I have updated my temple prediction map in preparation for General Conference in April. Data used to identify probable locations for future temples include the size of the Church in a specific geographical area (i.e. number of stakes and districts, the number of wards and branches), the age of the oldest stake in a specific geographical area, church growth trends, distance to the nearest temple, number of endowment sessions scheduled at the nearest temple, and member and missionary reports regarding member activity, temple attendance, and convert retention.
In September 2019, I divided prospective temple sites into more likely and less likely categories. This change appeared warranted given recent trends of temple announcements in remote areas of the world with few relatively Latter-day Saints, such as Cobán, Guatemala; Budapest, Hungary; and Okinawa, Japan, that appear less likely to receive temple announcements given historical trends.
Locations added to the temple prediction map include:
- Bo, Sierra Leone (less likely)
- Bluffdale/Herriman/Riverton, Utah (more likely and proposed by the Church originally in 2005)
- Clearfield/Syracuse/West Point, Utah (more likely)
- Spanish Fork, Utah (more likely)
Additional changes include the transfer of Santiago, Dominican Republic to the more likely temple list from the less likely temple list. Also, Olongapo, Philippines is provided as an alternative site for the probable Angeles Philippines Temple. Altogether, there are 137 potential temples on the map (47 more like temples, 90 less likely temples).
The following 10 locations appear most likely to have temples announced this coming General Conference if any new temples are announced. You are welcome to provide your top 10 picks for temple announcements in the comments below.
- Benin City, Nigeria
- Santa Cruz, Bolivia
- Monrovia, Liberia
- Angeles or Olongapo, Philippines
- Tarawa, Kiribati
- Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
- Missoula, Montana
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Santiago or Tuguegarao, Philippines
- Lubumbashi, DR Congo
See below for the map of likely and less likely new temple sites:
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ReplyDeleteRight now, in Utah, Layton is very close to Syracuse, five miles, and the Layton Temple is set to be a smaller large size temple, not out of the range of possibility but maybe a little more time has to pass.
ReplyDeleteThe 48th West site mentioned by the Deseret News article after the conference the SW Salt Lake location was proposed is not that far from a very controversial development, Olympia Hills, Heavy news coverage, and if built even in the currently modified proposal form, could still bring a substantial number of people to the nearby area.
They may wait on Liberia for a conference or two, as they may not want to announce one during that area's economic crisis.
Mongolia, yes. One stake, and maybe two districts, a Yigo-sized temple with a way to add on if things grow more quickly
Mongolia has 2 stakes.
DeleteMy top 10 list:
Benin City, Nigeria
Madison, wisconsin
Charlotte, North Carolina
Heber City, Utah
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Valparaiso, Chile
Iquitos, Peru
Lumbumbashi, Congo
Beira, Mozambique
Angeles, Philippines
JPL, FWIW, when I first started sharing thoughts about future temple prospects, I was advised by Rick Satterfield, who had done the research to verify it, that Wisconsin's first temple will likely be built in Green Bay. And given how spot-on he's been about other temple matters, I'd defer to his opinion on that.
DeleteAnd I've mentioned before that the choice of Beira over Maputo as the choice for Mozambique's first temple might yield the same results as prioritizing Bo over Freetown for Sierra Leone's first temple.
Of course, we did see Guam's first temple announced for Yigo rather than Barrigada, where the one stake in Guam has been established, or the capital city of Hagatna, so stranger things have happened. Just some thoughts from me, for whatever they might be worth to you or anyone else here.
I grew up in Marquette, MI. Our Stake center is in Green Bay (3hrs away), and our temple is the Chicago temple (6hrs away). I second, just based on personal experience, that it would make more sense to have a temple in Green Bay. I fear it won't be for a while though because it would take away many many patrons and volunteers from Chicago.
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ReplyDeleteI'd love to see another Temple in the UK somewhere. Mongolia is a must! even just with distance, travelling to Hong Kong.
ReplyDeleteI try to tell myself I'll be an old man by the time UB sees a temple. Uneniig heleheed I always get my hopes up.
DeleteFascinating work! I'm curious how your predictions have done, historically? Do you have a chart of predictions and outcomes from the past few years?
ReplyDelete@Anita Wells, to help answer your question.
ReplyDelete@Cory posted a few days ago in this blog :
"Cory said...
Hey, remember in 2010 when this blog posed two maps for temple predictions? One had the map for near predictions and the other had the map for predictions into 2020. Guess, what, it is 2020. It's interesting to see what predictions turned out correct from 10 years ago.
https://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/2010/01/updated-potential-temple-maps.html
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&ll=25.81498014967257%2C-125.15625&spn=176.66134%2C360&z=1&source=embed&mid=1x8GV0enXjp1eGGRllJ5976M9zZg
February 22, 2020 at 3:20 PM"
Granada Hills CA Stake in the Los Angeles San Fernando Valley got dissolved today, with half the stake going to Chatsworth Stake, and other going to North Hollywood Stake. So 2 English speaking stakes and a 1 Spanish speaking stake remains in the San Fernando Valley.
ReplyDeleteThere is going to be an Edmonton, Alberta YSA Stake created sometime in March
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm honored to be quoted.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to predict exactly what temples will be announced for each conference, but predicting 10 years into the future has been relatively successful.
Also worth note is one of the first temple prediction posts from 2007. Nearly all of these places have temples today (minus Culiacan Mexico, Belo Horizonte Brazil, and Tarawa Kiribati.)
https://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/2007/12/potential-temple-sites.html
I was under the impression that the SW salt lake valley site was in Herriman. It looks like a portable tabernacle was built here:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Church+of+Jesus+Christ+of+Latter-day+Saints/@40.4784868,-112.0098903,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPWX_PsKFe2aiGUrIIlDXDqGwIttNH1MjRlgMFk!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPWX_PsKFe2aiGUrIIlDXDqGwIttNH1MjRlgMFk%3Dw114-h86-k-no!7i3264!8i2448!4m5!3m4!1s0x875284829114982b:0x83b9e3a8605f1b6f!8m2!3d40.4784866!4d-112.00989
Here is my top 10, in no particular order:
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Benin City, Nigeria
Lubumbashi, DRC
Glasgow, Scotland
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Iquitos, Peru
Punto Arenas, Chile
Belo Horizante, Brazil
Charlotte, NC
Pittsburgh, PA
I actually would not be surprised to see Culiacan get a temple. One of the speakers at my stake conference mentioned her great grandparents joining the Church in Sinaloa in 1963.
DeleteOur closing prayer featured a Native of Iraq pleading with the Lord to open her native land to the preaching of the gospel. She joined the Church as a refugee in Spain.
