Today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans to construct a new temple in Portland, Maine. The new temple will be the Church's 383rd temple. This marks the first time that a new temple has been publicly announced outside of General Conference since the announcement of the Ephraim Utah Temple on May 1st, 2021.
I will provide an analysis on today's announcement in the coming days.
This morning, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints announced that young women may now begin full-time missionary service at age 18 — the same minimum age as young men
This decision carries significant potential: by providing additional options for young women to serve missions right after high school (or its equivalent), the worldwide full-time missionary force may grow in scale and diversity. It opens a new season of opportunity for women who desire to serve, whether before pursuing further education, entering the workforce, or undertaking other life ventures. While missionary service remains optional for young women, the change reflects a continued evolution in how the Church supports individual choice, preparation, and contribution with its proselytism efforts Effective immediately, young women graduating this year and going forward will be eligible to submit mission applications starting at age 18. Moreover, the recent announcement to create 55 new missions in 2026 will provide additional support to accommodate potentially large influxes in young women serving missions in the next 12 months.
I will provide additional analysis of today's announcement in the coming days.
In late October 2025, the President of the Africa West Area Presidency, Elder Alfred Kyungu, met with Chadian government officials who requested the Church visit the country. The Prime Minister requested the Church continue to provide humanitarian assistance given the current refugee crisis from war in neighboring Sudan. Government officials emphasized that religious freedom is consistently upheld. Although Chad is not a closed country in terms of Christian proselytism, there remain barriers for the Church to obtain government registration primarily due to the absence of a local Latter-day Saint membership base. More information on religious freedom in Chad and registration requirements for religious groups can be found here.
The Church has no official presence in Chad. In the past 25 years, the Church has had isolated members in the country, including in N’Djamena and Doba. Chad is not assigned to any mission and any Church operations are overseen directly by the Africa West Area Presidency. Chad’s government requires all religious organizations to register with the Ministry of Interior, and registration must be initiated by local founding members who undergo background checks and sign the organization’s statutes. Because foreign missionaries or expatriates cannot serve as the legal founders of a new religious group, the Church would need a small number of Chadian Latter-day Saints to act as official signatories before registration could move forward. The absence of a local membership base therefore represents a primary barrier to obtaining legal status in the country.
Given these conditions, the most plausible path toward an eventual Church presence in Chad would likely begin with humanitarian initiatives that build local goodwill and with ministering to any isolated members or contacts already living in the country. As a small core of Chadian Latter-day Saints emerges—whether through members returning from living abroad, personal referrals, or informal home-based worship groups—the groundwork could eventually be laid for formal registration. Until such a membership base develops, however, the Church’s involvement in Chad will remain limited to humanitarian support and occasional administrative visits by area leaders.
Click here to access my analysis of the 55 new missions to be organized in July 2026 on cumorah.com. See below for the figures if you have trouble viewing these on the site when using a mobile device. A PDF of the article can be downloaded or viewed here.
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