As we are in a period of significant expansion in regard to the construction of new temples, I wanted to provide a list of the metropolitan areas in the world with the most stakes without a temple announced or dedicated. See below for a list of the 23 metropolitan areas of the world with at least four stakes without a temple. Metropolitan areas are defined as conglomerations of population centers and neighborhoods. These locations are ranked in order from the most stakes to the least stakes. There are dozens of metropolitan areas with three stakes, but they are not included on this list.
- Spanish Fork/Springville/Mapleton, Utah - 21 stakes
- Viña del Mar, Chile - 9 stakes (includes Valparaíso and Villa Alemana)
- Port Harcourt, Nigeria - 7 stakes
- San Jose, California - 7 stakes (includes outlying suburbs)
- Cincinnati/Dayton, Ohio - 6 stakes
- Blackfoot, Idaho - 5 stakes
- Charlotte, North Carolina - 5 stakes
- Colorado Springs, Colorado - 5 stakes
- Honolulu, Hawaii - 5 stakes
- João Pessoa, Brazil - 5 stakes
- Maracaibo, Venezuela - 5 stakes
- Murrieta, California - 5 stakes (includes outlying suburbs)
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California - 5 stakes
- Price, Utah - 5 stakes (includes Helper and Wellington)
- Hurricane, Utah - 4 stakes (includes La Verkin)
- Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada (4 stakes)
- Natal, Brazil - 4 stakes
- Rigby, Idaho - 4 stakes
- Santa Ana, El Salvador - 4 stakes
- Santaquin, Utah - 4 stakes (includes Goshen)
- Sorocaba, Brazil - 4 stakes
- Taichung, Taiwan - 4 stakes (includes Chung Hsing)
- Uyo, Nigeria - 4 stakes (includes Abak)
113 comments:
How is a metropolitan area defined? Especially on a international level. Is Provo, Spanish Fort, etc. a metropolitan area, or isn't it part of the Wasatch Front metro.
Thanks! And a very interesting blog,BTW....
The Provo City Center Temple currently pulls from Springville and Mapleton, plus Provo south of Center Street plus one stake (directly across the road), although I hear that two others may have been added, and also the south half of the BYU YSA stakes.
Payson takes Spanish Fork, Payson, Salem, Santaquin, Goshen and maybe something else.
It may just come down to being Springville and Spanish Fork, south of Springville 14th North which may also be the line between Springville and Provo, and everything south of Spanish Fork remaining with Salem.
There was that rumor about Rigby, that seems to have faed.
@ND Reynolds, Here is the definition I found on publicly recognized site of Wikipedia.
"Metropolitan area
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing.[1][2] A metro area usually comprises multiple principal cities, jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships, boroughs, cities, towns, exurbs, suburbs, counties, districts, as well as even states and nations like the eurodistricts. As social, economic and political institutions have changed, metropolitan areas have become key economic and political regions.[3]
Metropolitan areas typically include satellite cities, towns and intervening rural areas that are socioeconomically tied to the principal cities or urban core, often measured by commuting patterns.[4] Metropolitan areas are sometimes anchored by one central city such as the Paris metropolitan area (Paris) or Mumbai Metropolitan Region (Mumbai). In other cases metropolitan areas contain multiple centers of equal or close to equal importance especially in the United States, for example the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area has 8 principal cities. The Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area (Islamabad and Rawalpindi), the Rhine-Ruhr in Germany and the Randstad in the Netherlands are other examples.[5]
In the United States, the concept of metropolitan statistical areas has gained prominence. The area of the Greater Washington metropolitan area is an example of statistically grouping independent cities and county areas from various states to form a larger city because of proximity, history and recent urban convergence. Metropolitan areas may themselves be part of a greater megalopolis. For urban centres located outside metropolitan areas that generate a similar attraction at smaller scale for a region, the concept of a regiopolis and respectively regiopolitan area or regio was introduced by German professors in 2006.[6] In the United States, the term micropolitan statistical area is used."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_area
I hope this helps answer your question about the international or US definitions of a Metropolitan Area.
For example, US Census Bureau considers the Salt Lake City UT MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) which includes all of Salt Lake and Tooele Counties, to be part of the larger 10 counties of the Salt Lake City-Provo-Ogden CSA (Combined Statistical Area), which includes Salt Lake, Tooele, Box Elder, Davis, Morgan, Weber, Juab and Utah Counties. The Salt Lake City UT MSA had a 2020 combined population of 1,257,936. Currently ranked 46th largest in the USA, between Louisville KY and New Orleans LA MSA's.
I’m guessing it’s just a matter if time until Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura and Taichung, Taiwan are added to Matt’s temple prediction list.
I’m guessing temples with discontinued cafeterias will have that floorspace repurposed in due time. I hear vending machines/fridges/microwaves may remain (at least in the short term) for temple workers, at least.
Here is an interesting article from the Church News site comparing Church Growth in Latin America over the last decade 2011-2021.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2023/1/16/23552396/which-latin-america-nations-have-more-church-members-mexico-brazil-haiti-belize-nicaragua-costa-rica
The announcement and construction of temples in the world and unexpected, undoubtedly gives more life to the church and presence, so many announcements are not by chance. I would love for the temples to be more similar to the place where they are built, there are huge and beautiful temples in places with few baptized and active, the temples should have matching changing rooms and dignified spaces, without difference.
The temple in Santiago de Chile never had a cafeteria, it's a pity that now in the temples they take away the space to eat, having to change clothes and come back later, it takes time, and the spirit must be maintained. In my opinion, more criteria are needed in decisions.
