I have updated my temple prediction map in preparation for General Conference in April. The size of the Church in a specific geographical area (i.e. number of stakes and districts, the number of wards and branches), the age of the oldest stake in a specific geographical area, church growth trends, the distance to the nearest temple, traffic/transportation, the square-footage of the nearest temple, the historical number of weekly endowment sessions scheduled at the nearest temple, and member and missionary reports regarding member activity, temple attendance, and convert retention are variables used to identify prospective sites for future temple announcements. Altogether, there are 208 potential temples on the map (which is 8 potential temple site less than the total number of potential sites identified in September 2023). The following 12 locations have been added to the temples prediction map with this current update - all of which are less likely temples:
- Butuan, Philippines
- Daejeon, Korea
- Gaborone, Botswana
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Nagoya, Japan
- Portoviejo, Ecuador
- Pretoria, South Africa
- Pucallpa, Peru
- Sagay, Philippines
- Warri, Nigeria
Also, there were five locations that were moved from the less likely to be announced list to the more likely to be announced list. These locations included:
- Glasgow, Scotland OR Edinburgh, Scotland (the largest number of stakes without a nearby temple in Europe)
- Maputo, Mozambique (third stake recently organized, long distance to the nearest temples in Beira, Mozambique and Johannesburg, South Africa)
- Osorno, Chile (increases in the number of wards in the area, long distance from Concepcion, Chile)
- San Pablo City, Philippines (closest temple is the Alabang Philippines Temple, few other locations in the Philippines with as many stakes to be serviced by a temple)
- Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire (steady, rapid growth in the number of stakes in central and northern Cote d'Ivoire).
In my opinion, the following 10 locations appear most likely to have temples announced this coming General Conference. As always, your prediction lists are welcome and encouraged.
- Spanish Fork, Utah
- Angeles or Olongapo, Philippines
- Kampala, Uganda
- São José, Brazil
- Santiago, Dominican Republic
- Maracaibo, Venezuela
- Osorno, Chile OR Puerto Montt, Chile
- El Paso, Texas
- Price, Utah
- Bo, Sierra Leone
See below for the map of likely and less likely new temple sites:
230 comments:
1 – 200 of 230 Newer› Newest»Sofokrom Ghana Stake created today.
https://news-africa.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-of-jesus-christ-creates-new-stake-in-takoradi--ghana
Did you mean a different temple in Brazil besides João Passoa? A temple was announced there last conference.
Thanks Caleb! First new stake in Africa this year as far as I know.
Religlang - Thanks for catching that! It can be hard to stay current with literally hundreds of new temples announced in the past 5-6 years. I removed João Passoa, and I added Bo, Sierra Leone as #10.
You're very welcome, Matt, and thanks for your speedy reply!
Craig Shuler says:
This is my temple prediction list for April 2024:
Mapleton Utah
Price Utah
Mt. Vernon Washington
Des Moines Iowa
Madison Wisconsin (new)
El Paso Texas (or Las Cruces New Mexico)
Houston Texas South
Long View Texas (instead of Shreveport Louisiana)
Roanoke Viriginia (new)
Scotch Plains New Jersey
Poza Rica Mexico
Maracaibo Venezuela
Georgetown Guyana (new, instead of Barbados of Trinidad)
Florianopolis Brazil
Santa Maria Brazil
Rosario Argentina
Osorno Chile
London England Hyde Park
Glasgow/Edinboro Scotland
Kampala Uganda
The following temples I predicted in September were announced in October:
Colorado Springs Colorado
Osaka Japan (I had said Nagoya Japan)
I have dropped three locations from my September 2023 predictions list:
Delta Utah
Cotonou Benin (or Lome Togo)
Yerevan Armenia
My predictions are
Lehi Utah
Saratoga springs UT
Price ut
Glasgow Scotland
Dublin Ireland
Spanish fork UT
El Paso TX
Des moines Iowa
Newark NJ
Olongapo or Angeles Philippines
Maracaibo Venezuela
Here are some more predictions
Kampala, Uganda
Santiago, Dominican Republic
Osorno, Chile OR Puerto Montt, Chile
Bo, Sierra Leone
Rasario Argentina and floranopolis brasil
Gabe, a temple was dedicated this year in Saratoga Springs, UT. Did you maybe mean Herriman, UT?
Oh shoot I meant eagle mountian, sorry
Craig, a temple for Roanoke Virginia was just announced last October. :)
Hi Matt! just a question about methodology here, where do you get the information for average weekly endowments for a temple? I understand if you've been asked that question before, do you just have a working relationship with the temple recorders and just call them every so often?
Temple predictions, April 2024 general conference
1. Neuquén, Argentina
2. Sierra Vista, Arizona
3. Herriman, Utah
4. South Fortaleza, Brazil
5. Lancaster, California
6. Quevedo, Ecuador
7. Glasgow, Scotland
8. Longview, Texas
9. Enugu, Nigeria
10. Porto, Portugal
11. Acapulco, Mexico
12. Scotch Plains, New Jersey
13. Albany, New York
14. Puerto Princesa, Philippines
15. Taichung, Taiwan
The past several conferences I have underestimated the number of temples to be announced (I think I predicted 12 last conference), so this time I am going to err in the opposite direction and predict 20. My predictions are below, ordered by descending likelihood in my estimation.
Kampala, Uganda
Florianopolis/Sao Jose, Brazil
Osorno, Chile
Santa Ana, El Salvador
Falkirk, Scotland (really Glasgow or Edinburgh, but Falkirk is a good in-between location)
Rosario, Argentina
Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
Chihuahua, Mexico
Neuquen, Argentina
Mobile, Alabama
Lome, Togo
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
Poza Rica, Mexico
Queen Creek, Arizona
Olongapo, Philippines
Abuja, Nigeria
Des Moines, Iowa
Cincinnati/Dayon, Ohio
Medellin, Colombia
I do think Maracaibo, Venezuela will leap to the top of the list once the legal/political challenges the church faces in Venezuela permit, but I have no idea when that will be.
--Felix
Another one in Saratoga Springs ?
