A Brief History of the Church in
Thailand
Overview
Following American missionary Elam Luddington’s short mission in 1854, no further attempts were made to establish the Church in Thailand for more than a century. In 1968, Anan Eldredge, a Thai member who had joined the Church after meeting a Latter-day Saint family in Bangkok, tutored missionaries in Thai language and culture when they first arrived. In 1969, Natthamon D. Limsukon, a member from Chiang Mai, was similarly instrumental in helping missionaries establish local congregations in northern Thailand.
Local members’ outreach and example were critical to the survival of the Church in delicate cultural and political circumstances. Members have hosted cultural events at local meetinghouses, excelled in the arts, organized to clean up after natural disasters, and reached out in love to share the gospel with friends and neighbors.
In 1988, Margaret and Anan Eldredge were called to preside over the Thailand Bangkok Mission. In June 1995, when the Bangkok Thailand Stake was organized, local members accepted callings as stake president, stake Relief Society president, and stake patriarch. Shortly after the announcement of the planned Bangkok Thailand Temple, Saints celebrated the first half century of the Church’s establishment. Truly “by [their] faith with great diligence, and with patience,” the gospel fruit had taken root and become “a tree springing up unto everlasting life” (Alma 32:41).
Quick Facts
Official Name: Kingdom of Thailand / ราชอาณาจักรไทย
Capital: Bangkok
Largest City: Bangkok
Official Languages: Thai
Land Area: 513,120 km2 (198,120 mi2)
Church Area: Asia
Missions: 1 (Bangkok)
Congregations: 41
Temples: 1 (Bangkok)