Wednesday, September 9, 2015

First LDS Stake by Country - Updated List

Last year I provided a list of countries around the world with LDS stakes and the year the first LDS stake was organized in each nation. Several additional countries have had the first LDS stake organized since this list was last updated. The year the second LDS stake was organized in each country is provided for countries with two or more LDS stakes and the number of stakes and districts is provided in parentheses (the first number is the number of stakes and the second number is the number of districts at present).  With countries with only one LDS stake, N/A is listed after the year the first stake was organized.

1847-1959 (4)

United States: 1834, 1834 (1,541 - 8)
Mexico: 1895, 1961 (231 - 38)
Canada: 1895, 1903 (47 - 3)
New Zealand: 1958, 1960 (29 - 3)

1960-1969 (12)

United Kingdom: 1960, 1961 (45 - 0)
Australia: 1960, 1960 (38- 8)
Germany: 1961, 1961 (15 - 2)
Netherlands: 1961, 1978 (3 - 0)
Switzerland: 1961, 1981 (5 - 0)
Samoa: 1962, 1970 (20 - 0)
Brazil: 1966, 1968 (255 - 37)
Argentina: 1966, 1972 (74 - 29)
Guatemala: 1967, 1975 (43 - 17)
Uruguay: 1967, 1974 (18 - 3)
Tonga: 1968, 1970 (19 - 2)
American Samoa: 1969, 1980 (5 - 0)

1970-1979 (24)

Peru: 1970, 1974 (100 - 21)
Japan: 1970, 1972 (28 - 13)
South Africa: 1970, 1978 (15 - 3)
Chile: 1972, 1974 (77 - 19)
French Polynesia: 1972, 1983 (8 - 4)
Philippines: 1973, 1977 (95 - 78)
El Salvador: 1973, 1976 (19 - 1)
South Korea: 1973, 1977 (15 - 6)
Denmark: 1974, 1978 (2 - 0)
France: 1975, 1980 (10 - 0)
Sweden: 1975, 1977 (4 - 1)
Taiwan: 1976, 1981 (14 - 1)
China-Hong Kong: 1976, 1984 (4 - 1)
Colombia: 1977, 1978 (29 - 11)
Venezuela: 1977, 1979 (34 - 6)
Honduras: 1977, 1978 (23 - 7)
Costa Rica: 1977, 1978 (9 - 2)
Belgium: 1977, 1994 (2 - 0)
Finland: 1977, 1983 (2 - 2)
Norway: 1977, 2012 (2 - 0)
Ecuador: 1978, 1979 (36 - 9)
Bolivia: 1979, 1979 (27 - 10)
Paraguay: 1979, 1980 (10 - 10)
Panama: 1979, 1986 (7 - 4)

1980-1989 (10)

Puerto Rico: 1980, 1982 (5 - 0)
Austria: 1980, 1997 (2 - 0)
Nicaragua: 1981, 2000 (9 - 6) 
Portugal: 1981, 1986 (6 - 4)
Italy: 1981, 1985 (10 - 1)
Spain: 1982, 1982 (14- 4)
Fiji: 1983, 1995 (4 - 1)
United Arab Emirates: 1983, N/A (1 - 0)
Dominican Republic: 1986, 1988 (20 - 9)
Nigeria: 1988, 1990 (28 - 20)

1990-1999 (10)

Ghana: 1991, 1991 (13 - 11)
Papua New Guinea: 1995, 2011 (2 - 11)
Thailand: 1995, 2014 (3 - 3)
Singapore: 1995, N/A (1 - 0)
Ireland: 1995, N/A (1 - 1)
Democratic Republic of Congo: 1996, 1997 (12 - 4)
Kiribati: 1996, 2007 (2 - 0)
Haiti: 1997, 2003 (4 - 3)
Cote d'Ivoire: 1997, 2000 (8 - 3)
Zimbabwe: 1999, 2003 (6 - 2)

2000-2009 (8)

Madagascar: 2000, 2011 (2 - 2)
Kenya: 2001, N/A (1 - 3)
Republic of Congo: 2003, 2014 (2 - 1)
Ukraine: 2004, N/A (1 - 2)
Hungary: 2006, N/A (1 - 2)
Mongolia: 2009, N/A (1 - 2)
Trinidad and Tobago: 2009, N/A (1 - 0)
Marshall Islands: 2009, N/A (1 - 1)

2010-present (19)

