With General Conference only a couple weeks away, I have updated my temple prediction map. This most recent iteration of the map includes two additional sites for temples that may be likely to be announced within the near future, namely Lagos, Nigeria and Lubumbashi, DR Congo. A couple of the potential locations for new temples have also been adjusted (i.e. Cagayan de Oro, Philippines changed to Davao, Philippines). There have been some noteworthy LDS growth developments within the past six months that may contribute to a decision by the Church to announce temples in the 48 potential locations identified in this map (i.e. the maturation of many districts into stakes, accelerated congregational growth in many areas of the world). Also, I have included temples that are announced, under construction, or in operation in this most recent version of the temple prediction map.
And lastly, here's my top 10 picks for new temples that may be announced in April 2015:
- Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
- Bangkok, Thailand OR Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Davao, Philippines
- Guam OR Tarawa, Kiribati
- Harare, Zimbabwe
- Layton, Utah
- Managua, Nicaragua
- Puebla, Mexico
- Rogers, Arkansas
I would say these are great predictions. My list is incomplete (I still need to finish South America), but my list comprises of almost 200 temples. These locations only include stakes and districts within 200 miles, and closer to that city than any current, announced, or other potential cities.
ReplyDeleteTop 10 based on district size
1. Layton, UT (40,0)
2. Cagayan de Oro Philippines (12,17)
3. Lehi Utah (24,0)
4. Pocatello Idaho (22,0)
5. San Fernando California (22,0)
6. Benin City, Nigeria (11,6)
7. Tacoma Washington (16,0)
8. Naga Philippines (5,9)
9. Managua Nicaragua (9,5)
10. Puebla Mexico (13,1)
Top 5 based on distance
1. Abu Dhabi UAE (1,0) 3012 miles from Frankfurt
2. Tofol Micronesia (0,1) 2922 miles from Manila
3. Manama Bahrain (1,0) 2764 miles from Frankfurt
4. Palikir Micronesia (1,0) 2572 miles from Manila
5. Addis Ababa (0,1) 2524 miles from Johannesburg
Interestingly enough, Tofol, Micronesia is home of the Kosrae Micronesia District, which is talked about in the previous post
ReplyDeleteI wonder How many languages will be preserved because they have had the scriptures translated into them.
ReplyDeleteTemples in Africa are mostly waiting on maturation of the construction industry, which is being helped by the construction training program.
Mar 8th 2015
Deer Park Ward (Samoan), Melbourne Australia Deer Park Stake (1 B, 7 W)
Kandeh Town Branch, Bo Sierra Leone West District (6 B)
Mountain View 4th Ward, Lyman Wyoming Stake ( 10 W)
15 Mar 2015
Ashaley Botwe Ward, Accra Ghana Adenta Stake ( 3 B, 10 W)
Atenas Veracruzana Ward, Xalapa México Macuiltepetl Stake (7 W)
Leopoldina Brazil District (5 B)
YTD 134
Africa 43
Asia 1
Europe 3
North America 47
Pacific 7
South and Central America 7
Utah & Idaho 27
Under the Nairobi Kenya prediction, you forgot the new Kilungu Hills Kenya District.
ReplyDeleteI see the Tallahassee Florida State listed for both the predicted Florida temples, but with different creation dates. What does this mean?
ReplyDeleteIndia would be fantastic. What a holy land.
ReplyDeleteThe upcoming Payson Temple opening, and a previously-planned closure for six weeks of the Mt. Timp Temple, along with BYU graduation/summer term, has created a perfect storm of events previously never seen and frankly, unprecedented in the Church.
ReplyDeleteThis coming Saturday, March 28th, is the last day for all the workers who live in the new temple district. The boundary between presently Provo and Payson is any stake boundary near the city line of Mapleton and Springville, or Spanish Fork and Springville. Every worker who lives south of that will be transferred to the new temple, but will not be able to do work in Provo during the gap between Saturday and when the new temple opens. That turns out to be a good number of workers.
Two weeks later the students begin to leave, whether it be for the summer or because they graduated. That will be done within a week or so of graduation at BYU.
UVU is presently covered by Provo also, so expect a few there.
The third thing is Mount Timp is going to close soon after for a six-week mid-year closure, that will fill Provo with those who would have otherwise attended Mount Timp.
Only after all this is over will they have the new boundaries in place for what stakes go to Provo and Mount Timp respectively. It is also possible they may, after seeing what has and will happen here, configure things so all that has to happen when Provo City Center opens is to simply split that off of Provo.
According to the temple presidency: 'Expect lines' when you go to Provo to do any temple work for the next two months especially during that six-week period associated with the Mount Timp closure. There may be at times shortages of workers as well, they're calling on the remaining workers to volunteer to pull an extra shift where they can to fill in the gaps.
I noticed that the Durban South Africa Temple (announced a few years back by President Monson) does not appear on the map.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of workers is an issue, yes, but the fact that there are temples up the freeway in Jordan and Draper should make life okay. When I lived in Provo in the 90s we would sometimes go to Manti or Bountiful just for the variety. A couple nice dates, anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhen I left in '97 I had attended all the Utah temples. Now I have like 4 or five to go to...Going on 8. I saw the Monticello in 2002 or so but did not enter. Same now recently with the Brigham City...
Isn't there a stake in Guam that should be listed with the Kiribiti/Guam temple?
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I was wondering what the chances are that a temple will be built in Pusan.
Got the first unit creation this week to show, and I was at the meeting, here's what happened.
ReplyDeleteProvo North Park Stake (7 wards)
North Park 1st
North Park 2nd
North Park 3rd
North Park 4th
Provo 3rd
Provo 4th
Pioneer Village (new ward)
They will sustain the bishopric of the new unit next Sunday, so the new unit may not show up in CDOL for another week or two.
While it may vary from place to place on some timing and details, the stake president explained how the change went down.
A few months ago, the North Park 1st bishop approached the stake president indicating he had some 550 members and also knew that the Provo 3rd Ward has about the same number of members.
Both wards, as the stake presidency found out, were having some good success ministering, so there was some 'real growth' happening in both.
The stake president then contacted his area seventy contact (the one who is associated with the coordinating council that he's in) and discussed it. Then the paperwork was submitted to the boundary and leadership committee at Church headquarters.
One of the members of that committee, presumably made up of all general authorities, had additional questions, and after some additional work, the seventy then submitted the matter to the First Presidency, who approved the boundary changes and authorized the meeting be held, according to policy, a meeting must be held in any case of a realignment.
This resulted in reshuffling wards in the stake as far as buildings they would meet at.
Next Sunday two of the wards will get new bishoprics. Pioneer Village will of course get its first bishopric, and North Park 1st will get at least one new counselor. Provo 3rd will not need to have any new bishopric members sustained.
Provo 3rd is now one of the smallest wards geographically anywhere in the Church, only four square blocks in Provo, Provo blocks are 10 blocks per mile in any direction. It's basically 2 x 2 blocks, from 2nd to 4th North and from 5th West to 3rd West.
Pioneer Village comes from the fact that a local landmark, the Pioneer Village, in Provo's North Park, is within the new ward's boundaries, it's open most weekdays and Saturdays if you are ever in town Has some local and Church history items in it.
