October 2018 New Temple Announcements - Analysis

As noted in my post earlier today, today's historic announcement of twelve new temples sets a new record for the most new temples ever announced on a single day. See below for analysis and background on the Church for each of these twelve locations. Most of these temples appear likely to be small temples given the lack of members in each of these locations. The motivation for the construction of most of these temples appears to be to improve accessibility to temples for members, particularly those who live far from the nearest temple. With these twelve new temples announced, there are now 201 temples in the Church that are announced, under construction, or in operation. Additionally, the Church has posted membership data for several countries that appears current as of October 1st, 2018. This information can be found in the Church's official news release regarding today's announcement.

Mendoza Argentina Temple
The Mendoza Argentina Temple will be the Church's fourth temple to be built in Argentina after the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple (dedicated in 1986), Cordoba Argentina Temple (dedicated in 2015), and the Salta Argentina Temple (announced in April 2018). The Church first established a presence in South America in Argentina in 1925. The Church experienced rapid membership growth during most years in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, followed by moderate membership growth in the 1990s and slow membership growth since the 2000s. Today, there are nearly 459,000 members, 14 missions, 77 stakes, 29 districts, and 756 official congregations (485 wards, 271 branches) in Argentina. Thus far in 2018, membership has increased by 1.48%. If this rate of membership growth is maintained for the remainder of 2018, church membership for the year will increase by 1.97% - the highest annual percentage membership growth reported by the Church in Argentina since 2014. For more Church statistical data for Argentina, click here.

The Church organized its first stake in Mendoza in 1972. The Argentina Mendoza Mission was organized in 1990. There are now four stakes in the Mendoza metropolitan area. The new temple will likely service eight stakes and two districts in Mendoza and San Juan Provinces. 

Salvador Brazil Temple
The Salvador Brazil Temple will be the Church's eleventh temple to be built in Brazil after the São Paulo Brazil Temple (dedicated in 1978), Recife Brazil Temple (dedicated in 2000), Porto Alegre Brazil Temple (dedicated in 2000), Campinas Brazil Temple (dedicated in 2002), Curitiba Brazil Temple (dedicated in 2008), Manaus Brazil Temple (dedicated in 2012), Fortaleza Brazil Temple (announced in 2009 and currently under construction), Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple (announced in 2013 and currently under construction), Belém Brazil Temple (announced in 2016), and the Brasília Brazil Temple (announced in 2017). The Church first established a presence in Brazil in 1928. Slow membership growth occurred until the late 1950s, whereas rapid membership growth occurred most years between 1957 and the late 1990s. Slow-to-moderate membership growth has occurred since the early 2000s. Today there are 1.39 million members, 35 missions, 271 stakes, 38 districts, and 2,110 official congregations (1,689 wards, 421 branches) in Brazil. For more Church statistical data for Brazil, click here.

The Church created the Brazil Salvador Mission in 1990 and organized its first stake in Salvador in 1992. A second mission in Salvador was created in 1994. Today the Church operates four stakes in Salvador. The new temple will likely service 13 stakes and 4 districts in Bahia, Sergipe, and extreme western Pernambuco States.

Yuba City California Temple
The Yuba City California Temple will be the Church's eighth temple to be built in California after the Los Angeles California Temple (dedicated in 1956), Oakland California Temple (dedicated in 1964), San Diego California Temple (dedicated in 1993), Fresno California Temple (dedicated in 2000), Redlands California Temple (dedicated in 2003), Newport Beach California Temple (dedicated in 2005), and Sacramento California Temple (dedicated in 2006). The Church in California reported steady membership growth during the twentieth century until the late 1980s. For the past 30 years, the Church has experienced extremely slow or stagnant membership growth in state as membership has increased from 716,000 in 1989 to more than 760,000 in October 2018. During the past five years, membership has decreased by approximately 20,000 primarily due to members moving away from the state to other areas of the United States. For more Church statistical data for California, click here.

The announcement to build a temple in Yuba City came as a complete surprise to me. Yuba City is a one-hour drive from the Sacramento California Temple. Additionally, the new temple appears likely to only service five or six stakes from Redding on the north to Quincy on the east. The last time a new stake was organized in this area was in 1979. None of stakes in the area appear close to dividing to organize new stakes. The Church has reported slight decreases in the total number of wards and branches in this area within the past decade.

Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple
The Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple is the Church's first temple to be announced for Cambodia and the second temple to ever be announced for mainland Southeast Asia after the Bangkok Thailand Temple (announced in 2015). The Church organized its first branch in Cambodia in Phnom Penh in 1994 and created the Cambodia Phnom Pehn Mission in 1997. Rapid membership growth occurred until the mid-2000s followed by moderate or slow membership growth thereafter primarily due to mission leadership emphasis on strengthening local leadership in Phnom Penh and the establishment of stakes and additional districts. The first two stakes were organized on the same weekend in 2014. The Church reports an official ward or branch in seven cities. Prior to the announcement, Cambodia was the country with the seventh most members without a temple. Today there are more than 14,600 members, one mission, two stakes, four districts, and 29 official congregations (10 wards, 19 branches) in Cambodia. Thus far in 2018, membership has increased by 2.41%. If this rate of membership growth is maintained for the remainder of 2018, church membership for the year will increase by 3.22% - the second slowest annual percentage membership growth ever reported by the Church in Cambodia. For more Church statistical data for Cambodia, click here.

The announcement of the Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple also came as a surprise to me since the Church recently announced the nearby Bangkok Thailand Temple (which has yet to begin construction). A recent rendering of the Bangkok Thailand Temple revealed that the planned design is for a temple among the largest temples ever built by the Church on the Afro-Eurasian landmass with 44,405 square feet of floor area. The new temple will likely include two stakes and six districts located in Cambodia and Vietnam. Cambodia is now the country with the most recent Church establishment that has had a temple announced.

Praia Cape Verde Temple
The Praia Cape Verde Temple will be the Church's first temple ever built in Cape Verde - an island archipelago nation off the West African coast near Senegal. The Church organized its first branch in Cape Verde in 1989 and created the Cape Verde Praia Mission in 2002. The Church reported rapid membership growth during the early and mid 1990s, moderate membership growth in the late 1990s, rapid membership growth in the early 2000s, slow membership growth in the mid and late 2000s, rapid membership growth in the early 2010s, and moderate membership growth in the mid-2010s. Prior to the announcement, Cape Verde was the country with the eighth most members without a temple. Today there are 14,700 members, one mission, three stakes, two districts, and 42 official congregations (24 wards, 18 branches). Thus far in 2018, membership has increased by 3.48%. If this rate of membership growth is maintained for the remainder of 2018, church membership for the year will increase by 4.6% - the slowest annual percentage membership growth rate since 2010. For more statistical data on the Church in Cape Verde, click here.

Cape Verde has stood as an outlier as rapid growth occurred during the early and mid 2010s primarily after a mission president focused on leadership development at a time when there were only 18 branches and no stakes in the country. Although growth has decelerated in the last few years, the Church has risen to prominence in the country and current membership constitutes 2.5% of the national population - the highest percentage of members of any country in Africa, Europe, or Asia. The new temple will likely service only the three stakes and two districts in Cape Verde although the two mission branches in Senegal may be assigned to the temple due to close geographical proximity. Isolated location appears to be the primary factor for the announcement of the new temple since the nearest planned temples to Cape Verde are located in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire and Lisbon, Portugal. 

Yigo Guam Temple
The Yigo Guam Temple is the Church's first temple to ever been announced for the region of Micronesia where the Church has experienced significant growth in the last 40 years. Although the Church reports only one stake on Guam with four wards (additional congregations assigned to the stake are located in the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, and Yap), most neighboring countries report significantly more congregations. The Church numbers among the largest Christian denominations in several Micronesian nations that will likely be assigned to the new temple. The Church has maintained a presence in Guam since World War II and organized the Guam Micronesia Mission in 1980. The Church in Guam has experienced slow growth and currently reports approximately 2,500 members. The first and only stake on Guam was created in 2010. However, other nearby nations that appear likely to be assigned to the temple report significantly larger numbers of members. For example, at year-end 2017 the Church in the Federated States of Micronesia reported 6,217 members and 22 congregations, the Church in the Marshall Islands reported 6,970 members and 12 congregations, and the Church in Kiribati reported 19,690 members and 30 congregations. Altogether, the new temple will likely service members who live in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Nauru where there is a combined total of 36,000 members. The new temple will likely include six stakes and four districts in the Micronesian sub-region of Oceania. The decision to build the new temple on Guam instead of other Micronesian nations with significantly more members appears attributed to Guam's international accessibility, comparatively large population in the region, and availability of land at a sufficiently high elevation above sea level.