Temples I could see announced at Conference this April:
ReplyDelete1 of:
La Paz, Bolivia
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
1-2 of:
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Maceio, Brazil
Santos, Brazil
Valparaiso, Chile
Cali, Columbia
1 of:
Kananga / Mwene-Ditu, DRC
Lubumbashi, DRC
Monrovia, Liberia
1 of:
Abuja, Nigeria
Benin City, Nigeria
Chiclayo, Peru
Kampala, Uganda
Charlotte, South Carolina
Missoula, Montana
And maybe a temple or two related to early Church history.
I'd guess 6-10 Temples are announced in April.
I hope for Sharon Vermont near the Joseph Smith birthplace. But it is in a more rural area away from the nearest stake center.
DeleteI'd be so thrilled for a temple in Mongolia. One in Vermont/New Hampshire/or Maine. One more in Texas, one in Kirabati or Vanuatu. One in Norway, Philippines, and throughout South America, another in D.R.Congo.
ReplyDeleteI will give my thoughts. While I think only 6-10 could be announced you never know what Heavenly Father will have. So here are my guesses:
ReplyDelete1. Jacksonville Florida
2. La Paz Bolivia
3. Singapore Singapore
4. Ulaanbaatar Mongolia
5. Dubai United Arab Emirates
6. Benin City Nigeria
7. Iquitos Peru
8. Belo Horizonte Brazil
9. Colorado Spring Colorado
10. Charlotte North Carolina
11. Price Utah
12. Herriman/Riverton Utah
13. Missoula Montana
14. Sharon Vermont
15. Havana Cuba
I could also see one for Cleveland Ohio, or another church history area.
@Noachj
DeleteGlad to see so many putting Missoula on their lists.
As far as personal wishes are concerned, being a born and bred Montanan from the Missoula area, that ones on the top of my list.
I'm curious to know which predictions have been unfulfilled the longest. I saw that Evanston and Price were both on the list from 10 years ago. So it made me curious what other temples were predicted so long ago and haven't been fulfilled.
ReplyDeleteMy top ten:
ReplyDelete1. Jacksonville, Florida
2. Missoula, Montana
3. Heber City, Utah
4. Ulanbataar, Mongolia
5. Singapore
6. Colorado Springs, CO
7. Valparaiso, Chile
8. El Paso, Texas
9. Charlotte, North Carolina
10. Tarawa, Kiribati
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
ReplyDeleteUlanbataar, Mongolia
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Iquitos, Peru
Phillipines
West Africa
USA
Forgot the 1st Middle Eastern Temple in Dubai
ReplyDeleteI have a question unrelated to the current discussion topic:
ReplyDeleteStake #4 in your new stakes opened - Herriman Blackridge. Generally, when a new stake/ward is created, it is added to LDS maps almost immediately. This stake is not as yet appearing in the maps. Additionally, another website I use to cross-reference my own data collection - fullerconsideration.com - generally has newly created units posted within a couple of days of said event happening. This stake is not appearing on their list either. I currently see no wards from any of the existing Herriman stakes that were recently reassigned elsewhere. Are you sure this stake was opened? Can you check with your sources? Anyone visiting this blog who lives in that area, who could confirm or deny the existence of the Herriman Blackridge Stake?
@Eric, if you search for Aurora Vista Ward in Classic Maps that was assigned to Herriman Utah Blackridge Stake. and no stake assigned below ward name. you click link to Stakes on left side list it will show temp assignment to a stake far away. until new created stake is updated. similar case to a Puntarenas Branch in Costa Rica. that district was discontinued last year and still says temp reassignment to a Houston Texas Stake about a thousand miles away. i'm sure the Herriman Stake will appear on both sites next few days. Your welcome.
ReplyDeleteHerriman Utah Blackridge Stake (2157128)
ReplyDeleteGENERAL INFORMATION
Active Date: 23 Feb 2020
Alpine View Ward (2038552)
Aurora Vista Ward (1147803)
Juniper Crest Ward (2154358)
Lookout Ridge Ward (2038560)
Patriot Ridge Ward (2112418)
Providence Point Ward (2038579)
copied out of cdol
I think broadcasting for Gen. Con. will continue as usual, but I think attendence at the Conference Ctr. In SLC is unlikely due to Coronavirus. It is spreading fast. I'm no one official, but I'd be surprised if we don't get an announcement regarding closing of the Conf. Ctr. Strictly from a medical perspective, it would be irresponsible during a pandemic. Stay safe and prepare wisely.
ReplyDeleteMy top picks:
ReplyDeleteUS
1. Riverton / Bluffdale UT
2. Austin TX
3. Las Vegas II NV
4. Jacksonville FL
5. Knoxville TN
AMERICAS
1. Torreón MX
2. Querétaro MX
3. Ribeirao Preto BR
4. Triple Frontera BR/AR/PY
5. Bahia Blanca AR
6. Cuzco PE
7. Santa Cruz BO
8. La Paz BO
9. Cali CO
10. Santa Ana SL
EUROPE
1. Russian Temple announced as SARATOV
2. Oslo NO
3. Edinburgh SC UK
4. Barcelona ES
5. Hamburg DE
ASIA
1. Phillipines VI
2. Phillipines VII
3. Osaka JP
4. Busan KO
5. Ullanbattar MO
AFRICA
1. Kumasi GH
2. Benin City NG
3. Abuja NG
4. Lumbumbashi DC
5. Beira OR Maputo MZ
COMPLETELY DARK HORSES
1. Yerevan AM
2. Dubai UE
3. Jerusalem IL/PS
4. Fort Worth TX USA
5. Tiranë AL
If you wrote them they are not complete dark horses.
DeleteI think Christchurch New Zealand will get one.
ReplyDeleteI kinda think the Las Vegas area would be a good locale. Probably Henderson or near Summerlin.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if and how Covid-19 could affect temples. Could future developments/ disruptions due to the virus lead to a temporary slow down in temple announcements; additional, temporary closures of operating temples; and/ or a temporary lengthening of construction times? I fully realize such questions are speculative, and I don't mean to spread alarm. I also realize Christ is at the helm and will inspire His leaders of His church to do what's best. As President Nelson said, "Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory."
ReplyDeleteNoachj, the church never will put a temple in Havana unless there is at least one stake. Currently there is 2 districts. If you want more information on this, please reply back in the comments
ReplyDeleteI can list 5 temples who were announced before their districts had any stakes. Most recently Kiev in 1998. The Laie Temple existed for 16 years before its district had a stake.
DeleteLondon, Bern and Hamilton Temples all predate any stakes in their district, Bern by about 6 years.