I believe the American South continues to fly under the radar, particularly Georgia and Alabama. I predict that a small temple will be announced in one (or both) of these two states. While growth isn't explosive, growth has been steady. There may even be a temple announced for south of Atlanta, which is a huge metropolitan area and travel by car can be extremely difficult due to congestion.
Here is my Temple Bracket that I updated for this year:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OtKMny_W6O9ScTN83c2NnuNNKE5XeZbB/view?usp=sharing
My Top Picks:
Flagstaff AZ
Herriman UT
Santiago Dominican Republic
Sana Ana El Salvador
Florianopolis/Sao Jose Brazil
Punta Arenas Chile
Kampala Uganda
Glasgow Scotland
Taichung Taiwan
Hobart Australia
The latest major temple construction announcements were made today:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/sites-for-temples-in-indonesia-japan
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2024/03/04/temple-sites-released-jakarta-indonesia-osaka-japan/
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2024/03/04/exterior-rendering-budapest-hungary-temple/
My analysis:
https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2024/03/breaking-temple-news-site-locations.html
My thanks once again to you all.
The rendering of Budapest makes me hope we get a ground breaking date soon.
Jakarta is much bigger than I would predict. It seems built with future growth in mind, nit just current need. Even Osaka is coming in at 18,000 square feet.
This makes me wonder if we will see any more expansions of the 1999-2001 small temples. Most that have been renovated or otherwise changed have had only minor Suze changes. I think Coloumbus at most added 1000 square feet, maybe not even that.
The exceptions are Kona which is significantly expanding, and Anchorage, which is being rebuilt next door at well over twice the size. Of course Anchorage already expanded from its original I believe less than 7,000 square feet. Monticello Utah also expanded.
Ascension, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Raleigh and Montreal as well as Columbus have all gone through major renovations without significant changes in size.
I could see Spokane, Washington, Reno, Nevada and maybe a few other 1999-2001 dedicated temples go through expansion. Birmingham, Alabama maybe, although I think Huntsville; Montgomery and at least a 2nd temple in Georgia are bigger priorities.
Nashville, Tennessee Temple is one I also can see being expanded. Either that or build a 2nd temple in metro Nashville area.
Winter Quarters probably could be expanded, even if as likely Des Monies Iowa gets a temple.
Other Matt here...
Osaka Japan Temple site was formerly the Osaka International University Hirakata Campus. At 16+ acres, that's pretty incredible the church was able to find that size of land in Japan. Hirakata is centrally located between Osaka and Kyoto.
It appear the Jakata Temple at 40k sq ft will be similar in size and perhaps same layout at the Bangkok and Bengalulu Temple.
And the Budapest Temple at 18k sq ft, is a lot larger what than I expected.
All these larger than anticipated Temple sizes show long term planning and confidence that the church will continue to grow in these regions.
Actually Osaka Temple will be bigger. Nearly 30,000 sq ft.
Budapest Temple is coming in at 18,000 sq ft.
Here is the list I posted a few weeks ago with a few added comments:
Spanish Fork, Utah
Lehi, Utah
Herriman, Utah
I suspect all 3 this year, but not more than 2 in April.
Henderson, Nevada. - I was hesitant both based on the size of the Las Vegas Temple and with it being not that far from Henderson, but I think it will happen.
Ventura County, California
Temecula, California
San Francisco, California
Tempe, Arizona (I hope they build it literally above the Institute building)
Queen Creek, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona
Mexicali, Mexico
Chihuahua City, Mexico
Ciudad Obregon, Mexico
Poza Rico, Mexico
El Paso, Texas
Gilmer, Texas or maybe Longview, Texas
Sugarland, Texas
New Orleans, Louisiana
Jackson, Mississippi
Huntsville, Alabama
Sarasota or Naples, Florida
Charleston, South Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Norfolk, Virginia
New Brunswick, Trenton, Morristown, Newark or Jersey City, New Jersey - OK, Scotch Plains might also work
Des Monies or Ames, Iowa
Appleton, Wisconsin (or less likely Fond du Lac, Wisconsin)
Salem, Oregon
San Luis Valley, Colorado
Topeka, Kansas
Rapid City, South Dakota
Cincinatti, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio -but probably not until 2025
Manchester, New Hampsire
Bourdeaux, France
Milan, Italy
Glasgow, Scotland
Bo, Sierra Leone
Yamosoukro, Ivory Coast
Abuja, Nigeria
Enugu, Nigeria
Port Harcourt, Nigeria -my guess is the 1st 2 now, and Port Harcourt in October, with a possible 4th temple for Nigeria this year, but I am less sure where - Although expanding Aba might also happen, but I think that will make other Nigerian Temples more likely
Kolwezi, DR Congo
Kampala, Uganda
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Maputo, Mozambique
East London, South Africa
New Delhi, India
Sendai, Japan
Majuro, Marshall Islands
Ha'apai Group, Tonga
Christchurch, New Zealand
Hobart, Australia
Canberra, Australia
Ottawa, Ontario
Toronto City Center, Ontario - or maybe called Toronto with current temple renamed Brampton
Victoria, British Columbia
Tabuai, French Polynesia
Santa Ana, El Salvador
Another temple in Guatemala
Kingston, Jamaica
Santiago, Dominican Republic
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Barcelona, Venezuela
Medellin, Colombia
Machala, Ecuador
Otavalo, Ecuador
Bucaramanga, Colombia
3rd Lima Peru Temple
Pisco, Peru
Chimbote, Peru
Rosario, Argentina
Resistencia, Argentina
Santa Maria, Brazil
Florianopolis, Brazil
Cuiaba, Brazil
Sorocaba, Brazil
Tacuarembo, Uruguay
Albany or Utica, New York
Angeles, Philippines
Legazpi City, Philippines
Caloocan, Philippines
Manila, Philippines - with the existing temple renamed Quezon City
London England Hyde Park - this may also leas to renaming of the current London Temple
Provo Utah Granville Temple
Provo Utah Slate Canyon Temple
North Ogden Utah Temple
My list:
Predicted number of temples: 15, in the following locations:
Spanish Fork / Mapleton UT
Sugar Land TX (Houston - south end)
Jackson MS (Last Featherstone temple)
Atlanta South GA (by the airport, as the existing temple is on the north side, might grab Columbus and Macon too)
Tempe AZ
Poza Rica MX
Los Cabos MX
Mexico City Ermita MX
Santa Ana ES
Florinanopolis BR
Fin del Mundo AR / CL
Abuja NG
Edinburgh SCUK
Lome TG / Cotonou BN
My dark horse pick for 15:
Far West MO
JPL,
Regarding temple expansions, I really wish the smaller temples were built in a way for easier additions. I know a guy who knows a guy who... well anyway, I understand that major renovations can be much more expensive than simply building another temple close by. I think we will see expansions where a major renovation is needed and where the current design and land size allows for cost-effective additions, but I think in other cases the preference is to simply build an additional temple if there's a logical place to put one considering current and expected church membership.