Uganda: 2010, N/A (1 - 1)
Guam: 2010, N/A (1 - 0)
Indonesia: 2011, 2012 (2 - 1)
Russia: 2011, 2012 (2 - 6)
Cape Verde: 2012, 2013 (3 - 2)
India: 2012, N/A (1 - 6)
New Caledonia: 2012, N/A (1 - 0)
Botswana: 2012, N/A (1 - 0)
Sierra Leone: 2012, N/A (1 - 5)
Armenia: 2013, N/A (1 - 0)
Togo: 2013, N/A (1 - 0)
Albania: 2014, N/A (1 - 0)
Federated States of Micronesia: 2014, N/A (1 - 3) 
Cambodia: 2014, 2014 (2 - 5)
Jamaica: 2014, N/A (1 - 1)
Bahrain: 2014, N/A (1 - 0)
Mozambique: 2015, 2015 (2 - 0)
Zambia: 2015, N/A (1 - 2)
Vanuatu: 2015, N/A (1 - 3)
at

42 comments:

  1. EduardoSeptember 9, 2015 at 3:38 PM

    Nice! No Guinea...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jim ColesSeptember 9, 2015 at 6:26 PM

    Are there certain requirements for a district to be formed? It seems to me as long as they have the leadership in place there are no restrictions. I noticed that there are now 3 branches in the city of Bouaké, Cotê D'Ivoire and wondered why a district was not created. Maybe it just hasn't been organized yet or other circumstances?

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownSeptember 10, 2015 at 8:05 AM

    In the specific case of Bouake, two of the three branches were created less than two weeks ago. That said, a district there is probably still forthcoming soon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JosephSeptember 10, 2015 at 12:32 PM

    Unit Update

    30 Aug
    Agbor 3rd Branch, Agbor Nigeria District (3 Branches)
    Bouake 2nd Branch, Bouake 3rd Branch, Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission (
    13 Branches, 3 Districts, 5 Stakes)
    Ijebu-Ife Branch, Ijebu-Ode Nigeria District (8 Branches)
    Oamaru 2nd Branch, Dunedin New Zealand District (7 Branches)

    6 Sept
    Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Yopougon Attie Stake (7 Wards)
    Andokoi Ward
    Foncier Ward
    Koute Ward
    Nankoko Ward
    Selmer Ward
    Toit Rouge 2nd Ward
    Toit Rouge 3rd Ward

    Bontoc Branch, Sogod Philippines District (7 Branches)
    Centennial Ward, Fort Worth Texas Stake (10 Wards)
    Hillcrest 2nd Ward, Orem Utah Hillcrest Stake (1 Branch, 7 Wards)
    Ibusa Branch, Asaba Nigeria District (7 Branches)
    Laurel Springs Ward, Sugar Hill Georgia Stake (1 Branch, 11 Ward)
    Libagon Branch, Sogod Philippines District (7 Branches)
    Minburi Ward, Bangkok Thailand Stake (7 Wards)
    Provo Married Student 17th Ward, Provo Utah Married Student 2nd Stake (10 Wards)
    Schertz Ward, San Antonio Texas East Stake (2 Branch, 13 Wards)

    YTD 410(11.39/week 35)
    Africa 132, 32.2%
    Asia 11, 2.7%
    Europe 13, 3.2%
    North America (w/ Caribbean) 111, 27.1%
    Pacific 34, 8.3%
    South and Central America 40, 9.8%
    Utah & Idaho 69, 16.8%

    Totals no-sensitive
    Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
    Global 25 148 418 3,147 546 22,441 7,339 34,064
    Us/Can 11 81 131 1,588 11 12,528 2,066 16,416
    US n/a 73 124 1,541 8 12,192 1,916 15,854
    Utah n/a 15 10 577 1 4,674 326 5,603
    Canada n/a 8 7 47 3 336 150 551
    Out 14 67 287 1,559 535 9,913 5,273 17,648

    With Sensitive
    Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
    Global 25 148 418 3,147 557 22,445 7,429 34,169

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 13, 2015 at 11:19 AM

    I think a second Cache Valley temple may be likely eventually. Where do you think it most likely will be? South? North or West. The Logan Temple is on the east side bit I seems about centrally located north and south.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 13, 2015 at 11:21 AM

    How many stakes do you think the Star Valley Temple will take from Logan?

    ReplyDelete
  7. AlexSeptember 13, 2015 at 2:36 PM

    L. Chris Jones, the ldschurchtemples website predicts that Star Valley will take the two Montpelier stakes and the Soda Springs stake away from Logan, so I don't anticipate that temple having all that much effect on how busy Logan is. A Pocatello temple would likely also not have much of an effect, so I agree that eventually Cache Valley will probably get a 2nd temple.

    I don't see Cache Valley #2 as the next Utah temple, not by a long shot (Mt. Timp is busier and so will probably get a split first; a Layton area temple would serve more stakes; Tooele makes a better recent growth and distance argument; and the most recent new stake in the Logan district was created in 2010, indicating fairly stagnant congregational growth), so Cache Valley probably won't get a temple for a good while unless the Cache Valley members stress the temple to the bursting point.