There are two districts? I know of the two branches in Havana, but is there any more?
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ReplyDeleteThe Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Smith Jr.
@Bryan Dorman, just a small observation from your list.
ReplyDeleteAsia
1) Philippines VI, was announced previously as Davao Philippines.
2) Philippines VII, was announced previously as Bacolod Philippines.
For reference, Philippines I = Manila Philippines, II = Cebu City Philippines, III = Urdaneta Philippines, IV = Greater Manila (Alabang) Philippines, V = Cagayan de Oro Philippines, VI = Davao Philippines, VII = Bacolod Philippines.
You may have meant VIII + IX instead.
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/statistics/locations/philippines/
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ReplyDelete@ L. Chris Jones yes, I completely agree with your comment and what Joseph Smith has said. But they cannot (logistically and physically) put a temple that will only have districts in it. It needs at least one stake.
ReplyDelete@Chris sorry, yes I meant 1 district. I also have confirmed it in cdol.
There have been at least two or three temples that were announced before the first stake in the potential district. Hamilton New Zealand and Kiev Ukraine were both announced before before a stake was created, but by the time the temple was dedicated a stake was created.
DeleteActually I think Hamilton was dedicated a week before the stake was created.
DeleteLaie got a temple in 1919. It was not until 1935 that a stake was created in Hawaii. That stake was more centered on the other side of Oahu.
The Swiss Temple was dedicated in 1955. Continental Europe did not get a stake until 1961. The London Temple came before any stake in Britain.
Kiev is the only stateless temple since 1960 and it was not completed for a few years after Kiev got a stake.
It was not until 1958 in New Zealand a stake was created that was outside both the US and the North American mainland. It was not till 1961 that a non-English speaking stake was organized.
Without a temple close it was hard to retain active members in an area.
The stake president holds the keys for temple work in his stake. NOT the district president or the temple president. It is impossible for a temple in Cuba to happen (at current state, assuming only units in the nation of Cuba would be in its temple district).
ReplyDelete@Chris thanks for the catch. VIII and IX then for PHI.
ReplyDeleteIf they keep announcing nine to twelve temples per conference, and only breaking ground on like three of them between conferences, the backlog will pile up pretty quick.
ReplyDelete@L. Chris Jones but they did have at lest one stake... otherwise they would have created one out of the districts in the area.
ReplyDeleteLaie operated for 16 years with no stake.
Delete@Chris Nicholson, that's what I was wondering too. I recall Pres. Monson saying that they weren't announcing any for a few years to get things rolling on the ones that were announced, under contruction etc. I would love to be a fly on the wall for when and where to announce these Temples. I know there was that Elder Larry Wilson interview some years ago in Idaho and they said they had plans for 80 Temples but the timing and whatnot was a factor as to when to announce them, so I don't know.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else feel like there have been fewer predictions (in general, not about temples specifically) for this General Conference? That surprises me, since I usually hear a lot of rumors leading up to Conference, especially after President Nelson's announcement that this conference would be super-duper special (pretty sure that's an exact quote). It's making me think that my gut was probably right: it's just hype, not substance. Maybe a couple a special musical numbers. Probably an extra number of talks about Joseph Smith. Certainly a WWF-style competition beforehand among general authorities to see who gets to claim the talk title Praise to the Man.
ReplyDeleteHave other people heard more rumors than I on this topic? Have I just drifted off my usual rumor sources?
Who's to say that any "big announcements" or different locations has to be what constitutes this conference being different? Sometimes we create our own unnecessary hype.
ReplyDeleteThere will be another general session Saturday evening (replacing the normal Priesthood session), so that is one thing we know so far. Other than that, nothing else has been said that would give rise to rumors. President Nelson just invited us to prepare spiritually.
I enjoy reading others predictions on possible temple locations :) I'll try and get my guesses posted in a day or two.
Either way, it will be a conference to remember. Any rumors anyone has heard about 'big announcements'? I hear people jokingly say how the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon will be revealed, we will all be called to move to Missouri and that the second coming will happen at the Sunday morning conference. XD
ReplyDeleteAs far as Havana is concerned, I'm also of the opinion that it won't be announced soon. However, wasn't the Ukraine Temple announced with no stakes yet in the country? That one took over a decade to complete. Some of us conjectured (and even a Czech member I knew), that the announcement came early and the process took so long in order to allow the Saints there to organize themselves better, looking forward to the temple as their goal. On the temporal end, buying a large enough parcel of land for the temple lot had something to do with the delay, as well.
ReplyDeleteMissoula is certainly a highly probable location. In general, that part of the state is growing in population which helps indicate that the church population will not move away or shrink (at least not significantly). Driving times to the Spokane, Cardston and Billings temples are in the hours, so it would alleviate travel difficulties.
ReplyDeleteI predict anywhere in the range of 8-15 temples announced.
ReplyDeleteHere are my top picks, in no particular order:
- Belo Horizonte Brazil
- Santa Cruz Bolivia
- Punta Arenas Chile
- Torreón México
- Benin City Nigeria
- Lubumbashi DRC
- Antananarivo Madagascar
- Oslo Norway
- Ulaanbaatar Mongolia
- Tarawa Kiribati
- Santiago OR Tuguegarao Philippines
- Dubai OR Abu Dhabi UAE
- Missoula Montana
- Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
- El Paso Texas
I'm intrigued by your suggestion of Spanish Fork (UT). I have wondered for some time if the Church is trying to lay the groundwork to be able to close the (original) Provo Temple for major (perhaps ground-up) renovation, as it did to its (former) twin, the Ogden Temple. The announcement of the Orem Temple strengthened that suspicion a bit. The Provo Temple is, at this point, one of the oldest continually operating temples in the Church (nearly half a century old; I attended the dedication as a freshman at BYU), as well as one of the busiest. A Spanish Fork temple would help to pick up some of the slack.
ReplyDeleteI post the Havana Temple because we sometimes like to make bold predictions. Yes, I know the numbers have to be there for a district to be a stake and the groundwork needs to be laid. But we do not know what Heavenly Father has in mind and what the Saints of the area are doing and raying for. Had we had this kind of medium back in 1982 no one would have had Freiburg on the list of possible temples, yet our Heavenly Father knows the saints in Communist control East Germany was ready and found a way to announce and build a temple for them. So maybe not this round or even a couple years from now, but in time the Saints of Cuba will have one I hope for them.
ReplyDeleteAt least from a temple size standpoint I have my doubts about a second Las Vegas Temple. Las Vegas and Dallas districts have the same number of stakes but Las Vegas Temple is twice as big. The one tipping issue might be if the Las Vegas Temple baptistry is crazy busy.