Gabe,
I moved to Eagle Mountain about 3.5 yrs ago. Do you live around here?
It would be cool to have a temple announced in E.M., but I'd feel kinda guilty if one was announced for here before Herriman and Lehi. Right now more Eagle Mountain stakes are closer to the Saratoga Springs temple than Saratoga Springs stakes are to it :-)
Having said that, I have been surprised with how busy the new Saratoga Spring Temple has been, which is one reason why I think a temple will be announced for Lehi soon. It's pretty clear to me that E.M. will get one fairly soon as well ... the City Center part of E.M. is in a huge valley that will likely all be developed.
I live in Oregon actually
There will probably be another temple in Venezuela when the political situation gets better
with how many stakes are assigned to the temples in the phoeniz area they will need another one
I almost forgot one more temple prediction for April 2024 general conference
Rigby Idaho Temple
Why do ya think polítical situation in Venezuela are going better ?
It's not!
This is pretty much my list of top 10 as well with few changes. Most notably, I think Tremonton and/or Hyrum Utah is going to get a temple announced before Spanish Fork. I also think Blackfoot, Idaho is on the short short short list, as is Evanston, Wyoming.
I could also see the Church really looking at New Delhi, India.
There are a lot of stakes in salt lake city so I think they need another temple to relieve the temple they go to!
Could be nice a Temple in North Ogden !!!
I meant eagle mountian
Detroit Temple could get a rebuild along the Anchorage lines. With the creation of the Farmington Hills Michigan Stake, or stake center is fairly close to the northwest concerned of our stake. I have worked out a plan where we would build a stake center more close to the center, give up a rented building, but it still only makes sense with major boundary changes.
There is more land on the temple/stake center plot, so you could end up with a bigger temple but a stake center there as well if you do not move it. We have space to relocate during Reconstruction.
Looks like the church just purchased the Kirtland Temple from the Community of Christ.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/sacred-sites-and-historic-documents-transfer-to-church-of-jesus-christ
A dream come true. If it was not from the official church news I would have thought it was a hoax
I'm very glad that the church has promised not to convert Kirtland into a functional temple for ordinance work and is instead committing to preserving it's historical and public nature as a building shared by all branches of the Latter Day Saint Restoration Movement. That has always been my biggest concern regarding such an eventuality as this.
I have thought the same. I figured that at least for a certain number of years or decades that the selling agreement would have some kind of stipulation to keep it as a tourist site. And maybe allow them to continue use it for services a few times a year.
Sorry, my last comment was rushed.
So if we followed the example of Anchorage here in Detroit, tore down the stake center, built a new temple, tore down the old temple and built a new chapel this is what needs to be considered.
It would displace a ward and a YSA branch. It would also displace the family search center. We also have space in the stake center permanently set up for institute classes.
The Bloomfield Hills Ward could go to Southfield. That is a doable solution to get a bigger temple.
Many stake functions could be relocated to the Roseville building. We already did stake conference there once during a premier outage, and my wife did a stake adult dance there.
A few other could be done at Troy building,but it has horrible parking. We could also rotate some things to Southfield building.
The biggest question is where to but the YSA ward. Roseville building has the parking, it used to have 3 wards about 10 years ago and now has 2. Troy has the Arabic group, and some sort of Spanish group, and little parking. Southfield has the mission office, but could in theory take on 2 more wards.
Realistically they could also put the YSA branch at the Belle Isle building. However if they go that way they should probably use this as an occasion to create a separate YSA branch for Farmington Hills and Grand Blanc stakes.
That might not be a bad idea. Clearly assign Westland stake to our YSA unit, create one for Farminton Hills and Grand Blanc, and make Ann Arbor YSA just for Ann Arbor, they have enough YSA in that stake to do so. Westlanders always feel the outsiders anyway.
If they go that way Detroit River building is probably a better choice though, it is closer to Wayne State University, And as close or closer for much of even my stake. Plus it is closer to the freeway, so easier to get to are easier to use as a base to go places.
I know some members would be said to see our architecturally unique and historic stake center go. I say as long as they preserve Avard Fairbanks panels of for the relief society monument it is a price worth paying for a larger temple. The panels already moved once, so moving them again is doable.
Now if the other option is getting a third Michigan temple in Midland or Lansing, and a 4th in Ann Arbor I am more torn.
The Church purchased manuscripts and artifacts along with the Kirtland Temple purchase. I'm crossing my fingers that the manuscript of the Inspired Version of the Bible was included, but I'm not counting on it. I'm elated to hear about the Church purchasing what they did, but I really long for President Nelson to get the Bible transcripts and finish the work on the Bible translation that Joseph Smith didn't complete despite the Lord's multiple urgings.
President Nelson has lots of experience with languages and the Church has one of Joseph Smith's seer stones (not that this would be required to finish the translation).
I also look forward to the sealed portions of he Book of Mormon to be translated, even if the First Presidency only has access to read it.
I just saw another article from Church Newsroom... the Bible manuscripts were purchased! yay!!
I am really excited now. Given how much work the Church has put into the Joseph Smith Papers, I am hopeful something substantial is done with the Inspired Version!!!
