Verlan LeBaron
| Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times |
|
|---|---|
| Theology | |
| Governance | Hierarchical |
| Headquarters | Colonia Le Baron, Chihuahua, Mexico |
| Founder | Joel LeBaron |
| Origin | 21 September 1955 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Branched from |
Apostolic United Brethren and mainstream LDS Church |
| Separations | Church of the Firstborn (Rival entity founded by Ross Wesley LeBaron, December 1955. By 1962 its missionary work subsumed to a degree into that of the Fulness of Times') Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God (founded by Ervil LeBaron, 1972) Informal schisms: Unknown |
| Number of followers | "A few hundred" in Chihuahua and as many in the Salt Lake City area to, perhaps, 1,000 |
| Other name(s) | Church of the Firstborn, or "LeBaron group" |
| Publications |
Thus Joel taught. 1983. Thus saith the Lord. 2008. |
| Church of the Firstborn (Ross Wesley LeBaron's and mutually rival successors) |
|
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Originally Salt Lake City, Utah (present headquarters disputed) |
| Founder | Ross Wesley LeBaron |
| Origin | December 1955 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Branched from |
UAB and mainstream LDS Church |
| Number of followers | Unknown. (Note: Includes a hundred or more in Collier group; additional number in Green group) |
| Other name(s) | "Collier group," "Green group" (etc.) |
| Publications | Doctrine of the priesthood. vols. 1–18 (+?). |
| Official website | Church-of-the-Firstborn.org |
| Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God |
|
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Los Molinos, Baja California, Mexico |
| Founder | Ervil LeBaron |
| Origin |
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Separated from | Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times |
| Number of followers | Unknown, may have a few adherents in Los Molinos, Baja California, and elsewhere |
The Church of the Firstborn (or, the "LeBaron order") is a grouping of competing factions of a Mormon fundamentalist religious lineage inherited, adherents believe, by a polygamous Latter-day Saint family community that had settled in Chihuahua, Mexico, by Alma Dayer LeBaron, Sr. by 1924. Factions accepting leadership succession by some of Dayer senior's sons self-describe as members of the Church of the Firstborn without a legally formalized organization. What became over time the most substantial faction is that of Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, often shortened as the Church of the Firstborn, which was founded in September 1955 by three of Alma's sons, Joel, R. Wesley, and Floren LeBaron. Since its founding, the order's most notable enclave has been within the jurisdiction of Galeana Municipality, Chihuahua. The LeBarons christened the LeBaron ranch Colonia Le Barón in the 1950s. Especially in more recent years, it is a minor segment of the order that engages in the actual practice of polygamy. A substantial fraction of residents residing on and nearby order members' landholdings at Colonia LeBaron are not affiliated with the order, many of them identifying themselves on census reports as Roman Catholic and most of the remainder as evangélico (Protestant).
The LeBaron family, led by Alma Dayer LeBaron, Sr., affiliated with the leadership of Mormon fundamentalist leader Joseph White Musser beginning in 1936. In 1944, the LeBarons were excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for teaching and practicing plural marriage. For the next 11 years, a number of LeBarons associated themselves to various degrees with Rulon C. Allred's Apostolic United Brethren.
Soon thereafter, various LeBarons declared that their family was possessed of especial priesthood keys of authority to a pre-millennial demi-messianic office or offices, in the restored earthly kingdom of God, with their ultimate leader said to possess this Right of the Firstborn becoming variously titled for example the One Mighty and Strong, the Presiding Patriarch in All the World, and so forth, the LeBarons' believing him the rightful heir of Joseph Smith Jr.'s mantle as leader of the early Latter Day Saints' Council of Fifty (via early Latter Day Saint Council of Fifty member Benjamin F. Johnson). On 21 September 1955, Joel LeBaron and his brothers Ross and Floren visited Salt Lake City, Utah, and there organized the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times; Joel was ordained President of the Church, with Floren as first counselor in the First Presidency and Ross as head patriarch. Shortly thereafter, Joel reported being visited by nineteen former prophets, including Jesus, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and Joseph Smith. In early 1956, the LeBaron brothers returned to Chihuahua. Their father Alma and brother Ervil became the fourth and fifth members of the new church; their mother Maud also eventually joined. Several months later, Ervil LeBaron published a pamphlet titled "Priesthood Expounded", which became a foundational text for the order.
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