Of course, a temple is missing in Viña del Mar, and in other cities in Chile such as Punta Arenas, Iquique, Osorno or Puerto Montt, etc. Hopefully this will happen, despite the fact that there are not so many assets, even so, temples are required closer to the few faithful
A change is urgently required in the decisions that are made wrong with the family history centers, the computers are old, the internet is bad and they never open, it is useless to have thousands of history centers if they are not used.
The FamilySearch Center (FSC) computers are supposed to be updated every three years with new ones. Currently all here are Windows 10 computers, much of that work happened last half of the pandemic period.
Clerk computers usually are replaced every five years, while LCR can be accessed anywhere, there is still some need for one near a bishops office, but mine used a laptop during tithing declaration to record status on the fly.
I do not think anyone in either Cincinatti or Dayton would ever consider them to be part of the same metro area.
For this among other reasons, I would not be super shocked if both Cincinatti and Dayton have temples announced before the end of 2025.
San Jose on the other hand the census designated edge of the metro area means that Palo Alto is in San Francisco/Oakland metro area which is a line drawing that ignores on the ground movement and interconnection patterns. For this reason I think the 7 stake number is a good estimate of how many stakes a San Jose Temple would get.
With Springville/Spanish Fork/Mapleton it is not clear that a temple placed there would take all 21 stakes, but I do think it is one of at least 5 maybe even 10 additional temples we will see announced for Utah by the end of 2025.
The only place on this list I would be somewhat surprised if it had a temple announced by the end of 2025 is Santaquin. This is because Santaquin is actually fairly close to Payson. Santaquin will almost certainly get a temple at some point, but unless there is a lot of growth there by 2025, to the point of being over 10 stakes at least if you include Juab County stakes as well, I just do not see it having a temple announced until a little later. I hope that we see temple building on a large enough scale by then to justify a temple there, but I just do not see it.
From the Santaquin Elementary School, which is further from the Payson Temple, then some parts of Santaquin, it takes 9 minutes to get to the Payson Temple. The Payson Temple is in the southwest quadrant of Payson, so it is at least of the built up part of Payson the area closest to Santaquin. Santaquin is basically only going to get a temple when Payson goes over capacity, but a Spanish Fork Temple would take 13 stakes and bring Payson down to 17, and of those 4 are the Nephi and Delta Stakes, and a Delta Temple to take the 2 Nephi stakes, the 2 Delta stakes, Fillmore Stake and the 2 Beaver County stakes might be more likely as the next development than a Santaquin Temple.
On another development I saw a notice in Rick's Temple website that people in the Wilemette Valley are facing to get building permits issued. It has been 3 months since ground breaking. For Yorba Linda California Temple it has been 6 months since ground breaking and they are still waiting for building permits.
Would be interesting to see how far it takes to ground travel to the nearest temple from each of these for 1) the central stake, and 2) outlying stake(s).
Blackfoot Idaho is almost exactly halfway between the Pocatello and Idaho lls temples. Its downtown is about a half hour equidistant from each temple. (Actually it is about five minutes closer to the Pocatello temple in normal road or traffic conditions) Although it is slightly closer to Pocatello, it is part of the Idaho Falls Combined Statistical Area, which includes the three counties of Bingham, Bonneville, and Jefferson. The latter includes Rigby which is almost midway between Rexburg and Idaho Falls. Hurricane Utah seems to be in the same metro area as St. George Utah. Before the Red Cliffs Temple was announced, I thought it would be next for that area. I think now it may be a few more years away. I have San Jose CA on my list for a future temple in the next few years or so as well as several on Matt's list here.
Other Matt here...
In Southern California, I see Bakersfield and Murrieta/Temecula as the next temple locations. Temecula is over 5% LDS with some neighborhoods over 10% LDS. Pretty strong area for California standards, that's on the equidistant between the San Diego Temple and Redlands Temple.
I agree that Temecula is likely the next temple in California.
JPL, it appears that the federal government (along with a clear majority of local citizens from both Cincinnati and Dayton MSAs would disagree with you on that point. The combining of the two MSAs has been in the works for years:
https://schuelergroup.com/2020/06/08/will-cincinnati-dayton-metro-marriage-finally-happen/
https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/combined-cincinnati-dayton-metropolitan-comes-closer-reality/M4zTVCxU3RByNYufGykp9H/
https://www.journal-news.com/business/dayton-cincinnati-could-combine-into-one-metro-area/4625c5Qbs6wFMhZLBqC04O/
I think we'd be wise to avoid implying that we know what anyone in any region thinks, because we might not have all the facts to back that up, which would make such assertions short-sighted and inadvisable. No offense intended and I hope none is taken.
You can dramatically shorten that list by indentifying those area that are less than 60 minutes from an existing temple.
With all due respect, I'd disagree with you on that. It appears that the Brethren do as well. Remember, a new temple was announced for Fort Worth in October 2021, with a temple announced for Prosper in General Conference just over 3 months ago. That's two new temples for the same metro area in a year. Both locations appear to be less an 60 minutes from Dallas. This is precisely why I keep saying that what would have been true of temple announcement criteria before 2018 has literally been thrown out the window under President Nelson's 118 picks thus far.
I'd suggest that it's time we start basing the analysis of our future picks on an analysis of the 118 instead. That might be more instructive, informative, and accurate going forward.