Craig Shuler says,
It was announced today that the Church has purchased the Kirtland Temple from the Community of Christ Church as well as several historic buildings in Nauvoo. KSL TV says the Kirtland Temple will remain a historic site and will not be converted to be an operating temple.
Craig Shuler says,
I'm glad Eric reminded me last night that Roanoke VA has announced in October 2023. That means 3 of the temples I predicted i October were announced (rather than 2) and I can add Lome Togo / Cotonou Benin back to me list of 20 predicted last night for April. Roanoke was a great idea. I agree with the Prophet ;)
I for one would be heartbroken if the Bloomfield Hills stake center were destroyed. It is a really unique building and the pipe organ is something to be cherished.
FAQs from CoC website https://cofchrist.org/faithfully-funding-our-future-frequently-asked-questions/
A longer list of items transferred: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/frequently-asked-questions-clarify-the-transfer-of-sacred-sites-and-historic-documents
With the Cleveland Temple already planned for Independence Ohio I do not believe there was any reasonable chance that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would need another temple in the Cleveland metro area in the short term future.
As far as New Jersey goes, while it would be great for a temple to be as close as Jersey City or Newark, I doubt it. For one, Jersey City and Newark have fairly easy trips to the Manhattan New York Temple via public transportation and an easier trip than the west metro area via car. Additionally, it’s my understanding that part of the Manhattan New York Temple renovation is an increase in ordinance capacity within the existing footprint. Our last preparation meeting, one of the temple presidency members said that the confirmation and initiatory capacity would be doubled and the endowment capacity would be increased by a third. Doesn’t seem like something the temple department would do if they were planning on announcing a Jersey City or Newark New Jersey Temple soon.
I do think that the NYC metro area is prime for receiving multiple temples, a la Mexico City. The New Jersey/west NYC metro area is probably the biggest need, but Long Island could probably use a temple, too. The trip via transit takes several hours, and the trip via car is difficult, too. There’s a stake out in Nassau and Suffolk Counties and a stake in eastern Queens (the parts of Queens without direct subway access and where people tend to own cars). A Long Island temple would probably be fairly small, though, and I don’t think the area has great growth prospects (the five boroughs probably have more substantial opportunity for church growth). Another potential temple for the metro area would be the Harrison site, which would probably include the Westchester New York Stake and two stakes in southwest Connecticut. That said, I wouldn’t expect an Albany temple any time soon if the church chooses to build a smaller temple on the Harrison site (instead of the 40,000 sq ft plans of the late 90s, 15,000 to 20,000 sq ft would probably work fine for it).
I could see the church building Far West once there’s two or three stakes in the Cameron/Gallatin/Chilicothe area, but it’s only about a 45 minute drive from the area around Far West to the Kansas City Missouri Temple, which is a fairly large temple. As far as a fourth temple for Missouri, I think we’ll see one in Columbia or Jefferson City before Far West.
I agree. I could see a Kirtland temple being built in the relatively near future if Kirtland starts to draw more members visiting (like Nauvoo or Palmyra), but it’s more like 10 to 20 years out. Last October, I told my mom that I felt that, even if the church were to buy the Kirtland Temple from the Community of Christ and announce a temple for Kirtland, they probably would leave the Kirtland Temple as is and build a new building for the temple. (‘Course, I didn’t anticipate the church buying the Kirtland Temple so soon!)
@Daniel, since Kirtland is a suburb now of Cleveland, and with the new Cleveland Temple announced on the other side of the metro area in Independence, Ohio, I doubt in the near future, there is any plans for a new or operational temple in Kirtland. I can imagine a lot of members from Community of Christ are not happy with this transfer of assets, and so our church will tread lightly in order to continue strong relations with Community of Christ (formerly RLDS Church).
This Frequently Asked Questions document from the Church is very helpful. The biggest immediate change is one will no longer have to pay to visit the Kirtland Temple. They have agreed on several times they will allow the Community of Christ to continue to use the temple over the next few years.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/frequently-asked-questions-clarify-the-transfer-of-sacred-sites-and-historic-documents
It also lists everything purchased at the end. It includes several private residents in Kirtland. These may be used to house senior couple missionaries assigned to work at the temple and other visitors centers, or they may be used in other ways. There are also about 9 properties in Nauvoo that are historic houses with modernized interiors. It might be possible some of those could be returned to their historic state and reopened as visitors attractions. Among those homes are those of Hiram Clark (who was the first mission president in Hawai'i, although he was not there very long), and Sidney Rigdon.
There is also as mentioned a whole slew of documents connected with the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible, the letters between Joseph Smith and Emma Smith, and several other documents and artefacts.
The amount paid was just over $192 million
I do not think we will see a Kirtland Temple for a long time, but there is enough land in Kirtland that building a temple somewhere in that city without disturbing historic buildings would be very easy. Kirtland Stake is adjacent to Cleveland Stake, and Cleveland Stake is getting a temple. From a logistical standpoint Akron area would probably get the next temple in north-east Ohio, and if even that is announced before 2040 I would be quite surprised.
A 3rd temple in Cincinnati seems likely. A 4th in Dayton seems a little less likely, but with Dayton having 3 stakes I think it would be doable.
One last comment, I would not even call Independence, Ohio "the other side of the metro-area" from Kirtland. Kirtland is very much on the east end of metro Cleveland. Independence is basically the middle of the metro area (and one of the suburbs with the most offices in it). There is also a lot in the metro area to the west of Independence. If the plan had been to site the temple to facilitate one in Kirtland, Cleveland Temple would have been put in Elyria.
Right, unless the Church builds a temple in Kirtland for the sake of summertime visitors (which is a possibility, but something of an outside shot), I don’t expect to see a Kirtland Ohio Temple anytime soon (maybe 15-20 years from now). Cincinnati or Dayton makes the most sense to me for the next temple for Ohio, though I’d only expect either or but not both (unless, perhaps Cincinnati’s temple is built in Kentucky).
I've posted this on the other page, but to keep this with the rest of the Apr 2024 predictions, I'm reposting...
