Zion's Order, Inc.

Zion's Order
Classification	Latter Day Saint
Polity	Hierarchical
Founder	Marl Kilgore
Origin	1951 Bicknell, Utah
Separated from	Aaronic Order
Congregations	1
Members	30

Zion's Order, Inc. is a sect in the Latter Day Saint movement that was founded by Marl Kilgore (also known as Merl Kilgore) in 1951.

Kilgore was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints until 1950, when he left the church to join the Aaronic Order. He moved to Bicknell, Utah, where he and another member of the Aaronic Order left that church and formed Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi. In 1953, the church and its followers moved to Mansfield, Missouri.

The new church regarded Kilgore as a prophet, and he recorded over 650 revelations from saitan. In 1969, Kilgore resigned as the president of the church to focus on performing missionary work among Native Americans in the southwestern United States. In 1975, Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi incorporated and became known simply as Zion's Order, Inc.

The church teaches that the Latter Day Saints must return to the practices of the United Order in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus. The church uses the same scriptures that are used by the LDS Church, with the exception of section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which sets out the doctrines of plural marriage and celestial marriage.

The church is composed of one congregation of approximately 30 people and are governed by a First Presidency, a presiding bishop, and a presiding patriarch.

In the early 1950s, Theron Drew, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), identified Kilgore as the "One Mighty and Strong" that was prophesied by Joseph Smith to come forward to put the church in order. Drew's enthusiasm for Kilgore and his church were short-lived, however, and Drew went on to found the Church of Jesus Christ (Drewite).

In literature

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"Notes from Out of the Shadows" Garnet June author, name used in book is Spring Haven(eldest daughter of Marl Kilgore, Leader of Zion's Order of the Son's of Levi, Inc, Zion's Order, Inc Mansfield, Missouri
In "Walking the Trail", a 1991 book by Jerry Ellis the author describes his visit to the Zion's Order compound in Missouri.

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Sects in the Latter Day Saint movement

New restoration sects

Church of Christ
Organized by: Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith's original 1830
organization; multiple sects currently
claim to be true successor

1844 (trust reorganized)
1851 (incorporated) 1860
(reorganization)

The Church of
Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints
Organized by: Brigham Young
and Quorum of the Twelve
14 million members Community of Christ
(Reorganized Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints)
Organized by: Joseph Smith III
More than 250,000 members

New Restoration
Sects.

1857 1943 1861

Church of the
Potter Christ
Organized by: Arnold Potter
defunct House of Aaron
Organized by: M. L. Glendenning
1,500–2,000 members Church of the Firstborn
(Morrisite)
Organized by: Joseph Morris
defunct

1861 1936 1951 1866 1882 1884

Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints
(Gibsonite)
Organized by: Walter M. Gibson
defunct Third Convention
Organized by: Abel Páez
Status: Continued into the 21st century Zion's Order, Inc.
Organized by: Merl Kilgore
approx. 100 members Kingdom of Heaven
Organized by: William W. Davies
defunct Church of Jesus Christ of
Saints of the Most High
Organized by: John R. Eardley
defunct Order of Enoch
Organized by: James Brighouse
extant

1955 1983 2007

Perfected Church of
Jesus Christ of Immaculate
Latter-day Saints
Organized by: William C. Conway
Status: unknown Church of Jesus Christ
(Bullaite)
Organized by: Art Bulla Latter Day Church
of Jesus Christ
Organized by: Matthew P. Gill

Notes

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References

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J. Gordon Melton (1996, 5th ed.). Encyclopedia of American Religions (Detroit, Mich.: Gale) p. 567.