What are the major sects of Mormonism?

Answer 1

When someone talks about "Mormons", they are almost always referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is by far the largest branch of the Mormonism movement, based in Salt Lake City Utah and claiming nearly 16 million (16,000,000) members worldwide. Also called the LDS Church, it is often called the "mainstream" Mormon church to distinguish it from other branches of Mormonism.Many other churches have come out of the LDS Church over the years, claiming that it's leadership has strayed. The largest of these is the Community of Christ(formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or RLDS) which claims about 250 thousand (250,000) members worldwide and is headquartered in Missouri. The Community of Christ grew out of a dispute over who should be the leader of the church after the death of it's founder, Joseph Smith.Many other groups exist or have existed, and there are also many who call themselves "independent Mormons" that do not claim membership in any officially established sect. Here is a list of most (but not all) of the branches or sects of Mormonism:

Anti-Josephites (rejected Joseph Smith during his lifetime):

Pure Church of Christ (Wycam Clark)
Independent Church of Christ (Hoton)

Church of Christ (Ezra Booth)
Church of Christ (William Parrish)
Alston Church (Isaac Russell)
Church of Christ (William Chubby)
Church of Jesus Christ, the Bride, the Lamb's Wife (George Hinckle)
Church of Christ (Hiram Page)
True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (William Law)

"Josephites" (rejected Brigham Young as Joseph Smith's Successor)
Community of Christ/Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Joseph Smith III)
Church of the Christian Brotherhood (RC Evans)
Church of Jesus Christ Restored (Stanley King)
Church of Jesus Christ (Forrest Toney)
Church of Jesus Christ Restored 1830 (Nolan Glauner)
Church of Christ/Lion of God Ministry (David Clark)
Church of Jesus Christ Zion's Branch (John & Robert Cato)
Lundgren Group (Jeffrey Lundgren)
Restoration Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Frederick Larsen)

-->Hedrickites:

Church of Christ Temple Lot/Hedrickites (Granville Hedrick)

Church of Christ/Fettingites (Otto Fetting)
Church of Christ at Halley's Bluff/Church of Christ at Zion's Retreat (Thomas Nerren)

Church of Christ Restored (AC DeWolf)

Church of Christ with the Elijah Message (William Draves)

Church of Christ (Pauline Hancock)

Church of Christ (Howard Leighton-Floyd)

Church of Israel/Church of Our Christian Heritage (Dan Gayman)

The Church of Christ with the Elijah Message, The Assured Way of the Lord (Leonard Draves)

-->Rigdonites & Bickertonites:

Church of Jesus Christ of the Children of Zion (Sidney Rigdon)

The Church of Jesus Christ (William Bickerton)

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)

Primitive Church of Jesus Christ (James Caldwell)

-->Cutlerites:
Church of Jesus Christ (Alpheus Cutler)

True Church of Jesus Christ (Clyde Fletcher)
Restored Church of Jesus Christ (Eugene Walton)

-->Strangites:
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (James Strang)
Church of Christ (Aaron Smith)

Church of the Messiah (George Adams)
Holy Church of Jesus Christ (Alexandre Caffiaux)

Church of Jesus Christ (Theron Drew)

True Church of Jesus Christ Restored (David Roberts)

Prairie Saints - broke off after leaving Nauvoo and before the polygamy ban:

Church of Christ (Lyman Wight)

Church of Christ (David Whitmer)

Church of Christ (James Brewster)

The Bride, the Lamb's Wife (Jacob Syfritt)
Congregation of Jehovah's Presbytery of Zion/Baneemyites/Conjespresites (Charles Thompson)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Gladden Bishop)

Fundamentalist/Polygamist (broke off when the LDS banned polygamy in 1890):

Council of Friends/Priesthood Council (Lorin Woolley)

Latter Day Church of Christ/Kingston Clan/Davis County Cooperative Society (Elden Kingston)

Apostolic United Brethren (Rulon Allred)

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints/FLDS (Leroy Johnson)

Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times (Joel LeBaron)

Church of the Firstborn (Ross LeBaron)

Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly/Confederate Nations of Israel (Alex Joseph)

Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God (Ervil LeBaron)
Church of the New Covenant in Christ/Church of Christ Patriarchal/Evangelical Church of Christ (John Bryant)

Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Gerald Peterson)

School of the Prophets (Robert Crossfield).