I don't think there will be another temple in Utah announced until the current temples under construction are finished. Temple attendance in Utah has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Although not on the list here (because it only has 2 stakes in the metro area) I wonder about the possibility of a temple in Milan. Reasons it would make sense include:
6 of the 10 stakes in Italy are in northern Italy (if you count Florence), a friend of mine who lived there a few years ago tells me that for many of the members in northern Italy it is more convenient to go to Bern than to Rome, and the Nice France stake would also be benefitted by a temple in Milan (at least relative to Bern, to which the Nice stake is currently assigned). On the other hand, the temple in Rome is large for Europe, and if a Milan temple were built then Rome would probably only have the 2 stakes in Rome for most of its patrons, plus the stakes in Palermo and Puglia (and maybe Florence if it wasn't assigned to Milan), which I could see leading to worries that a Milan temple would leave the rather large Rome temple underutilized/understaffed. There are also a few districts (in Romania, Cyprus, and Albania) and a stake (in Albania) assigned to Rome, but given the distances I doubt those account for more than a small percent of patrons at the Rome temple. Curious what other people's thoughts are about the likelihood of a Milan temple.
--Felix
Ben H, although the pandemic led to a closure for all Church temples worldwide, that didn't prevent President Nelson from announcing new temples during that time. Similarly, the first Utah Temple announced by President Nelson in April 2018 didn't have a groundbreaking until 2 years after its' announcement, by which time 5 additional new Utah Area temples had been announced.
And since 4 of the 10 Utah temples announced by the prophet will be dedicated this year, and because all announced Utah temples are under construction, I don't see President Nelson waiting until 2026 to announced the next Utah temple.
Past Church presidents may have waited for that, but that's not true of our current prophet. He had stated repeatedly that unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. And he may have been waiting until all announced Utah temples were under construction, but that's a far cry from waiting for the completion of all of those temples. Of course, if 2026 rolls around without new Utah temples announced, I'd be more than happy to hear you say "I told you so."
Verified today on the Meetinghouse Locator website, the new "Mesquite Nevada West Stake - 2217139".
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/@36.803794,-114.261082,12s&id=ward:2113600
After checking out the finished temple in Brasilia, I stopped liking the design. The pinnacle appears to be very low and the antenna almost imperceptible. I think the temple would be more beautiful if the antenna were replaced by a taller and more elegant spire. Perhaps this intervention will take place in the future if someone else (who speaks English as a native language and is an authority on these subject) has the same opinion...
The Las Vegas temple closes Monday, 24 July 2023 - Monday, 23 October 2023 for HVAC maintenance. St George temple isn't open. Redlands CA is quite a drive, so is Arizona temples.
On April 3, 2022, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct the Birmingham England Temple at the April 2022 General Conference. There are more than 190,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ in the United Kingdom. A temple in Birmingham will be England's third. The London England Temple was the first (dedicated in 1958), followed by the Preston England Temple (dedicated in 1998). However the location has not yet been released. Additionally the saints in Scotland need and desire a temple.
@Daniel, I like how the design as a whole fits in with Niemeyer's aesthetic, but I agree with you that the Brasilia temple would be more elegant with a taller spire. I wonder if they had to keep the spire below a certain height to comply with zoning requirements? (I do speak English as a native language, but I don't think my opinion will make any difference in replacing the spire either...)
--Felix
@Iain, I hope and predict that the next temple in Europe will be in Scotland, though as I mentioned in a previous comment I also wonder if Milan might be a possibility. A few months back I calculated drive times and rail timetables where possible from every congregation in Scotland (as well as some in the North of England and Northern Ireland) to the city centers of Edinburgh and Glasgow. It appears that overall Glasgow will be a more accessible location than Edinburgh whether one considers solely congregations in Scotland, congregations in both Scotland and parts of Northern England (specifically Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, parts of Cumbria, and parts of Durham, all of which would be closer to a temple in either Glasgow or Edinburgh than to the Preston temple, though for those congregations in England Edinburgh is generally closer than Glasgow), or congregations in Scotland, parts of Northern England, and Northern Ireland (where again, either Glasgow or Edinburgh would be less travel time if crossing by ferry than is Preston). While I think on the basis of overall accessibility Glasgow makes more sense than Edinburgh it wouldn't surprise me if Edinburgh were selected since it is the capital. Still, regardless of which city were chosen it would be beneficial to the church members in Scotland, NI, and parts of England.
Personally I hope that Ireland gets a temple before Scotland. Being on an island with an immigration process (since Brexit) makes the temple fairly hard to access frequently. Scotland is at least in the same country as Preston, even though the two major population centers are 3 to 4 hours away by car.
Here is my prediction for future temples in Europe:
- Dublin
- Tirana
- Edinburgh/Glasgow
- Hamburg
- Bordeaux/Toulouse
- Milan
- Malaga
Hard to see beyond those locations.
It was just a slightly acidic joke evoking an unfriendly comment I've received here in the past, perhaps even inelegant and potentially xenophobic. Don't worry, Felix. Thanks for agreeing with me.
I think a case could be made for small temples for 3 stakes in Porto, Portugal and Cardiff, Wales within the next 10-15 years.
For some reason I'm thinking Verona instead of Milan for northern Italy. I'm not sure why.
Unknown, I believe a temple in Edinburgh is just a matter of time. And while Glasgow may be more centrally-located, I received word several years ago that the Church has land in Edinburgh for such a temple when it is announced.
I liken the situation in Scotland to what happened in Sierra Leone, Mozambique and the Republic of the Congo. Without knowing much about the Church in those three nations, I was one who believed that Sierra Leone's first would go to Freetown over Bo, which is more central, that Mozambique's first would go to capital city Maputo over more central Beira, and that Pointe-Noire might be prioritized over Brazzaville, since the capital of the Republic of the Congo is just across the border from Kinshasa. I was only correct about Sierra Leone because I'd heard that land had been procured in Freetown by the Church.