ReplyDeleteHaving served in Bolivia on my mission, I, of course, am very excited about the prospect of another Bolivian Temple. I served in La Paz region so I have a bias for that location over Santa Cruz. I'm wondering for those who have listed either La Paz or Santa Cruz on their list -- what is their reasoning? Why does one seem more likely to you than another?
ReplyDeleteI actually vote for both Santa Cruz and La Paz being announced, but my crazy double announcement ideas rarely happen.
DeleteMy spouse and their family are from the South of France. Their nearest Temple is Paris or Madrid. I could certainly see a Barcelona Temple as being extremely helpful for the saints in southern France. But any thoughts on Toulous, Nice, or Lyons? (Although Barcelona seems most helpful if you live on the southwest side of France).
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I imagine the Spanish govt is a little more welcoming to LDS temples since France was so fussy w/the Paris one... (Oh, and I just remembered Marseille.... That would be a good place for people coming from northern Africa as well as southern France...)
DeleteToulouse would be more central to most but Bishop Caussé is from Bordeaux.
DeleteMon Chou: one thing that might increase prospects is knowing the current situation in that area. Do you know how often members go to Madrid or Paris? Or how many members hold a current temple recommend? If there will be a small amount of people utilizing the temple I do not think the church would build one there as opposed to another location that does. This information could also be helpful to us as we do our predictions. :)
ReplyDeleteWhile Dubai seems on track to feature the first temple in the Middle East/ North Africa region, I wonder if Pakistan could be a "dark horse" candidate. While Dubai has a much more central location with 2 stakes plus additional districts in the vicinity compared to Pakistan's 3 districts, Pakistan appears to have more members (around double) in its vicinity. Additionally, Pakistan currently appears to have higher growth rates (albeit official numbers are unavailable). Pakistan also has its own missionary force, further brightening its future outlook. Possible sites could include one of its three districts: Islamabad, Lahore, or Karachi. Pakistan could also be a more feasible option for Middle Eastern countries farther from or with less favorable political ties to the U.A.E., including central Asia and Iran. Food for thought
ReplyDeletePakistan seems to have a more native membership vs Dubai having a more transient or expatriate membership. That could increase the likelihood of Packistan over the U.A.E.
DeleteI would be surprised if Pakistan has a temple announced before it gets a stake. I would not be surprised if it gets a stake this year.
DeleteAlso, I just want to say a big thank you. I love this blog and the effort that you put into it, Matt. Also, I love the insightful comments that others provide. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIf I am not mistaken, Santa Cruz and La Paz are #1 and #2 on the list of metro areas with the most stakes without a temple. I think both could have temple announced relatively soon. I would love to see a double announcement as well, but it does seem unlikely.
ReplyDeleteI chose Santa Cruz over La Paz because there are 10 stakes in the Santa Cruz Metro area and one close by in Montero. it would also be closer for Trinidad and in the north. The two stakes in Tarija are also closer than Cochabamba, Although if boarder crossings are easy, they would be closer to Salta.
The La Paz/El Alto area has 9 stakes with a district in Achacachi. Google maps says it is 378 kilometers from La Paz to Cochabamba while Santa Cruz is 482 kilometers away. So Santa Cruz has slightly more units and is further away from the current temple.
Matt, I appreciate you offering your thoughts about temple announcements. Many comments on this thread by many of you have offered sound reasoning for the candidate locations on your lists, and I respect that fully. I also have my own thoughts about locations for which temples could be announced in April, and I'd refer anyone interested in reading those (or any of my other General Conference predictions) to the following web address:
ReplyDeletehttps://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2020/03/revisted-april-2020-general-conference.html
Another quick note on those predictions: The references I want to add for context on the content thereof are still in the process of being assembled, so I will be updating those predictions with those notes as I am able to put those notes together. In the meantime, in general, I'd like to note something about the temple construction program of the Church. Under President Nelson's direction, 35 new temples have been announced thus far, and ground has been broken on 11 previously-announced temples, with 3 more groundbreakings planned. Based on the 32 temples remaining after those groundbreakings occur, I understand why some have reasoned there may be a hiatus on temple announcements, but I disagree.
With the latest announcements related to temples we have seen since the October 2019 General Conference alone, there are now a total of at least 10 more temples which could have a groundbreaking later this year, above and beyond the 3 that are already scheduled. And 4 others have had preliminary details announced, for which project leaders are working with local governments to gain the necessary approvals for the Church, so those cannot be overlooked either. Right now, there are also 2 others for which the announcement of official details, followed in fairly close proximity by a groundbreaking, are expected soon.
It is also worth posting a reminder that President Nelson has conceptualized the floor plan that is being utilized for Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico, where some spaces will be multipurpose (ie the sealing room doubling as an endowment room). With a smaller, more compact floor plan, which is anticipated to be used on several other Nelsonian-era temples that will be a similar or identical size. Right now, there are 35 temples announced. With 3 that have a groundbreaking scheduled, the number of announced temples diminishes to 32. Subtract the 10 for which a groundbreaking will almost certainly take place this year, and the number goes down to 22. And if you then subtract the 4 for which preliminary deatils have been announced, and the 2 for which official details and a groundbreaking are expected this year as well, that leaves a total of 16 announced temples, which is only slightly higher than the number of temples in the "backlog" when President Nelson became Church President in January 2018 (there were 12 announced temples in that queue at the time),
And President Nelson has set a very aggressive and impressive pace as far as temple-related announcements, so I have no doubts that a backlog of 16 temples wouldn't be worrisome enough for him to suspend the announcement of new temples for the time being. Above and beyond that, however, given what I know about Nelsonian temple announcements, he will continue to work to clear the backlog between each General Conference so that each April and October can bring the announcement of additional new temples. One doesn't announce 35 temples in the first four General Conferences over which one is Church President unless there is a definitive plan to not have the bulk of those in the "backlog" too long. Of course, these are no more and no less than my own thoughts, based on what my research shows. Hope these insights, such as they are, are helpful to all who read them.
Thanks for your thoughts, James.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that the temples announced in the US seem to move through the "pipeline" faster. It seems that most of the backlog consists of temple locations outside the US that take longer to get approval, so I don't see how holding off on announcing more locations would help with this. If the delay is caused by limited construction company resources in a particular area then I could see how that would affect the rate of new announcements.
What causes this greater backlog outside the US? It is mostly in poorer countries, but I can think of some other possible reasons also. It may be because of legal differences that make the government approval process slower in many other countries. It may also involve more awareness and relationships in the community, not to mention other posters have just written quite a bit about language barriers in Africa.
