Mission guide
Illinois Chicago Mission
The Illinois Chicago Mission serves in a city shaped by migration, industry, faith, and enduring Church history.
- English
- Spanish
Illinois Chicago Mission shirts
Every style made for this mission, printed when you order.
Illinois Chicago Mission T-Shirt
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Illinois Chicago Mission Heart Map Shirt
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Illinois Chicago Mission Flag Map Shirt
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Choose size & color →I Glory in My Jesus, in the language of this mission
2 Nephi 33:6 as it reads in the Book of Mormon for each language spoken here.
Weak Things Become Strong, in the language of this mission
"I make weak things become strong" (Ether 12:27) as it reads in the Book of Mormon for each language spoken here.
About the mission
Missionaries speak English and Spanish. Families can expect a setting with four distinct seasons, a large urban population, and communities across the Chicago area.
At a glance
- State
- Illinois
- Main city
- Chicago, 2,721,308 people (2024 estimate)
- Time zone
- Central Time (UTC-6 standard; UTC-5 daylight)
- Climate
- Four distinct seasons, with hot humid summers and cold snowy winters
- Church in Illinois
- 58,832 members, 12 stakes, 121 congregations
- Congregations
- 90 wards and 31 branches
A short history of the area
Chicago grew into a major transportation center after the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the city’s first railway opened in 1848. The Great Chicago Fire destroyed a large part of the city in 1871, but Chicago was rebuilt and later hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893.
The Church here
- 1839Thousands of early Church members fled Missouri for western Illinois to escape persecution and established Nauvoo after draining swamplands along the Mississippi River.
- 1844Church founder Joseph Smith was martyred by a mob in Carthage, Illinois.
- 1846Latter-day Saints were compelled to leave Nauvoo for their safety. Approximately 70,000 Church members later moved through Illinois on their way west between 1846 and about 1866.
- 1870Missionaries from Utah Territory arrived, and the Church began again to establish a presence in Illinois.
- 1889Chicago became the headquarters of the mission serving the northern states.
- 1962The Church began restoring historical sites in Nauvoo.
- 1974The Illinois Chicago Mission name was established after Illinois was separated from the Northern States Mission in 1973.
- 2002The rebuilt Nauvoo Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Temples nearby
Chicago Illinois Temple
Dedicated August 9, 1985 · Near Chicago
Milwaukee Wisconsin Temple
Announced · About 85 miles from Chicago
The Book of Mormon here
Missionaries in this mission share the Book of Mormon in these languages. Tap a cover to read it free.
Cover art is an illustration. Links open the free edition on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Before you go
Phrases to learn
- The Windy CityChicago
- Chi-TownChicago
- Second CityChicago
Foods to try
- Chicago deep-dish pizza (thick-crust pizza baked in a deep pan)
- Chicago-style hot dog (an all-beef hot dog with relish, mustard, peppers, tomato, pickle, celery salt, and a poppy seed bun)
- Italian beef sandwich (thinly sliced beef served with au jus, sweet peppers, or giardiniera)
- Jibarito (a sandwich made with fried green plantains instead of bread)
Fun facts
- Chicago reversed the flow of the Chicago River so that water flowed away from Lake Michigan.
- The world’s first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, was built in Chicago in 1885.
- The first controlled nuclear reaction took place at the University of Chicago on December 2, 1942.
Just got the call?
Turn the opening into a game: family and friends guess where the missionary is going before the reveal.