Beginning in 1847 and continuing to the turn of the century, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) were encouraged to gather to Utah, where they formed communities seperated from the evils of the world around them. While Mormonism continues to be closely associated with Utah, in 1989 it is a world-wide church with nearly seven million members, most residing outside of Utah, and many of these in major urban areas. Nevertheless, few studies have been made of how the Church has developed outside of Utah. When the Los Angeles Stake was organized in 1923, it was the first stake in a major urban area. In its sixty-year history the stake has flourished - although not necessarily in the traditional Utah sense - by adapting to its cosmopolitan setting. Because of its inner-city location the stake has been forced to the forefront of the changing nature of Mormonism in general and urban Mormonism in particular.