Strangites

I've been researching the various Strangite believers and groups recently in order to better understand the schisms amongst followers of James J. Strang. For a little background about James Strang and his followers, click here.

Here's what I have figured out so far:

The "main" Strangite church is known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite). They have 2 congregations: one in Burlington, Wisconsin and one in Artesia, New Mexico. They are also known as the "corporate" church amongst Strangite believers outside the main church. They have a placeholder website, basically informing readers that they are not affiliated with other Strangite pages found on the internet. The membership figures of the main church vary widely -- from 50 to 300.

In 1961, the main body, led by Vernon Swift, accepted incorporation at the church's General Conference. To some, incorporation was contrary to the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. and James J. Strang, as they viewed incorporation as the transformation of the church into simply "an appendage to the US Government" and no longer a truly spiritual organization. At this point, some Strangite believers split from the main body, and today there may even be more "unincorporated church" believers than corporate members.

The main body also split around 1966 after a recent French convert to the group, Alexandre Caffiaux, claimed a revelation from God that he was the rightful successor to James Strang. He was able to convince some mainstream Strangites of his claims, and founded the Holy Church of Jesus Christ. Although some fairly recent sources claim Caffiaux still has 2 congregations -- one in France and another in New Mexico -- I have been unable to confirm this information.

There are also currently two unincorporated Strangite groups in existence: one led by Samuel E. West and one led by James Hajicek. In fact, the word "groups" is probably misleading, as there are no congregations of unincorporated church members. In fact, I'm not even aware of Hajicek having any followers, so he may simply be an independent believer. He does claim to have priesthood authority. I am referring to this "group" as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) (Hajicek). Hajicek operates a website at http://strangite.org

Samuel E. West and one of his elders, Thomas Durand operate several websites. West operates http://www.mormonbeliefs.com and http://www.gospelofchrist.org, while Durand operates http://www.strangite.net and http://zionsreveille.org. West claims priesthood authority through a line of ordinations leading back to James Strang. They claim members through the United States and in many foreign countries, including Uganda, Botswana, Djibouti, and Israel, though they do not have any congregations. I am referring to this group as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)(West).

Check out the LDS Movement Wiki for contact information for these individuals and groups.