So logically, while Glasgow is more central, since the Church reportedly has land in Edinburgh for a temple, I believe one will be announced for Scotland's capital city first. And with no exceptions, the "first temples" announced for European nations by President Nelson have been for capital cities.
As for a second Italy temple, I believe that will be in Milan. I've had that city on my list since last year. And it may happen sooner than we think.
Daniel, I hope I haven't made any unfriendly comments directed to you. If I have, I'd like to sincerely apologize to you. I appreciate the insights you've shared here.
Glasgow to Edinburgh is a 48 mile drive along the M8.
Certainly, the Edinburgh mission home is an amazing property.
For a temple location Falkirk would also work for the M9 and M80, plus being easier for Perth, Dundee even Aberdeen saints.
Lets face it the London Temple is almost closer to Brighton :)
Rest assured, dear James. It was not related to you, who were always kind to me.
Cedar City Utah is closer to Las Vegas than Redlands so that could help a bit during those three months unless St George Utah or Red Cliffs Utah temples are ready by that time.
I think that in the short to medium term, the likelihood of a temple in the city of London is remote. The travel to East Grinstead is not unreasonable, Gatwick Airport being close means that the road and rail connections are reasonable.
This issue of cost and land availability can't be underestimated.
The Hyde Park Chapel building is owned by the church, however, the land it was built on is owned by a third party. The church leases the land from a "landlord" (who I believe is literally a Lord in the British aristocracy) I believe the lease term is a very long period of hundreds of years.
I think other locations are more accessible and needed in the foreseeable future.
The lease on the Hyde Park property is for 2,000 years.
JPL, that is no longer the case:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/yorba-linda-california-temple/
Unless you are talking about the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/willamette-valley-oregon-temple/
That one is still awaiting the approval of building permits, although I don't know why the relevant approvals were given for the groundbreaking but not yet given for the construction process.
@Iain and John,
I am curious to know where you were able to find info about the Hyde Park chapel lease. According to an article from a decade ago in Deseret News (available at https://www.deseret.com/2013/7/31/20455291/picturing-history-hyde-park-chapel), the church bought the land on which the Hyde Park chapel sits. Of course, the Church News/Deseret News could be wrong -- it wouldn't be the first time -- but I have been unable to find any source indicating that the land is leased.
--Felix
In the late 80s I was a church employee and that's what were we told.
However, now we have the internet and I just checked.
The chapel address is
64 - 68 Princes Gate
LONDON, SW7 2PA
United Kingdom
I checked on the UK.GOV Land Registry
https://search-property-information.service.gov.uk/search/summary/OPzYcV6sL4-0h6NdacIljA==
Summary of freehold
Property description
the sites of 64 to 68 Princes Gate and 81 to 84 Princes Gate Mews, Kensington
Tenure type Freehold
This means the church does own the land, it is not Leasehold.
Whether the land was always freehol, or whether the leasehold was purchased at a later date I do not know.
Im in the Thousand Oaks area. Its 5 stakes in name only. Probably closer to active attendance of 2 or 3 Utah stakes. Also the LA basin has been so completely emptied out of members a good amount of temple workers and patrons are from the Ventura County area. As much as I'd love to see a temple nearby I'd rather see some stakes consolidated with larger youth in each ward.
I remember a Church News article around 1991 saying it was a 2,000 year lease. They could have bought it in the 32 years since.
It would be cool to see a temple on the Edinburgh property. That's where, for years, the plaque hung which inspired David O. Mckay. The one that read, “What E’er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part."
There's a replica in it's place there now.
https://news-gb.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/stone-returns-to-scotland-ireland-mission-home
Some of the above areas with that number of stakes are not metropolitan areas, by my or others' definition. I grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, with two town high schools and one county one, plus 30-40 thousand students at the local college. I do not consider this a metropolitan area. Still a town, to me. Other towns in Indiana of a similar size are not metro areas yet. The ones, to me, that qualify as such would be Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, the suburbs of Louisville, KY, the suburbs of Chicago in Hammond and Gary, and the South Bend area along the Michigan border.
I think that the city should have at least 100,000 people or more to be thought of as a metro area. I think of infrastructure and sheer numbers of population to qualify as such.
I wish Shanghai or wherever in China gets theirs. How is the India temple coming along?
In the late 90s when President Hinckley announced the small temples, the root of that plan was to base temples in smaller, rural areas with good membership, good enough to sustain those buildings and their consequent ordinances available. That was true for Monticello UT and Snowflake AZ. Anchorage is a big enough city to be deemed metropolitan, if that was the third planned back then.
I think there are ample reasons for metro and rural temples. This is an amazing age of their growth, love to see it no matter where they are built.
I am curious to know how many members frequent the temple and how often. Where are the best indicators of those activities? I see people report activity, but is the data consolidated somewhere?
@Matt Martinich, Just a curious observation. Here on your site, you say that the new Dibindi Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake was organized November 12, 2022. But according to the Church News article today it gives the date as December 11, 2022. I'm not sure which is the correct date. Any clarification is appreciated? I believe that one or the other got the month and day switched (11/12 or 12/11).
"Read about the presidencies of these 4 new and 13 reorganized stakes
Notices of new and reorganized stakes throughout the world
By Church News Staff
22 Jan 2023, 7:00 AM MST
New stakes
A new stake has been created from the Mbuji-Mayi Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake. The Dibindi Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake, which consists of the Bipemba 1st, Dibindi 1st, Dibindi 2nd, Kanshi, Misesa and Tshitenge wards, was created by Elder Thierry K. Mutombo, General Authority Seventy, and Elder David Ngabizele, an Area Seventy.