    If the Logan temple has gotten a lot busier while I wasn't looking, my guess would be Smithfield. It has a good complement of stakes itself, and is closer to the Idaho stakes on the same route that they appear to take to get to Logan. I don't see a temple going in Idaho south of Pocatello (the likely next temple in that area) or in Cache Valley south of Logan.

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownSeptember 13, 2015 at 8:18 PM

    The rededication of the Mexico City temple got me thinking about temple rededications in general. Remodeling and rededicating temples is no longer an unusual occurance; more than half of the temples built by 1985 have received a rededication due to an addition, a remodeling, or both. Even newer temples are now being remodeled. Suva and Montreal, soon to be rededicated, were both originally dedicated in 2000.

    But the Ogden Temple was clearly a different process. I'm not sure what all went into that rebuilding (structural changes, redesigns for efficiency, etc.) but the exterior change now makes the temple much more of a landmark than it previously was. And I'm not even one who thinks that the Provo and Ogden temples were/are somehow lacking in visual appeal. My understanding is that the temple rebuilding went along with a revitalization of the entire area.

    My question is, do the readers here think there are any other temples which are or should be considered for this type of major overhaul? I obviously know nothing about things like design efficiency or structural issues (seismic codes, for example) that might affect temples, so I'm referring only to aesthetic questions. Are there temples you would like to see 're-done?' Does anyone know if this is being considered anywhere else?

    ReplyDelete
  9. John Pack LambertSeptember 13, 2015 at 8:31 PM

    What are the chances of there being a Pittsburgh Temple any time soon. I seem to recall Pittsburgh getting a new stake in the last year or so, and the Youngstown Stake has been organized since the Columbus temple was dedicated as well as an additional stake based in Columbus, so there has been some growth.

    ReplyDelete
  10. John Pack LambertSeptember 13, 2015 at 8:34 PM

    Didn't the Brigham City Temple take some stakes from the Logan Temple, or did it mainly draw from the Ogden Temple?

    ReplyDelete
  11. John Pack LambertSeptember 13, 2015 at 8:45 PM

    I have to admit that part of me would like to see the temples dedicated from 1999-2001 redesigned to be more unique and distinctive. However with time lost to closure and the cost doing so would incure, I OK with the current situation. I doubt we will see many in the near future unless they are cases like Montreal where the building has problems that need to be fixed. I have heard one person complain that the San Antonio Temple is more pretty and designed to be used.

    That leads to another question. Does anyone expect another temple to be announced for Texas soon? There is clearly church growth there, but I am not sure there is any area quite ready for a temple. McAllen would benefit from one, but I am not sure there are enough members there. Maybe if Laredo gets a stake instead of just a district.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mendocino ScottSeptember 13, 2015 at 10:13 PM

    A lot of us here in Central Texas are hoping for a temple in Round Rock, just north of Austin. For those of us here in the Waco/Temple/Kileen area, Dallas and San Antonio are both greater than 2 hours away with no traffic, and both are much worse in traffic. (Austin is a mess if we go south to San Antonio, and the Dallas Temple is north of downtown, also a mess.)

    A Round Rock temple would serve several stakes in the Austin area, including:
    Austin Texas Oak Hills
    Austin Texas
    Round Rock Texas
    Round Rock Texas East

    Just to the north, the Kileen Stake was split a few years ago to form the Waco Stake, bringing the total to 6 stakes.

    I realize that Downtown Austin to the San Antonio temple is just 1.5 hours, and that this would take 5 stakes from San Antonio, leaving it with 10 stakes and 2 districts. (Waco Stake is assigned to Dallas.)

    It is likely a few years out still, but people in general, including Church members, seem to be flocking to the area in droves, so an Austin Temple in Round Rock should remain on the radar.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jim ColesSeptember 13, 2015 at 10:19 PM

    I always thought the Chicago Temple looked like an oversized Stake Center. Don't get me wrong. I love the Chicago Temple and went there as a youth, but I never thought it stood out.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jim ColesSeptember 13, 2015 at 10:22 PM

    There may be reasons for the Chicago Temple looking that way. Maybe city codes or other factors.

    ReplyDelete
  15. TomSeptember 13, 2015 at 10:32 PM

    Very interesting comments on the temple re-design thought. I agree with JPL that the 1999-2001 temples could use some individuality. To save on costs, perhaps such large-scale renovations could be done whenever the time inevitably comes for a routine closure for other renovative/reparative processes of each individual temple, rather than en-masse closures & renovations. I also agree that the Chicago and similarly styled -temples appear dated. 1st Provo temple looks terrible, sorry. It seems to me that the more classical elements are incorporated into the design, the more timeless the temple appears. When more temporary styles are used, the temple looks dated as soon as that era's design elements fall out of fashion. Yes, I know it's what's inside the temple that matters, but aesthetics can enhance a spiritual experience.

