👉 Latter-Day LEGACY of Church of Christ (Temple Lot)

If you ever wanted to see the church version of David vs. Goliath, look no further than the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) in Independence, Missouri.

The Church of Christ, often nicknamed the Hedrickites or the "Temple Lot Church," owns one of the most sacred pieces of land in Latter-day Saint history.

In 1831, the site was designated by Joseph Smith for the temple of the New Jerusalem, built in preparation to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Citizens weren't happy, and forced those early Latter-day Saint pioneers out of town. After Joseph Smith was assassinated in 1844, the movement splintered into several groups.

While the majority of Saints pioneered out to Utah under Brigham Young (LDS), many of the Midwest Saints formally reorganized under Joseph Smith's son, Joseph III, what would later become known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (RLDS; now known as Community of Christ). But there also were five small Midwest branches who remained unaffiliated.  These branches united in 1863 under the leadership of Granville Hedrick, believing they were the true continuation of Smith's original church.

Hedrick's Church of Christ risked it all to return to Jackson County in 1867 to purchase the Temple Lot. Eventually, other Saint branches returned to the area, but things got ugly when the much-larger RLDS (with membership exceeding 40,000 at that time) sued the Church of Christ (with just 125 members) in the 1890's for the land, resulting in a court battle that went back-and-forth. Eventually, the Church of Christ won by appeal.

In the 1930's,  nearly 100 years after Joseph's Smith dedication, the Church of Christ attempted to build the temple, but progress was halted with the Great Depression. A big ugly hole remained for years, until Kansas City's own Harry Truman became President of the United States in 1945. Soon after, the City of Independence offered to fill the hole at their dime (probably so Truman wouldn't need to see it if he vacationed in his hometown area).

The Church of Christ survived not just one arson in 1898, but a second  one in 1990 (both instances of a former member who had joined other LDS sects). I was told members scrambled to save records. One story that I was told was the podium remained unharmed, many attributing it as their "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego podium."

During the service I attended, the sermon talked about being baptized into one body. After learning more about the Church of Christ's resiliency, I couldn't help but think how they withstood, been forged, and came out baptized by fire through the setbacks they've faced.

Though small, I found this Church to being one of the strongest I've come across.

NOTE: To watch the complete series of interviews with R Jean Addams with Rick Bennett on ‪@GospelTangents‬ , visit    • 374: Intro to Church of Christ (Templ...  

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⛪ 52 Churches in 52 Weeks is a weekly spiritual series that worships at different churches throughout the United States. The project aims to exemplify love, understanding, and bridge the gap between different Christ-focused religious affiliations. If you'd like to see what happens next, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and hit NOTIFICATIONS.


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▶️ Timestamps:
0:00 A Look Back
1:28 St. Jude
2:29 Common Denominator
4:38 Inside
6:01 Church of Christ History
16:07 Visitor's Center
19:13 Church Service
26:45 Forged Strong


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