Thursday, September 28, 2023

The Impending End to Large Numbers of Temple Announcements?

The Church has announced a large number of new temples within the past 6 years. The last General Conference when no new temples were announced was in October 2017. In 2017, the Church announced five new temples (all in April), whereas there were four new temples announced in 2016, three new temples announced in 2015, and no new temples announced in 2014. However, the rate of new temple announcements has accelerated to approximately 30-35 a year since 2021, as shown below:

  • 2018 - 19
  • 2019 - 16
  • 2020 - 14
  • 2021 - 34
  • 2022 - 35
  • 2023 - 15

In my most recent temple predictions map published earlier this month, I identified 216 potential locations that appear likely to have a temple announced based upon the factors that have probably contributed to the announcement of recently announced temples. If the rate of temples announced remains at 30 per yer, this means that all the locations I have identified on this map will be exhausted by the end of the year 2030. There may be a few probable locations that I have missed in my map, but I find it highly unlikely, with the current number of stakes and congregations, for there to be many additional locations that appear likely candidates for temple announcements. Therefore, if the current rate of temple announcements is sustained, it appears unlikely that this number of temples will be announced every year for longer than 6 years unless there is a significant increase in growth that warrants the construction of additional temples. The Church reported 21.5 stakes per temple as of year-end 2000. Currently, there is one temple per 11.25 stakes. If this ratio is to be maintained and 30 new temples are announced per year, then the Church would need to have a net increase of 337 stakes per year to keep this ratio at 11 stakes per temple. In contrast, the Church reported an average net increase of 51.6 stakes during the past 10 years. If the Church were to target an average of six stakes per temple district (which in many areas of the world is a realistic number for a small temple due to geographic distance), then there would be 591 temples. However, considering thousands of stakes operate in metropolitan areas where temples already operate, there appears to be little need to have such a large number of temples at present.

Church growth rates are rarely consistent for a considerable period of time, and these rates often ebb and flow and cycle through periods of deceleration and acceleration (especially within individual countries). It will therefore be imperative for significant increases in active membership to warrant the construction of additional temples by 2030 unless the rate at which new temples are announced decelerates. 

There is a high degree of uncertainty what locations may be likely future candidates for temples that currently do not appear to be probable ones. However, based on my experience with tracking the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than 20 years, I would consider the following 41 locations as possible candidates by 2030 (none of these locations are currently listed as likely locations for temple announcements at present). I do not have the time to provide my rationale for each of these possibilities, but if there is a question about one, do not hesitate to comment below:

  • Abeokuta, Nigeria 
  • Accra, Ghana (2nd temple)
  • Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 
  • Akure, Nigeria 
  • Aparri, Philippines
  • Assin Foso, Ghana
  • Blantyre, Malawi
  • Bujumbura, Burundi 
  • Butuan City, Philippines
  • Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • Eldoret, Kenya
  • Gaborone, Botswana
  • General Santos, Philippines 
  • Georgetown, Guyana
  • Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Huambo, Angola
  • Jos, Nigeria
  • Kigali, Rwanda
  • Kisangani DR Congo
  • Kolwezi, DR Congo 
  • Lae, Papua New Guinea
  • Legazpi, Philippines
  • Makurdi, Nigeria
  • Maseru, Lesotho
  • Matadi DR Congo
  • Mbabane, Eswatini
  • Mwene-Ditu, DR Congo
  • Nampula, Mozambique 
  • Onitsha, Nigeria
  • Owerri, Nigeria
  • Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo
  • Sagay, Philippines
  • Seville, Spain 
  • Tagbilaran, Philippines
  • Talca, Chile
  • Takoradi, Ghana
  • Toamasina, Madagascar
  • Ubon, Thailand
  • Warri, Nigeria
  • Yaounde, Cameroon
  • Yenagoa, Nigeria

45 comments:

  1. So basically, you think that by the time we get to 500ish temples, temple announcements will slow down?

    I wouldn't be surprised if announcements slow down to 10-20 temples per year after we get to about 500.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Last year we increased the number of congregations by 15 , maintaining even a few temples seems difficult

      Delete
  2. I agree that temple announcements will likely decline by 2030. However, looking forward I think it could accelerate again if India and China were to boom in church growth. There is potential for large numbers of temples to be constructed in each of those nations, as well as other populous nations in Asia in the future, even to bring us back to the current level of announcements.

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  3. Announcing temples is one thing but building them, staffing them, and having patrons are all very different challenges. Anecdotal stories about difficulty finding enough workers for the new Saratoga Springs temple are telling. Having lived in places where the church is much more dispersed leads me to believe that if staffing a Utah County temple is a challenge, putting temples in places like Champaign, Illinois will be incredibly difficult to operate more than 1-2 days per week. The numbers we've seen announced for the past several years aren't sustainable for long.

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  4. Yes, unless we see a major increase in growth rates in the Church, the rate of temple announcements will inevitably decrease. As for India and China, there is way too much uncertainty whether these will be fertile areas for missionary work. There is much more certainty in Africa and Latin America being future areas of growth to warrant additional temple announcements in places that are now unrealistic to have temples.

    Ethan - Totally agree. There are trade offs with having more temples, and one of these is what is needed to staff them. I enjoy going to the temple in Denver because there is so much flexibility on when you can go (you can do literally any ordinance from early in the morning until late in the evening), and I wonder whether when we get a temple here in Colorado Springs if it may only be open for part of the day or have things spaced out so much that it limits accessibility. Smaller temples offer very few options, and this can be a barrier for accessibility as well.

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  5. The Temple President for the Red Cliffs Temple is in my Stake. He was told that he will need 2,800 workers to fully staff the Red Cliffs Temple.

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  6. Fun post. Have a few thoughts.