    ReplyDelete
  16. TomSeptember 13, 2015 at 10:39 PM

    I meant to say 'contemporary' rather than temporary.

    ReplyDelete
  17. JosephSeptember 14, 2015 at 10:15 AM

    Unit Update
    9 Aug
    Keene Branch (Marshallese), Weatherford Texas Stake (5 Branches, 6 Wards)

    30 Aug
    Santa Monica 2nd Branch, Puerto Princesa Philippines District (6 Branches)

    6 Sept
    Conde Branch, João Pessoa Brazil Rangel Stake (1 Branch, 10 Wards)
    Emigration 1st Branch (Care Center), Salt Lake Emigration Stake (1 Branch, 8 Wards)
    Orange Grove Ward, Bedfordview South Africa Stake (5 Branches, 7 Wards)

    13 Sept
    Ingram Mill Ward, Springfield Missouri Stake (1 Branch, 8 Wards)

    YTD 415(11.22/week 37)
    Africa 133, 32.0%
    Asia 11, 2.7%
    Europe 13, 3.2%
    North America (w/ Caribbean) 112, 27.1%
    Pacific 35, 8.4%
    South and Central America 41, 9.9%
    Utah & Idaho 70, 16.9%

    Totals no-sensitive
    Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
    Global 25 148 418 3,147 546 22,441 7,345 34,070
    Us/Can 11 81 131 1,588 11 12,527 2,067 16,416
    US n/a 73 124 1,541 8 12,191 1,917 15,854
    Utah n/a 15 10 577 1 4,673 327 5,603
    Canada n/a 8 7 47 3 336 150 551
    Out 14 67 287 1,559 535 9,914 5,278 17,654

    With Sensitive
    Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
    Global 25 148 418 3,147 557 22,445 7,436 34,176

    ReplyDelete
  18. AlexSeptember 14, 2015 at 11:37 AM

    I highly doubt that we will see many, if any, more temple design changes. Ogden was a special case where people were avoiding getting sealed in one of the largest temples in the Church, so they redid the exterior as part of a downtown Ogden revitalization effort. The only other temple in a similar situation is Provo, and the Church has stated that they have no plans to shut down their busiest temple anytime soon for a cosmetic change. The 1999-2001 temples, and their equivalent in the Pres. Kimball era (e.g., Chicago, Boise, Dallas, Vegas, Johannesburg, Stockholm) were not designed to be huge, busy temples like Ogden was. They were designed to take the temples to the members, so a standardized design, given by revelation, was used to build more temples with less cost. I think that as time goes on and the temples start needing maintenance, the Church will make some small cosmetic changes like they're doing in Montreal, but I would be shocked if there were wholesale temple redesigns. Aside from the enormous cost draining the budget that could otherwise pay for new temples, shutting down these distant temples for 18 months is a major barrier to doing ordinances and Church growth and maturation in these areas. Since it came up, I'll use my temple, Chicago, as an example. When it closed for a month in the summer, the closest operating temple was Nauvoo (a 5 hour drive away), followed by Detroit and St. Paul, both of which are about 6.5 hours away according to Google maps. No cosmetic change is worth that much temple loss unless there was a reason to shut down e temple anyway (expansion or major maintenance).

    ReplyDelete
  19. UnknownSeptember 14, 2015 at 11:55 AM

    @John, in regards to a temple in Pittsburgh, I can imagine a temple in Kirtland in the future servicing Pittsburgh more than Pittsburgh getting its own. It's still a 2 hour drive, but has the historic factor. Now that the Provo Tabernacle has been turned into the Provo City Center Temple, I can see the Church buying the Kirtland Temple and renovating it into a modern temple in the same way. It'd probably service 9 stakes in the area (including Pittsburgh). I think it'd be cool if it was the 200th temple announced or dedicated.

    As for another Texas temple, I think McAllen would be the next needed one, but it probably still needs a few more years for another stake or two in South Texas. 4 hours is a long drive for the 3 branches on the border, but it's a pretty straightforward drive.

    ReplyDelete
  20. BTSeptember 14, 2015 at 1:05 PM

    @Kevin, the Community of Christ will not sell the Kirtland Temple--not now, and not ever, barring a major change in plans. They've made that very clear. (And if the Church were to purchase the Kirtland Temple, I'm not so sure I'd like it to be remodeled to function as a modern one. I'd rather it be preserved.)

