In an effort to reflect the full name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and better convey the faith’s commitment to follow Jesus Christ, the First Presidency announced today changes to the names of LDS.org, Mormon.org and other Church communication channels.

As a result:

LDS.org has become ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Mormon.org is changed to ComeUntoChrist.org .

Church social media accounts will emphasize the name of the Savior’s Church.

“Jesus Christ is at the center of His Church and we will be blessed as we strive to make Him the center of our lives,” wrote the First Presidency in the letter titled, “Using the correct name of the Church.”

Church websites, social media accounts, mobile apps, and email domains are impacted by the changes.

“This is a complex effort in numerous global languages and much work remains,” wrote the First Presidency in the letter. “We encourage all to be patient and courteous as we work together to use and share the proper name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world.”

President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, his wife, Sister Kristen Oaks, President Russell M. Nelson and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, left to right, leave the rostrum at the end of the Saturday afternoon session of the 188th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. On March 5, 2019, the First Presidency announced changes to the names of LDS.org, Mormon.org and other Church communication channels. Credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

Over time, many Church communication channels in English will become part of ChurchofJesusChrist.org. In coming months, Church websites and social media accounts in other languages will be adjusted following a similar pattern, according to the letter.

The Church’s name came from the Lord Jesus Christ in revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 115:4: “For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

In his October 2018 general conference address, President Russell M. Nelson directed members to call the Church by the name of Jesus Christ “because it is His Church, filled with His power.”

“I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen,” said President Nelson.

Websites

The Church’s official website is now ChurchofJesusChrist.org. This domain name points to the LDS.org home page. In addition, MormonNewsroom.org is now Newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

According to a press release announcing the changes, Mormon.org will eventually be incorporated into the new domain as well. However, “because its primary audience is those outside the Church, merging it with the Church member-focused ChurchofJesusChrist.org will take more time.”

“Work is underway to unify and restructure all these websites into a new, more cohesive and personalized experience under the ChurchofJesusChrist.org domain. Until that time, Mormon.org will change to ComeuntoChrist.org,” according to Newsroom.

Social media

The Church will consolidate several social media accounts and give greater emphasis to the name of the Savior’s Church. These social media channels will publish content more focused on living and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A scene from the Church’s Bible videos depicts the Savior preaching His Sermon on the Mount to a group of people. On March 5, 2019, the First Presidency announced changes to the names of LDS.org, Mormon.org and other Church communication channels.

For example, a new Facebook group has been established to build community and better inform individuals about Church news and updates. This group is called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Inspiration and News.” This group is designed to be a place of community and connection for Latter-day Saints, according to the press release.

Additionally, the Church’s Twitter account username will continue to be called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” with the display name of @ChurchNewsroom and will be the primary source on social media for news from the Church.

Mobile apps

Many of the Church’s mobile apps will be renamed to align with recent direction from Church leaders regarding the naming of Church products.

As a result, LDS Music becomes “Sacred Music.” The Gospel Library app keeps the same name.

Email domain

The email addresses of all Church employees, general Church leaders and many volunteers will begin using the @ChurchofJesusChrist.org domain instead of the current @ldschurch.org. “Like other changes, this adjustment is intended to help keep the name of Jesus Christ prominent in all the Church does,” according to the press release.

Beginning this month, the email domain for full-time missionaries changed from @myldsmail.net to @missionary.org.

Websites Old Updated LDS.org ChurchofJesusChrist.org Mormon.org ComeUntoChrist.org MormonNewsroom.org Newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org Email Domains Old Updated @ldschurch.org @churchofjesuschrist.org @myldsmail.net @missionary.org Apps Old Updated Gospel Library No Change LDS Music Sacred Music LDS Tools — LDS Media Library — Mormon Channel — LDS Youth — LDS Doctrinal Mastery — LDS Authenticator —

History

In 1830 the Church was organized as the Church of Christ. The Church adopted a resolution in 1834 to change the name to the Church of the Latter Day Saints to distinguish it from other Christian denominations of the time.

Then in 1838, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to Joseph Smith that the name of the Church is to be the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Over the years, the Church standardized the spelling and hyphenation of its name, making it The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as it is used today.

Church meetinghouse. Credit: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News, Deseret News

Since the first year of the Church’s founding, critics and others have sought to call the Church and its followers by other names — names Latter-day Saints used out of convenience at first but then came to embrace themselves.

On Aug. 16, 2018, President Nelson released a statement regarding the name of the Church. “The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” he wrote. “We have work before us to bring ourselves in harmony with His will.”

Concluding his October general conference talk, President Nelson said, “So, what’s in a name? When it comes to the name of the Lord’s Church, the answer is ‘Everything!’”