    First off, you are undershooting the 30 number based off Bednar's talk at the Bentonville dedication, wherein he implied 40 into perpetuity. Second, the 11.25 is the current for announced, but what has that been for the past two years of announcements? Idk off the top of my head, but a lot of places will have less than 5 stakes servicing it. May be a better baseline. Springfield MO isn't servicing 5 stakes. Okinawa is an outlier due to the travel obstacles needed for them but we've seen how small they are willing to go. If they are willing to do Okinawa they are very comfortable with having less than 10 outside of Utah. Doing your analysis but switching to 40 temples a year (by 2026 they expect to hit that 40 per year dedicated and are ramping up to that) and keeping the 50 stakes (which may be generous moving forward), it will be 2034 before we get under 8 stakes per temple and 2042 until when we get under 5. If the trendline for the US is any area with 3 stakes that requires over 90 minutes of driving, and potentially extend that to developing countries, we could have quite the runway.

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  7. Also some he-said she-said for some fun context. When I served in the Philippines in 2010, I had a companion whose father was the president of a Utah engineering firm (verified on LinkedIn) that provided services making sure the temples were structurally sound and whatnot. His father sat on the temple committee. He said that the church already had money set aside for over 20 temple in the Philippines, and that was at a time when they only had two dedicated. There are now 11 announced, so they still have a ways to go, and the country has grown a lot in those past 10+ years.

    I totally agree that we may be building more than needed, and figured that there would be an eventual slowdown. But by all accounts it doesn't appear that the Brethren are on the same page we are.

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  8. I remember in the discussions here about whether Bentonville/Fayetteville or Springfield would get the temple. I argued it would be Springfield because of 6 Missouri vs 4 Arkansas stakes with greater distances to temples. Currently, the Bentonville temple serve 4 stakes in Arkansas and 4 stakes in Missouri. I believe that the Springfield MO stake will also include the West Plains and St. Roberts stakes from the St. Louis district.

    We have had temples announced for which only 1 or 2 stakes were all that close. I believe that they are only open a few days a week. The important thing is they give people the opportunity to grow in temple worship that they might not otherwise be able to do.

    One other note. My shift at the DC Temple from about 2011 to 2018 had about 60 brothers and 60 sisters. 15 shifts. That is about 1800 workers, although the shift I was on was probably above average in size (Saturday AM). Plus the presidency, office staff, engineers, etc. DC is one of the three largest temples, but it would be easy to see well over 2000 staffing the temple and keeping up with turnover.

    The Richmond temple probably now has far fewer staffing it.

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  9. Maybe the Brethren know something we don't and they're building based on direction from someone on high who knows the hour of His return is nigh. That would explain what appears to be an unsustainable long-term pace.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Won't we need the temples during the millennium?

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    2. I agree. If the Father plans for the Savior's return to coincide with the anniversary of 1) the beginning or 2) the conclusion of Christ's first ministry, we don't have much time left.

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  10. With President Nelson confirming he won’t attend, does this mean there won’t be any temple announcements this conference?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brett, President Nelson said he's planning on recording a digital message to play during conference, so I'd imagine he would announce temples in that way. Alternatively, Dallin H. Oaks could announce them instead

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    2. No, Brett. Either he will announce them during any prerecorded remarks, or (more likely) he has asked President Oaks to offer a short address concluding General Conference and announcing temples in his behalf. There is precedent for that.

      Delete
  11. Coming late to the party, here is my big list of temples predictions (I decided to do things a little different this year)...

    My Ultimate Temple Wishlist (w/ Expected/Possible Timeframes):

    Starting April, 2023

    3-5 Years:

    -Coeur d'Alene, Idaho (3-5 years)
    -Rigby, Idaho (3-5 years)
    -Edinburgh, Scotland (3-5)
    -Dublin, Ireland (3-5)
    -Osorno/Valdivia/Puerto Montt, Chile (Central Chile) (3-5)
    -Metro Area Pick:
    -Santiago, Chile Metro: Viña del Mar/Valparaíso (3-5)
    -Springville/Mapleton/Spanish Fork Area, UT (3-5)
    -North Ogden/West Weber County (announced after Syracuse & Layton Completed) (3-5 years)
    -Possibilities:
    -West Haven
    and/or
    -Pleasant View/North Ogden
    -Price, Utah (3-5)
    -Jackson, Mississippi (3-5)
    -Majuro, Marshall Islands (3-5)
    -Tirana, Albania (3-5)
    -Kingston, Jamaica (3-5)
    -Port of Spain, Trinidad (3-5)
    -Santiago, Dominican Republic (7 stakes in area + districts - distant from Santo Domingo) (3-5)
    -Santa Ana, El Salvador (3-5) (4 stakes)
    -Colorado Springs, Colorado (3-5) (5 stakes)
    -João Pessoa (State of Paraíba) (Northeastern Brazil) (8 stakes, 2 districts - as of Sep 2023) (3-5)
    -Sorocaba, Brazil (State of São Paulo) (5 stakes, 2 districts - as of Sep 2023) (close to Sao Paulo & Campinas) (3-5)
    -Bo, Sierra Leone (3-5)
    -Tacna, Peru (southern tip of Peru/border w/ Chile) (3-5)
    -Poza Rica, Mexico (6 stakes, 1 district) (3-5)
    -Tacuarembó, Uruguay (8 Stakes and remote from Montevideo and Buenos Aires) (3-5)

    3-10 Years:

    -Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (3-10)
    -Herriman, Utah (3-10)
    -Puerto Princesa (Palawan Island), Philippines (3-10)
    -Kalispell, Montana (3-10 years?)
    -New Delhi, India (3-10) (after Bengaluru is finished)
    -Lahore, Pakistan (or other, Pakistan) (3-10)
    -Champaign, Illinois (3-10)
    -Kampala, Uganda (3-10)
    -Cape Coast, Ghana (3-10)
    -Hobart, Tasmania, Australia (3-10)
    -Christchurch, New Zealand (3-10)
    -Lome, Togo (3-10) (3 Stakes)
    -Cotonou, Benin (3-10) (2 Stakes)
    -Abuja, Nigeria (3 Stakes) (Nigeria's Capital, Far From Other Temples) (3-10)
    -Port Harcourt, Nigeria Metro - 8 stakes, 2 districts - as of Sep 2023) (not too far from Aba) (3-10)
    -Piura, Perú (3-10)
    -Chihuahua, México (4 stakes, 3 districts - remote) (3-10)
    -Houston, Texas Metro Area #2 (South Houston/Sugar Land, Pearland? or Katy, League City or Channelview?) (22 stakes in the Houston Temple district and growing - as of 2023) (3-10)
    -Santa Maria, Brazil (8 Stakes 2 Districts - as of Sep 2023) or Passo Fundo, Brazil (5 Stakes - as of Sep 2023) (both in Rio Grande do Sul and Far from Porto Alegre) (3-10)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Part 2...

    5-10 Years:

    -Georgetown, Guyana (5-10 years) (after Trinidad & Tobago)
    -Maracaibo, Venezuela (5-10 years)
    -Ammon, Idaho (5-10 years)
    -Blackfoot, Idaho (5-10)
    -Cardiff, Wales (5-10)
    -Berlin, Germany (5-10)
    -Fairbanks/North Pole, AK (5-10)
    -Great Falls, Montana (5-10 years)
    -Lima, Peru - Metro 3rd (5-10)
    -El Paso, TX/Las Cruces, New Mexico (5-10)
    -Southern Patagonia (Chile and/or Argentina) (5-10)
    -Cincinnati, Ohio (5-10)
    -Florianópolis/São José, Brazil (5-10)
    -Rapid City, South Dakota (5-10)
    -Rio Branco, Brazil (5-10)
    -Maputo, Mozambique (5-10)
    -Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (5-10)
    -Hanoi, Vietnam (5-10)
    -Taichung City, Taiwan (5-10)
    -Lehi, Utah (5-10) (20 stakes) (or Eagle Mountain)
    -Morgan, Utah (5-10)
    -Farmington/Kaysville, Utah (Davis County) (5-10)
    -Salem, Oregon (5-10)
    -Newark, Trenton, Princeton or East Brunswick, New Jersey? (5-10)
    -Canberra, Australia (Capitol) (1 Stake) (5-10)
    -Nampa, Idaho (5-10)
    -Hurricane/Washington County #3 (5-10)
    -Cache County #3/Hyrum, Utah? (5-10)
    -Cottonwood Heights/Sandy/Holladay (Salt Lake County) (5-10)
    -Uyo, Nigeria Metro - 4 stakes (includes Abak) - (as of Jan 2023) (not too far from Eket) (5-10)
    -Ibadan, Nigeria (6 stakes, 3 districts - as of Sep 2023) (not too far from Lagos) (5-10)
    -Enugu, Nigeria (5 stakes, 4 districts - as of Sep 2023) (remote) (5-10)
    -Umuahia, Nigeria (6 stakes, 1 district - as of Sep 2023) (not too far from Aba) (5-10)
    -Mbuji-Mayi (2 Stakes - as of Sep 2023)/Luputa (3 Stakes, 1 District - as of Sep 2023)/Mwene-Ditu, DRC (all not too far from Kananga) (5-10)
    -Cuiabá, Brazil (2 stakes, 2 districts) (remote) (State of Mato Grosso) or Campo Grande (3 stakes) (State of Mato Grosso do Sul) (Both in Central Brazil) (5-10)

    5-15 Years:

    -Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (5-15)
    -Angola (5-15)
    -Canary Islands, Spain (5-15)
    -Yaounde, Cameroon (2 Districts - 2023) (5-15)
    -Cheyenne, Wyoming (5-15)?
    -Kigali, Rwanda (5-15)
    -Botswana (5-15)
    -London, England #3/London City Center/Hyde Park Chapel, London, England (Converted to Mixed-Use Temple)? (5-15)
    -Tulsa, Oklahoma (5-15)
    -Yuma, Arizona (5-15)
    -Bangor/Augusta/Portland, Maine (5-15)
    -Preston, Idaho (5-15)
    -Munich, Germany (5-15)
    -Tremonton/Garland, Utah (Box Elder County) (5-15)
    -Calabar, Nigeria (4 stakes, 1 district - as of Sep 2023) (not too far from Eket & Uyo) (5-15)
    -Milwaukee/Madison/Appleton/Green Bay, Wisconsin? (5-15)
    -Kimbanseke, DRC (5 stakes - as of Sep 2023) (very close to Kinshasa & Brazzaville) (5-15)
    -Likasi, DRC (3 stakes - as of Sep 2023) (pretty close to Lubumbashi) (5-15)
    -Goiânia, Brazil (Goiás State)
    -(7 Stakes) (East-Central Brazil) (not too far from Brasilia) (5-15)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Part 3...


    10-15 Years:

    -Vilnius, Lithuania/Riga, Latvia (Russia Temple announcement possibly suspended and reassigned to the Baltic States) (10-15)
    -Lima, Peru - Metro 4th? (10-15)
    -Triple Frontier (Foz Do Iguaçu, etc.) (Brazil/Argentina/Paraguay) (10-15 years)
    -Manama, Bahrain (10-15)
    -Milan, Italy (10-15)
    -Bucharest, Romania (10-15)
    (announced after Albania gains another stake (and a temple), and after Austria and Hungary Temples completed)
    -Eden, Utah (Ogden Valley) (10-15)
    -Honolulu, Hawaii Metro - (5 stakes - (as of Jan 2023))
    -(Renovate the historic Honolulu Tabernacle into a temple?)
    -(The Laie Hawaii temple is roughly 30 miles and 60 minutes from downtown Honolulu.) (10-15)
    -Kinshasa, DRC #2? (10-15)
    -Evanston/Lyman/Bridger Valley, Wyoming? (2 Stakes and distant from current temple) (10-15)