There have been a few notable cases where temple locations in the US were delayed because of neighborhood opposition (Boston, Phoenix, and a few others I'm not remembering now), even some where the location was withdrawn, in White Plains / Harrison, New York (and the original announcement for Hartford). But for the most part, the ones in the US tend to get approved and built the fastest. It probably helps that most of the US locations are in the western part of the country where the Church is large and well-known, and have established a reputation for being participants in community projects and cooperation.
With the exception of these smaller island ones, and a few of the similarly-small ones from the 1999-2000 time period, most of the ones outside the US take longer to have the construction process begin.
I just looked at the Temple Construction Status page on ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org. Of the 14 temples under construction, 2 are in the US. Pocatello and Saratoga Springs, both announced in April 2017.
I believe prior to their announcement there were no temples under construction or announced in the US, except for 3 nearing completion which were dedicated later that year. There have been no dedications in the US, excluding rededications after renovation, since 2017.
However, continuing with the analysis, 2 of the 3 with groundbreakings scheduled in the next 3 months are also in the US (Richmond and Layton). 7 of the 11 temples without groundbreaking scheduled, but which have had a location announced are also in the US. In fact, out of the remaining 21 temples which have been announced but don't have a location announced yet, only 1 is in the US, and that temple was just announced last October, in Bentonville.
Analyzing the backlog a little more: I see 10 locations where the temple was announced more than a year ago and doesn't have a location yet. 4 of these are the first temple announced in their country: Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Russia. The other 6 are located in Argentina, Brazil, the Philippines, and Nigeria. 11 more have been announced less than one year without locations announced yet. It seems to me you're always going to have a large number in this category unless President Nelson stops announcing new temples.
We don't have any temples that have been announced 4 years or more without construction starting, the Harare Zimbabwe announcement is coming up on 4 years next month. I guess what I'm saying is, the "backlog" seems like temples just moving through the pipeline normally, with a bit of a bulge near the end where the number of announcements went up. I don't see any sign they're getting stuck. And, like I said, they seem to take longer to get started in poorer countries, especially for the first temple in the country.
I guess I don't really see the backlog as being an impediment to new announcements.
However, I've stopped trying to guess where new temples will be announced. I'm delighted for each one when it's announced.
The Nashville Temple was heavily delayed and had to be relocated. It also was a key precedent for the passing of RLUIPA. The Hartford Temple has a long history including the abandoned plans for a temple in Harrison, New York.
ReplyDeleteParis Temple has a very long back history.
I don't see any factors that would prevent La Paz and Santa Cruz having simultaneous announcements.
The longest temple building process of the 20th century was probably Guaquil, Ecuador.
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ReplyDeleteBecause deep inside these 12 words is a "secret signal" that triggers a man's impulse to love, treasure and look after you with his entire heart...
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Guayaquil was the 3rd longest building process (and the 2nd longest of the 20th century), at 17 years, 4 months and 1 day. That was exceeded by the Los Angeles temple, which took just over 19 years from announcement to dedication (and had a 14-year delay from the announcement in 1937 to groundbreaking in 1951). And, of course, Salt Lake exceeded both at 45 years, 8 months, 9 days. (Information from TempleRick's site, go to this page and scroll down to the bottom:)
ReplyDeletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/statistics/timelines/
As for the prospects for another temple in Bolivia, I admit that it's possible 2 are announced at once, there is a pretty good case for both. But here are some reasons why I would list Santa Cruz before La Paz (I am not sure how to prioritize these in importance. I know this has been discussed before, and I'm probably forgetting what someone else had to say. I am basing my statements off what I can find on maps and Google, someone who has been in Bolivia may have different or more information):
ReplyDelete1) The immediate Santa Cruz area appears to have 1 more stake than La Paz- however there would be more remote units that could go to La Paz, possibly including some units in Peru
2) On a map it is clearly further from Cochabamba than La Paz is (google shows a distance of 467.25 km from Cochabamba to Santa Cruz, versus "only" 378.2 km from Cochabamba to La Paz) - this is about 290 miles compared to 235, so both are over the 200 miles Pres. Monson gave as a criterion for temple announcements. These are driving distances, bus routes add a little bit. (Driving may be quicker to Santa Cruz, as La Paz is in the mountains.)
2a) It appears that taking the bus and flying both cost more to go to Santa Cruz than to La Paz from Cochabamba (although flights to La Paz appear to take longer), presumably that would also be true in reverse. (The trip would probably be somewhat prohibitive, especially for the poorest, in both areas.)
3) One issue could be elevation. La Paz is almost 12k feet in altitude, Cochabamba is at 8400 feet, and Santa Cruz is less than 1400 feet. Webmd.com says that altitude sickness become an issue around 8000 feet. Does anyone know if this has been an issue in the 20 years since the temple was completed?
@James Stokes did Rick give any reason/info why Green Bay would be a more potential location than say, Milwaukee?
ReplyDeleteMilwaukie is fairly close to Chicago. For people in some parts of Green Bay stake Milwaukie does not help much.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand Chicgo is a super large city with horrid traffic. It is like LA and DC in th iui s respect. This is a big reason behind why we were assigned to the Toronto a mb d not Chicago Temple. So Milwaukie would be an easier to reach temple for everyone in Wisconsin.
Luke, I received word of the rationale for Green Bay over Milwaukee in March of 2017 through an e-mail from Rick. The following is a direct quotation from that e-mail: "Instead of Madison, Wisconsin, you may consider Green Bay, Wisconsin. It would better reach the Saints in Northern Wisconsin and the Michigan Peninsula. Madison members may be better served by Green Bay than Chicago because of traffic. And Milkwaukee, which is only 80 miles north of the Chicago temple, would stay in that district." Given the many other times he has been right about prospective temple updates (whether that was the timing of future dedications, rededications, or groundbreaking announcements) or future temple locations (in many cases where I took a suggestion of his seriously, it paid off when a temple wound up being announced for the city he suggested vs. a city that had originally been on my list).
ReplyDeleteIf my personal endorsement means anything, when it comes to all such issues I have discussed with him, I cannot think of a single instance iary, but I n over a decade of association with him in which something Rick said about a temple-related matter or question was later proven incorrect. Maybe that endoresemnt on my part is not necessary, but I offer it anyways, so his track record speaks for itself. Hope this response to your question is helpful, Luke. Thanks for asking about this matter.
My Temple Predictions April 2020:
ReplyDelete1st List - The ones I would most want to see, that are relatively likely:
1. Missoula, MT
2. Mongolia
3. Heber City/Price Utah
4. Herriman, Utah
5. Singapore/Indonesia
6. Liberia (unsure whether the current economic crisis there will affect this one)
7. Vienna, Austria
8. Bahia Blanca, Argentina
9. Benin City, Nigeria/Kumasi Ghana
10. United Arab Emirates
2nd List - Fairly/Somewhat likely announcements, but ones that I don't have personal connections to.
