What the Church means by Christian
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints answers “Are Mormons Christian?” this way:
Yes. Mormons, more properly referred to as Latter-day Saints or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, unequivocally affirm themselves to be Christian, or in other words, followers of Jesus Christ.
Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Are Mormons Christian?,” FAQ, accessed August 18, 2026, faq.churchofjesuschrist.org/are-mormons-christian.
The Gospel Topics essay uses the same claim:
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unequivocally affirm themselves to be Christians.
Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Are ‘Mormons’ Christian?,” Gospel Topics Essays (2016), churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/christians.
A 2010 Newsroom blog post, written for journalists, puts the Church’s meaning in one sentence:
What Mormons mean when they say they are Christian is that they follow Jesus Christ.
Source: Nate Nielson, “Are Mormons Christian?,” Newsroom Blog, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, April 19, 2010, newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/blog/are-mormons-christian.
The same post says the Church is not claiming a match with every other Christian tradition:
When Mormons say they are Christian, they are not suggesting that their beliefs line up perfectly with evangelicals or Catholics or other Christians.
Source: Nielson, “Are Mormons Christian?,” Newsroom Blog, April 19, 2010.
What some other Christians mean by creedal
The Newsroom says the argument often talks past itself because the two sides are using different tests. For some other Christians, it writes, Christian is a shorter way of saying creedal Christian:
For them the term “Christian” is often a reference to the more narrow term “creedal Christian”—adherence to a set of creeds formulated centuries after biblical writings, which are not themselves canonical.
Source: Nielson, “Are Mormons Christian?,” Newsroom Blog, April 19, 2010.
The same post names the Nicene Creed and says Latter-day Saints are not asking to be let in by signing it:
Mormons are not interested in parsing semantics or embracing the Nicene Creed or any other post-New Testament creed in order to be accepted by the world of Christian orthodoxy. While there is more common ground between Mormons and creedal Christians than many realize, the differences are also substantial.
Source: Nielson, “Are Mormons Christian?,” Newsroom Blog, April 19, 2010.
Do Latter-day Saints accept those creeds?
The Gospel Topics essay lists the creeds as the first reason some people give for saying the Church is not Christian. The essay states the Church’s position in that list:
Latter-day Saints do not accept the creeds, confessions, and formulations of post–New Testament Christianity.
Source: “Are ‘Mormons’ Christian?,” Gospel Topics Essays (2016).
Later in the same essay:
In short, Latter-day Saints do not accept the post–New Testament creeds yet rely deeply on each member of the Godhead in their daily religious devotion and worship, as did the early Christians.
Source: “Are ‘Mormons’ Christian?,” Gospel Topics Essays (2016).
The essay’s account of why is historical, not a slogan. It says the early Christian view of God changed, and that later creeds mixed Christian teaching with Greek philosophy:
Scholars have long acknowledged that the view of God held by the earliest Christians changed dramatically over the course of centuries. Early Christian views of God were more personal, more anthropomorphic, and less abstract than those that emerged later from the creeds written over the next several hundred years. The key ideological shift that began in the second century A.D., after the loss of apostolic authority, resulted from a conceptual merger of Christian doctrine with Greek philosophy.
Source: “Are ‘Mormons’ Christian?,” Gospel Topics Essays (2016).
Godhead
The Church’s first Article of Faith, quoted on the Godhead topic page, is:
We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Godhead,” Topics and Questions (2023), churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/godhead.
The same page states where Latter-day Saints say they differ:
But where Latter-day Saints differ from other Christian religions is in their belief that God and Jesus Christ are glorified, physical beings and that each member of the Godhead is a separate being.
Source: “Godhead,” Topics and Questions (2023).
And:
Although the members of the Godhead are distinct beings with distinct roles, they are one in purpose and doctrine.
Source: “Godhead,” Topics and Questions (2023).
Restored, not reformed
The Gospel Topics essay also answers a related test: descent from Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant lines. The Church does not claim that descent.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not descend through the historical line of traditional Christianity. That is, Latter-day Saints are not Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestant.
Source: “Are ‘Mormons’ Christian?,” Gospel Topics Essays (2016).
This is the ‘restored,’ not a ‘reformed,’ church of Jesus Christ.
Source: “Are ‘Mormons’ Christian?,” Gospel Topics Essays (2016).
Sources
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Are Mormons Christian?” FAQ. Accessed August 18, 2026. https://faq.churchofjesuschrist.org/are-mormons-christian.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Are ‘Mormons’ Christian?” Gospel Topics Essays. 2016. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/christians?lang=eng.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Godhead.” Topics and Questions. 2023. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/godhead?lang=eng.
- Nielson, Nate. “Are Mormons Christian?” Newsroom Blog. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. April 19, 2010. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/blog/are-mormons-christian.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Style Guide: The Name of the Church.” Newsroom. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/style-guide.