Matt, as always, I found these predictions and the discussion about them to be most interesting. I am posting today because I have made my predictions about who will speak and when during next general conference, along with my predictions for changes in general Church leadership for next general conference. Those predictions can be found at:
ReplyDeletehttp://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2015/03/general-conference-predictions.html. Included for the first time this year are predictions about speaking order for the general women's session and another prediction you might find interesting, a prediction about what Church membership ended up being at the end of last year (the number that will be reported during the statistical report). My system for making this prediction is unique to me, and it usually is generally way off (after the correct number is announced, it replaces my prediction). Just another fun General Conference prediction from James Stokes. I wanted to ask, Matt, would it be all right if I posted a link to your temple predictions on my blog? You've given me the okay the last several times, I just want to make sure you're still all right with it. If so, you can expect traffic to increase in regards to this post. What say you, Matt? Thanks.
Just saw that the Church recently updated their infographic on temple construction, which can be found here: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-temples-currently-under-construction
ReplyDeleteOn a separate note, I think there will be temples announced this conference based on the recently dedicated and the several upcoming dedications. It wouldn't surprise me if none were announced, but if some are I have a feeling of 3 being announced.
For personal reasons, I would love to see an announcement in SE Asia to better serve my old mission. But I feel this is still 2-3 years off due to a combination of the newness of several of the stakes and/or the relative lack of a concentrated church presence. If one goes there, I'd think Bangkok or Singapore.
My actual thought for current conference would go...
1. Rogers, Arkansas (to serve one of the very few areas in the US more than 200 miles from a temple)
2. Abidjan (even though many stakes are new, they are more concentrated than SE Asia)
3. Somewhere in Utah. If pressed, I'd go with Layton.
Pensacola Florida Temple! :)
ReplyDeleteI would look at Jacksonville or Tallahassee before Pensacola, as that is only about 40 miles from the Alabama line, so it would need to be further east.
ReplyDeleteI-10 is about 330 miles through Florida, so the Jacksonville one is more likely the one, as Jacksonville is the largest of the three cities by population, there are only the two stakes along US-98 in the Pensacola/Fort Walton Beach area but more stakes and a more concentrated membership base in Jacksonville.
Having a temple one day in Pensacola would be awesome! Lived there last summer and going back for the summer in two and a half weeks :D
ReplyDeleteI concur, N. Davis County, Abadjan, NW Ark and Singapore with another in the Phillipines.
ReplyDeleteRichmond or Williamsburg Virginia
ReplyDeleteI have to say I don't see there being a temple in Singapore until there is at least a few more stakes truly nearby. Singapore only has one stake, and there are no stakes in Malaysia. Even getting a stake in East Malaysia would not help too much. A few stakes in west Malaysia and additional ones in Singapore would be what I would expect before a temple there. Singapore has 5.4 million people to Hong Kong's 7.2 million.
ReplyDeleteHong Kong has I believe about 6 stakes, so it having a temple is expected. Interestingly enough 11% of Hong Kong's population is Christian as opposed to 18% of Singapore's population. From 1980-2010 Singapore went from 10% Christian to 18% Christian. Over the same period Taoists and practitioners of other traditional Chinese religions fell from 30% of the population to 11%. The Buddhist percentage rose from 27% to 33%, but had been 42% in 2000.
I believe there are indications the Church is experiencing growth in Singapore, so hopefully there will be a new stake there soon, and hopefully Kuala Lampur and other places in Malaysia get stakes soon as well.
If I can recall, a temple in Salvador, Brazil would rake in the largest number of stakes and districts to be within 200 miles of that city
ReplyDeleteDo we have a study on why we have a backlog of temples? Most temples take a few years to break ground, but several of the currently announced temples are taking longer than average from announcement to groundbreaking. Also what is the stall for Fortaleza Brazil?
ReplyDeleteDo we have a study on why we have a backlog of temples? Most temples take a few years to break ground, but several of the currently announced temples are taking longer than average from announcement to groundbreaking. Also what is the stall for Fortaleza Brazil?
ReplyDeleteI agree that there needs to be more stake growth in Singapore and Malaysia to see a temple there. I'd expect that when there are two or three Malaysian stakes and two Singaporean stakes, we would see a temple announcement shortly thereafter. I know people in Malaysia are hopeful that two stakes will be created this year by the fall. Not sure on details besides a hope. Didn't know about recent growth in Singapore. If there is, then that is fantastic, welcome news. Also, that is an interesting tidbit, John, about the growth of Christianity in Singapore.
ReplyDeleteFortaleza had to be redesigned completely to comply with codes on towers.
ReplyDeleteHeard something that they had a general contractor, but I also know there have been some unrelated political issues in Brazil that may or may not have had collateral impacts on the industries needed to build anything, whether it be a temple or not. Those political issues started, apparently, with a strike over rising bus fares in Sao Paulo and the resultant spread through other cities over similar and even unrelated issues, one other issue is a scandal over Petrobras executives and matter related , those are the gas stations with the large 'BR' sign seen along most any major road or highway there. There have even been calls for the national president's resignation over that, it's almost like it's their 'watergate' but not quite for the same reasons that was.
Interesting about Fortaleza. I am also interested in knowing more on the holdup for some of the lagging temples. Anyone have more information? For example, does anyone know what the holdup is for the Winnipeg temple in Canada? Is it membership (there is only one stake there--but why would they announce it in the first place if it is just membership?) or is there something else, political or otherwise? I wonder if sometimes the Church changes its mind. Is it possible to "un-announce" a temple?
ReplyDeleteA temple was announced for Pago Pago American Samoa. But was later changed to Apia to be closer to more Local members. Pago Pago was to serve many island countries due to better airport access but after other countries such as Tihiti and Tonga got announced the temple moved to Apia. Also for now temples announced for Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Independence, and Far West are at least for now suspended announcements.
ReplyDeleteHartford CT announced in 1992. But was Unannounced after three years and replaced with a temple in Boston and New York. But about 18 years after the first announcement it was reannounced in 2010. The new York temple has its own history but mostly just moved cities within the state.
ReplyDeleteI understand that the local government in Winnipeg was against the originally proposed location for the temple. The Church has since acquired property at another location near the junction of two major roads, which have been enlarged and realigned over the past few months.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOn an unrelated note, but still pertinent to Church growth, it looks like the Church is piloting a program where you can pay tithing online. They're starting with at least one stake and will then roll out to the US. Very excited about this!
ReplyDeletehttp://mormonlifehacker.com/pay-your-tithing-online-with-lds-org-coming-soon/
Hallelujah! Thanks for sharing, Grant.
ReplyDeleteFirst mission call from Bosnia:
ReplyDeletehttp://ldsliving.com/story/78438-church-calls-first-missionary-from-bosnia?utm_source=ldsliving&utm_medium=email
Grant, that is why the Church is asking us to indicate our member record number every time we pay tithing. This allows us to pay tithing anywhere and have it accredited to our account. The next step is that of online tithing payments. This should make it simpler for people who move in the year--we won't have to go back to the previous ward clerk for the statement.
We have been paying tithing online for about 8-9 year or so in Australia. we call it B'Pay. The area office or service centre gives you your card with numbers on it and you can pay tithing, fast offering, ward missionary and humanitarian fund through your internet banking. I just thought that this was world wide. About 80% of members do it in Australia but it has taken time to get to 80%. The interesting thing is where members who are not active, have not been to church for years still pay there tithing online even though they are never at church, it happens.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what the pilot program is, but my bishop several years ago said that we had ward members paying tithing online. That was in Arizona.