Centennial Park/Second Ward (Marion Hammon & Alma Timpson)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God/Naylor Group/Third Ward (Frank Naylor & Ivan Neilsen)

True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days/TLC Church (James Harmston)

The Church of the Firsstborn and the General Assembly of Heaven (Terrill Dalton)

Church of Jesus Christ Original Doctrine (Winston Blackmore)

LGBT sects:

United Order Family of Christ (David Edward Desmond)

Restoration Church of Jesus Christ/Church of Jesus Christ of All Latter-day Saints (Antonio Feliz)

Other sects:
Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mike Bethel)

Church of the Potter Christ (Arnold Potter)

Church of the Firstborn (Joseph Morris)

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Walter Gibson)

Kingdom of Heaven (William Davies)

Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Most High (John Eardley)

Order of Enoch (James Brighouse)

Third Convention (Abel Paez)

House of Aaron/Aaronic Order/Order of Aaron (Maurice Glendenning)

Zion's Order/Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi (Merl Kilgore)

Perfected Church of Jesus Christ of Immaculate Latter-day Saints/Restored Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ of Immaculate Latter-day Saints (William Conway)

Church of Jesus Christ (Art Bulla)

Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ (Matthew Gill)
Independent Latter Day Saints in Nigeria (Anie Obot)

Independent Latter Day Saints in Ghana (Joseph Johnson)

Apostolic Divine Church of Ghana

The Church of Zion (William Godbe)

To further complicate things, many sects within the Mormonism movement refer to their individual congregations as "branches". So someone might say that they attend the "Riverton Branch" and you wouldn't know which of these sects they claimed membership in.

Answer 2

"Mormonism" generally refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also called the "Mormon" church. This group has over 15 million members worldwide, which is 97-98% of the larger "Mormonism Movement".

There are other groups and sects within the Mormonism Movement, laregely coming out of two major contoversial events in Mormon history. However these generally do not wish to be called 'Mormons' in an attempt to separate themselves from the well-known Mormon church.

The largest groups within the Latter-day Saint or Mormonism Movement are:

"Josephite" groups: (formed because of a dispute over who should take control of the church after the murder of Joseph Smith in 1844.)

The Community of Christ, based in Missouri. Probably the most similar to mainstream Protestant Christianity, and one of the most liberal Mormonism sects. This group has a lesser focus on the Book of Mormon, does not have a tradition of Temple ceremonies, and has been ordaining women to the priesthood since 1985. The Community of Christ claims 250,000 members worldwide. Several groups have broken off of the Community of Christ, forming what are called Restoration Branches. There are approximately 7,000 members of the various Restoration Branches.

Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), based in Pennsylvania. These followed Sidney Rigdon aand William Bickerton after the death of Joseph Smith. Claims 12,000 Members.

Church of Christ (Temple Lot), based in Missouri. These followed Granville Hendrick after the death of Joseph Smith. Claims 2,400 members.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) based in Wisconsin. These followed James Strang following the death of Joseph Smith. Claims 300 members.

Church of Christ with the Elijah Message based in Missouri. Claims 12,000 members.

"Fundamentalist" groups: (formed because of a disagreement over discontinuing the practice of polygamy in 1890.)

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, based in Utah. Is somewhat well known due to the raid on their Texas ranch in 2008. Perhaps one of the most exclusive and closed-off of the Mormonism movement groups, has approximately 10,000 members.

Apostolic United Brethren, based in Utah. Another somewhat well-known group, due to the Brown Family of the TLC hit show 'Sister Wives' being members. Claims approximately 10,000 members.

Several other fundamentalist/polygamist groups exist, most with between 200 and 2,000 members. There are also several thousand independent fundamentalists which do not claim membership in any organized church but practice the tenets of Fundamentalist Mormonism individually or in small groups.