Puebla Mexico Temple
The Puebla Mexico Temple will be the Church's fourteenth temple in Mexico after the Mexico City Mexico Temple (dedicated in 1983), Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Temple (dedicated in 1999), Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), Oaxaca Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), Tampico Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), Villahermosa Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), Mérida Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), Veracruz Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2000), Guadalajara Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2001), Monterrey Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2002), and Tijuana Mexico Temple (dedicated in 2015). The Church has had a presence in Mexico since the 1870s although significant growth did not occur until the 1960s. Rapid membership growth occurred between 1960 and the late 1980s, followed by moderate or slow membership growth thereafter. Today the Church in Mexico reports 1.45 million members, 32 missions, 221 stakes, 45 districts, and 1,926 congregations (1,440 wards, 486 branches). The Church in Mexico has undergone a significant consolidation of smaller congregations and stakes to better utilize meetinghouse space, establish stronger leadership, and create congregations with more active members. As a result, the number of congregations has decreased by nearly 100 since early 2017. However, the Church in Puebla State has not experienced noticeable decline in the number of congregations. Instead, the Church in Puebla State has had one new stake organized and the establishment of several new wards and branches during this time.

The Church organized its first stake in Puebla in 1975. A mission was created in Puebla in 1988 followed by a second mission based in the city in 2012. The new temple will likely service 14 stakes and three districts in Puebla State. Puebla was previously one of the cities in the world with the most stakes without its own temple.

Auckland New Zealand Temple
The Auckland New Zealand Temple will be the Church's second temple in New Zealand after the Hamilton New Zealand Temple was dedicated in 1958. The Church has maintained a presence in New Zealand since 1854. Growth has primarily occurred among Pacific Islanders who live in the country, particularly the native Maori population. For example, half of self-identified Latter-day Saints on the 2006 census described their ethnicity as Maori. The Church in New Zealand has generally experienced slow growth throughout its history punctuated with brief periods of rapid or moderate growth. The Church in New Zealand currently reports more than 114,000 members, three missions, 30 stakes, two districts, and 226 official congregations (174 wards, 52 branches).

The Church organized its first stake in Auckland in 1958. There are now 13 stakes in the Auckland metropolitan area. The new temple will likely service 15 stakes in the Auckland area and in Northland. Auckland was previously one of the cities in the world with the most stakes without its own temple.

Lagos Nigeria Temple
The Lagos Nigeria Temple will be the Church's second temple in Nigeria after the Aba Nigeria Temple (dedicated in 2005). The Church in Nigeria has experienced moderate to rapid growth for its entire 40 year history since the first branch was created in 1978. The Church in Nigeria currently reports nearly 174,000 members, seven missions, 53 stakes, 16 districts, and 630 official congregations (378 wards, 252 branches). No other country had only one temple with as many stakes and congregations as Nigeria prior to today's announcement. Additionally, a total of 30 new stakes have been organized in Nigeria just within the past five years. There are another 10 or so stakes that appear likely to be organized within the immediate future. Thus far in 2018, membership has increased by 6.26%. If this rate of membership growth is maintained for the remainder of 2018, church membership for the year will increase by 8.35% - the highest annual percentage membership growth reported by the Church in Nigeria since 2015. For more statistical data on the Church in Nigeria, click here.

The Church has maintained a presence in Lagos since 1979. A mission was organized in Lagos in 1980 and the first stake in the city was created in 1997. Rapid growth has occurred in Lagos during the past 15 years as the number of stakes reached two in 2005, three in 2011, five in 2015, and six in 2018. The new temple will likely service 20 stakes and four districts in Nigeria, and one stake in Benin.

