The Beginning of the End of the RLDS Church

The RLDS was formed by members of the LDS church. after Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism was killed. His oldest son. Joseph Smith III became its president. 

He was living in Nauvoo, Illinois with his mother and her second husband, and with his brothers, their wives, and children. 

Keeping track of all the family relationships of this large family, has always been difficult. But they began by trying to convert members of the LDS church in Utah. This was a total failure, and their employers, the RLDS in Nothern Illinois, insisted they move there. Their mother stayed behind in Nauvoo. 

The RLDS then bought property in Southen Iowa, founded the city of Lamoni, and moved there. This move to Lamoni was critical to the history of the church. 

While in Lamoni, JSIII consolidated his control of the church. The original members of the church, from Northern Illinois, disappeared. 

He made his son, FM Smith, the next president of the church. This set a dangerous precedence: the President of the church had to be a member of the Smith family. The LDS church in Utah had no such restriction and they grew rapidly. 

His inadequacies as a leader can be summarized as follows:

• He did not keep good records, this made it difficult for anyone (including himself) to tell what going on.
• He restricted leadership in the church to family members, and these became more limited as time went on.