ReplyDeleteThe temple of Ecuador took about 20 years to develop and finish after announcing; I heard the tithing needed to improve among other factors.
ReplyDeleteThe temple in Concepcion, Chile, is moving kind of slowly. Cordoba, Argentina took a while...
Patience. Remember Salt Lake City? Or the Jews in the Sinai? (I mean tribes of Israel, not just Judah...).
At least initially after announcing the Manhattan Temple the Church seemed to still have the goal of building one in Harrison, New York. It almost is like the temple in Hartford replaces that plan.
ReplyDeleteOn the issue of paying tithing online I first heard it mentioned by a bishop back in November 2011. He mentioned it as an example of a situation of why you would need to do tithing settlement for him to know your tithing status. I guess otherwise he might class you as a non-tithing payer when you were a partial or full tithing payer. I am not sure how he could determine which of the latter you were by just having your tithing payments.
Besides Guayaquil, Ecuador, the Bogota, Colombia Temple took a long time. I had the impression, although I am not sure I ever had a source on this, that the biggest problem was the Church would not pay bribes to speed up the process. Another example is Kiev, Ukraine, announced in 1998 and not completed until 2008. Since 1998 saw temples like Detroit announced that were completed in 1999 that seemed especially long. Bogota was announced in 1984 and completed in 1999. I believe Cordoba and Rome are currently the longest standing uncompleted temples. They were both announced in 2008, so that is 7 years, less than half the Bogota time. Since Cordoba has a dedication date, that will leave Rome with the longest time frame of current temples.
The temples built under President Monson have taken longer to build from start of construction than those built in the 1998-2001 time frame. They have tended to be at least 50% larger if not more so. A few like Rome and Philadelphia have been part of larger projects. There has also been a decision to include more art work made specifically for the temple, often connecting more with the area the temple is in. The temples seem more built as things to last, than as things to meet the immediate demands of a pressing need for temples. Not that a temple like Detroit is not built to high standards, but there is nothing about it that is unique at all.
Concepcion is far behind Rome even though announced only a year later. One issue with that temple is that it is being built on a multi-lot site, and so the properties had to be combined. Still, the ldstemples.com entry on it only has information as recently as late 2013, over a year ago.
Of course in some ways the most delayed temple at present may be the Durban South Africa Temple, that was announced 3 and a half years ago and still does not even have an announced site.
ReplyDeleteActually the Urdeneta Phillipines Temple beat that, since it was announced in 2010 and still lacks a designated site.
John, The Kyiv Ukraine temple was not completed until 2010. I think they began construction in 2007, nine years after the announcement.
ReplyDeleteI'm hearing that the seating capacity in the endowment rooms of the Idaho Falls temple will be reduced from 140 to 88 during the renovation. That certainly bolsters the case for a Pocatello temple.
ReplyDeleteThe stake center in Bentonville is a beautiful meetinghouse located right on I-49 next to a junction with Highway 72. The Church owns the large field west of the stake center, which is surrounded by trees, nice homes, and a church of another faith. It could be a convenient location for a temple, though there appear to be many beautiful parcels in Northwest Arkansas.
Bentonville Arkansas Stake Center:
https://www.google.com/maps?q=36.384887,+-94.181334
Another possibility for a future announcement is Missoula, Montana (especially when the stake divides). It would serve eight stakes in Western Montana and Central Idaho including three that currently cross the Canadian border to the Cardston Alberta Temple. The church is growing in Missoula, which is 200 miles from the Spokane Washington Temple. Like most Montana cities, it is in a gorgeous setting surrounded by mountains.
Idaho Falls was built in a time when large ordinance rooms were what they thought was needed, they have since found that smaller rooms are somewhat more efficient.
ReplyDeleteOgden I think has four smaller A rooms and two larger B rooms, making for two A and one B room on each side. That's down from the six rooms, three on each side, that it had.
They, like Provo, had 20 minutes between sessions, but now there is nothing listed to indicate session frequency on temples.lds.org for that temple.
Interesting. Hadn't thought about Missoula or Pocatello, what you wrote down can't be ignored.
ReplyDeleteMy picks:
1. Abidjan, Ivory Coast
2. Harare, Zimbabwe
3. Somewhere in Central Mexico (Anywhere between Queretaro and Puebla along the Arco Norte route--could also include Pachuca)
4. NW ARK
5. Layton UT
Dark Horse picks:
Budapest, Hungary OR Vienna, Austria
SE Asia (Bangkok/Phnom Penh/Singapore)
Nairobi, Kenya
Unit Update
ReplyDelete15 March 2015
Abengourou Branch, Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan Mission (7 Branches, 4 Stakes)
22 March 2015
Belton Ward, Waco Texas Stake (5 Branches, 6 Wards)
Haatso Branch, Accra Ghana Adenta Stake (4 Branch, 10 Wards)
Makanza Branch, Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Kimbanseke Stake (1 Branch, 10 Wards)
This has been the thinnest week for new units so far this year but we are still averaging 11+ a week.
Pioneer Village Ward, Provo North Park Stake, was created on 22 March also, however, the stake president opted to sustain the new bishopric in that ward's first regular sacrament meeting this coming Sunday, so the actual creation may show as March 29th, they should have the info into CDOL by the end of that day.
ReplyDeleteWith this weeks set of new mission presidents, 1 is from the Philippines, 1 from Canada and the rest from the US.
ReplyDeleteThey sustained the new bishopric in Pioneer Village Ward as part of the initial creation of the unit this morning.
ReplyDeleteThey don't even have the clerk's office set up properly yet, the computer is expected to be delivered tomorrow so they could not do proper tithing counts or other functions that will need to be done.
That may delay a couple things with CDOL although a ward organization is done on the stake level so I'm still anticipating that ward creation to show up in CDOL as early as tonight to Tuesday.
If you guys are looking at mission presidents' countries of origin as a metric for church growth internationally, I think it would be more meaningful to only count missions outside the United States. Given many suitable choices, it seems the church likes to have American mission presidents in the US, so don't expect those to change.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are a few Canadian Mission Prez's in the US, right? I knew of a German mission prez in Calgary in the mid 90s...Berkhan.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the Winnipeg Temple dot dot dot. it is pure speculation of where it will be built. A video is circulating of a new area that they are developing and in the beginning you see a big white building, which to me and some others doesn't look like a Temple and it has no Moroni on it but speculation still persists. Our growth here has slowed with people moving out, we have about 1200 "active" members with about 500 with a recommend. Who knows why they are building a Temple here, Regina is only 6 hours away and not busy at all. Once they build one here Regina will be almost vacant as they don't get much support from the Saskatoon Stake
ReplyDeleteStill, Eduardo, I think you are trying to see how the world may be becoming less dependent on North American missionaries and priesthood leaders. Not how North America may be becoming less dependent on North American missionaries and priesthood leaders, as it always has been and (ideally) always will be.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the world, I mean everything except North America.
ReplyDeleteThere are three types of areas in the Church:
ReplyDeleteThe 10 North America areas, all headquartered in Salt Lake, with pretty much a full complement of Presiding Bishopric positions, no area presidency, with a member of the presidency of the seventy designated to support one to three areas and another general authority assigned to head up the auditing inside the area.