Here goes my April 2024 predictions
While I have some reservations when considering the backlog of temples that haven't reached groundbreaking, I don't see any indication of slowdown of announcements. Of the list I made prior to Oct 2023 Conference, 9 announced was off my top 20 list, another 7 from my "another 41" list, and 4 were from neither list (this was better than expected). However some of these predictions were somewhat vague and/or covered a broad area (such as "Another Nigeria" and "Luzon Island"). With exception of "wasatch front" where a temple could be placed anywhere, I'm more specific this time. The only broadly mentioned areas are those without temples.
I figure of the next 35 (one year of announcements at current rate), 11 will come off my "top 20" list. 12 will come off of the "Other 40" and 12 will not be on either list.
I do have a harder time predicting in urban areas with existing temples so the ratio of this is less on my list than what's typically announced.
Top 20 (Location, Church Area) listed geographically
-Bora Bora/Ra'atea French Polynesia, Pacific
-Angeles/Metro Manila, Philippines
-Kampala Uganda, Africa Central
-Maputo Mozambique, Africa South
-Port Harcourt Nigeria, Africa West
-Benin/Togo, Africa West
-Bo Sierra Leone, Africa West
-Scotland, Europe North
-Rosario Argentina, South America South
-Temuco Chile or areas south, South America South
-Neuquen Argentina or areas south, South America South
-Tacna Peru, South America Northwest
-Florianópolis/São José Brazil, Brazil
-Fortaleza Brazil West, Brazil
-Santa Ana El Salvador, Central America
-Poza Rica Mexico, Mexico
-Cincinnati Ohio, North America Northeast
-Central Iowa, North America Central
-Houston Texas Southeast, North America Southwest
-Wasatch Front (South), Utah*
*One can place a temple about anywhere here and realign districts accordingly, but I'm thinking the most likely location is in southern Salt Lake County or Utah County.
Another 40 (Location,Church Area) listed geographically
-Majuro Marshall Islands, Pacific
-Christchurch New Zealand, Pacific
-Canberra Australia, Pacific
-New Delhi India, Asia
-Kinshasa DRC East, Africa Central
-Abuja Nigeria, Africa West
-Abeokuta/Ibadan Nigeria, Africa West
-Onitsha Nigeria, Africa West
-Uyo Nigeria, Africa West
-Southern Spain, Europe Central
-Northern Italy, Europe Central
-Resistencia Argentina, South America South
-Tacuarembó Uruguay, South America South
-Huánuco/Chimbote/Pucallpa Peru, South America Northwest
-Quevedo or Guayaquil Ecuador, South America Northwest
-North-central Columbia, South America Northwest
-Western Venezuela, South America Northwest
-Santa Maria Brazil, Brazil
-Araçatuba Brazil, Brazil
-Sao Paulo Brazil South, Brazil
-Cuiabá Brazil, Brazil
-Rio Branco Brazil, Brazil
-Santiago Dominican Republic, Caribbean
-Morelia Mexico, Mexico
-Chihuahua Mexico, Mexico
-La Paz Mexico, Mexico
-Florida-Alabama-Mississippi, North America Southeast
-New Jersey, North America Northeast
-Concord New Hampshire, North America Northeast
-Wisconsin, North America Central
-Nampa Idaho, North America Central
-Blackfoot Idaho, North America Central
-Shreveport LA or Far NE Texas on the I-20 Corridor, North America Southwest
-El Paso Texas, North America Southwest
-Flagstaff Arizona, North America Southwest
-Phoenix Arizona Southwest, North America Southwest
-Price Utah, Utah
-Evanston Wyoming, Utah
-Santa Rosa California, North America West
-Arlington Washington, North America West
I am pretty certain the first temple built in the Balkans will be in Tirana Albania. That is the location of the only stake in the Balkans.
I do not think it will be announced in April. It however is the only place in the Balkans I could imagine a temple being announced at present.
Since the start of stake in non-English speaking areas in 1961 only Kiev Ukraine and Shanghai China Temples have been announced in places without stakes.
So until somewhere else in the Balkans gets a stake, I really do not see a temple coming to be.
From a distance standpoint it takes 4 hours to travel from Zagreb to Budapest. Yes this is more than ideal, but it is far less than in most of the cases of temples built to serve very small member populations.
Cambodia getting a temple so soon surprised me, but the trip is 18 hours. Abuja is 11 hours drive from the Aba Nigeria Temple.
Luanda Angola, which now has 2 stakes, faces logistical travel issues so the only realistic way to go to the temple is to fly to Johanesburg, which is very expensive.
The day when there are temples in the Balkans us probably afar off. Of course predicting the future is hard, but I would not be surprised if Senegal gets a temple before Serbia, Mali before Macedonia and Malawi before Croatia. Burundi before Bosnia and Rwanda before Romania. Zambia before Albania would not surprise me. In fact if I had to predict the Order of temples announced in those countries it would be Zambia, Albania, Rwanda, Malawi
Burundi, Senegal, Mali, 2nd temple in Malawi, the Gambia, and then maybe Croatia, a vague possibility of Romania. Zambia is the only one that would not super shock me in 2024, and I still do not expect it.
I truly feel that the following temples will be announced for Mexico in the near future:
Morelia Mexico Temple
Acapulco Mexico Temple
Zacatecas Mexico Temple
Leon Mexico Temple
Posa Rica Mexico Temple
Orizaba Mexico Temple
In the not so near future but will be announced too eventually:
Durango Mexico Temple
Coatzacoalcos Mexico Temple
Tepic Mexico Temple
La Paz Mexico Temple
i will say church leaders seem to be spending alot of time in the iowa area this week elder cook is coming he just one of many who have been in the iowa area recently
Here is another article on the purchases of the Nauvoo Temple, manuscript of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, the Nauvoo House and much more. There are also several empty blocks purchased. I have to wonder if we will see more developments in Nauvoo soon.
My prediction is for 15 temples in the April 2024 conference.