1. Mozambique/Madagascar/Uganda
2. Sierra Leone
3. Another Philippines
4. Another Brazil
5. Another Peru
6. Another Elsewhere in South America (not Brazil, Peru, or Argentina): Chile/Paraguay/Uruguay/Bolivia, etc.
7. Forth Worth/Austin/El Paso, Texas
8. Kiribati/Vanuatu
9. Another New Zealand
10. Pakistan
Dark Horse Pick: (1 in Eastern US) Jacksonville Florida, Charlotte North Carolina, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, or Cleveland Ohio
Is you Sierra Leone pick on the second list for a second Temple (Bo)?
DeleteYeah
DeleteOn second thought, scratch that second Sierra Leone one and put in its place one for the Midwest US: Wisconsin, South Dakota, or another in Colorado.
DeleteSo is that Sierra Keone to be temple #2 in the country? That seems a bit soon and Lumbumbashi seems more likely.
Delete@JPL
DeleteYou're right about Sierra Leone #2. I realized I put that one on presumptively and so I've changed it to another one in the Midwest US: Wisconsin, South Dakota, or another in Colorado.
James, when you mention Rick's predictions, are you just referring to emails? He doesn't usually make predictions on his site, and I don't usually see his predictions unless those are mentioned on this blog, or on yours. (I see a lot more of your predictions, and Matt's, along with the others posted here.)
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if all these recent meeting cancellations and postponements might not also mean that no new temples will be announced at this General Conference. I haven't heard of any dedications or open houses being cancelled, but we really don't have any dedications until December, other than Rio de Janeiro in May, and the Coronavirus has been much less widespread in the Southern Hemisphere. As for open houses, not a lot of people attend them.
ReplyDeleteIf the virus is still spreading this summer, I am thinking the last season of the Hill Cumorah Pageant could also be cancelled.
@brycen
DeleteAn interesting possibility, but I certainly hope not. I'm not sure why the Prophet wouldn't announce new temples, as the announcements are usually for years down the road. Perhaps if he felt it's not an appropriate time for tact reasons, or if revelation compels him not to.
I'm not leaving out the possibility, of course, but personally, I hope he still announces some, as temples have always been a symbol of hope in unsure times. To me, it would be a witness that we're going to persevere, even through the current crisis, to a brighter future.
I meant to say few people attend groundbreakings, not open houses. Just saw that I messed that up.
DeleteWell, "few people" at ground breaking are still going to be more than allowed in some areas. I could see them doing an 8-person groundbreaking.
DeleteI still hope new temples are announced. I am still hoping for choirs at conference but we will see.
twinnumerouno, when I mention thoughts from RIck about any matter relating to temples, temples, that will always be in reference to e-mails I've exchanged with him on those subjects. Aside from his "Publicly proposed" section of the "Library" page on his website. I have communicated with Rick through e-mail repeatedly over the last 10-12 years on temple matters, and have gleaned much insight from those exchanges. So if I reference such information in the future, it's always going to be from e-mails. Sorry if I failed to make that clear enough. But I should also note that subsequent personal research on my part usually verifies everything he tells me, down to the last detail, so I can be a second witness to the accuracy of that information. Thanks for the question. I appreciate the chance to address it.
ReplyDeleteNice map, but you are missing the two next most obvious locations in UTAH:
ReplyDelete1. Pleasant View/Plain City/North Ogden, Utah
2. North Logan/Smithfield/Richmond/North Cache County, Utah
Just by the numbers alone, those two locations are the most likely to get temples than pretty much anywhere else in the world.
@Captain Jack Sparrow Lives
DeleteI'm looking forward to seeing a North Ogden area announcement as well. If not this conference, then in the next few.
Layton will take some stakes from South Weber County, but the Ogden Temple is still one of the busiest in the Church, with plenty of stakes that could go towards a potential North Ogden area Temple.
It is pretty clear the church follows at least some pattern on choosing temple sites. Though not always the case, they often will look at the size and activity of temple districts. Very large and very active temple districts are likely to be divided —at least once every conference.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, the largest temple district in the world with no active current division plans for a new temple is the Logan, Utah temple district with 42 (soon to be 43) very large and very active stakes. Just by the numbers alone, this district will be divided very soon by announcing a new temple — likely in Northern Cache County, Utah.
Also, the new temple being built to divide the Ogden UTAH Temple District (i.e., Layton) is woefully insufficient just by the current numbers and relieves the bountiful temple far more than the Ogden temple. The result is that North Weber County is also very likely to get another temple very soon as well.
@Captain Jack Sparrow Lives
DeleteAlso, considering that the Logan Temple is included in the list of Pioneer Temples that the Prophet announced will be renovated in the upcoming years - if and when that one closes, Ogden, Brigham City, Layton when it's finished, and other nearby temples will see a surge of patrons from Cache County. If a North Ogden Area or North Cache County Area Temple were announced and built before the Logan closure, or completed shortly into that closure, it would help manage the extra numbers.
Aba Nigeria Temple has over 50 stakes and is only 11,000 square feet. The Lagos Remple will maybe take 10 stakes. So this remains probably the highest priority for a division.
DeleteThe temple matrix for April 2020 General Conference anticipated temple announcements is now available at https://sites.google.com/view/templematrix
ReplyDeleteSo far it includes 10 different lists of predicted temples. Anticipated temples with the highest composite scores are Bolivia, Nigeria and Mongolia. Thanks to everyone who has submitted a list of anticipated temples. Looking forward to next conference and any newly announced temples!
Time to update your Temple Matrix again, Nate!
DeleteI just updated my list to be more specific and help your percentages a bit. I eliminated all the either/or ones and just selected one in each case.
My (Specific) Temple Predictions April 2020:
1st List - The ones I would most want to see, that are relatively likely:
1. Missoula, MT
2. Ulaanbataar, Mongolia
3. Heber City, Utah
4. Herriman, Utah
5. Singapore
6. Liberia (unsure whether the current economic crisis there will affect this one)
7. Vienna, Austria
8. Bahia Blanca, Argentina
9. Kumasi, Ghana
10. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2nd List - Fairly/Somewhat likely announcements, but ones that I don't have as much personal connections to.
1. Beira, Mozambique
2. Jacksonville, Florida
3. Olongapo, Philippines
4. Ribeiro Preto, Brazil
5. Iquitos, Peru
6. La Paz, Bolivia
7. Forth Worth, Texas
8. Vanuatu
9. Wellington, New Zealand
10. Pakistan
Dark Horse Pick: (1 in Central US)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
"Liberia" should be "Monrovia, Liberia" in the list above.
