Francis Gladden Bishop (January 19, 1809 – November 30, 1864) was a minor leader in the Latter Day Saint movement after the 1844 succession crisis.

In the 1850s, many of Bishop's followers abandoned him and joined the movement that would later become the Church of Christ (Temple Lot).

According to some reports, Mary Hyde Bishop "was a religious enthusiast and previous to [Gladden's] birth had predicted that she would bear a son who would some day gladden the hearts of the people and would be the flying roll which Zacharias [sic] saw with his prophetic eye"[1] (see Zechariah 5:1–4).

In July 1832, Bishop was baptized by Latter Day Saint missionaries at Olean, New York and became a member of the Church of Christ, which had been founded two years earlier by Joseph Smith.

Bishop also became an elder of the church and for a brief period of time in 1833 was president of the congregation of Latter Day Saints at Westfield, New York.

During his mission, Bishop published a short history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

[4] On September 28, the Presiding High Council at Kirtland, Ohio reinstated Bishop and warned him against "advancing heretical doctrines which were derogatory to the character of the Church of the Latter Day Saints".

[5] However, one contemporary commentator stated that "Gladden gave Joseph [Smith] much trouble; was cut off from the church and taken back and rebaptized nine times".

Bishop claimed that although Smith had originally been chosen by God, he had become a "fallen prophet" due to his immorality and other sins.

"[10] Following this event, Bishop claimed that he was "David", "the king that shall reign over the united nation of Israel".

During this period of time, Bishop's leadership attracted the devotion of Martin Harris, one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon and a one-time apostle of the church.

On April 8, following a meeting of his followers in the temple, Bishop received a revelation which stated: "Thus saith the Lord, even Jesus Christ, the everlasting Father—He who was, and is, and is to come—the first and the last: Behold I have again commenced a work on the earth, even that spoken of in the Book of Mormon, when I would bring forth the greater things to those who receive the Book of Mormon.

"And therefore have I again sent mine Holy Angels even as to Joseph [Smith] at the first and put into the hands of my servant Gladden the same sacred things which I put into the hands of my servant Joseph; and also other sacred things which have been hid up, to come forth when I should set up my Kingdom on the earth.

Several of Bishop's followers in Utah began preaching in the streets of Salt Lake City in March 1853.

On March 20, from a wagon in front of the Old Tabernacle, several believers noisily accosted residents as they left church meetings.

When several men attempted to push or pull the wagon out of the area, the city marshal dispersed the crowd.

[13] On March 27, Young made the subject of the Gladdenites the focus of his Sunday sermon in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

"[14] Later polemicists suggested that Young's comments are to be viewed in the context of his belief in the doctrine that apostates must be killed in order to pay for their sin.

[citation needed] Following Young's fiery speech, Apostle Parley P. Pratt delivered a similar sermon in which he attempted to destroy Bishop's credibility: "Why is it that these apostates wish to cram down people's stomachs that which they loathe?

If he was tried before the Councils of the Church, he would confess that he had lied, in pretending to visions, angels, and revelations, and ask forgiveness.

"I wish this community to understand, that what has been said here touching those men and their views has been with no other design than to cause them to use their tongues as they ought, and cease abusing me and this people.

However, when several of the surrounding settlements of unaffiliated Latter Day Saints began meeting together under the direction of John E. Page, Bishop and some of his followers abandoned Crow Creek and moved to Kanesville, Iowa.

During his time in Iowa, Bishop attempted to publish a periodical for his organization entitled Zion's Messenger, which seems to have had only one issue.

Around 1863, "unsavory reports in regard to the orgies which were a part of their Sunday exercises in the windowless church came to the ears of the outside world and created such discussion that their condition became unpleasant to them and their presence obnoxious to the settlers.

In June or July 1864, Bishop travelled to Salt Lake City with the intention of meeting with Brigham Young, allowing the Mormons access to the seven sacred objects he claimed to hold, and ushering in the reign of the Ancient of Days.

He lived quietly in Salt Lake City with his sister for several months and died there during a scarlet fever outbreak in late November 1864.

Zion's Messenger was a periodical written and edited by Gladden Bishop and published in Council Bluffs, Iowa.