DIBINDI DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO STAKE: (Dec. 11, 2022) President — Kabemba Faustin Nyembo, 40, university professor; wife, Kapuadi Alice Muanza. Counselors — Yves Kabangu wa Kabangu, 39, coordinator; wife, Davina Bilonda Kabangu. Emmanuel Lumbala Lufu, 40, Church mission office employee; wife, Marline Tshiela Lumbala."
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2023/1/22/23565314/read-about-the-presidencies-of-these-4-new-and-13-reorganized-stakes
I appreciate your hard work in reporting all the great Church Growth here in this discussion forum.
Christopher, Christmas Day was on a Sunday last year. So December 11 was a Sunday, while November 12 was a Saturday. And I believe the Church News gets information about the stake reorganizations directly from Church Headquarters. So I'd assume that December 11 is correct.
Chris D...the Dibindi DRC Stake was created Nov 12th, 2022. It does happen from time to time where a new unit is created on a day other than a Sunday.
I work in real estate with big box retailers. It is common that even if a company or organization owns a property that they lease it back through a separate entity for tax purposes. In the US all such organizations are usually based out of Delaware. Wouldn't surprise me if that was the case.
Nephi, I'm curious about how you know that, and also about how the Church News got that incorrect. When it comes to stake reorganizations, I was under the impression that the Church News staff gets their information directly from headquarters. Could you elaborate on those points? Thanks.
As someone may have previously mentioned, the MTC leaders recently gathered at Church Headquarters for training:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/2020/1/17/23215825/new-mtc-leaders-learn-how-their-focused-roles-differ-from-having-presided-over-a-mission
In that article, the Church News identified most of the current members of the Missionary Executive Council (which also includes Bishop Budge).
Then over the weekend, the Newsroom provided information on the 2023 Temple and Family History Leadership Session of RootsTech, which identified most of the membership of the current corresponding Executive Council:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/event/2023-temple-and-family-history-leadership-instruction
These two updates followed an update last year to the membership of the Church Board of Education:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church-education/about/ces-administration?lang=eng
My reason for nothing all of this here is to illustrate something interesting: Under previous Church Presidents the memberships of the Board and the Executive Councils or Committees at Church Headquarters included multiple members of the Quorum of the Twelve, and just about all of them had a senior member of the Quorum as the Chairman of each one.
But it appears that President Nelson made yet another change to differentiate between doctrine and policy or traditions. The Councils and Committees now appear to only have one or two Quorum members, with assignments spread out more among the Twelve. And that was verified 4.5 years ago when Elders Gong and Soares met with media representatives and Elder Gong mentioned he'd been asked to chair the Scriptures Committee. I found that interesting, so I thought I'd pass it along.
It could just be a printing error. It happens.
For those interested, the Newsroom announcement can be found here:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/anchorage-alaska-temple-to-be-rebuilt
And here is the Church News report:
No lhttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2023/1/23/23565588/anchorage-alaska-temple-resizing-reconstructing-relocating-plans
I have provided more analysis on this in both a post and the comment threads of my blog:
https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2023/01/breaking-temple-news-anchorage-alaska.html
Also, I wanted to bring up one other interesting point: When any apostle (aside from President Nelson) has been sent out to dedicate or rededicate a temple, they have almost always referenced “the keys of the apostleship”, but that in Elder Christofferson’s recent prayer to dedicate the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple, he specifically references “the keys of the President of the Church”:
“And now, Beloved Father, acting in the authority of the holy Melchizedek Priesthood and under the keys of the President of the Church, we dedicate to Thee this structure, the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We dedicate the foundation, the walls and windows, the roof and tower and all other elements of the temple building. We include the arrivals center building adjacent to the temple. We dedicate the rooms, furnishings, implements and equipment to be used in the administration of the temple and its holy ordinances. We dedicate and bless the temple grounds that they may contribute a sense of worship and reverence to honor this holy house and Thy name.”
Of course, it’s doctrinally understood that the Church President who holds all priesthood keys can delegate parts of them to others as the Spirit directs, but this is the first time (to my knowledge) that an apostle has referenced acting “under the keys of the President of the Church” specifically. So I thought that was an interesting insight. My thanks once again to you all.
Several wierd things about the Alaska Temple announcement.
1) First city to have two temples side by side?
2) First city to have a dedicated temple town down?
1. Yes, albeit only until the new temple is dedicated.
2. Yes, or rather the first temple to be demolished and not rebuilt on the same parcel of land.
Maybe not the same foundation but it is on the same "greater" parcel of land or property. Which in the 7th paragraph of the temple's dedicatory prayer the land was dedicated along with "every facility herein" I believe this means the whole lot including the meetinghouse, each sanctified and dedicated for it's purpose.
I was rather stunned to find out our temple is being completely rebuilt. Slightly disappointed that it looks like we're going to lose our (rather unique) angel Moroni, but the statue has no effect on what goes on within the temple.
I wonder how they are going to redistribute the wards during the construction. The closest chapel to Brayton is a rather small chapel and already has 3 wards meeting there and the only other building in the stake is larger (and will likely become the new stake center?). I wonder if my stake is going to accommodate them (each of our buildings only have 2 wards each, but pretty far away from south Anchorage), or if the Church is going to rent out a place for them to meet.
I guess when this starts I get to actually attend a groundbreaking I can remember (I don't remember if I was at the original groundbreaking, I would have been 6). Hopefully this time, we won't have an open house in the middle of winter. The only thing I remember from the open house was walking through a large plastic hallway from the chapel to the temple.
The creation date for the Dibindi DR Congo Stake was received directly from members who attended the conference to create the new stake.
Well, building the new larger temple adjacent to the existing one allows the temple to operate during expansion. Considering the distances to the nearest temples (Vancover and Seattle I believe) this seems a reasonable move.
