significant doctrinal, organizational, and attitudinal changes in the Community of Christ since 1960 have further reduced similarities that remained with the LDS Church. While the doctrine and belief system of the LDS church is highly centralized and systematic, the Community of Christ has demonstrated an adaptive and decentralized approach to doctrine. In 1997, the Community of Christ initiated a three-year formal period of transformation entitled “Transformation 2000,” that was seen by then President of the Community of Christ, W. Grant McMurray as the culmination of a series of changes dating back to 1960. McMurray identified these changes as a movement away from a belief that the denomination was “the restored church” and towards a position within mainstream Christianity. By a vote of 1,979 to 561, at the Community of Christ World Conference of 2000, the name of the church was changed from the “Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” to Community of Christ. The church was attempting to distance itself from comparisons with Mormonism and in the process transform itself into a unique position among mainstream Christian denominations.

As the first president of the Community of Christ since 1830 that was not a direct descendant of Joseph Smith, Jr., McMurray sought to formalize changes in thinking about prophetic leadership, the historical basis of the Book of Mormon, and the concept that priesthood authority had been restored in the 1830s after centuries of apostasy. During his presidency, the church moved from close communion to open communion and McMurray even began to open the door to priesthood ordination for practicing homosexuals, something which he acknowledged was already occurring. Negative response to this issue forced McMurray to reaffirm the official policy prohibiting ordination of sexually active gays and lesbians. However, the church allows those who were ordained against policy, to continue in priesthood office.

Prior to 1960 the church’s identity was often tied to its differences with the much larger LDS church. McMurray cited a 1960 world tour by former president W. Wallace Smith as a pivotal event impacting the evolution of church beliefs. Leaders such as Roy Cheville had already been teaching a new generation of church members a more ecumenical and open-minded system of beliefs. But it was the church’s proselytizing of cultures in countries outside North America that knew little about Christianity, much less Mormonism, that forced reassessment of denominational practices and beliefs. Apostle Charles Neff, a leading church missionary, pushed fellow leaders and field ministers towards a relativistic doctrinal viewpoint motivated by a combination of practical missionary concerns and an attitude of theological openness. These significant moves of the Community of Christ towards alignment with liberal Protestant doctrine were influenced in part by many in church leadership who pursued theological studies at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri, and elsewhere. While the Community of Christ had long been known for its anti-polygamy doctrine, its outreach efforts amongst the Sora people in India brought a re-examination even on this issue.

Former church president Wallace B. Smith’s call for the ordination of women to the priesthood in 1984 was a milestone in the doctrinal evolution of the church away from traditional doctrines and towards progressive Christianity. During his term in office, greater attention was brought to peace and justice issues. The call to dedicate the Independence Temple to “the pursuit of peace” is regarded as both a symbolic and practical evidence of the differences between the two denominations. While the Latter-day Saint church has a set of highly developed temple rituals and sees temples as sacred space for the sealing of covenants related to its celestial doctrine, the Community of Christ understanding of Temple is reflective of the understanding of Temple in the 1830s, that is a center for spirituality, ministerial education, and church administration.

These and other changes comprised a fundamental shift in thinking from restorationism to mainline Protestant liberalism. They have been identified as a deconstructionist trend in the theology of the Community of Christ as well as an obvious set of differences with the LDS Church. These recent differences only added to the list of long-standing doctrinal differences between the two groups. Nearly all of the traditional differences between the two groups also can be seen as aligning the Community of Christ more closely with traditional Christian teaching and neo-orthodoxy.