    10-20 Years:

    -Bozeman, Montana? (10-20)
    -Butte, Montana? (10-20)
    -Utica/Upstate New York #2/Sharon, Vermont (Joseph Smith Birthplace)/Priesthood Restoration Site ("Susquehanna River," Pennsylvania) (10-20)
    -Lexington, Kentucky (10-20)
    -Evansville, Indiana (10-20)
    -Havana, Cuba (10-20)
    -Belize (10-20)
    -Reykjavik, Iceland (10-20)
    -Southern Virginia University, Virginia? (10-20)
    -Ottawa, Ontario? (10-20)
    -Macon or Savannah, Georgia? (10-20)
    -Fort Wayne, Indiana? (Northern IN) (10-20)
    -Prague, Czechia? (10-20)
    -Suriname (10-20)
    -French Guiana (10-20)
    -Warsaw, Poland (10-20)
    -Belfast, Northern Ireland (10-20)
    -Bucharest, Romania (10-20)
    -Valencia, Barquisimeto or Barcelona, Venezuela? (10-20)
    -Mazatenango, Guatemala? (Retalhuleu, Guatemala is right near it) (10-20)
    -Maine or New Hampshire Temples?
    -Bangor/Augusta/Portland, Maine or Concord, New Hampshire (Portland, Maine: would either end up in South Portland, Cape Elizabeth or Windham) (10-20)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One point about a potential Ottawa Ontario Temple. While this may be the case one day, there are other, more obvious locations in Canada that I see getting a temple before Ottawa. Ottawa is only 2 hours away from Montreal and the road infrastructure is sufficient for easy travel. BC has 2 locations that will probably see a temple first: Vancouver Island and the Okanagan valley. Both are part of the Vancouver temple district but are not well connected. The Okanagan is 4 hours away and the highway is not safe for 3 to 4 months a year. Victoria can access the main land with a ferry, but that is expensive and time consuming.

      Delete
  14. Part 4...


    20-30 Years:

    -Harrison/White Plains, New York (20-30)
    -Kazakhstan (20-30)
    -Saudi Arabia (20-30)
    -Beijing, China (20-30)
    -Kuwait (20-30)
    -Yerevan, Armenia (20-30)
    -Qatar (20-30)
    -Bahrain (20-30)
    -Athens, Greece (20-30)
    -Istanbul, Turkey (20-30)
    -Egypt (20-30)
    -Former Yugoslavian Nations (20-30): Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, etc. (at least one of them)
    -Havana, Cuba (20-30)
    -Navajo Nation? (2 Stakes) (Window Rock, Chinle or Kayenta) (20-30)
    -Geneva, Switzerland? (20-30)
    -Alamosa/San Luis Valley, Colorado (20-30) (2 Stakes and distant from current temple) (A person who manifested the Gift of Tongues predicted that there would be an Alamosa temple someday, at a Quarterly Conference of the SanPete Stake, Presided Over by Apostle Erastus Snow, at a Meeting held by Bishop Hans Jensen in Manti, Utah - August, 17th & 18th, 1878.)
    (Page 45: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5693&context=etd)

    20-50 Years:

    -Far West (20-50)

    40-100 Years:

    -Independence/Jackson County, Missouri (40-100)
    -Adam Ondi Ahman, Missouri (40-100)
    -Kirtland, Ohio (Repurchase) (40-100)
    -Jerusalem, Israel (40-100)

    ReplyDelete
  15. With all due respect, I think you might be missing the Church’s overall objective here.

    The Chruch is moving very rapidly away from meetinghouse (Ward/Branch) and stake-center (Stake/District) worship. The Church is moving very rapidly to an individual (personal temple), home (family temple), and temple worship.

    Moving forward, there will be very few meetinghouses built (if any at all). There will be fewer, but larger, congregations. Fewer, but larger, stakes. Thus, much fewer, but larger, stake centers will be built.

    Ultimately, there will be MANY more temples built. These temples will be enduring, high quality, temples with no expense spared on their quality or durability — but will on average, be smaller, but FAR more numerous.

    Based on this model, the Church could easily use well over 1,000 more temples — right now.

    I highly doubt there will be any significant slow down to the number of temples announced or being built.

    ReplyDelete
  16. According to Elder Andersen there are more than 71,000 missionaries currently serving.

    ReplyDelete
  17. In his talk he said 414 Missions worldwide, according to my count there are 417. I wonder which 3 have been consolidated that I missed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elder Anderson also sad we have 179 temple in operation, but we have 182...

