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| United Order | |
|---|---|
| Name | United Order |
| Other name | Law of consecration |
| Established title | Initiated |
| Established date | 1831–1870s |
| Founder | Joseph Smith |
| Region | United States |
| Religion | Latter Day Saint movement |
| Type | Religious communal arrangement |
United Order The United Order was a 19th-century communal arrangement promoted within the Latter Day Saint movement during the era of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other leaders such as Sidney Rigdon and Orson Pratt. Rooted in revelations recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants and practiced in settlements like Kirtland, Ohio, Nauvoo, Illinois, and multiple Utah Territory communities, the Order sought to apply principles of consecration, stewardship, and mutual aid. Its implementation intersected with broader American experiments in communalism and cooperative institutions associated with figures like Robert Owen and movements including Fourierism and Shakerism.
Early theological foundations emerged from revelations given to Joseph Smith in the 1830s, later canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants. These texts directed adherents to consecrate properties to the church and receive stewardship assignments under priesthood direction involving leaders such as Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris. Doctrinal links connected to Book of Mormon narratives and Old Testament precedents like the Law of Moses and the communal provisions described in Acts of the Apostles. The theological rationale drew on concepts articulated by Parley P. Pratt and Orson Hyde, and was debated in councils featuring figures such as Heber C. Kimball and Edward Partridge, the latter appointed as the church’s first bishop to administer consecrations.
Initial implementations occurred in the Kirtland Temple period and in Jackson County, Missouri during conflicts including the Missouri Mormon War and the issuance of the Extermination Order (1838). After the migration to Nauvoo, Illinois, leaders attempted further institutionalization amid the tenure of Joseph Smith and the municipal endeavors of William Law. Following Smith’s death, factions led by Brigham Young, James Strang, Sidney Rigdon, and John Taylor pursued divergent communal policies. Under Brigham Young in the Salt Lake Valley, the Order took shape in cooperative enterprises like the Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) and in settlement patterns at places such as Provo, Utah, Springville, Utah, and St. George, Utah. Parallel attempts occurred among groups connected to Strangite and Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints leadership, including Joseph Smith III.
Practices required consecration of property, the assignment of stewardships, and the recording of deeds by local bishops and councils, roles often filled by leaders such as Edward Partridge, Newel K. Whitney, and John Taylor. Economic operations were managed through institutions including ZCMI, Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society, and cooperative stores inspired by William Clayton and economists like Daniel Pratt. Communal living sometimes utilized united households similar to patterns described by Emma Smith and Eliza R. Snow in poetic and organizational writings. Decision-making occurred within bodies like the High Council (LDS Church) and the First Presidency, and interfaced with territorial structures such as the Territory of Utah legislature and municipalities like Salt Lake City. Record-keeping and stewardship reporting intersected with ecclesiastical offices including the Presidency of the Seventy and the office of bishop.
Variations ranged from centralized cooperative enterprises in Salt Lake City to agrarian experiments at settlements like Orderville, Utah and Kanosh, Utah. Related experiments included non-Mormon projects such as Brook Farm, New Harmony, Amana Colonies, and Oneida Community, each with leaders like George Ripley, Robert Owen, Amos Bronson Alcott, and John Humphrey Noyes. Within the broader movement, branches like the Strangites, Bickertonites, and the Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) adapted consecration principles differently under leaders including James Strang and Joseph Smith III. Industrial and cooperative approaches aligned with national trends exemplified by the Grange movement and later Progressive Era cooperatives.
The Order provoked controversy involving land disputes, legal actions in Missouri and Illinois, and internal dissent exemplified by the Council of Fifty debates, schisms, and apostasy cases such as the William Law episode. Critics compared its methods to European socialists and American communalists like Charles Fourier and Étienne Cabet, sparking public debates involving newspapers in New York City, Chicago, and St. Louis. Tensions with federal authorities surfaced during episodes like the Utah War and in legislative scrutiny by figures including Thomas L. Kane and Alvin Peterson Hovey. Practical difficulties—administrative burdens, economic fluctuations, and migration—led leaders including Brigham Young and later Lorenzo Snow to scale back centralized consecration, favoring tithing reforms and private property norms enforced by territorial courts.
Legacies include institutional descendants such as Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution’s historical role, influences on modern cooperative movements, and doctrinal continuities upheld in teachings by Gordon B. Hinckley, Wilford Woodruff, and Ezra Taft Benson within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Contemporary revivals and reinterpretations appear among communities like Community of Christ initiatives, intentional communities inspired by BYU scholars, and academic studies at institutions like Harvard University, Brigham Young University, and University of Utah. Scholarship by historians including Richard L. Bushman, Jan Shipps, Fawn M. Brodie, and D. Michael Quinn explores socioeconomic impacts, while cultural treatments appear in works covering American communalism and 19th-century religious history.