14 areas throughout the world, headquartered in cities like Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Frankfort, Moscow, Tokyo, etc., with a presidency of 3 general or area authorities, a full complement of Presiding Bishopric organization in place, and one counselor in the area presidency responsible for audits.
The Middle East/Africa North Area, with a couple of general authorities in Salt Lake, responsible for the area.
There are differences between the criteria for staked and wards inside the 10 North America areas compared to the 15 non-North America areas.
So, there are some differences between North America and non-North America in the Church.
Unit Creation report
ReplyDelete15 March
Angarsk Branch, Russia Vladivostok Mission (9 Branches)
22 March
Beira Mozambique Manga District (4 Branchs)
Chamba Branch
Dondo Branch
Inhamízua Branch
Vila Massane Branch
Artyom Branch, Russia Vladivostok Mission (9 Branches)
Butterfield Ward, St David Arizona Stake (2 Branches, 9 Wards)
Clarks Summit Branch, Scranton Pennsylvania Stake (6 Branches, 5 Wards)
Edmond 4th Ward, Oklahoma City Oklahoma Stake (2 Branches, 11 Wards)
Hope Branch, Abbotsford British Columbia Stake (2 Branches, 8 Ward)
Level Creek Ward, Sugar Hill Georgia Stake (1 Branch, 10 Wards)
McDowell Ward, Mesa Arizona Hermosa Vista Stake (10 Wards)
Oklahoma City 7th Ward, Oklahoma City Oklahoma Stake (2 Branches, 11 Wards)
Pioneer Village Ward, Provo Utah North Park Stake (7 Wards)
Rincón de los Sauces Branch, Argentina Neuquén Mission (4 Branches, 1 District, 5 Stakes)
Smithville Lake Branch, Platte City Missouri Stake (4 Branches, 10 Wards)
Sonoran Springs Ward, Mesa Arizona Boulder Creek Stake (10 Wards)
Southgate 3rd Ward, Bloomington Utah Stake (3 Branches, 12 Wards)
Syracuse 10th Ward, Syracuse Utah Stake (9 Wards)
YTD 155
Africa 47
Asia 1
Europe 5
North America 57
Pacific 7
South and Central America 8
Utah & Idaho 31
Nice to see Russia turning the corner...that's three new branches in less than a year!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe large expanse of grass between the relatively new MTC and Stake Centre in Manukau (South Auckland) New Zealand was approved in 2006 for a "religious education" facility that looked like the Panama Temple. Both existing facilities were completed in 2010, 4 years after the original consent was given. I worked with a view of the site during construction with almost a birds eye view and seen site plans. I noted that all ground preparations for the foundation have already been completed. This involved removing a large portion of the ground, inserting something to do with water and I have no idea what and the returning and compacting the ground. It would sit between but elevated and forward of the two existing buildings. The plans included a line of sight passage for a historic military installation from the Maori land wars of the 19th century. A military redoubt lies behind the temple site and slightly intrudes onto Church property. It is a highly visible location above the main motorway from Auckland to the rest of the North Island and close to the International Airport. It would be one of the most visible temples in the Church and any religious structures in NZ.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how long the consent will last for and if it needs to be applied for again. Also, the local council that approved it no longer exists. It was merged with all of the Auckland regional councils into a Super Council. So this might necessitate a new resource consent process.
There are 28 Stakes in NZ, 12 in Auckland and 1 in the Northland region. The Hamilton temple is the largest single endowment temple in the Church. The two sister temples in Bern and London both have multiple stationary endowment rooms and Angel Moroni on their single steeples. The NZ Temple is in desperate need of a significant overhaul, and rumours have been floating around for a decade now of a two year refurbishment. However there is a significant anount of resources being utilised to repurpose the former Church College of New Zealand and beautify the approach to the Temple on Tuhikaramea Drive. Part of this project is a one off Stake Centre design larger than the standardised plans and a repurposed CCNZ library to be home for the very first Church History Centre outside of the US. These projects are consuming considerable resources and will probably delay any further developments temple or otherwise for some time I an guessing.
http://www.templeviewproject.org/
More details of the project are above. Thought I'd share.
Two out of three right. Not bad!
ReplyDeleteWe had a Canadian Mission President here in the Detroit Mission in the 1990s. I knew someone on my mission who served in the US with a non-US mission president, but I don't know what mission or exactly where.
ReplyDeleteWhizzbang, compare the white building in the video to the architectural rendering of the Córdoba Argentina Temple. The building may appear more templelike to you. :)
ReplyDeleteThere a several factors that go into the selection of a new temple site. The distance to a temple combined with sustained growth is very important. In many places where there seems to be a large number of Saints there must also be strong Priesthood holders- and that has been a problem in some areas of the world where sisters and children make up a disproportionate number of church membership. Government stability is another factor- will the temple be safe from possible dictators, unchecked military forces, possibilities of civil war, looting, vandalism, etc.
ReplyDeleteSomeone herein questioned why there was such a delay in getting many temples built. If we know of challenges why don't we wait to announce them? I believe that many Saints, when they hear of a temple coming to the their area, better get themselves prepared to attend that temple. This inevitably happens by the time many of these temples are completed. There have also been many temple closures and renovations going on during the same time period, and perhaps some are waiting building size guidance so that we don't need to close and renovate so soon after dedication.
New temples anywhere near another temple must demonstrate constant, reliable attendance and temple workers who will know how to work and train staff for a new one. When a temple becomes regularly overcrowded the church will be looking for a possible 2nd temple site within that temple district. I had expected an additional temple in the Boise area but was surprised that instead of being placed more westward in the Nampa/Caldwell area it went to Meridian. It turns out that the Meridian Saints were attending and serving in the Boise temple far more frequently, and were thus far better prepared to run a new temple.
WARNING! Huge post coming your way in however many posts it takes!
I will divide my predictions into separate categories based on the previous post.
ReplyDeletePotential areas where large memberships still have far to travel:
Nicaragua. While one might expect that a temple should have already been announced for the 84,000+ Saints here. There must be some concern and I speculate that it is somehow related to the not so far distant Sandinista revolution and their continued strong following and governmental involvement. Or it could also be a lack of worthy Priesthood leadership but I kind of doubt that with the number of members being so high. Still, every General Conference I look forward to hearing the Managua Nicaragua temple announced. That will leave only a temple in Cuba to fulfill Pres. Kimball's prophecy given when he was a junior Apostle in the General Conference after World War 2.
Moscow Russia. It had been hoped that many Russian Saints might be able to go to the Kyiv Ukraine temple, but the hostilities between the two nations make such a journey unwise for any Russian. Thus, a temple in Moscow is sorely needed but the church is so spread out across this vast nation, and political issues may continue to get in the way. I hope that it will not take long though.
Mongolia. Few congregations are more in need of a temple than isolated Mongolia and its nearly 11,000 members, but since the church is relatively new here no temple has yet been announced and I don't know how strong the Priesthood is. Still, I don't think it will be too long before we hear a temple announced for Ulaanbataar Mongolia. Saints living in the far flung reached of Eastern Russia could also more easily travel to Mongolia rather than Moscow.
India's 12,000 Saints are still to far flung to reasonably speculate where a suitable temple site would be- and the church is still young here, having only 1 Stake organized last I checked.