DeleteGood job again with the Temple Matrix, Nate! I enjoyed reviewing it.
ReplyDeleteNate, great job on that analysis. But I am going to need to throw a monkey wrench in your work. Over the last 3-5 weeks, I have been gradually updating my predictions for the upcoming General Conference. I published the llatest version thereof on my blog late last night. Those predictions included an updated version of the list of prospective temple locations I have offered:
ReplyDeletehttps://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2020/03/third-edition-april-2020-general.html
Just wanted to note that the updated version is now available. Hope that helps. In the meantime, for anyone here that would like to do so, I am hosting a two-week commenting period on those before I need to refine them prior to General Conference. Thanks again.
James, thanks for the updated list. Your list is now up to date on the temple matrix. Good to have your anticipated temples included in the matrix again. You had a lot of the temples announced in the October 2019 conference on your list last time!
ReplyDeleteThanks for updating that, and glad my updated list was helpful. For many of the carryovers from last General Conference, I figured that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Not sure it matters, but I noticed a few typos and misspellings. "Glasco" sounds like a glass-making or glass-blowing company; correct spelling should be "Glasgow". and "Baira" should be "Beira". But that may just be me being nitpicky, since I am the son of a freelance proofreader who has also had extensive editing experience in a variety of seetings. Thanks again for the work you did compiling that data.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I've missed some discussion on this- are people guessing that Glasgow will get the 1st temple in Scotland because the nearby Paisley stake means there are two there, over Edinburgh's one stake? Perhaps Edinburgh could have other advantages to weigh against that, including those derived from the fact that it is the capital of Scotland; it would also be a more central location for the 5 stakes in- can I still call it a country, as part of the UK? Also, the two cities are only a little over an hour away from each other. Any thoughts on this? (One other question: Is Glasgow more likely than Edinburgh to pick up the Belfast stake from Preston?)
ReplyDelete@twinnumerouno
ReplyDeleteI went to grad school in Edinburgh, so I have some thoughts on the debate between it and Glasgow (something we've discussed plenty in our temple predictions at This Week in Mormons - http://www.thisweekinmormons.com/?s=temple+predictions)
Perhaps the main argument for Edinburgh is, as you said, that it's the capital of Scotland, which sends a nice message. However, I don't know that it has a geographic advantage, even if it's in the east and is closer to the Dundee and Aberdeen stakes than Glasgow. Geographically, the perfect location for a temple is in Stirling, which is a city steeped in Scottish history and at least has a ward. But I think putting a temple there would send a message that it's expected to be the only temple in Scotland perhaps forever, a "Scottish" temple as opposed to one specific to a metropolitan area.
Edinburgh itself also has only one ward despite being the anchor of a stake and the capital of the country. It is also underdeveloped in terms of units with respect to its population. (And because of this, the Edinburgh Ward has like 16 full-time missionaries in it.)
Glasgow is farther flung, but way more deserving in terms of units served, and it's less than an hour from Edinburgh, which beats the drive to Preston no matter what.
In the end, I think this comes down to a battle between what makes sense for the area served and what makes sense for PR, honestly. Glasgow or Stirling for the former, Edinburgh for the latter.
Geoff, I have been pleased to read your thoughts on temples as published on "This Week in Mormons" prior to and after each General Conference, so thanks for your analysis on that website and for your comment on that analysis here. FWIW, since 2015 or 2016, when I began sharing my thoughts on future temple prospects through my blog, among the earliest feedbck I received was that Edinburgh was more likely over Glasgow or Dublin. And the reasoning for it appears to go beyond the fact that Edinburgh is the capital city of Sctoland. If my memory is serving me correctly (no guarantees on that), the Church's relationship with community leaders in Edinburgh is more solid and cooperative than that which exists with community leaders in Glasgow or Dublin, which could then mean that a temple in Edinburgh would have an easier time with the approval process than what the Church would have to look at for Glasgow or Dublin.
ReplyDeleteThat's the rationale I remember receiving, but I recognize that my inability to find the corroborating source for that line of reasoning may call that into question. And I am grateful to see the sound reasoning from others for the temple candidate cities on their lists, and I again especially appreciate your in-depth analysis on "This Week in Mormons", Geoff. I don't know of anyone here (including and especially myself) who has ever been 100% correct on every announced temple location every time new temples have been announced. But the opportunity to exchange ideas, reasoning, and analysis in settings such as this is something I greatly appreciate. Thanks, again, Geoff, for weighing in here.
For any who are interested in reading and/or commenting on my own list of prospective temple locations (which are accompanied by notes that explain the reasoning for each such candidate), the open commenting period on that list, and any other elements on those predictions, until 10:00 PM MDT on Thursday April 2, at which point I will be refining those predictions prior to General Conference weekend. If anyone here still may want to comment on those, feel free to do so at the following web address:
https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2020/03/third-edition-april-2020-general.html
Thanks again, everyone!
We now have barely a week until General Conference Starts. I hope to see unprecedented high number of temples announced but with all the uncertainty it is hard to predict anything.
ReplyDeleteI have come up with a new bold list.
April 2020 bold prediction list
Smithfield, Urah
North Ogden, Utah
Heber City, Utah
Morgan, Utah
Elko, Nevada
San Jose, California
Bakersfield, California
Ventura, California
El Paso, Texas
Jackson, Mississippi
Charlotte, North Carolina
Jacksonville, Florida
Kinston, North Carolina
Buena Vista, Virginia
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Harmony, Pennsylvania
Sharon, Vermont
Prince George, British Columbia
Fairbanks, Alaska
2nd temple in Samoa
Osaka, Japan
Busan, Korea
Singapore
Jakarta, Indonesia
Rapid City, South Dakota
Appleton, Wisconsin
Ames, Iowa
Lansing, Michigan
Cleveland, Ohio
Utica, New York
Princeton, New Jersey
Bordeaux, Feance
Barcelona, Spain
Tirana, Albania
Austin, Texas
Plano, Texas
Sterling, Scotland
Oslo, Norway
Hamburg, Germany
Vienna, Austria
Monrovia, Liberia
Bo, Sierra Keone
Daloa, Ivory Coast
Yamasokro, Ivory Coast
Abijan 2nd temple
Abuja, Nigeria
Benin City Nigeria
Enugu, Nigeria
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Somewhere in Akwa Ibom state, probably the village where the picture of people lined for baptism was taken
Brazaville, Congo
Lumbumbashi, DR Congo
Somewhere in one of the Kasai Provinces, DR Congo
Cape Town, South Africa
Beira, Mozambique
Maputo, Mozambique
Antanarivo, Madagascar
Kampala, Uganda
Cuiaba, Brazil
2nd temple in Sao Paulo
Santos, Brazil
Sorocaba, Brazil
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
La Paz, Bolivia
Iquitos, Peru
Cusco, Peru
Huanancayo, Peru
Otavalo, Ecuador
Cali, Colombia
2nd temple in Venezuela
Barbados or Trinidad
Jamaica
2nd temple in El Salvador
Salem, Oregon
Another temple in southern Alberta
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Farmington, New Mexico
Farmington, Utah
Torreon, Mexico
2nd Mexico City Temple
Culiacan, Mexico
Acapulco, Mexico
Chiapas, Mexico
Ciudad Obregon, Mexico
Missoula, Montana
Christ Church, New Zealand
Bahia Blanca, Argentina
Geoff, thanks for your response. I figured someone on here would know more about Scotland than what I could figure out from looking at maps.