Davao Philippines Temple
The Davao Philippines Temple will be the Church's sixth temple in the Philippines after the Manila Philippines Temple (dedicated in 1984), Cebu City Philippines Temple (dedicated in 2010), Urdaneta Philippines Temple (announced in 2010), Greater Manila Philippines Temple (announced in 2017), and the Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple (announced in April 2018). The Church began missionary efforts in the Philippines in 1961. The first mission in the country was created in 1967. Rapid membership growth occurred until the mid-1990s, followed by moderate or slow growth thereafter. Currently the Church in the Philippines reports more than 780,000 members, 22 missions, 104 stakes, 71 districts, and 1,227 official congregations (671 wards, 556 branches). Thus far in 2018, membership has increased by 1.91%. If this rate of membership growth is maintained for the remainder of 2018, church membership for the year will increase by 2.54% - approximately the annual membership growth rate for the Philippines since 2015. For more statistical data on the Church in the Philippines, click here.

The Church appeared to create its first branch in Davao in 1968. The Philippines Davao Mission was organized in 1977 and the first stake in the city was created in 1981. There are currently three stakes in Davao. The new temple will likely serve six stakes and eight districts in southern Mindanao. The decision to announce a temple for Davao was also unexpected given the announcement of a temple in Cagayan de Oro just six months earlier. As a result, this marks the first time in Church history that the Church has announced two temples for the same island within so short a period of time. Also, the Church has never had two announced temples located on the same island where no temples have been previously constructed.

San Juan Puerto Rico Temple
The San Juan Puerto Rico Temple will be the Church's first temple in Puerto Rico. The Church organized its first branch in this United States territory in 1955. The Puerto Rico San Juan Mission was created in 1979 and the first stake was created in 1980. Rapid membership growth occurred in the 1980s followed by slow membership growth in the 1990s, membership decline in the early 2000s, and slow or stagnant membership growth since the late 2000s. Today there are over 23,000 members, one mission, five stakes, and 40 official congregations (28 wards, 12 branches) in Puerto Rico. The new temple will likely include the five stakes on Puerto Rico as well as two districts in the Lesser Antilles. Puerto Rico was previously the country/territory with the second most members without a temple.

Washington County Utah Temple
The Washington County Utah Temple will be the 20th temple to be built in Utah after the St. George Utah Temple (dedicated in 1877), Logan Utah Temple (dedicated in 1884), Manti Utah Temple (dedicated in 1888), Salt Lake Temple (dedicated in 1893), Ogden Utah Temple (dedicated in 1972), Provo Utah Temple (dedicated in 1972), Jordan River Utah Temple (dedicated in 1981), Bountiful Utah Temple (dedicated in 1995), Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple (dedicated in 1996), Vernal Utah Temple (dedicated in 1997), Monticello Utah Temple (dedicated in 1998), Draper Utah Temple (dedicated in 2009), Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple (dedicated in 2009), Brigham City Utah Temple (dedicated in 2012), Payson Utah Temple (dedicated in 2015), Cedar City Utah Temple (dedicated in 2017), Saratoga Springs Utah Temple (announced in 2017), and Layton Utah Temple (announced in April 2018). The new temple will be the second temple to be built in Washington County after the St. George Utah Temple - the oldest operating temple that remains in possession by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The precise name and location of the new temple remains unknown although likely locations for the new temple include Washington and Santa Clara. The Church has experienced rapid growth in the St. George metropolitan area for many years. Recently, the Church has added an average of one new stake per year in the St. George metropolitan area. There are 28 stakes within the greater St. George metropolitan area.

Twelve New Temples Announced - Largest Number of Temples Ever Announced in a Single Weekend

This afternoon, President Russell M. Nelson announced 12 new temples to be built in the following locations:

• Mendoza, Argentina 
• Salvador, Brazil 
• Yuba City, California 
• Phnom Penh, Cambodia 
• Praia, Cape Verde 
• Yigo, Guam 
• Puebla, Mexico 
• Auckland, New Zealand 
• Lagos, Nigeria 
• Davao, Philippines 
• San Juan, Puerto Rico 
• Washington County, Utah

With these announcements, there will now be 201 temples announced, under construction, or in operation. For more information, click here.

Four New Stakes Created

Guam

Elder L. Tom Perry organized the first stake on Guam last Sunday, named the Barrigada Guam Stake. The new stake was created from the Guam District and each of the five branches became wards. One of the five wards in the new stake functions on neighboring Saipan. In 2010, two countries/territories had their first LDS stakes established, which were Uganda and Guam. The creation of the new stake increases the likelihood of a future LDS temple to be build in Micronesia to service members in the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Kiribati.