One way that the displaced units could be housed during construction might be renting facilities until the new building is complete.
Attended our grandson's high school graduation last May in Eagle River, Alaska. Went to the Anchorage Temple twice. Even with the first enlargement, it was a tight squeeze in the men's dressing room. Happy that the temple will be 30,000 square feet. Even though there won't be an Angel Moroni statue on top, you couldn't see it from the highway, anyway. In a way, I'm glad that the Church is moving away from the Moroni statue/logo. It is more consistent with the Church being centered on the Savior.
Other Matt here..
The 3 closest church buildings in Anchorage are all less than 15 minutes away from the Brayton Bldg, with which each of them only have 2 wards that physically meeting in the building.
Pretty doable to spread the 3 wards at the Brayton Bldg to the other existing buildings.
In Farmington NM, their stake center was demolished for their new temple, and some wards now have to travel 20+ minutes to Kirtland NM (named after Kirtland OH) for church.
The keys of the Priesthood have been an interesting subject to me for the last few years. We know that only certain men and boys receive them, or hold them in their callings, but I have usually believed that that keys are delegated to others for specific reasons. I am not sure, but it seems women can be delegated these keys for specific reasons and times, too, especially in the temple. The Gospel Essentials book of the Church has a chapter about the keys of the priesthood, or a section related to it, and I believe "delegated" is a key phrase there. (No pun intended. Or did I?)
I like how they are sustaining use of the temple in Anchorage. Could Alaska have a more northern temple close to the Arctic someday?
I think some remote cold temple units would be a sweet way to help the extremes of the earth, like in Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, Siberia, Nepal, Tibet.. Even remote desert regions. A temple does not have to have much space to be functional. It would be great to have tinier temples someday, in my opinion.
@Dad Little
The new Anchorage design appears to be a sister design to the Belo Horizonte temple, and they both appear to be inspired by Meridian and Cardston's designs.
Speaking of Cardston, that one has a sphere on top (rather than an Angel Moroni), similar to the sphere on the new Anchorage rendering.
I've heard tell through folklore that that sphere on Cardston is supposed to represent the Liahona, although I have yet to verify from an official source. Official or not, it seems like a good symbol to me, as it represents Christ (and attending His Holy House) being a compass for our lives.
I just heard from a Davis County friend that a new unit (group or branch?) was created in Layton last Sunday. It appears to be the first Russian-speaking unit outside of Russia/eastern Europe, if I'm not much mistaken.
There has been a Russian speaking branch in downtown Salt Lake City that has existed for several decades, the Mount Ensign 4th Branch.
Here's a promo video of the new Layton UT Russian Branch. Over 100 attended their first Sunday.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/577057220941791?mibextid=9drbnH&s=yWDuG2&fs=e
This looks really cool! I did not know there were this many Russian speakers in Davis County (or Salt Lake, but that one seemed more plausible). I hope that this community will solidify and grow. 100 in attendance, if consistent, is not that far off from becoming a ward.
My ward in Davis County usually has about 100 people attending most Sundays, so a ward of that size in the area is conceivable, though my ward is the smallest in my stake (other than a branch at an assisted living facility) and in my opinion ought to be dissolved and incorporated into neighboring wards that, while bigger than it, are also not that big.
The first Sunday is not a very good indicator of what will be. Wait until the novelty wears off. 30 years ago, there was a Polish speaking branch in Chicago, the only such unit outside Poland. It is unfortunately long gone now.
So there is an interesting situation in the El Centro California Imperial Valley Stake. The El Centro 1st and 2nd wards were recently combined as the El Centro Ward. With this consolidation, this stake has only 3 wards now, the El Centro, Calexico and Brawley Wards, and one branch, the Imperial Branch. But the stake still exists, even though it is clearly on life support and likely does not meet the minimum requirements for a stake anymore.
Other Matt here...
Wouldn't surprise me if they organized new Spanish branches in Brawley and Calexico, so the stake at least has 6 units.
And/or realign stake boundaries to include Borrego Springs or even Yuma area wards..
Here is an interesting article posted by the Deseret News earlier today, about the ongoing Renovation Project of the Salt Lake Temple. And it's comparison to a US aircraft carrier.
"What the Salt Lake Temple renovation has in common with an aircraft carrier:
"Story by Tad Walch"
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-the-salt-lake-temple-renovation-has-in-common-with-an-aircraft-carrier/ar-AA16MJGG?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=1f191ca46e114031872abea35e2e8c0d
I think the only option for El Centro Stake is to combined the units with the Yuma Stake and split the stake, either keeping the El Centro Stake name, or rename it Yuma West Stake. It's 60 miles from El Centro to Yuma. Borrego Springs has only one branch adding that to El Centro isn't going to help.
On the Polish unit in Chicago, one factor is that 30 years ago there were a lot of immigrants from Chicago or people who had grown up in Polish-speaking homes. Their descendants alive today tend to know much less Polish. There also used to be a German-speaking ward in Salt Lake City, but ov we r time it came to no longer be justified.
The new mission president in Finland is from Finland. As in born there are lives there. The new mission president in the DR Congo Kananga Mission, President Kapanga, and his wife live in Kinshasa now, buy they were born in a place in Kasai East Province, which means in the mission boundaries.
That, and arguably more important was the fact that, just like in Poland itself, convert baptisms among the Polish speaking were very few and far between. Illinois Chicago Mission Alumnus here, 1992-1994.
Perhaps Mr. Dane overlapped with Sister Aguila in Chicago. There were two missions based in the city back then, maybe.