    As for future major renovations for temples, I think the only ones at this point that get those will be historic temples where the Church helps restore the buildings to their original splendor--St. George should probably get that within the next 5 years, and I'd love to see Logan restored, too. We'll see.

    ReplyDelete
  21. AlexSeptember 14, 2015 at 4:04 PM

    On the idea of another temple in Texas, I think a north Austin temple would be the next one. But I don't think it will happen for a little bit (maybe another year?) San Antonio is packed. Every session I went to before moving was filled along with as many folding chairs as would fit.

    However, I think increasing the number of sessions will be the first change to happen there. The area is growing fast. The SA East stake has recently added two new wards and will likely split in the near future.

    Not sure what growth is like in Austin area or how much of SA/Dallas temple attendance comes from those areas, but I'd suppose an Austin-area temple announced in 2016.

    ReplyDelete
  22. RsouthwestSeptember 14, 2015 at 5:29 PM

    I want to add my thoughts on a Temple in the Austin, Texas metro. I think one will be announced within the next few years. depending on the Austin area location, an Austin Temple would currently serve 6-8 Stakes. The four largest metro areas in Texas (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin) continue to grow at a staggering rate. There will be millions of new residents over the next few years. Austin is the Capitol of Texas, and has higher than standard activity. Even though there are already Temples in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, due to traffic, it is getting harder to plan simple Temple trips. In my area north of Dallas, I can be to the Dallas Temple in 30 minutes, or 1.5 hours--it all depends on traffic. It makes planning Ward Temple nights fun.

    ReplyDelete
  23. EduardoSeptember 14, 2015 at 7:27 PM

    Sometimes our temples have not been made to stand out particularly. The Chicago design which also was done for Lima, Johannesburg, Buenos Aires and South Korea I think is supposed to evoke images of the original mobile temple of the Twelve tribes.

    In my opinion the most humble looking temple is in Santaigo, Chile. I went through it in 1991.

    Our church (LDS) and the Community of Christ have an interesting relationship, and both have intimated things that would not change that do change. Policy and ownership can always change.

    They ended a lot of strong traditions to be where they are now.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Ryan SearcySeptember 14, 2015 at 7:36 PM

    I very much doubt the Kirtland Temple would eventually become an active temple, however, I agree, a few of the temples could be redesigned (at least externally) to make it more unique. In the late 90s-early 00's were build quickly for greatest outreach, but later on, when they need renovation, they could take on a more unique appearance. I think the Provo Temple looks just how it needs to. I actually like how it looks, and, it is an extremely busy and iconic temple.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Jim ColesSeptember 14, 2015 at 8:40 PM

    @Eduardo Clinch thank you for that insight on the design of some the temples. I think it gave me a greater perspective on some of the temple designs. The temple doesn't need to look glamorous or stand out. There is beauty in simplicity as well.

    ReplyDelete
  26. TempleRickSeptember 16, 2015 at 3:52 PM

    Plans are underway for a St. George temple renovation, so we can expect to see that in the near future (most likely after the Cedar City temple is finished).

    The Hamilton New Zealand Temple is overdue for a renovation. It is 57 years old and still has just one (albeit large) endowment room. There is already a lot of Church construction activity in Hamilton with the closure of the Church College of New Zealand: some buildings are being repurposed, others razed, and a new stake center going up. It is called the Temple View Project.

    I think we could see a Mesa temple renovation now that the Gilbert and Phoenix temples are functioning. The temple could be converted back to a progressive-style endowment, as was done in Laie, Hawaii and Los Angeles.

    I'd love to see a Logan temple renovation. I attend there regularly, and the interior is dated and makes little sense with the exterior. It is definitely a 1970s retrofit with no real tribute to the original interior or to the pioneer era in which it was constructed. Manti, on the other hand, is still gloriously historic and beautiful inside.

    To name a few more, I could see Tokyo and Seattle renovations to update the interiors. Does Seattle still have escalators? It seems like Dallas had an awkward layout where after using the dressing rooms, you came back out near the entrance to wait for the session to be called up. Spokane is one of the busier small temples. I've wondered if it would be enlarged at some point. There is plenty of land to do so.

    ReplyDelete
  27. EduardoSeptember 16, 2015 at 4:28 PM

    Some people have criticized or mocked the architectural style of the Provo or former Ogden temples, but I have fond memories of driving at night across the valley and seeing the shadow by day and "pillar by night" imagery and I felt it gave me some spiritual boosts.

    ReplyDelete
  28. James AndersonSeptember 16, 2015 at 6:57 PM

    There was a display in the Clyde Building on BYU Campus a year or so ago, some of those attending BYU Education Week may have run across it, where they showed an issue with redoing the baptistry in Seattle, and how the students came up with a possible engineering solution for it.

