Testimonies of Former RLDS Members

You can read the full testimony of each of the people below by simply clicking on their name.

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(Many of these testimonies were originally published in Reorganized Latter Day Saint Church: Is it Christian? by Carol Hansen.)

Peter Elliott , a fifth generation RLDS, grew up in Western Australia. His great-great grandmother converted to Mormonism during the first mission to England before the death of Joseph Smith Jr. Although Peter was immersed in the RLDS world view, his interest in history led him to investigate the church more thoroughly and he came to the point where he couldn't continue believing the RLDS story. He resigned his membership and embarked on a fascinating journey for truth which led him through 40 countries and eventually to the land of Israel. It was at the Garden Tomb that he had a life changing experience with the risen Lord. Peter has written a book "Reasons for Disbelief" about key RLDS issues which will undoubtedly help others to find the truth and be set free.

Greg Marlin was born and raised into one of the smaller sects of Mormonism (RLDS). His family ties go back to the very founding of Mormonism. He became a member of the RLDS faith at the age of eight and never questioned the things taught to him while growing up. He called himself a Christian, and said that he believed, but he had no understanding of genuine Christianity.

Stefanie Ford was a convert to the RLDS Church and attended the Zarahemla Restoration Branch. She and her husband were active in their congregation and Stefanie said it was the love of "the church" that formed the strong bond between them. At the suggestion of her father, Stefanie began an in-depth study of Joseph Smith's teachings and discovered they were not in agreement with the Bible. Her husband, who grew up in the church, agreed with Stefanie's findings and together they made the painful decision to leave the church.

Kathy (Gouldsmith) Lundquist was raised in the RLDS Church, surrounded by many devoted family members, relatives and friends. After graduating from Graceland College she became very involved in church activities. She reached the point in her life where she began having an “unquenchable desire” to study the Bible more in-depth and found that the doctrines she had always been taught in the church were contradictory to what the Bible taught. She discovered that instead of key RLDS proof-texts pointing to a restoration of the gospel, the entire Bible was pointing to Jesus and His death on the cross in payment for our sins. She now rejoices daily for the free gift of salvation she has found in Jesus alone. 

Michele Vaughn was nineteen years old when she became a member of the RLDS church. Before that time she had never attended a church in her life. After she married, she and her husband John moved to the “Center Place” from Olathe, Kansas. They joined an RLDS congregation called Celebration Ministries and became very involved in church activities. While attending this group she and her husband were both called to the priesthood. It was during this time that they decided to do a serious study of the church’s teachings. As a result of their research they left the church. Michelle’s challenge to everyone who reads her testimony is to “seek the truth, love the truth and be saved.”  

Mike and Lisa Buchanan were members of the RLDS Church for twenty-five years and Mike served as pastor of a small congregation in Colorado. The church was the center of their lives. In 1994 they decided to move their family to the “Center Place” with the sincere desire to teach their children the Restoration distinctives. After being challenged to look more closely at the beliefs of the church they began an indepth study of RLDS doctrine and discovered many significant contradictions between the church’s teachings and the Bible. Consequently, they decided to leave the church. They received Christ as their Savior and now rejoice in the understanding that God’s offer of salvation is a free gift paid for by Jesus death on the cross. 

Marja (Parker) Waldon was raised in a devout RLDS family who attended church Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. Joseph and Emma Smith were her heroes. At age seventeen she attended Graceland College and then entered the school of nursing in Independence Missouri, where she later graduated first in her class. It was a little Gideon Bible she was given while in nursing school that played a strategic role in opening her eyes to truth of the Biblical gospel. In April 1970, Marja accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. From that moment on she had a peace, hope and joy that she had never before experienced in her life and she testified; “Whatever crowns I may have earned will have a little Gideon nurse testament engrained on them when I cast them at the feet of our lovely Lord.”  

Jan Moon spent her life searching for the "one true church." She was involved in a variety of religions before converting to the Restoration Movement in 2004. It was when she began the research for a novel she was writing that she started having doubts about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon and especially the RLDS priesthood. After the JCRB/CRE conference in the spring of 2007, she made a prayerful investigation of Joseph Smith's priesthood system comparing it with the Bible. What she found led her out of the RLDS Church and to the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

Christopher Evans was raised by a very loving and caring RLDS family who taught him that "divine truth" was only found in Joseph Smith's church. Chris was a staunch believer in the establishment of Zion. However, after doing a thorough research into the RLDS teachings he realized that his hopes for a literal Zion was only an imaginary utopia. He asked the Lord to show him truth no matter what the cost. God was faithful to answer and Chris now has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Bob Perkins and Elena Perkins attended a restoration branch in Independence, Mo. As they studied the scriptures together they found contradictions within the doctrines of the church and had many unanswered questions. After seeking answers from priesthood members and finding no satisfactory answers they decided to just stay home on Sundays. After their first child was born Elena felt the need to find a church home and began attending Woods Chapel Baptist Church in Blue Springs, Mo. It was there that she accepted Jesus as the Lord and Savior of her life. Bob attended church with her, but it was later at Promise Keepers that Bob surrendered his life to the Lord.

Jenny Farr was a 3rd generation RLDS member and attended the Stewartsville, Missouri congregation. Jenny was taught, and believed, that she was a member of the 'only true church' and that God had restored His original institution through Joseph Smith. In high school Jenny started dating Kevin, a Baptist boy and when their relationship became serious she asked Kevin to attend the RLDS church with her which he agreed to do. After they were married Kevin began to feel unfulfilled spiritually and went back to his Baptist roots. Jenny made an intense study of RLDS doctrine and began to have serious enough doubts about the Church that she knew she had to leave. She accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior and now serves along side her husband who pastors a church in eastern Mo.

Teri Beatty was raised in the Catholic Church but married a 4th generation member of the RLDS church. She and her husband Clyde lived in West Palm Beach, Florida for several years before moving to Independence. Teri's daughter began sharing with her the problems and contradictions in RLDS doctrine that she had found and as a result Teri stopped attending the RLDS church. She visited Eastside Baptist Church where her daughter attended and during a Bible study she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. About the same time she was miraculously healed of an eleven year bout with manic-depression and she praises the Lord daily for His mercy and love.

Todd & Carla Talcott were 6th generation RLDS members. After the RLDS church split in 1984 they began attending a Restoration Branch. They wanted to remain true to the "original gospel" as taught by Joseph Smith. In Dec. 1998 they read "Part Way to Utah: The Forgotten Mormons" by Paul Trask, and were forced to confront the questions and contradictions in church doctrine they had been struggling with. The more they searched the Bible the more problems they found. Finally, as a result of their research, the Lord led them out of "the church" and into a born-again experience for which they give God all the Praise and Glory.

Stace Webb joined the RLDS church as a child with no understanding of the fundamental teachings. As an adult he was called to the priesthood and served as a priest. While preaching a sermon one Sunday he felt he was just going through motions and asked himself the question, "Is this true Christianity?" This questioning led him to seek the answer and he subsequently left the church and accepted Christ as his Savior.