1. Spanish Fork, Utah
2. Florianopolis, Brazil
3. Osorno, Chile
4. Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire
5. Kampala, Uganda
6. Evanston, Wyoming
7. Santiago, Dominican Republic
8. Maputo, Mozambique
9. Christchurch, New Zealand
10. San Pablo, Philippines
11. Kolonia, Micronesia
12. La Paz, Mexico
13. Berlin, Germany
14. Rio Branco, Brazil
15. Edinburgh, Scotland (ideally north west of the city, but I could see a way in which the Glasgow and Paisley Stakes could be merged and a temple built there instead)
+1 Wildcard: New FSY Centre at the London England Temple (use for youth events and nearby stakes) and build a new temple in North London
@Daniel
Hopefully in Lexington!
Brief thoughts:
1. The Church announces a new temple in Cleveland and just a couple of years later, the Community of Christ miraculously finally sells us the original Kirtland Temple.
Coincidence?
I doubt it.
2. Cool Paralells:
President Hinckley has a big Temple boom and rebuilds the Nauvoo Temple/President Nelson has a big Temple boom and presides over the return of the Kirtland Temple.
Among today's announcements on the Church News site. The first President and Matrons were called for both the new Antofagasta Chile and San Pedro Sula Honduras Temples have been called and their biographies.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2024/03/07/new-temple-presidents-and-matrons-2024-boston-to-brazil/
I'm predicting a 17/18 split this time around:
1. Spanish Fork Utah
2. Price Utah
3. Evanston Wyoming
4. El Paso Texas
5. Milwaukee/Green Bay Wisconsin
6. Santiago Dominican Republic
7. Santa Ana El Salvador
8. Medellín Colombia
9. São José/Florianópolis Brazil
10. Rosario Argentina
11. Osorno Chile
12. Kampala Uganda
13. Yamoussoukro Ivory Coast
14. Bo Sierra Leone
15. Maputo Mozambique
16. Edinburgh/Glasgow Scotland
17. Angeles Philippines
Here are my top 10 and dark horse 5 for this upcoming conference:
Top 10:
1. Kampala, Uganda
2. El Paso, Texas
3. Flagstaff, Arizona
4. Tacna, Peru
5. Nampa, Idaho
6. Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
7. Bo, Sierra Leone
8. Des Moines, Iowa
9. Monclova, Mexico
10. Abuja, Nigeria
Dark Horse Picks:
1. Tirana, Albania
2. White Tank Mountain (Surprise), Arizona
3. Price, Utah
4. Alamosa, Colorado
5. Jackson, Mississippi
This is a map of all my predictions
Noah, there was a 17/18 split in 2022, then a 15/20 split last year. I could be wrong, but my personal theory is it'll be a 16/19 split this year. What is your reasoning for the idea that the 17/18 split will occur again this year? Just curious. Thanks.
There were 16 biographies this go-round after only 8 apiece the last two weeks. And there are only 16 more mission leader couples left to be featured by the Church News.
I was surprised to see the first leaders for Antofagasta featured already. If my calculated estimates are correct, the earliest the Antofagasta temple might be dedicated is January of next year.
Hopefully I'm wrong about that. And hopefully with the next batch of temple leaders, the Salvador Brazil Temple's first will be included, as it is the closest one to completion that has not yet had its first leaders featured.
James, also in those biographies, was called the new President and Matron couple to preside over the San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple. As I mentioned above earlier this morning.
James Perry, 15 temples were announced last April. What is your reasoning for the idea that 15 will also be announced this April? I'm just curious. The last two years, we had a 15/20 split and a 17/18 split. My theory is a 16/19 split this year. As someone who has followed Nelsonian temple trends, I'm always interested in other people's theories about the methodology. Thanks.
Thank you. I was aware of that. My point (which may not have been clear) was that Salvador is behind San Pedro Sula but in a similar status of nearly completed, so I was curious as to why the Church News shared information about the leaders for the two temples today but not Salvador. I don't know how the Church News determines which bios to feature every week, so I just found the omission of Salvador curious. Hope that explains what I was trying to say.
For further context, I am currently predicting the following dedications for the following windows:
Mid-to-late August: San Pedro Sula Honduras
Early-to-mid September: Tallahassee Florida
September/October: Salvador Brazil
October/November: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
November: Mendoza Argentina
December or January: Desert Peak Utah
I hope I'm off on that. But that's how I see the rest of the year going.
We've got a weird situation in December, as the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional for 2024 is on the second Sunday rather than the first, so we've got the first or third Sunday for dedications.
I'm going with 17, as that will make it an even 170 temples announced by President Nelson. With 18 announced in October, it will be 188, which is 6 more than half of all the temples announced. I wouldn't be surprised to see only 12 announced in April 2025 to make it a solid 200 announced.
Intriguing! Thanks for that explanation. He has also announced an odd number of temples the last two Aprils and an even number the last two Octobers, which I hadn't considered. There are multiple ways he could get to those numbers. I was thinking he'd do the 19/16 or 16/19 split because it's not yet been done that way. But I wouldn't be shocked if he was above 300 by next April either.
Sorry. Above 200, not 300 by April 2025.
16 new temples presidents and matrons at once is a day of gladness. When I was born in 1970 there were only 18 temples presidents and marrons. OK, the Seatle temple leaders had probably already been called. Average service was 5 years, so you generally only saw 4 new sets of leaders called a year.
Now we see 16 announced in a week, the same rate as mission presidents. It will be a few years before temple leaders catch up yo mission leaders numbers.
Then there are the Abijan Ivory Coast Temple leaders. They were announced almost 3 years ago. It is looking very likely that they will begin service after most of those announced about the same time are released. It is looking unlikely that the Abijan Ivory Coast temple will be dedicated before October general conference.
Anthony Kaku, the new president of the Accra Ghana Temple will only be the 3rd Ghanaian president of that temple, and the 4th Ghanaian Temple president. The president of the London Temple is Ghanaian, although he has long been resident in London. In fact in I believe 1995 President Hinckley gave an interview with British media in which he pointed out there was a black man who was a member of a stake Presidency in London. I am 90% sure that man mentioned is the current London Temple president. As far as I know we have never had a black member of a stake Presidency in Michigan, although we did have a black district president, and had or have a Hispanic Stake president in the Grand Blanc Stake.
President Kaku is a current area seventy. He was incmvolved in forming the Ondo Nigeria Stake last November.