    The issue was the construction surrounding the two windows, the Church apparnntly wants a third window there, and there is a substantial pillar right where they want to put it, so the students and faculty worked out a solution and it was in one of the big display places just north of 377 CB.

    Rumors do persist of a Provo renovation, but they have been doing a lot incrementally over the last ten years. Anytime you see a six-week closure, that's where they are getting the most done. You see differences after every four-week or six-week closure. Only thing left as far as lighting on the sealing room and endowment room levels is the old fluorescents around the vaulted part of the endowment rooms. All sealing room chandeliers were completely replaced, there are new confirmation rooms in the baptistry, perimeter hall fluorescent pods on floors 2 nad 3 and center hall pods on floor 2 were replaced by much more attractive light fixtures. All seating was replaced in the ordinance rooms about seven years back if not more.

    The 1970s Logan work was a total gut of the building. Only the shell was left of the original. Mesa had a six-month closure last half of 1992, I recall some that were going to go on missions having to be endowed well before they even put in their papers on account of that.

    Dallas has had two reworks, one was to extend some stuff to the north, as from when it opened to past 1989 you bought your clothing just to the east of the recommend desk, and by 1989 they had put in a fifth endowment room at the south 'point' of the building. It was redone since but I'm not sure in what ways.

    President Hinckley said they in the future might consider upsizing some of the small ones when the need became apparent, while we have not seen one yet (two were expanded to add a little space to accomodate another endowment room). None have been enlarged yet, most reworks have been essentially refurbs.

    ReplyDelete
  29. John Pack LambertSeptember 19, 2015 at 10:10 AM

    On the other hand in one meeting connected with the Columbus Temple, I don't remember exactly what it was, President Hinckley said that when that temple got too busy they would build another one. I think building a temple in western Montana is probably more likely to take pressure off the Spokane Temple than expanding Spokane. I only see them expanding the Spokane Temple if Spokane itself gets serveral more stakes.

    ReplyDelete
  30. John Pack LambertSeptember 19, 2015 at 10:20 AM

    I just noticed that the post-2010 decade is currently second only to the 1970s in the most countries getting their first stake. At 19 to the 1970s 24, it is altogether possible that the 2010s will set a new record. Malaysia is one country I expect to get its first stake by the end of 2019. I am not sure if there are another 5 countries likely to get their first stake by then. Maybe Togo will. Swaziland might also make it. Angola is on the way, although I do not know it will be there by that date. Pakistan actually might, but with all units in that country being sensitive it is hard to say. I am not sure if Romania has a potential to get a stake by then, but it might be an central European candidate. Are there other central European countries that are candidates? Cameroon might make it to a stake by the end of 2019 as well, but I am not sure how likely that is. I would love to see Rawanda or Burundi make it to a stake, but that will probably not happen until after 2020. Although 4 years before the stake was organized in Benin I do not know it could have been predicted. Malawi come to think of it has a fairly good chance of getting a stake by December 2019. So we might see the 24 in a decade record exceeded.

    ReplyDelete
  31. John Pack LambertSeptember 19, 2015 at 10:24 AM

    I guess I got confused. It is Togo not Benin that currently has a stake. So reverse in my last post everywhere that says either with the other.

    ReplyDelete
  32. John Pack LambertSeptember 19, 2015 at 10:36 AM

    I was just thinking that New Zealand is likely to be the next country with a second temple announced. Although I think Bolivia and Ecuador are contenders for a 2nd temple. When I was born in 1980 only the United States had more than one temple (I was at the dedication of the first temple to be a 2nd temple in a country besides the US, the Toronto Temple in August of 1990. In October of 1990 a 3rd country got 2 temples when Germany reunited). There were only temples in 7 countries as of the day I was born (that day the Tokyo Temple was dedicated). Today there are 12 countries with at least 2 temples (with another 3 with a second temple at some stage of being completed) and a total of I believe 42 countries with temples with another 7 with a temple announced.

    ReplyDelete
  33. John Pack LambertSeptember 20, 2015 at 10:15 AM

    I also was thinking about multiple temples in sub-national units outside the US. If I counted correctly there are 4 such sub-national units outside the US with multiple temple. One is England. Then there is Alberta with 3 temples, Sao Paulo State in Brazil with 2 temples (Sao Paulo and Campinas). Chihuahua State in Mexico has both the Ciudad Juarez and the Colonia Juarez temples. Does anyone have a suggestion of what the next such unit to get a 2nd temple will be?