Here is the blog post that I wrote about Utah diversity back in 2020:
https://clinchitsoonerorlater.blogspot.com/2020/12/utah-then-and-now-mostly-now-almost-2021.html
As we have shared before, diversity is huge for the future of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, and Zion in Utah will continue to lead the way.
Can't remember if this blog allows immediate publishing or not, it has changed over time.
Any reports on increased numbers of Venezuelans abroad, how they are affecting Church activity or outreach?
I just learned today of a group operating and missionaries serving in Mulga Bore, NT, Australia. They are likely assigned to Alice Springs and visit occasionally. There appear to be around 20 people attending church services in Mulga Bore, all of whom appear to be Native Australians.
About 3 hours ago, the Newsroom and the Church News shared the announcement on the groundbreaking for the Port Vila Vanuatu Temple:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/news-for-vanuatu-temple
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2023/1/30/23572377/groundbreaking-port-vanuatu-temple-south-pacific
I have provided the following analysis on that:
https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2023/01/breaking-temple-news-grounbreaking.html
My thanks once again to you all.
Now that the announcement and slow construction of temples have become so common, it is to be expected that the announcements will continue in all places where it is necessary, regardless of whether there are few baptized members, there are missionaries from other countries who can collaborate with the work of the church. temple, enough money has to church, the temples should be closer to the faithful, without making differences in quality, beauty and size.
In Chile, there are many baptized and many inactive, that does not prevent us from having temples closer, it is a long and distant country, it is true that workers and free workers are required for the temple, however, hopefully in the new conference in April 2023 new announcements are heard for Chile and other countries, even in my country there are at least 6 temples missing
So that the work of the temple does not stop, it must go hand in hand with family history and that is a big problem in the church, because the family search centers do not open, there are no volunteers, changes are urgent, there are only excuses
@Historia Familiar Valenzuelan Escobar, I think Chile will surely get a few more temples in the next few years. Are family history centers supposed to be open all day? The one in my stake certainly is not open all day. The ward family history consultants are mostly not very helpful, I think because the training the church offers them is superficial at best -- they can search on the FamilySearch site, but so can I. I need help learning how to go beyond that, I need help understanding how the old microfilm cataloging works, etc., and they know nothing about those topics. Based on the many, many obvious shortcomings in the way family history is currently done I can only conclude that the church doesn't actually care about accurate and useful family history research, but rather about busywork to keep church members involved (as shown in the increasing emphasis on stories from recent ancestors' lives, which is nice but does little to advance ordinance work).
Your closing line "...there are no volunteers, changes are urgent, there are only excuses" is very true, and is true in many areas besides family history work. I think this is a reflection of human nature to some degree, as well as laziness that becomes a default in situations of abundance. One of the great tasks of this life is experiencing the spiritual rebirth that lights a fire within, driving us to act, rather than merely be acted upon. I think relatively few people have experienced that, and even when we do over time daily life can wear down that desire.
--Felix
Omar, thanks for sharing your thoughts. The Church is taking longer to announce opening arrangements for completed temples for the time being, primarily due to supply chain issues, but those won't last forever. I think that for the last five months of this year, 2-3 temples could be dedicated per month. In the interim, supply chain issues could impact the current construction queue as well, but it won't last forever. And we've seen a continuous flood of new temples each April and October. That will continue. Chilean temples will be part of that, including perhaps multiple temples in the greater Santiago metropolitan area. In the meantime, I was encouraged by recent updates on the Antofagasta and Santiago West temples:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/antofagasta-chile-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/santiago-west-chile-temple/
Chilean has a bright future ahead for growth. Of that I am most optimistic.
Did any of you see this report in the Church News today?
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2023/2/1/23579678/elder-wakolo-meets-with-president-first-lady-republic-of-kiribati
With Elder Wakolo stating that the groundbreaking for the Tarawa Kiribati Temple was "upcoming but not yet scheduled", we could see an announcement on those arrangements within the next one or two weeks. And if that happens, the Papua New Guinea Temple would be the only Pacific Area Temple announced in the first two years of President Nelson's prophetic administration to be awaiting a groundbreaking.
Interesting comment from Elder Bednar I heard at a recent training meeting in the Newport Beach Temple. He said that in reference to the ~70-100 temples that will be dedicated next year, the responsibility of the Seventy will expand. It will be neat to see if that means that some Seventies may dedicate temples!
Forgive my skepticism, but are you sure you heard and are reporting what he said correctly? I ask because the queue of current temples under construction is not even at 60 now, and there are only 68 others announced at present. Most of the temples in the construction queue now will only be completed in 2024, 2025, or 2026 at earliest.
Also, the Church would have to fast-track temples by announcing several dozen new temples in each of the two General Conferences, most of which would have to also have groundbreakings and construction wrapped up in less than 12 months to make that possible. President Hinckley first mentioned his plans in 1997 for the Church to have 100 temples dedicated by the end of 2000. President Nelson hasn't laid out anything similar at any point in the last five years, let alone suggesting anything about that type of goal. Elder Bednar chairs the Temple and Family History Executive Council, but the prophet had only announced a grand total of 100 temples after the April General Conferences last year. So I think you might have either misunderstood or misconstrued what he actual said.
Also, while the Prophet can and has delegated the use of his keys to bins and seal on Earth and in heaven to allow his fellow apostles to dedicate temples, there is doctrinal provision for that practice, while the Seventy are doctrinally charged to assist, not supplant, the apostles, so there is no doctrinal basis to assume that the prophetic keys delegated to apostles could also be delegated (with apostolic authority to use them) to the Seventy.
President Nelson has clearly differentiated between what is doctrinal and what is practice or traditions. Prophetic keys and apostolic authority would not be extended to those without the doctrinal capability and authority to exercise them.