President Kaku and his wife both served missions in the Ghana Accra Mission per their b I os from 2014 when thry were called to lead the Nigeria Port Harcourt Mission. Then he was said to be 52. So he was born about 1960. Yet in 2017 when he was called as an area seventy he was said to be 54.
The easiest way to make this make sense is area seventy calls give age as of when thry are called, and mission presidents calls evidently give the age when thry will begin service.
The Kakus were in a mission president group of 8 but in a temple president group of 16.
Brother Kaku was stake president in the Cape Coast stake before that. He also was seminary and Institute coordinator.
Brother Kaku was probably born in the spring of 1960. At least that is the easiest way for the ages listed to make sense.
So either he started his mission at 25 or older, current male missionary top age caps might not fully come into play until the early 1990s, so this could be doable, or he served either only partly in the Accra Ghana mission and partly in its transnational predecessor.
Seeing as how he is from the west of Ghana and was stake president of Cape Coast stake I have to wonder how well he know Joseph William Billy Johnson, the father of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at least in the west of Ghana, maybe in all of Ghana.
Johnson is both a key founding father, and even more so one of the key people in preserving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the dakmrk days of the freeze. There is no man more praised in Dr. Kissi's seminal work on the history of the Church in Ghana, Walking in the Sand. Ti be fair Dr. Kissi in large part wrote Walking in the Sand because many in Accra and the east of Ghana mistakenly believed that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was brought to Ghana from Britain by Dr. Kissi. There is a deeper history.
The new temple leaders for the San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple are the only in these 16 coming from outside the temple district. Thry are from Tegucigalpa. So ever temple president and matron called this year have been residents of the nation the temple they are assigned to is in.
I believe that was true last year as well. The way things are going Rex and Nancy Allen might be the only expatriate American Temple leaders when thry begin service. This might be a reason thry were given so much lead time, they did not know the territory at all before their call. Well they did previously leas the Accra,Ghana MTC, so thry have some in the general area. They also lead the Switzerland Geneva mission, so thry know French, the language of Abijan.
To be fair the most of the New temples coming about of late have has others in their country. Bangkok didn't and had a local president. It will be interesting to see who the president when Kiribati, New Caledonian, Cambodia, , Madagascar and Mozambique get their first temples.
I think I remember hearing from multiple sources that Elder Bednar said that the goal was to announce 35-50 temples a year. I know that this would stray heavily from the average, but what do you guys think of a possible 22/25 split? This would mean that President Nelson will have announced 175 temples at the end of this conference and 200 at the end of the year, and it would be 47 for the year which would still be in that range. It could be that I've been a little desensitized, but it just feels like 12 temples would be too few at a conference during this current time.
It could be that President Nelson will build up momentum in terms of temple announcements. I heard that Elder Bednar referenced 35 a year, at least for the foreseeable future. But that could change. Elder Andersen has now succeeded Elder Bednar as Chair of the Temple and Family History Executive Council, so we can watch for future statements from Elder Andersen about where things go from here. I agree that 12 for next April seems low based on what we've seen the last two years.
April 2024, let's take a crack at it:
Edinburgh/Glasgow, Scotland
Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire
Abuja, Nigeria
Kampala, Uganda
Lomé, Togo
Angeles, Philippines
Santiago, Dominican Republic
Chihuahua, Mexico
Santa Ana, El Salvador
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Pisco, Peru (my mission, so I'm excited and also shocked that this is actually a possibility)
Rosario, Argentina
Florianópolis/São José, Brazil
South Houston Metro (Sugar Land)
Green Bay, WI
Des Moines, IA
Augusta, ME
Flagstaff/Prescott, AZ
Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls/Hayden, ID
Henderson, NV (I thought it would be longer, but the land purchase points to it happening)
Renovation: Logan, UT (at opening of Smithfield temple)
I think Utah sits out one more conference, and then I expect them to come swinging again with Herriman, Lehi, and Springfield in short order. I'm also shortlisting Eagle Mountain, Highland, Vineyard, Salem/Spanish Fork, and Cottonwood Heights, as sites owned by the Church that are large enough to house a temple exist already looking at parcel maps for Utah and SLC Counties. I didn't check other counties, but I think a case could easily be made for the Pleasant View area, Morgan, Tremonton, Delta, and Roy/Riverdale area. And of course, Price is a perennial favorite.
Too complete the alphabet, we don't have any temples named for cities that begin with X or Z. (However Bern Switzerland is in a place Zollikofen). What major cities in the world with stakes start with those letters that may qualify for a temple? Zamora or Zacatecas Mex? Xalpa Mex? Zamboanga Phil? Zapala Arg, Zárate Arg?
@L. Chris Jones
Zurich Switzerland would be an example for Z.
My list
Edingburgh/Glasgow Scotland
Milan Italy
Kampala Uganda
Abuja Nigeria
Daejeon Korea
Angeles Philipppines
Hobart Australia
Florianópolis/São José Brazil
Puerto Montt Chile
Rosario Argentina
Santiago Dominican Republic
El Paso Texas
Milwaukee/Madison Wisconsin
Somewhere in New Jersey
Flagstaff/Prescott Arizona
Lehi Utah
Spanish Fork Utah
What is the cost to travel between the North and South Islands of New Zealand? Could Christchurch (or Dunedin) get a temple?
I also hope for Hobart Australia
And Countries or states getting first temple:
Togo
Benin (the country)
Botswana
The Fed States of Micronesia
The Marshall Islands
Chzech Republic
Albania
Iowa
Wisconsin
West Virginia
Vermont/ New Hampshire/ Maine
New Jersey
I have many other guesses but wanted to mostly start out with the first for an island or country/state
With today's posted 8 New Mission Leaders biographies, I only have 11 more on my list to complete the 2024 rotations.
Chris, there were 144 new mission leaders called this year. With today's biographies, only 8 should remain, unless I miscounted. They did 8 sets of 16, then this set of 8, which should leave 8.
Here are my 11, James. And please correct me if I am wrong on any of them.