    In the US we could also look at counties with multiple temples. Currently Maricopa County Arizona, Utah County Utah and Salt Lake County Utah are the only counties with multiple temples, although Ada County Idaho has a 2nd temple announced. Ada County has about 400,000 people to Salt Lake Counties just over 1 million and Utah Counties close to 600,000. Counties I could see getting a 2nd temple are Davis County, Utah (which has just over 300,000 people, Weber county has about 230,000). Los Angeles County has over 10 million people and is the most populous county in the US. a much lower percentage are LDS though. Due to the location of the LA Temple and its size, and the location of the Redlands and Newport Beach Temples I would be surprised to see a new temple announced for LA County before 2020. Possible new temple locations would be in the general area of Arcadia in the eastern portion of the county. I would not expect that unless we saw significant growth in ward and stake numbers there. I believe the last 30 years have generally seen stagnation of decline in that area. Another possible countender would by Palmdale/Lancaster, but I doubt that anytime soon. Another possibility might be Santa Clarita. This is a city of nearly 200,000 just north of the San Fernando Valley. This could be a centralized location for a temple taking in Ventura County, the San Fernando Valley, The Antelope Valley (Lancaster, Palmdale) and maybe even Bakerfield and Ridgecrest. I think we would need to see a few more stakes formed throughout the area for that to be likely.

    I doubt there are any other counties in the US that have any chance of getting a 2nd temple before 2030. Cache County, Utah is the only other outside candidate I see. Washington County Utah might see a 2nd temple built in Hurricane by 2030 if the manages to get back to the 80% and 90% population growth it saw per decade from 1980-2000 instead of the only 50% growth it saw from 2000-2010. Washington County currently has 150,000 or so people to Kane County (largest city Kanab) having 7000. So I would expect Eastern Washington County to get a temple before Kane County. Hurricane, Utah alone has 14,000 people. St. George itself has nearly 80,000 people, so just over half the population of Washington County.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Mike JohnsonSeptember 20, 2015 at 5:32 PM

    Counties that may have a 2nd temple in the next decade:

    Clark County, NV (a second temple on the west side or possibly in the highly LDS areas in eastern Clark County.

    Either Davis or Weber County (the next temple could be in northwest Davis County or the area of Roy in Weber County).

    Washington County

    Cache County. I think Cache is likely the last of the four. Washington County is larger and grows faster and further from other temples.

    I do think LA County could get a second temple soon--there are a couple of hundred LDS congregations in the county.

    Long shots or San Diego County (perhaps in East County) and Pima County (but Tucson needs to be finished first).

    The Denver area has a lot of counties, making it unlikely that Arapahoe County would get another temple in the near future.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Mike JohnsonSeptember 20, 2015 at 5:35 PM

    While I do think Washington County will get a 2nd temple before Kane Country, we should remember that there are 2 stakes in Hurricane and two stakes in Kanab.

    ReplyDelete
  36. EduardoSeptember 20, 2015 at 8:13 PM

    While LA County does have 10 million plus people and is a good sized county in its own right, the LA Temple is pretty big and can accommodate a lot of membership. I would think it better to put a temple in Kern or Ventura counties to help more people spread out who drive longer distances.

    Having lived in San Bernardino/Highland for 4 years I know how a trip into LA can be problematic, and the Redlands Temple solves so many traffic issues.

    I look forward to seeing more temples constructed in the future that can facilitate shorter travel for far flung faithful members, especially in nations with travel restrictions and issues, like in Africa or Asia. Or even the the South Pacific.

    ReplyDelete
  37. UnknownSeptember 20, 2015 at 8:40 PM

    Just to add onto John's comments, as for countries having their first stake in the next few years, I would think we could add Liberia to your list. It looks like there are 21 branches currently in the Monrovia area. Perhaps Czech Republic may also be getting close. Maybe Guyana is getting close, too, with 6 branches in Georgetown and 12 total in the country. Also, do you know, would it be possible for the English district in Shanghai to become a stake?

    As for countries getting their second temple, I imagine Nigeria is very close. Maybe not in this upcoming year, but probably soon. Aba is one of the small temples and serves 28 stakes and 20 districts. Its temple district size/sq footage ratio is almost as bad as Lima Peru's. Also, I hear the roads make it quite difficult to travel, so it'd be hard for the members in Lagos and Benin City to travel to Aba. Venezuela may be another option, as well, for countries getting a second temple. There are 7 stakes in the Maracaibo area and an additional 11 stakes/districts that would be assigned to it.

    I guess future temple announcements, though, depend a lot on the speed of dedicating the ones currently under construction. Looks like we may have 6 dedicated in 2016, though.

    ReplyDelete
  38. John Pack LambertSeptember 20, 2015 at 8:58 PM

    I didn't put Liberia on my list because it has already had its first stake, even though the stake no longer exists. I couldn't remember if the Czech Republic had gotten a stake. Since it hasn't, I hope it does soon.