So while there is a high likelihood that the duties of the Seventy could be expanded as allowed by established precedent in the scriptures, I don't think it very likely that prophetic keys and apostolic authority would be extended to those who doctrinally are charged to assist (not supplant) the apostles.
No offense intended here, and I hope none is taken.
James
Hello! What a pleasure to always see you on the networks, how is your health?, your wife?. Santiago de Chile lousy, very dangerous, everything very expensive, thanks for your answer.
Also, I am encouraged to see the announcements and advances of the temple in the world, the supply delays everything, finally a temple is built in the north of Chile, the sacrifice that the faithful make to attend the temple is great, the money, times and obstacles are not lacking, faith is essential.
I still miss seeing the angel Moroni crowning the temples, if the prophet does not want them there, he just has to accept although I do not share it, there are Mormon temples that look like Catholic churches, the design does not always have much to do with the country.
At least, since there are fewer and fewer baptisms and growth of the church, it is a hope to see temples closer, because that is money available and it is necessary to attend.
Desconocido o Felix
Hello! Thank you for responding to my feelings, what do I do with respect and from my experience knowing the church for 30 years, my goal has never been controversial, but, in the church on Sundays or with leaders they do not allow you to comment, it is considered negative to question and that is not like that.
In my Republica stake, in Santiago de Chile, I opened the family search center from 12 to 20 hours a week, I love genealogy, but there was not much support. What you say is true, there is no training, and the consultants have little expertise, the church invests little or nothing in computers and the Internet, a lot of bureaucracy, it's a pity, even though this has been like this for decades.
There are many who have been baptized in the church, who have never done genealogy, who have never used the familysearch application, or who have never attended the family history center, the work is hard but there is a lack of help and support.
I have always thought that family history goes hand in hand with the temple, but, family history centers do not open, and more commitment and love is needed.
A hug
About Unit changes, 2 branches in germany became wards in January 2023.
The Elmshorn branch in the Hamburg stake and the Heidelberg 2 branch in the Heildelberg stake.
We only have 56 in the queue as under construction right now so I am wondering if he meant 'announced' rather than 'dedicated'. Another 68 are awaiting a groundbreaking.
7 new temple presidents announced, including presidents for Bangkok Thailand, McAllen Texas and Orem Utah:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/2023/2/2/23574753/7-new-temple-presidents-will-serve-from-switzerland-to-bangkok
The first 7 new temple presidents announced this year have been announced. That is almost the number of new mission presidents we would see announced a week before the surge under President Monson.
Of these 7, 3 are for new temples, Orem Utah, Bangkok Thailand and McAllen Texas. 6 of the 7 new temples presidents and matrons currently reside in the district of their temple. In the Bangkok Temple it is a former president of the Bangkok Stake but not the first.
The only exception are the Villareals for the McAllen Temple. Even there they live in San Antonio where they are temple workers. Brother Villareal was born in a place in the greater McAllen area though, so there is a link there. Sister Villareal, nee Garza, was born in Riverside California.
Brother Villareal, who will be the 1st president of the McAllen Texas Temple, was previously an area seventy. He was also a mission president in Mexico. 2 callings that did not make it in the temple president bio were counselor in the San Antonio Mission presidency and missionary in the Argentina Rosario Mission. How Brother Villarreal a native of San Juan, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley ever met Sister Garza now Villarreal who was born in Riverside, California I still do not know. Brother Villarreal was born about 1960.
Actually the 2010 Church News article that announces the Villarreals as mission leaders lists 7 couples assigned to preside over missions, the same number of new temple presidents and matrons listed in the 2023 article where the Villarreals are called as president and matron of the McAllen Temple.
I wonder if in 2036 the Church News will be publishing articles listing 16 new temple presidents and matrons?
Omar, thanks for your concern. I had a minor procedure last month, and for the last week or two, we've been battling a minor illness that seems to be going around our neighborhood here. But we are okay otherwise.
I can think of at least a few places in Chile that will need temples in the near term, and I think Santiago may be another major metropolitan city in which multiple temples are announced.
I remember the early 2000s, when the Church sent out Elder Holland to oversee the Church's area in that nation. I believe our apostles are more aware of what is happening worldwide in the Church than we may realize. So I'm sure that the Brethren and the Lord know what is happening for the Church in Chile and will do whatever is needed to ensure that real growth will occur there.
Very exciting to hear about more unit upgrades in Germany! We recently moved to the area north of Frankfurt, and we've actually been going to several of the wards here as we decide on where exactly to settle down permanently. All three wards we've been to (Friedrichsdorf, Usingen, Wetterau 2nd) seem ripe for splitting in the next couple of years. I also know from friends further north that the building in Wetzlar is getting to near capacity and a new ward may be coming to Giessen or Marburg soon; the main holdup is actually that the bulk of members already resides in that area and the stake presidency is a bit worried if the Wetzlar area (which is mostly rural) could support a ward long-term after a split. There are already missionaries serving in Giessen, and the area seems very productive in terms of baptisms by German standards.
Finally, going into the Frankfurt Stake, the international/English ward was massive before Covid. I attended there only once back in January/February of 2020, and my best guess is that attendance was in the 400 to 500 range - pretty much every seat of the chapel and gym filled at one of Germany's smaller stake centers. If this has rebounded, and I don't see a reason why it shouldn't have, a split may be coming there as well.
@Pascal Friedmann
The Frankfurt International ward is likely not as large as it used to be. Many members in that ward work for the Europe Area, when the area was divieded in the last year to create the Europe North Area many jobs were likly moved to England.
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