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SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will change the names of its major websites to reflect the church's emphasis on Jesus Christ's name, according to a statement released by the church Tuesday.
LDS.org, the church's main page, will change to ChurchofJesusChrist.org, and MormonNewsroom.org, the organization's website for church news, will become Newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The domain name ChurchofJesusChrist.org will now point to the LDS.org home page, but it will take a few months to fully replace LDS.org and MormonNewsroom.org with the new domain names.
Mormon.org will become ComeUntoChrist.org until the church can fully incorporate it into the ChurchofJesusChrist.org domain.
"Because its primary audience is those outside the church, merging it with the church member-focused ChurchofJesusChrist.org will take more time," the statement reads.
The church will also consolidate and change the names of several social media accounts to put more emphasis on the name of Jesus Christ. The channels will also"publish content more focused on living and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ," the statement reads.
A new Facebook group, called "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Inspiration and News," was created to both inform members of church news and updates, as well as become a place of "community and connection."
The church's Twitter account will remain "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" with the handle @ChurchNewsroom. It will be the "primary source on social media for news" from the church..
The email addresses of all Church employees, leaders and volunteers will change from @ldschurch.org to @ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Some of the church's mobile apps will also be renamed to align with what leaders have called the church's "correct name." LDS Music will become "Sacred Music," but the Gospel Library app will remain the same.
"The church is now making changes to many of its communication channels to reflect the faith’s full name and better convey commitment to follow Jesus Christ," the church's statement reads. "More than getting the name right as an institution, the invitation to use the full name of the church is an opportunity for Latter-day Saints to refocus their lives on the living Christ."
Many know the church as the "Mormon" church — a nickname that has persisted through the years. In August 2018, church President Russell M. Nelson, said the church would be making a push to reemphasize the correct name of the church, especially Christ's name.
“The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” President Nelson said in August.
He also asked members of the church to refer to themselves, not as "Mormons," but as "members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" or "Latter-day Saints."
Responses to the announcement of the name clarification have been mixed, President Nelson acknowledged during a general conference of the church in October 2018. However, using the proper name of the church is “not negotiable” because it follows directives given in scripture that the church should be named after Jesus Christ, he added.
Members of the church may encounter confusion, however, if they stumble upon another website with the domain name TheChurchofJesusChrist.org. That website is owned by a smaller religious sect called The Church of Jesus Christ, also known as the "Bickertonite" church.
The Bickertonite church formed when members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints broke away from the original church during its early history. The two churches share many of the same beliefs, though members will notice a distinct difference between the two websites if their domain name search takes them to the wrong site.
"Much work remains, particularly as the church make changes to products in numerous languages throughout the world. The First Presidency asks Latter-day Saints and others to be patient and courteous as changes are made," the church's statement reads.