ReplyDeleteGeoff, between what you said in your comment above on this thread, and what you said in that TWiM article to which you linked, in a temporal sense, I can understand why Edinburgh might be counted out due to the fact that it does not have its' own stake. But I'd submit for your consideration the recent example of the temple now under construction in Yigo Guam. When that temple was announced in October 2018, it was not for the capital city (Hagåtña) or the city that is home to the one stake in Guam (Barrigada). Instead, the chosen location was Yigo. It has since been revealed that it was the reasonable price of land in Yigo in comparison to elsewhere in Guam and the fact that the Church could get approval for Guam's temple more quickly basing it out of Yigo than they could trying to get the same fast-tracked approval in Hagåtña or Barrigada. So Edinburgh only having a ward rather than a stake of the Church likely wouldn't be a deterrent to the Church in considering the prospect of a temple there. In fact, based on a few things I heard on my end just recently, it may be considerably easier for the Church to get approval for a temple in Edinburgh than it would for them to get approval for one in Glasgow, any other Scottish city, and Dublin Ireland as well.
ReplyDeleteScotland is now the top European prospect on my personal list, and Edinburgh seems to be the best spot for such a temple. Without being privy to any of the deliberations taking place at Church headquarters, based on what I have outlined here, and in past settings, on this question, Edinburgh might be the very next (or one of the very next) European cities to get a temple. And putting one there would likely break up oee or more temple districts, including the two based in England. Just some additional food for thought, FWIW.
The distances in Scotland are much larger than those on Guam. So the factors involved in locating and naming a temple are different.
ReplyDeleteWith just a few days left, I've finally updated my "March Temple Madness Bracket" for this Spring (idea originally from Cory Ward). Probably even more relevant this time with the actual March Madness being canceled.
ReplyDeleteYou can see and download the bracket here, and print it out if you'd like to participate.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mdpitnah2v3t1mx/Temple%20Predictions%20Apr%202020%20Full%20Bracket%202.pdf?dl=0
As you'll see from the bracket, I stuffed it as full as I could with all the names from Matt's post, Nate's Temple Matrix, and even JPL's recent predictions. Since it is so full, however, I plan to divide it into two brackets, one for the USA/Canada, and another for the rest of the World. I'll try to finish those two new brackets and post them here shortly.
All right, guys and gals!
DeleteI divided the Temple Madness Bracket into 2: USA/Canada vs World for your downloading, printing out, and participating pleasure.
USA/Canada:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tex3s5gdwdy1519/Temple%20Predictions%20Apr%202020%20USA%20Bracket%202.pdf?dl=0
and here's the World Bracket:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5nq3j3ou2tktqdg/Temple%20Predictions%20Apr%202020%20World%20Bracket%202.pdf?dl=0
And here's the original/full bracket (although I was able to fit more into the new divided brackets):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mdpitnah2v3t1mx/Temple%20Predictions%20Apr%202020%20Full%20Bracket%202.pdf?dl=0
@Pascal Friedmann: I was even able to include all of yours!
Hopefully, this will set the bracket for the next few conferences (particularly for places like Utah, Mexico, Africa, Brazil, & the Philippines, where there are numerous options that are hard to chose from, and multiple temples are likely to be announced in the near future). It'll be interesting to see if I'll be adding more or taking away more possible locations within the next couple of years. I imagine taking away, unless a new small-temple program is initiated by President Nelson, like unto the President Hinckley Era (although if that is initiated, then I'll likely be both adding AND taking away (shh! don't tell Revelation 22:18–19!)).
Let me know if you guys see any egregious errors, or if I've omitted any locations you really wanted to see on there. I probably won't make any huge adjustments between now and conference (and there is always the "Pick" blank space for writing in extras), but I can always add more to the list for next time, unless you point out a glaring mistake I've made, I'll try and fix it between now and this Saturday.
Thanks again. :)
Delta really should be mixed in with Cove Fort, Nephi and Beaver. It is north of Cove Fort.
ReplyDeleteHenderson should go with Summerlin/Las Vegas 2. It is south of Las Vegas. An alternate for Elko might be Battle Mountain or Winnemuca.
ReplyDeleteI think Hurricane, Utah would be the most likely alternate for a Washington County 3rd temple.
ReplyDeleteThose are all good suggestions, JPL. I forgot about Hurricane. Have to add it in.
ReplyDeleteJohnathan, if it matters, before the site of the Washington County Utah Temple was announced as Washington Fields in St. George, I was made aware of Church-procured property that is based in Washington City, so that may be another possible spot for the third Washington County Utah Temple. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks, James.
DeleteJust updated my "Temple Predictions by Utah County - Apr 2020 Edition" at the 11th hour.
ReplyDeleteCheck it out before Conference starts (or before The Prophet announces the new temples):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jeooo5ivcbt688j/Temple%20Predictions%20by%20Utah%20County%20-%20Apr%202020.docx?dl=0
Let me know what additions I've missed, what suggestions you may have for improving it for the next time, etc.
Hopefully, I'll be updating it right after this weekend with some brand new Utah Temples! :)
Congrats brother. 2 corrects.
ReplyDelete10 temples will be announced in 4 october 2020 as general conference ends
ReplyDelete1. Trelew, Argentina
2. Fairbanks, Alaska
3. Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
4. Cape Town, South Africa
5. Tirana, Albania
6. Santiago, Dominican Republic
7. Las Palmas, Canary Islands
8. Barcelona, Spain
9. Glasgow, Scotland
10. Eugene, Oregon
Didn't they announce McAllen TX? Don't see it on the map.
ReplyDelete