    On the Shanghai issue the district is not "English" it is "non-Chinese". It may be true that most of the meetings in the district are held in English, but the defining factor is Chinese law that means nationals and non-nationals cannot worship together.

    If there were not two stakes in the gulf countries I would say I doubted the Church would organize a stake where virtually all the membership was only there on a short term basis. Also, some of the members in the International District may well be just as likely to stay there long term as in some parts of the US. When I was a teenager my ward felt like a ward made up of Utah expatriates. It is not so much so anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  39. KennySeptember 21, 2015 at 2:45 PM

    Just got a letter from our stake presidency that the Eagle Mountain Utah East Stake is splitting at our stake conference on Oct 24-25th. That would make 7 stakes in Eagle Mountain, 5 stakes in Saratoga Springs (with 2 of those stake with 12+ wards) and 2 stakes in Lehi next to the Jordan River. Therefore, making a potential of 16 stakes in the area where in 2000 there was on 1 stake. Basically at a rate of 1 stake per year.

    I agree that a temple in Layton would be most likely for another temple in Utah. If you look at the total of temples (dedicated, under construction, and announced) there is a total of 173 and Utah keeps having about 10%, currently 17 now. This is an interesting statistic someone pointed out to me.

    With Mt Timpanogos Temple being so busy, I had to stand outside the chapel waiting for a session recently, how soon does anyone think a temple on the West side of Utah Lake might be announced? I don't see it super soon, but eventually very likely.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Mike JohnsonSeptember 21, 2015 at 8:25 PM

    Eagle Mountain Utah Stake 27-Feb-00 (8 wards)
    Saratoga Springs Utah Stake 16-Sep-01 (12 wards)
    Eagle Mountain Utah West Stake 22-Sep-02 (7 wards, 1 branch)
    Lehi Utah Jordan River Stake 16-Mar-03 (7 wards)
    Saratoga Springs Utah North Stake 12-Sep-04 (8 wards)
    Eagle Mountain Utah East Stake 13-Mar-05 (12 wards)
    Saratoga Springs Utah South Stake 22-Mar-09 (8 wards)
    Eagle Mountain Utah North Stake 25-Apr-10 (7 wards)
    Eagle Mountain Utah Central Stake 9-Oct-11 (7 wards)
    Saratoga Springs Utah Crossroads Stake 20-Nov-11 (13 wards)
    Lehi Utah Jordan Willows Stake 24-Mar-13 (9 wards)
    Eagle Mountain Utah Cedar Pass Stake 16-Mar-14 (9 wards)
    Saratoga Springs Utah Israel Canyon Stake 23-Mar-14 (8 wards)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Mike JohnsonSeptember 21, 2015 at 9:10 PM

    My brother lives in Layton and I am sure he and his family would love to have a temple on the east side of Layton up on the mountain.

    In my view, a temple in Layton probably takes too many stakes away from Bountiful and not enough from Ogden. I believe the better place is west of Hill AFB. It could take in stakes from Layton to Roy.

    Bountiful Temple - 13 Layton Stakes would leave 36 for Bountiful Temple
    Ogden Temple - 6 Syracuse, 6 Roy, 3 Clearfield, 3 Clinton, 2 West Point, 2 Hooper, and 1 Sunset Stakes would leave 40 stakes for Ogden
    The new temple would then have 36 stakes.

    I think a new temple to relieve pressure on Ogden and Bountiful would probably best be located around Clearfield/Clinton area.

    ReplyDelete
  42. FredrickSeptember 24, 2015 at 8:34 PM

    If Clark County, Nevada gets another temple it will definitely be on the west side in the Summerlin area. There are only two (2) stakes in east Clark County (Logandale and Mesquite) with Mesquite 30 miles from St. George. I don't see such an announcement happening for at least another ten years.

    Another two possibilities are Tacoma, Washington and Salem, Oregon. Both areas seem to have enough stakes (about 12 each) to support a new temple while leaving enough stakes to continue using the Seattle and Portland Temples (about 20 each). Salem seems geographically ideal over Eugene and the Salem area has three very large stakes, which split by the time the temple opens.

    No doubt, a temple in Layton and Lehi are warranted as the Ogden Temple and Mt. Timpanogos Temple serving a large number of stakes.

    The Denver area will not see a new temple anytime soon. However, I do see an announcement for Colorado Springs (probably south of the city) in the near future, after the Fort Collins Temple is completed. The temple would serve about 9 or 1o stakes when it (hypothetically) opens.

    LA County will not see a temple in the foreseeable future. The temple is huge, the stakes are small. However, I do see a temple in Ventura County a real possibility. There's at least five stakes nearby and three more up the central coast.

    ReplyDelete