Once the nearly 20,000 Saints in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia start attending a temple in Bangkok I would expect that it would not take long before a temple is built in Singapore. Though there are more Saints in Malaysia it is an Islamic nation, as is Indonesia. Because of this I would expect the first temple in this economically growing area to be in Singapore despite the high cost of land there as opposed to a much more reasonable cost just across the straits north to Malaysia or south to Indonesia. I'm sure something similar to the Hong Kong Temple would be used in Singapore.
Another nation who will be strengthened as they attend the Bangkok temple is it's neighbor Cambodia where there are currently over 12,000 members. The capital would be the sight of the Phnom Penh Cambodia temple.
Tarawa Kiribati- there are only 2 Stakes on this small island nation's main island, but this country that sits on both sides of the International Date Line has more than 16,000 members. They are strong and have been praying and fasting for a temple. Many years ago global warming advocates said that Kiribati would be underwater by now and while they have gone from 12ft above sea level to 8ft it took 20-30 years for that to happen. I don't think this will prevent the Church from building a small temple here in the near future, one that may also service other far flung small Pacific Islands where it still costs a small fortune to get to Hawaii or any of the other Pacific Is. temples.
ReplyDeleteThere are another 13,500+ members strung out amongst the former U.S. Protectorates of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Northern Marianna Is. and still U.S. owned Guam. The likely best place for a temple for these members would be an Agana Guam temple- but it would still be a prohibitive cost for most not living on Guam or the closest islands to it.
Port Moresby Papua New Guinea- the Church has seen much growth in Papua New Guinea where 22,000 Saints currently have distance challenges to get to Brisbane or Sydney, Australia. The membership is strong and have shown great faith accompanied by miracles in a nation where different militias are often fighting or taking supplies from villagers. Until that settles down, or the membership grows larger, I think Papua New Guinea will have to wait. Pray for the Saints throughout the world who are in similar difficulties.
Northern Chile has Stakes in all the major far flung metropolitan cities in the north, and the Arequipa Peru temple will be helpful to those in the northernmost area. One problem here is the distance between those cities where one temple would mainly help only that city. Still, an Anotofogasto Chile temple announcement would not surprise me, though I think it is still a little further off.
ReplyDeleteLikewise, while the Concepcion temple will be a boon to the Saints in the northern part of southern Chile, as the Saints living further south attend the Concepcion Temple I expect to soon see a temple perhaps in Puerto Montt Chile or somewhere between that and Concepcion.
Southern Argentina is also underserved but there's a similar problem like north Chile has- no real central location providing easy access to the far flung Saints. But the Church is getting stronger here. Heading southward we might 1st see a temple in Bahia Blanca, but the Saints there can get to Buenos Aires easily enough. A temple in Neuquén could also serve Saints in the south of Chile during the months the Andes are passable. A Commodoro Rivadavia Temple might be the most likely but Bahia Blanca could easily be first.
One of the most isolated places on the planet is in the Tierra del Fuego of southernmost Chile & southernmost Argentina. Considering that there is a temple in Halifax Nova Scotia that serves relatively few but covers a large geographical area, this area has more members, so a Punta Arenas Chile temple would not surprise me, but it could just as easily be in Ushuaia Argentina or more to the north, Rio Gallegos Argentina. Well have to wait and see.
Another possible location in Argentina is in the North, and while the Cordoba Temple helps, many members are still far away. I would expect a temple relatively soon announced for either Tucuman or Salta Argentina.
With a temple built in Manaus Brazil to cover the vast Amazon region I think that once the Peruvian government deals with the drug run areas of the westernmost Amazon we will hear announced a temple in Iquitos Peru at some point.
With temples now in northern and central Colombia I think a southern city might soon be announced, and I can't find a stronger LDS base in the south besides a Cali Colombia temple. While closer to the Bogota Temple than would be ideal there really isn't a similarly large city or membership elsewhere.
Once things settle down in Venezuela I'd expect to see a temple in the western end, a Maracaibo Venezuela temple- although with the building of the Barranquilla Temple in neighboring north Colombia such might set Maracaibo back awhile.
When the Armed Forces closed many bases in Puerto Rico the several Stakes there were disbanded and became Districts again. Puerto Rico has fully recovered with a strong membership, so during any General Conference I expect to hear the San Juan Puerto Rico temple announced so they don't have the costly travel to south Florida, Haiti or Santo Domingo.
ReplyDeleteWhile Jamaica has almost 6,000 Saints I also think they'll have to wait a little longer before a temple for Kingston is announced, although, depending on the speed of church growth in Cuba that prediction might change.
Although there are now about 5,500 Saints in Guyana with another 2,000 in Suriname & French Guiana, I don't think the church is sufficiently strong enough yet. A small temple serving the Saints of the more Southern Caribbean Islands might also make travel distance for these Saints who now must get to Caracas Venezuela or Belem Brazil. A Port-of-Spain Trinidad Temple would serve 5,300 Saints in that nation as well as hundreds of other on islands in the south Caribbean.
A Salvador Brazil temple will probably be announced in the near future and a little before a Belo Horizonte Brazil temple is, even though there might be more members in the Belo Horizonte region the travel need is greater for the Salvador region.
Other temple possibilities for the far flung Amazon region of Brazil would be Santarem & Macapa, along with other cities like Sao Luis, Natal, Vitoria and another Sao Paulo area temple- or another in the populated region west of Sao Paulo, or between Campinas & Brasilia.
A temple in the San Pedro Sula area of NE Honduras probably needs a safer criminal climate but who knows. Such would serve many Saints.
I would think a Chetumal Quintana Roo Mexico temple might be announced sooner than later as it would serve not only the easternmost cities of Mexico (Chetumal, Cancun, the Mayan Riviera and the 4,500 Saints of the nation of Belize.
There are several possible sites in Mexico where congregations of Saints would be well served by temples. Chief among these is the Puebla area. Greater Mexico City itself might need another 1 or 2 temples. Some other cities where temples are likely being discussed are Culiacan in Sinaloa State, Chihuahua, Torreon/Durango, Ciudad Victoria (if Monterrey or Tampico are crowded, Zacatecas/Aguascalientes/San Luis Potosi/Leon/Morelia/Salamanca, or other cities near those mentioned. A temple in Reynosa could also serve Brownsville & McAllen, Texas.
There are really no more areas of the U.S. or Canada where large groups of Saints do not have a relatively close temple except maybe somewhere in Wyoming, Rapid City or Pierre South Dakota, so any new temples would fall into the other category.
I don't think it will be long before a temple is announced for Scotland, especially with its strong ties to the early years and people of the Church. While there are more organized Stakes in Glasgow I would expect Edinburgh to be chosen. It is Scotland's capital, and getting to the Preston England Temple is harder on the rest of Scotland than it is for Glasgow. Ireland I believe still lacks the membership to get a temple in Dublin just yet.
ReplyDeleteWhile there are other parts of Europe where temples are a little distant so is their membership too small for now, and with the trains and finances of Europe the cost of getting to a temple is not as great a hardship as the places I've pointed out so far. One exception might be a Budapest Hungary temple, which would not only serve the 5,000 Saints in Hungary, but would be easily reached by a like number from Austria, plus another 5,000 in Romania & Bulgaria and some from Slovenia & Serbia, Slovakia & the Czech Republic.