      Delete
  18. 417 Missions

    1 ADRIATIC NORTH
    2 ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM
    3 ALASKA ANCHORAGE
    4 ALBANIA TIRANA
    5 ALPINE GERMAN-SPEAKING
    6 ANGOLA LUANDA
    7 ARGENTINA BAHIA BLANCA
    8 ARGENTINA BUENOS AIRES EAST
    9 ARGENTINA BUENOS AIRES NORTH
    10 ARGENTINA BUENOS AIRES SOUTH
    11 ARGENTINA BUENOS AIRES WEST
    12 ARGENTINA COMODORO RIVADAVIA
    13 ARGENTINA CORDOBA
    14 ARGENTINA MENDOZA
    15 ARGENTINA NEUQUEN
    16 ARGENTINA RESISTENCIA
    17 ARGENTINA ROSARIO
    18 ARGENTINA SALTA
    19 ARGENTINA SANTA FE
    20 ARIZONA FLAGSTAFF
    21 ARIZONA GILBERT
    22 ARIZONA MESA
    23 ARIZONA PHOENIX
    24 ARIZONA TEMPE
    25 ARIZONA TUCSON
    26 ARKANSAS BENTONVILLE
    27 ARKANSAS LITTLE ROCK
    28 ARMENIA/GEORGIA
    29 AUSTRALIA ADELAIDE
    30 AUSTRALIA BRISBANE
    31 AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE
    32 AUSTRALIA PERTH
    33 AUSTRALIA SYDNEY
    34 BALTIC
    35 BARBADOS BRIDGETOWN
    36 BELGIUM/NETHERLANDS
    37 BENIN COTONOU
    38 BOLIVIA COCHABAMBA
    39 BOLIVIA LA PAZ
    40 BOLIVIA LA PAZ EL ALTO
    41 BOLIVIA SANTA CRUZ
    42 BOLIVIA SANTA CRUZ NORTH
    43 BOTSWANA/NAMIBIA
    44 BRAZIL BELEM
    45 BRAZIL BELO HORIZONTE
    46 BRAZIL BRASILIA
    47 BRAZIL CAMPINAS
    48 BRAZIL CUIABA
    49 BRAZIL CURITIBA
    50 BRAZIL CURITIBA SOUTH
    51 BRAZIL FEIRA DE SANTANA
    52 BRAZIL FLORIANOPOLIS
    53 BRAZIL FORTALEZA
    54 BRAZIL FORTALEZA EAST
    55 BRAZIL GOIANIA
    56 BRAZIL JOAO PESSOA
    57 BRAZIL JUIZ DE FORA
    58 BRAZIL LONDRINA
    59 BRAZIL MACEIO
    60 BRAZIL MANAUS
    61 BRAZIL NATAL
    62 BRAZIL PIRACICABA
    63 BRAZIL PORTO ALEGRE NORTH
    64 BRAZIL PORTO ALEGRE SOUTH
    65 BRAZIL RECIFE NORTH
    66 BRAZIL RECIFE SOUTH
    67 BRAZIL RIBEIRAO PRETO
    68 BRAZIL RIO DE JANEIRO NORTH
    69 BRAZIL RIO DE JANEIRO SOUTH
    70 BRAZIL SALVADOR
    71 BRAZIL SANTA MARIA
    72 BRAZIL SANTOS
    73 BRAZIL SAO PAULO EAST
    74 BRAZIL SAO PAULO INTERLAGOS
    75 BRAZIL SAO PAULO NORTH
    76 BRAZIL SAO PAULO SOUTH
    77 BRAZIL SAO PAULO WEST
    78 BRAZIL TERESINA
    79 BRAZIL VITORIA
    80 BULGARIA/GREECE
    81 CALIFORNIA ANAHEIM
    82 CALIFORNIA ARCADIA
    83 CALIFORNIA BAKERSFIELD
    84 CALIFORNIA FRESNO
    85 CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
    86 CALIFORNIA NEWPORT BEACH
    87 CALIFORNIA OAKLAND/SAN FRANCISCO
    88 CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
    89 CALIFORNIA ROSEVILLE
    90 CALIFORNIA SACRAMENTO
    91 CALIFORNIA SAN BERNARDINO
    92 CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO
    93 CALIFORNIA SAN JOSE
    94 CALIFORNIA SANTA ROSA
    95 CALIFORNIA VENTURA
    96 CAMBODIA PHNOM PENH
    97 CAMEROON YAOUNDE
    98 CANADA CALGARY
    99 CANADA EDMONTON
    100 CANADA MONTREAL

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  19. 101 CANADA TORONTO
    102 CANADA VANCOUVER
    103 CANADA WINNIPEG
    104 CAPE VERDE PRAIA
    105 CHILE ANTOFAGASTA
    106 CHILE CONCEPCION
    107 CHILE CONCEPCION SOUTH
    108 CHILE PUERTO MONTT
    109 CHILE RANCAGUA
    110 CHILE SANTIAGO EAST
    111 CHILE SANTIAGO NORTH
    112 CHILE SANTIAGO SOUTH
    113 CHILE SANTIAGO WEST
    114 CHILE VIÑA DEL MAR
    115 CHINA HONG KONG
    116 COLOMBIA BARRANQUILLA
    117 COLOMBIA BOGOTA NORTH
    118 COLOMBIA BOGOTA SOUTH
    119 COLOMBIA CALI
    120 COLOMBIA MEDELLIN
    121 COLORADO COLORADO SPRINGS
    122 COLORADO DENVER NORTH
    123 COLORADO DENVER SOUTH
    124 COLORADO FORT COLLINS
    125 COSTA RICA SAN JOSE EAST
    126 COSTA RICA SAN JOSE WEST
    127 COTE D'IVOIRE ABIDJAN NORTH
    128 COTE D'IVOIRE ABIDJAN EAST
    129 COTE D'IVOIRE ABIDJAN WEST
    130 COTE D'IVOIRE YAMOUSSOUKRO
    131 CZECH/SLOVAK
    132 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO KANANGA
    133 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO KINSHASA EAST
    134 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO KINSHASA WEST
    135 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO LUBUMBASHI
    136 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO MBUJI-MAYI
    137 DENMARK COPENHAGEN
    138 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SANTIAGO
    139 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SANTO DOMINGO EAST
    140 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SANTO DOMINGO WEST
    141 ECUADOR GUAYAQUIL EAST
    142 ECUADOR GUAYAQUIL NORTH
    143 ECUADOR GUAYAQUIL SOUTH
    144 ECUADOR GUAYAQUIL WEST
    145 ECUADOR QUITO
    146 ECUADOR QUITO NORTH
    147 EL SALVADOR SAN SALVADOR EAST
    148 EL SALVADOR SAN SALVADOR WEST/BELIZE
    149 EL SALVADOR SANTA ANA
    150 ENGLAND BIRMINGHAM
    151 ENGLAND BRISTOL
    152 ENGLAND LEEDS
    153 ENGLAND LONDON
    154 ENGLAND MANCHESTER
    155 ETHIOPIA ADDIS ABABA
    156 FIJI SUVA
    157 FINLAND HELSINKI
    158 FLORIDA FORT LAUDERDALE
    159 FLORIDA JACKSONVILLE
    160 FLORIDA ORLANDO
    161 FLORIDA TAMPA
    162 FRANCE LYON
    163 FRANCE PARIS
    164 GEORGIA ATLANTA
    165 GEORGIA ATLANTA NORTH
    166 GERMANY BERLIN
    167 GERMANY FRANKFURT
    168 GHANA ACCRA
    169 GHANA ACCRA WEST
    170 GHANA CAPE COAST
    171 GHANA KUMASI
    172 GUATEMALA ANTIGUA
    173 GUATEMALA COBAN
    174 GUATEMALA GUATEMALA CITY
    175 GUATEMALA GUATEMALA CITY CENTRAL
    176 GUATEMALA GUATEMALA CITY EAST
    177 GUATEMALA QUETZALTENANGO
    178 GUATEMALA RETALHULEU
    179 HAITI PORT-AU-PRINCE
    180 HAWAII HONOLULU
    181 HAWAII LAIE
    182 HONDURAS COMAYAGUELA
    183 HONDURAS SAN PEDRO SULA EAST
    184 HONDURAS SAN PEDRO SULA WEST
    185 HONDURAS TEGUCIGALPA
    186 HUNGARY BUDAPEST
    187 IDAHO BOISE
    188 IDAHO IDAHO FALLS
    189 IDAHO POCATELLO
    190 ILLINOIS CHICAGO
    191 INDIA BENGALURU
    192 INDIA NEW DELHI
    193 INDIANA INDIANAPOLIS
    194 INDONESIA JAKARTA
    195 IOWA IOWA CITY
    196 ITALY MILAN
    197 ITALY ROME
    198 JAMAICA KINGSTON
    199 JAPAN FUKUOKA
    200 JAPAN KOBE