Brazil

The Church created the Pacajus Brazil Stake last Sunday from a division of the Fortaleza Brazil East Stake, which had nine wards and two branches. Consisting of five wards and one branch, the Pacajus Brazil Stake includes the Pacajus 1st, Pacajus 2nd, Pedras, Russas, and Tabajaras Wards, and the Aracati Branch. The Tabajaras Ward was formerly a branch prior to the creation of the new stake. LDS Church growth has been among the strongest worldwide in eastern Fortaleza as the Fortaleza Brazil East Stake was created in 2005 and has since divided in 2008 and 2010. The Aracati Brazil District operated from 2003 to 2008 until it was absorbed into the Fortaleza Brazil East Stake and two of its original three branches have since become wards. Growth has occurred in other areas of Fortaleza and a new stake has been created every year in the city since 2005. Located in the northeast of Fortaleza, the Fortaleza Brazil Stake has experienced rapid congregational growth in 2010 as the number of wards has increased from five to eight. The Church announced a temple for Fortaleza in October 2009. There are now 236 stakes in Brazil.

Venezuela

The Maracaibo Venezuela South Stake had 12 wards and two branches and was divided last Sunday to create the new San Francisco Venezuela Stake. Comprising seven wards in the southern areas of Maracaibo, the new stake consists of the Bolivar, El Caujaro, El Sol, La Canada, San Francisco, Union, and Veintecuatro de Julio Wards. The Maracaibo Venezuela South Stake now has five wards and two branches. Prior to the creation of the new stake, the last stake created by the Church in Maracaibo was in 2006. At present, only the Ciudad Ojeda Stake appears close to splitting among stakes in the Maracaibo area. Former LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley visited Maracaibo a decade ago and predicted that a temple would one day be build in the city. Temple attendance at the Caracas Venezuela Temple appears too low currently to merit the construction of a temple in Maracaibo in the immediate future, but prospects appear high for a temple in Maracaibo in the coming decade. There are now 28 stakes in Venezuela and six stakes in the Maracaibo area. For more information about prospects, challenges, and opportunities for LDS Church growth in Venezuela, please read an article recently written by me and David Stewart at Cumorah.com found here.

The Philippines

Becoming the first new stake of 2010, the Church created the Paniqui Philippines Stake from the Paniqui Philippines District last Sunday. The new stake consists of five wards (Anao, Gerona, Moncada 1st, Paniqui 1st, and Paniqui 2nd) and four branches (Cuyapo, Moncada 2nd, Panique 3rd, and Ramos). The stake is located not too far from Urdaneta where the third LDS temple in the Philippines will be constructed in the coming years. The creation of the new stake is a major accomplishment for the Church in that there have been no new stakes created in northern Luzon since 2001 and that several stakes were discontinued in the early 2000s in this area. Dozens of districts appear close to becoming stakes in the near future throughout the Philippines, but low member activity and poor convert retention have delayed the creation of additional stakes and congregations. For more information about the Church in the Philippines, I refer you to another article written by me and David Stewart on Cumorah.com found here.

First Stake to be Created in Guam

The First Presidency has approved the creation of the first stake in Guam, which will be known as the Barrigada Guam Stake. Apostle Elder L. Tom Perry will create the stake on the weekend of December 11th and 12th. The Guam District had only four branches until just a year or two ago, when a fifth branch was created. Missionaries report that branches in the district have high church attendance and that the creation of a stake has come after many years of preparation. The Guam District currently consists of four branches on the island of Guam, and one branch in Saipan (which is part of the Northern Mariana Islands).

Guam is the country/territory with the twentieth most Latter-day Saints (1,971) without a stake according to membership totals reported by the LDS Church at the end of 2009. There were 735 members in the Northern Mariana Islands at the end of 2009. Once the stake is created, only one nation will have a stake and fewer Latter-day Saints than Guam, which is Bahrain. The Church bases the stake for wards and branches on the Arabian Peninsula in Bahrain due to greater religious freedom than neighboring countries and its central geographic location. Bahrain had 281 members and one branch at the end of 2009.