The nearly 11,000 Saints living in the islands that make up the nation of Cape Verde will soon have a little less costly expense by having a temple in Portugal, but not by much. The Saints seem strong here, so a Praia Cape Verde temple is one I expect to see sooner rather than later.
The 13,000+ Saints in Sierra Leone might soon hear announced a Freetown Sierra Leone temple. This would also be a boon to the 8,000+ members in neighboring Liberia, provided that government remains stable after the country's recent civil war.
With 10,500 Saints in Madagascar, and its traveling distance to any other temple, I would not be surprised to hear announced the Antanarivo Madagascar temple soon.
And as access to temples become easier for the 8,500 Saints in Mozambique an announcement of a Maputo Mozambique temple would not surprise me even though it would mainly serve Saints in the southernmost part of the nation (where the Church is strongest) and neighboring Swaziland. The north & central parts of Mozambique would likely continue to attend the Harare Zimbabwe Temple once it is built.
Despite it's membership Zambia would need to see either a regime change or a change of attitude for a temple to be built here. One possibility and a serious need might be for a temple in Southern Congo. With the Kinshasa Congo Temple still a far distance for the Saints of the stable southern Congo a Lubumbashi Democratic Republic of the Congo temple (or some other southern city) might also provide a temple for the Zambian Saints who might find it easier to get to than the temple to come in Harare Zimbabwe. Even without Zambia this area of Congo still has a sufficiently large number of Saints with great missionary growth and new Stakes continuing here.
One last remote location that has been growing is Georgia & Armenia in the Caucasian Mts. between Russia & Turkey. Though predominantly Christian they don't yet have large enough congregations but they are growing and their isolation and key geographic location means it would not surprise me to hear announced a Yerevan Armenia temple at a not too distant date and many of the missionaries sent here are descendants of these Armenians.
Some likely temples nearby other existing temples:
ReplyDeleteLet's start in Utah. Like many of the other bloggers here I am surprised we've not yet heard announced a Layton Utah temple (or something nearby like Clearfield, Syracuse or Kaysville). Maybe they are waiting to see how the newly designed Ogden Temple goes before deciding what size to plan for?
I still think the Western Salt Lake Valley will get another temple more westerly like Magma or south of it, and a temple has been prophesied for the far SW corner of the Salt Lake Valley, though I wonder if the Saratoga Springs temple fulfills this or if the valley housing is going to continue to grow southwesterly?
I was surprised that the Church did not have a temple ready for an open house when the city hosted the Winter Olympics, but with the latest Olympic guidelines to award cities with as many venues as possible already built, talk of returning to Salt Lake City is the U.S.'s only real candidate, and would provide yet another chance for a temple on the eastern bench or in the I-80/Park City area that would be well attended as well as provide an incredible opportunity for the athletes and visitors to attend a temple's Open House.
I also think the Price Utah area would be due a small temple, and like with Cedar City & St. George I think we might see a Richfield temple similar to Cedar City's size despite the proximity of the Manti Temple.
Towards the east the growth in the Tooele area in particular begs a temple, and perhaps even the Delta area would justify a small one.
I would think Beaver might also qualify due to its distance from another temple unless a Richfield one is announced.
Green River might also qualify for a small temple, but I expect a Grand Junction Colorado temple will come first.
Nevada
The LDS population of the Vegas Valley would seem to justify a companion temple on the foothills on the west side of the valley, but I'm not sure that the Las Vegas Temple is being visited enough to need another temple in the area, otherwise I would think it would have already been announced.
The Saints in Elko Nevada and communities closer to Elko than any other current temple (Ely, Wells, Battle Mtn., Winnemucca) will probably get an Elko Nevada temple at some point not too far distant.
I think Idaho is done for now, unless the Nampa/Caldwell area keeps the Meridian Temple crowded, or possibly in the Lewiston/Moscow/Pullman, WA area.
Montana- If another temple were announced soon I think it would be in Helena. Montana's capital is central to Butte, Great Falls, Missoula and the large number of Saints in the Bitterroot Valley, but Missoula could be chosen because of the LDS strength in the area (but Missoula is only 4 hours from the Spokane Temple where the other mentioned cities would not be as helped by a temple in Missoula, but these all could continue going to the Billings Temple).
Washington- I currently think Washington is covered except for possibly in the capital area or its major growing suburb of Lacey, or it could be on the NW side of Olympia and better serve the Olympic Peninsula, but I think the Olympia Washington Temple will soon come, and that will also serve the many growing communities south of Tacoma.
ReplyDeleteOregon- has been well covered, but a small temple would certainly be supported in the heavy LDS LaGrande Oregon area. Another place underserved and which often has to deal with winter road conditions might be the fast-growing Bend/Redmond area. The land for a temple in the Eugene/Springfield area is already owned and has been kept free of other adjacent housing developments, but attendance at the Portland Temple is lacking despite it being only 90 minutes to 2 hours away.
California- the Redding/Anderson area continues to grow, Sacramento is about 3+ hours away and travel to the Medford Oregon Temple can be surprisingly treacherous for several months in the year. This would also serve members in more isolated Eureka.
A temple in the suburbs north and over the Golden Gate and up to Santa Rosa would be well supported rather than getting to the Oakland Temple amidst all the traffic the Saints here currently struggle with. Likewise, but not as urgently needed if one were built in the north, would be a temple in the southern suburbs of the San Francisco Bay, stretching from Palo Alto through San Jose and down into Morgan Hill, Gilroy & Salinas.
Another temple east of Oakland in the central valley and between the Sacramento & Fresno Temples would be a Modesto California temple.
Continued booming growth in Bakersfield might also bring a small temple, but this might be affected by a possible temple in the coastal corridor of Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo & Santa Maria, and also in Lancaster/Palmdale.
There is still room for more temples in the Greater Los Angeles area, particularly in the Santa Barbara/Ventura area, and in the north of the San Fernando Valley, or even more likely further north in the still growing Santa Clarita Valley, or even in the less expensive housing market of the Lancaster/Palmdale area.
The Palm Springs/Palm Desert/Indio area would also likely support a small temple.
The Oceanside/Carlsbad/Vista/Escondido area as well.
Another San Diego temple towards the SW might also be needed depending on attendance in the existing one.
The El Centro & Calexico California area with Mexicali Mexico just across the boarder would seem a likely temple announcement sooner rather than later.
Arizona has been very well doted, but a small temple in Yuma might be needed as well as the Prescott Valley, Flagstaff, or in the bordertown of Nogales, and in Chinle if such were allowed to be built in the Navajo Nation Reservation.
ReplyDeleteNew Mexico- one prime area of Saints farther away from a temple than many in the west is the San Juan River Valley of NW New Mexico. Farmington seems like it would be the most central location.
The Roswell area seems another likely location for a small temple.
Colorado- I keep waiting to hear the announcement of a Colorado Springs temple that would better serve not only that community but others to the south as well, but I was completely surprised by the Ft. Collins announcement until I learned of the growth in the 1-25 corridor north of Denver. Western Colorado also seems in need, with Grand Junction being the largest city but hardly central to many other western Colorado Saints. Still, I think it will get a temple before any other W. Colorado location unless the Glenwood Springs area really starts to grow.