    ReplyDelete
  20. 201 JAPAN NAGOYA
    202 JAPAN SAPPORO
    203 JAPAN TOKYO NORTH
    204 JAPAN TOKYO SOUTH
    205 KANSAS WICHITA
    206 KENTUCKY LOUISVILLE
    207 KENYA NAIROBI
    208 KOREA BUSAN
    209 KOREA SEOUL
    210 KOREA SEOUL SOUTH
    211 LIBERIA MONROVIA
    212 LOUISIANA BATON ROUGE
    213 MADAGASCAR ANTANANARIVO
    214 MARSHALL ISLANDS/KIRIBATI
    215 MARYLAND BALTIMORE
    216 MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON
    217 MEXICO AGUASCALIENTES
    218 MEXICO CANCUN
    219 MEXICO CHIHUAHUA
    220 MEXICO CIUDAD JUAREZ
    221 MEXICO CUERNAVACA
    222 MEXICO CULIACAN
    223 MEXICO GUADALAJARA
    224 MEXICO GUADALAJARA EAST
    225 MEXICO HERMOSILLO
    226 MEXICO MERIDA
    227 MEXICO MEXICO CITY CHALCO
    228 MEXICO MEXICO CITY EAST
    229 MEXICO MEXICO CITY NORTH
    230 MEXICO MEXICO CITY NORTHWEST
    231 MEXICO MEXICO CITY SOUTH
    232 MEXICO MEXICO CITY SOUTHEAST
    233 MEXICO MEXICO CITY WEST
    234 MEXICO MONTERREY EAST
    235 MEXICO MONTERREY WEST
    236 MEXICO OAXACA
    237 MEXICO PACHUCA
    238 MEXICO PUEBLA NORTH
    239 MEXICO PUEBLA SOUTH
    240 MEXICO QUERETARO
    241 MEXICO SALTILLO
    242 MEXICO TAMPICO
    243 MEXICO TIJUANA
    244 MEXICO TORREON
    245 MEXICO TUXTLA GUTIERREZ
    246 MEXICO VERACRUZ
    247 MEXICO VILLAHERMOSA
    248 MEXICO XALAPA
    249 MICHIGAN DETROIT
    250 MICHIGAN LANSING
    251 MICRONESIA GUAM
    252 MINNESOTA MINNEAPOLIS
    253 MISSOURI INDEPENDENCE
    254 MISSOURI ST. LOUIS
    255 MONGOLIA ULAANBAATAR
    256 MONTANA BILLINGS
    257 MOZAMBIQUE BEIRA
    258 MOZAMBIQUE MAPUTO
    259 NEBRASKA OMAHA
    260 NEVADA LAS VEGAS
    261 NEVADA LAS VEGAS WEST
    262 NEVADA RENO
    263 NEW HAMPSHIRE MANCHESTER
    264 NEW JERSEY MORRISTOWN
    265 NEW MEXICO ALBUQUERQUE
    266 NEW MEXICO FARMINGTON
    267 NEW YORK NEW YORK CITY
    268 NEW YORK SYRACUSE
    269 NEW ZEALAND AUCKLAND
    270 NEW ZEALAND HAMILTON
    271 NEW ZEALAND WELLINGTON
    272 NICARAGUA MANAGUA NORTH
    273 NICARAGUA MANAGUA SOUTH
    274 NIGERIA ABA
    275 NIGERIA ABUJA
    276 NIGERIA BENIN CITY
    277 NIGERIA ENUGU
    278 NIGERIA IBADAN
    279 NIGERIA LAGOS
    280 NIGERIA OWERRI
    281 NIGERIA PORT HARCOURT
    282 NIGERIA UYO
    283 NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE
    284 NORTH CAROLINA RALEIGH
    285 NORTH DAKOTA BISMARCK
    286 NORWAY OSLO
    287 OHIO CINCINNATI
    288 OHIO COLUMBUS
    289 OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA CITY
    290 OREGON EUGENE
    291 OREGON PORTLAND
    292 OREGON SALEM
    293 PAKISTAN SERVICE
    294 PANAMA PANAMA CITY
    295 PAPUA NEW GUINEA LAE
    296 PAPUA NEW GUINEA PORT MORESBY
    297 PARAGUAY ASUNCION
    298 PARAGUAY ASUNCION NORTH
    299 PENNSYLVANIA PHILADELPHIA
    300 PENNSYLVANIA PITTSBURGH

