A Brief History of the Church in

Lithuania

Overview

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lithuania are few but faithful. Their history has been one of isolation from Church leadership while gathering frequently as a small group to strengthen one another (see Matthew 18:20 and Moroni 6:5).

In 1907 Latter-day Saint missionaries first preached in the modern territory of Lithuania in Memel, Germany (now Klaipėda, Lithuania). During the tumult of World War II, contact with the branch, which was established in 1909, was lost.

No Latter-day Saint missionaries preached in Lithuania while it was part of the Soviet Union. In the late 1980s, however, several Lithuanians were baptized in other countries and eventually returned to Lithuania. Missionaries were reassigned to Lithuania in late 1992 after the country regained independence. While these first missionaries preached only in Russian, within six months, a program to train missionaries in both Russian and Lithuanian was started.

On May 20, 1993, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles traveled to Vilnius and dedicated the land for the preaching of the restored gospel. Since the dedication, the Church in Lithuania has experienced small but sustained growth. Latter-day Saints from Lithuania have served full-time missions, attended the temple, and witnessed the translation of the Book of Mormon into their own language.

Quick Facts

• Official Name: Republic of Lithuania

• Capital: Vilnius

• Largest City: Vilnius

• Official Languages: Lithuanian

• Land Area: 65,300 km² (25,212 mi²)

• Church Area: Europe East

• Missions: 1 (Part of the Baltic Mission)

• Congregations: 5