Wyoming- while Casper is centrally located its not so big regarding the Stakes of Wyoming. Since the Saints in Cheyenne can easily get to the Ft. Collins Temple I think Wyoming might see a small temple somewhere in the Riverton/Lander/Wind River area, also in the SW corner of the state between Evanston & Rock Springs- so probably in the Ft. Bridger area for its historical significance to the Pioneers, although Rock Springs would offer the most members in the area it would not be much of a boon to all the SW Wyoming communities to its west, and there's little to its east it could serve.
Dakotas- I can't picture another temple built in North Dakota just yet between Bismarck and now Winnipeg to the north of Grand Forks, but it seems a temple in Rapid City South Dakota, or even Pierre South Dakota is immanent. Another small temple in Sioux Falls (or possibly Brookings) might also serve an otherwise outlying area.
Nebraska- with the Winter Quarters Temple serving metropolitan Omaha the only possible location I see for a small temple would be in North Platte (or possibly Grand Island- which I think gets us too close to Omaha to benefit the outlying areas of W. Nebraska).
Kansas- with temples to the east and south the only location I could see a small temple in Kansas would be in the Wichita or Salina area.
Oklahoma- seems covered by the Oklahoma City Temple, but if Tulsa were announced it would not surprise me.
Texas- has been so well covered but there are a few locations that might yet get small temples, especially if the speed of building temples increases. The Midland/Odessa area if it continues to grow. A temple in the I-35 corridor between Dallas & San Antonio- and if we built it in Temple, Texas it would be the Temple Texas Temple- but more likely it would end up in Waco, Killeen, Round Rock or even Austin (or maybe 2 might eventually be announced for this corridor). Corpus Christi might qualify for a small temple, but probably the Tyler/Longview area in NE Texas would come first, and depending on any temple that might be built in Shreveport.
ReplyDeleteLouisiana- the Shreveport area I think would likely be the place of a 2nd temple in this state.
Arkansas- the NW Arkansas area, with Wal*Mart's home offices and all of its many vendors having offices in the part of Bentonville called Vendorville, and with its many LDS member employees here makes for a likely temple to soon be announced for the Bentonville/Rogers area, or even in Fayetteville (home of the U. of Arkansas) just to the south. I also think a small temple in the Arkansas capital of Little Rock will come sometime thereafter.
Missouri- a temple in the SW corner of the state might be affected by any temples planned for Tulsa or Bentonville- but I think this will likely affect the size of a Springfield Missouri temple rather than not having one in the area at all. This could further be affected if there's any plan to build a small temple in Missouri's capital of Jefferson City or the U. of Missouri's city not far to the north in Columbia. We shall have to wait and see. As for prophesied temples in Independence, Far West and Adam-ondi-Ahman I don't see that happening until were closer and/or to the end times than we presently are, and at least once there's a sufficiently strong enough or our presence is much larger to operate those temples in addition to the already opened Kansas City Temple.
Iowa- I would think that we won't have to wait too much longer for the announcement of a small temple in Iowa's capital of Des Moines or someplace to its east. The Quad Cities area also might see a small temple a little later on, but for now Nauvoo or Chicago is easily enough reached by the relatively few Saints living here.
Minnesota- the only likely location might be a temple serving Duluth & Superior, WI in the far north. Travel for these Saints to Minneapolis is quite dangerous during their long Winter and it would also be closer for parts of western Ontario Canada.
Wisconsin- with Milwaukee being well served by the Chicago Temple I think there are only 2 current possibilities in this state. The first would be in its capital and home of the U. of Wisconsin in Madison. The 2nd would be in the Oshkosh/Appleton/Green Bay corridor.
Illinois- with temples in Chicago, Nauvoo, St. Louis, MO & Indianapolis, IN there really isn't much of a need for another temple at present in Illinois. If there were one announced I'd expect it to be somewhere in the midst of the Peoria/Bllomington/Champaign/Decatur/Springfield circle, but I don't think the membership is sufficient that the area isn't served by other temples.
Indiana- with the Indianapolis Temple I don't see another location where a temple in Indiana is sorely needed. Evansville seems to me to be a little ways off just now, and the Ft. Wayne area can choose between 4 different temples to attend. Though if Notre Dame keeps snatching up LDS athletes a temple in South Bend might someday be needed :)
ReplyDeleteMichigan- with the temple in Detroit I think the most likely location for a 2nd temple in Michigan would be in Grand Rapids.
Ohio- many think that with 2 of the historical sites getting a temple that one in Kirtland (which would serve the metro Cleveland area) is immanent. But it would have to be very different from the Kirtland Temple Historical Site to the point that I don't think we'd build one hear as opposed to somewhere between Cleveland and Akron, which I think we'll hear from sooner than later. Another temple in Ohio would likely be in the Cincinnati area, although the Saints there are currently well served by the Columbus, Indianapolis, IN and Louisville, KY Temples. Still, a small temple of their own is likely not that far off for the Cincinnati Saints as long as they attend and work in those temples.
West Virginia- a small temple in the capital of Charleston would also serve the Saints of SE Ohio better, along with most of the rest of West Virginia that currently has to travel a few hours above the desired 2 hours to get to a temple, and in the winter months the higher roads can be dangerous.
Kentucky- with a temple in Louisville its hard to find another location for a needed temple in Kentucky. The only possibility I see would be a temple in the state capital of Lexington, but this would not be that far from Louisville.
Tennessee- with temples in Memphis & Nashville the only Tennessee Saints far from a temple are those in the eastern part of the state (and not Chattanooga with its proximity to Atlanta). I see 2 possibilities- the Knoxville area, home of the U. of Tennessee and the Kingsport/Bristol, Virginia area in the NE corner.
Mississippi- one of the states still without a temple. Between the Baton Rouge, LA, Memphis, TN & Birmingham, AL Temples the only place I see left would be a small temple in the state's capital of Jackson, but I think the Church will have to grow more here before that happens.
Alabama- with the north central location of the Birmingham AL Temple the only potential site I see would be in the northern Mobile area. A little more growth and I think a small temple will be announced.
Florida- eventually I'm sure that the Tampa Bay area will get its own temples, but for now they seem well served by the Orlando Temple. One along the east coast, somewhere north of the Ft. Lauderdale Temple is also a future likely one. Another not too distant possibility would be the Ft. Meyers/Naples area, but I think the next 2 temples in Florida will be built in the Jacksonville area, and in the capital city of Tallahassee- the later would better serve the Saints living in the Florida Panhandle, as well as some in southern Alabama, while the 2nd would also better serve the Saints living in south Georgia.
Georgia- the Peach State has 2 minor possibilities I think these areas will require more growth before they get a small temple- the Columbus area on the border of Alabama and the Macon area in the center of the state. Augusta is well served by the Columbia SC Temple but what to do with outlying Savannah. How fast will the Church grow there to bring about the need for its own small temple?
ReplyDeleteSouth Carolina- with the Columbia Temple smack dab in the middle of this state I think there will be eventual growth and a small temple in Charleston, and another in the Anderson/Greenville/Spartanburg corridor, which will probably happen first.
North Carolina- despite the proximity of other temples I think the Charlotte area will gets its own temple announced in the near future. Other future locations would likely include someplace in the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem area, Wilmington and possibly Asheville if a temple in Knoxville, or the Kingsport/Bristol area doesn't come to pass- though I think at least one of these will come first, as well as one in Charlotte.