    ReplyDelete
  21. 301 PERU AREQUIPA
    302 PERU CHICLAYO
    303 PERU CUSCO
    304 PERU HUANCAYO
    305 PERU IQUITOS
    306 PERU LIMA CENTRAL
    307 PERU LIMA EAST
    308 PERU LIMA NORTH
    309 PERU LIMA SOUTH
    310 PERU LIMA WEST
    311 PERU LIMATAMBO
    312 PERU PIURA
    313 PERU TRUJILLO NORTH
    314 PERU TRUJILLO SOUTH
    315 PHILIPPINES ANGELES
    316 PHILIPPINES ANTIPOLO
    317 PHILIPPINES BACOLOD
    318 PHILIPPINES BAGUIO
    319 PHILIPPINES BUTUAN
    320 PHILIPPINES CABANATUAN
    321 PHILIPPINES CAGAYAN DE ORO
    322 PHILIPPINES CAUAYAN
    323 PHILIPPINES CAVITE
    324 PHILIPPINES CEBU
    325 PHILIPPINES CEBU EAST
    326 PHILIPPINES DAVAO
    327 PHILIPPINES ILOILO
    328 PHILIPPINES LAOAG
    329 PHILIPPINES LEGAZPI
    330 PHILIPPINES MANILA
    331 PHILIPPINES NAGA
    332 PHILIPPINES OLONGAPO
    333 PHILIPPINES QUEZON CITY
    334 PHILIPPINES QUEZON CITY NORTH
    335 PHILIPPINES SAN PABLO
    336 PHILIPPINES TACLOBAN
    337 PHILIPPINES URDANETA
    338 POLAND WARSAW
    339 PORTUGAL LISBON
    340 PUERTO RICO SAN JUAN
    341 REPUBLIC OF CONGO BRAZZAVILLE
    342 ROMANIA BUCHAREST
    343 RUSSIA MOSCOW
    344 RUSSIA NOVOSIBIRSK
    345 RUSSIA ROSTOV-NA-DONU
    346 RUSSIA ST PETERSBURG
    347 RUSSIA YEKATERINBURG
    348 RWANDA KIGALI
    349 SAMOA APIA
    350 SCOTLAND/IRELAND
    351 SIERRA LEONE FREETOWN
    352 SINGAPORE
    353 SOUTH AFRICA CAPE TOWN
    354 SOUTH AFRICA DURBAN
    355 SOUTH AFRICA JOHANNESBURG
    356 SOUTH AFRICA PRETORIA
    357 SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA
    358 SPAIN BARCELONA
    359 SPAIN MADRID NORTH
    360 SPAIN MADRID SOUTH
    361 SWEDEN STOCKHOLM
    362 TAHITI PAPEETE
    363 TAIWAN TAICHUNG
    364 TAIWAN TAIPEI
    365 TANZANIA DAR ES SALAAM
    366 TENNESSEE KNOXVILLE
    367 TENNESSEE NASHVILLE
    368 TEXAS AUSTIN
    369 TEXAS DALLAS EAST
    370 TEXAS DALLAS WEST
    371 TEXAS FORT WORTH
    372 TEXAS HOUSTON
    373 TEXAS HOUSTON EAST
    374 TEXAS HOUSTON SOUTH
    375 TEXAS LUBBOCK
    376 TEXAS McALLEN
    377 TEXAS SAN ANTONIO
    378 THAILAND BANGKOK
    379 TONGA NUKU'ALOFA
    380 TONGA OUTER ISLANDS
    381 TRINIDAD PORT OF SPAIN
    382 UGANDA KAMPALA
    383 UKRAINE DNIPRO
    384 UKRAINE KYIV/MOLDOVA
    385 URUGUAY MONTEVIDEO
    386 URUGUAY MONTEVIDEO WEST
    387 UTAH LAYTON
    388 UTAH OGDEN
    389 UTAH OREM
    390 UTAH PROVO
    391 UTAH SALT LAKE CITY
    392 UTAH SALT LAKE CITY CHURCH HEADQUARTERS
    393 UTAH SALT LAKE CITY SOUTH
    394 UTAH SALT LAKE CITY TEMPLE SQUARE
    395 UTAH SALT LAKE CITY WEST
    396 UTAH ST GEORGE
    397 VANUATU PORT VILA
    398 VENEZUELA BARCELONA
    399 VENEZUELA CARACAS
    400 VENEZUELA MARACAIBO
    401 VENEZUELA VALENCIA
    402 VIETNAM HANOI
    403 VIRGINIA RICHMOND
    404 WASHINGTON DC NORTH
    405 WASHINGTON DC SOUTH
    406 WASHINGTON EVERETT
    407 WASHINGTON KENNEWICK
    408 WASHINGTON SEATTLE
    409 WASHINGTON SPOKANE
    410 WASHINGTON TACOMA
    411 WASHINGTON VANCOUVER
    412 WASHINGTON YAKIMA
    413 WEST VIRGINIA CHARLESTON
    414 WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE
    415 ZAMBIA LUSAKA
    416 ZIMBABWE BULAWAYO
    417 ZIMBABWE HARARE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would imagine that the Tonga Outer Islands mission would be one of the consolidated ones, if I recall correctly that one was organized due to Covid restrictions for missionaries from Tonga.

      Delete
    2. I have wondered why the Church headquarters mission and Temple square are separate missions. Unless I am mistaken, they share the same two to four blocks, making them the smallest missions geographically. However, due to numbers, I see why they are separate from the rest of the Salt Lake City missions.

