Oliver Cowdery's Later Life: Why He Left and Rejoined the Mormon Church

How one of Mormonism's founders fell out with Joseph Smith, was excommunicated, and spent years seeking his way back.

By Garret Merkley · Explainer · Jun 3, 2026

Branched from Oliver Cowdery's Contributions to the Book of Mormon Translation

Quick take

Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated in 1838 after disputes with Joseph Smith over church finances and leadership authority.
He spent nearly a decade outside the church, moving to Ohio and Iowa, and even briefly joined other religious movements.
In 1848, Cowdery publicly asked to rejoin the church, was rebaptized, and spent his final years in Utah before his death in 1850.

Oliver Cowdery was one of Mormonism's most important early figures—he served as scribe for much of the Book of Mormon translation and was ordained as Joseph Smith's successor. Yet by 1838, the relationship between the two men had fractured so badly that Cowdery was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What followed was a complicated decade of estrangement, during which Cowdery left the church, lived in different states, and struggled with his identity apart from Mormonism. His eventual return in 1848 was neither triumphant nor simple; it was a quiet, personal reconciliation that reveals much about both the man and the early church's internal tensions.

The Break: Disagreements Over Money and Authority

Cowdery's troubles began in Missouri, where the early Mormon community was establishing itself. The core conflict centered on two things: church finances and who held ultimate authority. Cowdery, as a church leader, became increasingly uncomfortable with how Joseph Smith handled money and property—particularly regarding the 'Law of Consecration,' which required members to deed their possessions to the church. Cowdery believed Smith was using this system to consolidate personal wealth and power. He also objected to Smith's practice of receiving revelations on matters of discipline and doctrine without broader consultation among the leadership.

In 1837–1838, Cowdery openly questioned Smith's decisions and began to distance himself from the prophet's inner circle. When he refused to recant his criticisms, church leaders initiated excommunication proceedings. In April 1838, Cowdery was formally excommunicated on charges including 'disrespecting the presidency' and 'seeking to make the whole church believe that the president of the church was always wrong.' The excommunication was public and humiliating—a formal rejection by the movement he had helped build.

The Years Away: Exile and Searching

After his expulsion, Cowdery moved to Ohio, where he attempted to rebuild his life outside Mormonism. He returned to his earlier profession as a lawyer and scribe, earning a modest living and trying to distance himself from religious controversy. During this period, he was not entirely cut off from Mormonism—he maintained friendships with some church members and followed news of the faith—but he was no longer part of its institutional life. He did not attend meetings, did not participate in ordinances, and was legally and spiritually severed from the community that had defined him for nearly a decade.

What made these years particularly difficult was Cowdery's spiritual uncertainty. He had been a believer; he had not stopped believing in the Book of Mormon or in Joseph Smith's initial revelations. But he had lost faith in Smith as a person and in the church's direction. He briefly explored other religious options, including the Methodist Church, seeking spiritual community without the authority structures that had troubled him in Mormonism. By most accounts, he was a man in limbo—too committed to his original convictions to fully move on, but too alienated to return.

The Return: Reconciliation and Rebaptism

In 1848, a decade after his excommunication, Cowdery made a surprising decision. Joseph Smith had been killed in 1844, and Brigham Young was now leading the church. Cowdery, living in Iowa, publicly announced that he wished to rejoin the Latter-day Saints. He did not make excuses for his earlier criticisms; instead, he framed his return as a personal spiritual reckoning. He felt, he said, that he had been wrong to leave and that God had called him back.

Church leaders, including Brigham Young, accepted his request. Cowdery was rebaptized in November 1848, formally restored to membership. He then made the difficult journey west to Utah, joining the main body of the church as it settled in the Salt Lake Valley. In his final years, Cowdery lived quietly in Utah, was ordained to the priesthood again, and served in minor church roles. He died in 1850 at age 43, just two years after his return.

Why This Matters: Authority, Doubt, and Institutional Power

Cowdery's departure and return illuminate fundamental tensions within early Mormonism. His original objections—about financial transparency, shared decision-making, and the concentration of power in one person—were not paranoid or baseless. They reflected real questions about how religious authority should function. Yet the church's response was to excommunicate him rather than address his concerns. This pattern would repeat with other early leaders who questioned Smith's methods.

Cowdery's story also reveals the psychological cost of religious estrangement. For someone who had staked his identity on being a founder and scribe of a new faith, excommunication was not merely institutional rejection—it was existential. His decade away shows that he could not simply become a secular person or a generic Christian. His eventual return, despite its quietness, suggests that some people cannot fully leave the communities that shaped them, even after serious rupture.

What Cowdery Actually Believed About His Return

Cowdery never recanted his criticisms of Joseph Smith's financial practices or leadership style.
He framed his return as spiritual necessity, not as an admission that his earlier concerns were wrong.
Church leaders accepted his return without requiring him to publicly apologize for his objections, suggesting a pragmatic reconciliation rather than a vindication of Smith's original position.

Did Oliver Cowdery ever explain why he decided to come back?

Cowdery's own writings from the period are sparse, but contemporary accounts suggest he felt a spiritual prompting to return and believed his separation from the church was spiritually harmful to him. He did not frame it as admitting he was wrong about the financial or authority issues; rather, he seemed to view his return as obedience to what he understood as God's will, separate from the question of whether his earlier criticisms were valid.

Did Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery ever reconcile before Smith's death?

No. Smith was killed in 1844, six years before Cowdery's return. There is no documented reconciliation between them during Smith's lifetime. Cowdery's return came after Smith's death, under Brigham Young's leadership, which may have made it easier for both parties—Cowdery did not have to face Smith directly, and Young had no personal stake in the original conflict.

Why did Cowdery wait so long to come back if he still believed?

The gap likely reflects both practical and emotional factors. Cowdery had built a new life in Ohio; the church was geographically distant and, after 1838, actively hostile to him. He may also have needed time to process his anger and disappointment. The death of Joseph Smith in 1844 may have shifted his feelings—with Smith gone, Cowdery could return without feeling he was capitulating to the man he had opposed.

Did the church ever acknowledge that Cowdery's concerns about finances were legitimate?

Not officially or during his lifetime. The church accepted his return but did not issue a statement validating his earlier criticisms. Modern Mormon historians have acknowledged that Cowdery raised real questions about Smith's handling of money and property, but this recognition came long after both Cowdery and the early church leadership had died.

What was Cowdery's role in the church after his rebaptism?

His role was minor. He was ordained to the priesthood again but held no significant leadership position. He lived quietly in Utah and served in local capacities. This humble return—without restoration to his earlier prominence—suggests both that the church was cautious about fully trusting him again and that Cowdery himself may have sought a less visible role after his turbulent history.

Sources

Cowdery excommunication proceedings, April 1838, Joseph Smith Papers Project.
Cowdery's rebaptism and return, November 1848, documented in Latter-day Saint historical records.
Biographical details from 'Oliver Cowdery: The Elusive Second Elder of the Restoration' and related Mormon history scholarship.