Virginia- besides the mentioned Kingsport, TN/Bristol, VA possibility I think the capital Richmond area would be most likely to get a small temple, but don't rule out the historic Williamsburg area which would still easily service the Richmond Saints but better serve the Norfolk/Newport News area membership. One other possibility would be in the Virginia part of the D.C. Metro Area if the Washington Temple ever gets overcrowded.
Maryland- Even with the proximity of the Washington Temple I would think that the Baltimore area would still get its own someday not too far off.
Delaware- since I think that someday not too distant will see a temple in every U.S. State I would think a small one in Dover most likely for Delaware, unless the northern Delaware Saints really start overcrowding the new Philadelphia Temple, and then they might get a temple of their own in Wilmington.
New Jersey- keeping with the idea that every state will get a temple not too far off I think the currently most likely place for a temple in New Jersey would either be along the Jersey Shore area or more likely somewhere in the center of the heavily populated northern cities that make up the Greater New York area.
Pennsylvania- There is still many communities that could handle a small temple. Harrisburg seems quite central to several and is also the state's capital, but another is the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. Pittsburg seems too large a city to pass over for at least a small temple soon, and one other possibility would be a temple along the banks of the Susquehanna River which would serve Binghamton to Bainbridge, NY as well as the already mentioned Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.
New York- even with the Palmyra Temple sooner or later Buffalo should get their own. Another main site I'd expect to have a temple announcement for in the next few years would be the state capital in Albany, which would serve many currently underserved areas in the central part of upstate New York.
Connecticut- with a temple in Hartford I don't currently think Connecticut is due another.
ReplyDeleteRhode Island- in keeping with the thought of every state getting a temple one would expect the capital and main city of Providence would be the eventual site. I think that as the church grows in the Hartford CN and Boston MA areas, and the Rhode Island Saints attend them, this will make more sense.
Massachusetts- with the temples I've projected in Albany NY and Providence RI I don't currently think another temple besides Boston will be announced soon.
Vermont- how long will pass before we build a temple is Joseph Smith's birth state, and would we build it anywhere other than in Sharon. One might say Burlington but it seems they are close enough to the Montreal Temple, and one in Sharon would be more centrally located than one in Rutland or Montpelier.
New Hampshire- with a temple in Boston and possibly one in Sharon VT where's left for New Hampshire to get its one per state temple location. Well, that would hopefully be due to overcrowding in the Boston Temple by Saints from southern New Hampshire area, which might then result in a 2nd temple in the Greater Boston area as it extends into NH. Another possibility would be a small temple in the state capital of Concord.
Maine- Portland would seem the most likely, but a temple in the state capital at Augusta would still serve Portland better than Boston does and better serve the more outlying parts of upstate Maine.
CANADA seems fairly well covered with temples but there is room for a few more small ones in the near future. In the west the Kamloops/Vernon/Kelowna area in British Columbia is a possibility, as is the Grand Prairie/Dawson Creek/Prince George areas of BC and Alberta if the church grows there. I think Saskatoon is too close to Regina to get their own just yet. And the Thunder Bay area of far western Ontario could be better served by a temple in Duluth Minnesota rather than Winnipeg.
ReplyDeleteIn Ontario Sudbury seems an eventual possibility unless a temple were built in Sault Ste. Marie that serviced the 2 cities by the same name in Michigan & Ontario. The central Ontario area between Toronto & Detroit would be another possibility, probably in London Ontario, and Canada's capital of Ottawa Ontario can't be too far off.
In Quebec I would think Quebec City is an eventuality, with the possibility of small temples in Saquenay & Sherbrooke.
If the Church continues to grow in the Maritime provinces a temple in Fredricton or Saint John New Brunswick could happen, but even more isolated Newfoundland will also hopefully grow enough to get a temple in St. John's or somewhere? And if the Province of Prince Edward Island ever grows than the likely location would be Charlottetown- but these last ones are probably still years away from qualifying for their own House of the Lord.
EUROPE-
ReplyDeleteAnother temple in the Greater London area should never be overlooked, though small temples will likely be someday built in many other locations like Bristol, or in Wales and even in Dublin.
Scandinavia still has one big hole with no temple in Oslo Norway, or Reykjavik Iceland for that matter. Another possibility would be in Goteborg, Sweden, or maybe somewhere in Lapland (Tromso Norway, Oulo Finland or Umea Sweden would probably be the frontrunners for such).
Certainly a temple in St. Petersburg Russia might shortly follow one in Moscow due to the Church being stronger there (last I heard), but for now the Saints in the St. Petersburg area can reasonably get to the Helsinki Finland Temple.
A temple serving the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania are also just waiting on church growth and/or maturity. I would think the frontrunner would be the most centrally located capital, and currently where the most Saints reside, in Riga in Latvia, although there's nearly as many Saints in Estonia to the north.
Warsaw Poland is a likely location once the church matures and continues to grow in that nation.
Germany could certainly support a few more medium sized temples in Berlin, Hamburg & Munich, with many more locations able to staff small temples (in Hanover, the Dortmund/Ruhr area, Koln/Cologne, Stuttgart & Nuremburg just to name some frontrunners).
A Belgian Temple would most likely be built in Brussels but a lower membership with easy access to The Hague Netherlands Temple will probably delay Belgium getting one.
France could soon be able to staff several small temples (in Strasbourg, Nantes, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse to name some frontrunners), and as the membership attend the Paris Temple and the nations cities look more favorably on that temple.
Spain could handle another large temple in Barcelona (which might soon be in an independent Catalan). Other Spanish cities could staff small temples (in Zaragoza, Bilbao, Seville, Malaga, Murcia, Valencia & Palma de Majorca,just to name some frontrunners).
Portugal should soon be able to staff a small temple in its 2nd most populated city, Porto, in the northern part of the country and once its members get stronger by attending the coming temple in Lisbon.
Italy will eventually be able to staff small temples (n Palermo, Bari, Naples, Florence, Bologna, Venice, Milan, Genoa & Turin just to name some frontrunners).
Besides the temple near Bern Switzerland, small temples could certainly be staffed in Zurich & Geneva.
Prague's proximity to Freiberg might keep it from getting a small temple a little while longer than many of the above, at least until the church grows more there and temple attendance thrives.
Vienna, Austira & Budapest, Hungary we're mentioned under the 1st category.
It's presently hard to see a small temple staffable in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania or Greece, but these will be well serviced by ferries across the Adriatic to Italy in the mean time, or by train from Slovenia (which might also benefit by a temple in Budapest.
RUSSIA- Eventually, many small temples will have to be built across Russia to be more readily accessible to the congregations spread across this vast nation.
ReplyDeleteOnce CHINA opens up to the gospel it seems that several temples will be built (Pres. Russell, after returning from performing a prophet-approved surgery in China prophesied in 1997 that when missionary work begins in that country we will not be able to build chapels fast enough for the growth that will occur, but we will build many small temples for a people who know their genealogy by heart).
JAPAN- as a state more westernized than much of Asia, Japan with its 3 current temples seems ready to be able to handle more, large and small- the Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe area could certainly use a medium sized temple, but the potential for small temples dotting the Land of the Rising Sun would list more cities than I'm willing to type.
I know this was a huge number of posts, but I've been following these trends for 20 years, and I get better at predicting over time. And are we one the verge of building temples more quickly than we've ever before experienced? We shall see!