      Delete
    3. That's a great question as to why they are separate. They both have such unique functions compared to regular missions, similar to the historical site missions. I would love to get some more insight into that if anyone has it.

      Delete
  22. (Craig Shuler)
    The Utah Church Headquarters Mission has senior missionaries and young missionaries in the Church Office building, Church History museum, Ensign College, etc. Most are assigned and work only during the week in one of the Church departments and helping with their department's missions. Family history missionaries support family history leaders all over the Church.

    The Temple Square Mission has missionaries giving tours 7 days week at the Conference Center, Church History Museum, and other buildings around temple square (while the temple is rebuilt). There are hundreds of volunteers hosting all events in those buildings, such as this weekend's conference, and weekly Choir broaccast. This mission's sites are a wonderful place for members to go, and bring friends. They are a heavy tourist attraction.

    Both missions have hundreds of volunteers from the Salt Lake area with senior missionaries from both the Salt Lake area and elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  23. (Craig Shuler)
    There are 3 missions of Chris's list of 417 that are not in the 414 discussed by Elder Andersen and shown in Wikipedia Area (LDS Church) article:

    - Russia Rostov-Na-Danu and Russia St. Petersburg were closed when Russia missions were consolidated from 5 to 3.

    - Pakistan Service Mission was never a mission. My guess is that there are senior service workers (not missionaries) assigned to Pakistan by whatever mission that presides over the 3 Pakistan districts.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Doing a quick calculation, there are 8 Brazilians on the list of general authorities and officers in 2023. This amounts to around 6% of the total of 133 people listed. I ask: has there ever been a time in the history of the church when such a large number of non-Americans from the same country were represented? Or that members of the same country other than the US represented such a high percentage of general authorities?

    ReplyDelete
  25. @Johnathan Reese Whiting, thanks for sharing your long-term list. Comforting to know I'm not the only one maintaining a mega list like that. Also comforting to see a lot of similar locations on your list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @EP

      Hey, you're welcome.

      Nice to find a kindred spirit.

      Delete
  26. Craig Shuler, Thank you very much for that clarification. Since the Russian consolidations were never reported on either the Church News nor Newsroom websites. I as a regular layman without access to the CDOL official list and the Missions no longer posted on the old Classic Maps website that was taken offline about a year ago.

    It has now been confirmed by a friend who has access to the CDOL official unit lists. The Russia Rostov-na-Donu Mission (2010445), and the Russia St. Petersburg Mission (2010097) have both been consolidated on May 23rd, 2023.

    Although it was confirmed that the Pakistan Service Mission (2178133), is still listed as currently active on the CDOL rolls.

    So still 1 extra i have from 415 to 414, stated in the talk yesterday. Possibly it was the Tonga Outer Islands Mission which was supposed to be a temporary fix also. If anyone can confirm this i appreciate it?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Chris D. — I’m a long-time reader, infrequent commenter. I can confirm CDOL lists the Tonga Outer Islands Mission as “historical” and not “active.”

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thank you, President Nelson. That makes 35 temples for 2023:

    Savai’i, Samoa
    Kahului, Hawaii
    Fairbanks, Alaska
    Vancouver, Washington
    Colorado Springs, Colorado
    Tulsa, Oklahoma
    Roanoke, Virginia
    Cancún, Mexico
    Piura, Peru
    Huancayo, Peru
    Viña del Mar, Chile
    Goiânia, Brazil
    João Pessoa, Brazil
    Cape Coast, Ghana
    Calabar, Nigeria
    Luanda, Angola
    Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
    Laoag, Philippines
    Osaka, Japan
    Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    3rd temple for Virginia.

    Matt, several are on your list from Ward Radio.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thank you, Brandon, for confirming my error. Since neither the 2 Russian Missions nor the Tonga Outer Islands were officially announced as consolidated.

    I appreciate you checking for me to make my corrections necessary.

    ReplyDelete
  30. @Craig Shuler, no, the Pakistan service mission is not just service missionaries, in spite of its name. There are full-time young elders who serve there (only native Pakistanis, however).

    @Daniel, it is possible Brazil currently has the highest percent ever of non-American general authorities. The other two possibilities I can think of are Canada and Great Britain in the early days of the church. There were several Canadian general authorities (a list of which can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Canadian_general_authorities_(LDS_Church) ) and several British general authorities (lists of which can be found by clicking through to the English and Scottish lists here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:British_general_authorities_(LDS_Church) ). It would take quite a bit of work to figure out when each of those two countries peaked in terms of the percent of general authorities from them, because the total number of general authorities varies over time. Interestingly, there was a period of time where the majority of church members lived in the UK (I think circa 1850, if memory serves).

    --Felix

    ReplyDelete
  31. I think Elder Andersen was not counting temples closed for renovation. Although he might have not updated his talk after the most recent dedications, but I was thinking it was the right number if you did not count temples closed for renovation, but I could have been wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Salt Lake Headquarters mission exists to support Ch7rch departments and operations. 2 big components are the staffing of the FamilySearch Library, and staffing of the Church History Department, but there are many other operations.

    The Temple Square Mission is public facing missionaries giving tours of temple Square.

    I think I read that Salt Lake Headquarters Mission had 900 missionaries. My grandparents were Church archives missionaries full time for 18 months, and then part time for 7 or so years.

    ReplyDelete
  33. In 1850 there were more Church members in Great Britain then the US.

    In 1923 there were 2 non-US born apostles, plus a non-US-born Presiding bishop, 3xactly like 100 years later. Well, sort of.

    John A. Widstoe came to the US at age 9, Bishop Nibley about the same age. Elder Talmage was well into his teens, but still not an adult. So very different from the two apostles and the Presiding bishop today who lived outside the US almost all their lives until called as general authorities.

    ReplyDelete