Australia Adelaide 2021-2024 ADOLF J. JOHANSSON
Japan Tokyo South 2021-2024 AKIHIRO NODE
Brazil Sao Paulo East 2021-2024 BRADLEY CREE KOFFORD
France Lyon 2021-2024 ROLAND E. LÉPORÉ
Utah Salt Lake City South 2021-2024 KENDAL A. KOTTER
Ukraine Dnipro 2021-2024 ALEKSANDR CHEBAN
Philippines Iloilo 2021-2024 RONALD C. NAGTÁLON
Pakistan Service 2021-2024 ???
Nevada Henderson 2024-2027 Carl D. Vance
Peru Lima Northeast 2024-2027 Gary A. Porter
Texas El Paso 2024-2027 Steve Willis
The Ukraine Dnipro and Pakistan Service Missions aren't on the master list of the missions for which new leaders have been called:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/2024-mission-leadership-assignments-announced
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2024/1/5/24026490/new-mission-presidents-and-companions-complete-list-2024/
Given the volatile situation in both Ukraine and Pakistan, the Church is wisely keeping those leaders where they are. As far as the Las Vegas Henderson Mission is concerned, the announcement notes the following: "President Carl D. Vance and Sister Emily Vance, who have been presiding over the Nevada Las Vegas Mission since July 2023, will be reassigned to the new Nevada Henderson Mission and will serve until July 2026." Since they are not "new" mission leaders, their biographies will not be featured.
Unless I am mistaken, that takes your 11 down to the 8 I mentioned, which matches the number of missing biographies in the articles about new mission leaders from the Church News and the Newsroom. Thanks.
This just in from the Church News:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2024/03/08/first-presidency-april-2024-general-conference-schedule/
The April 2024 General Conference will consist of 5 sessions for all members and friends of the Church.
Cincinnati, OH. https://wcauditor.org/propertysearch/summary?account_nbr=1133343 ;)
Looked like the Cincinnati property was just bought on September. I hope for a Cincinnati temple.
Mike, thanks for sharing this. I've had Cincinnati on my list for a while now. Nice to know a temple is closer to happening there.
Question, Can anyone with access to the Historical records in the official CDOL list, tell me when the Terrace British Columbia District (608467), that was originally organized May 13th, 1980, has been consolidated with the neighboring Prince George British Columbia Stake (521809)?
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/521809
Also, the Momostenango Guatemala West District (615323) possibly consolidated with the Momostenango Guatemala Stake (525049). Can anyone tell me the date of the merger?
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/stakes/525049
Chris,
CDOL does not specify when units are dissolved. Just marks them as "historical", at least with my viewing rights. It appears Momostenango Guatemala Stake was last reorganized (got a new stake presidency) on 15 May 2022. I'm not sure if the merger happened then, before, or after, but it's common to reorganize the stake presidency during mergers and divisions.
@Chris
Terrace British Columbia District, district president released on 18 Feb 2024
Momostenango Guatemala West District (615323), district president realeased on 25 Feb 2024
Pakistan service mission may be getting a new leader. Since they never published who the first leader was, I suspect they would not publish a change.
On an unrelated note someone said that Jackson Mississippi would be the last temple predicted by Elder Featherstone and not built. I though he had predicted a temple for Little Rock, which has not come about. I do not know how likely such a temple would be with both Bentonville and Memphis having temples. I could see it, but would see it more likely with another stake there.
On the same note I think Charleson West Virginia is still a possibility. The nature of mountain roads and the weather means that Roanoake, Winchester and Pitrsburgh Temples will still not be easy to access during the winter. I think it is doable.
Of course there are many places in the Philippines, Latin America and Africa that also have at least as much need fora temple.
For example even with Cape Coast getting a temple, I think we will probably see a temple announced for further west on Ghana's coast, but probably not until 2026.
@James Stokes and @John Pack Lambert, to clarify my point for the Pakistan Service Mission among those 11 on my complete list. If you go back to the ORIGINAL January 5th post on the Wayback Time machine capture. You will see on the list under the Asia Area the newly called Pakistan Service Mission president and Matron :
Pakistan Service
Marcus Oates
Janine Oates
https://web.archive.org/web/20240106000931/https://www.thechurchnews.com/mission-presidents/2024
Which coincidentally may or may not be the same President Marcus Oates, called as President to the Abu Dhabi Stake in 2018.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/2018/7/14/23264511/new-stake-presidents-called-to-serve-around-the-world-2/
"Reorganized stakes:
ABU DHABI STAKE: (April 15, 2018) President — Marcus Donald Oates, 55, EVP, Selmens; succeeding Jeffrey J. Singer; wife, Janine Dawn Legg Oates. Counselors — Rhen Michael Morris, 53, regional controller, CHRM Hill; wife, Cheryl Lynn Rank Morris. Curtis Willard Kofoed, 48, manager drilling engineer, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company; wife, Michelle Alder Kofoed."
I hope that helps clear up any confusion.
I had copied my complete list when it was originally posted on January 5th this year. Before the name was removed with a later update.
Chris,
Thank you soooooo much for your wayback post. I had Marcus Oates on my list and could not figure out where his name came from since the Pakistan Service mission is no longer on the lisy. I finally emailed the church news to see what happened. I knew I wasn't crazy and your post verified it.
Chris, thanks for comfiirming the information on the Pakistan Service Mission was there initially. I was not aware of that. Given that it is not there now, it occurs to me that a decision may have been made after the fact to hold off on replacing the current mission leaders until things in Pakistan have settled enough to allow the change to occur safely. And since the official list now only shows 8 couples who have not been featured in the Church News yet, I believe the last of the mission leader biographies will be published next week. If the week after rolls around and more biographies are published, then we'll know I was wrong. It's not a huge deal either way. Thanks again for sharing your list of those that haven't been featured. I was just going by the numbers, so your list of the specifics was illuminating and appreciated.
I am basically sure that is the same Marcus and Janine Oates. The fact that both names line up makes things highly likely. There may be several Marcus Oates, but many fewer with a wife named Janine.
I'm going to guess somewhere in the 15-20 range announced this conference, so I'll list 20 total. I decided to mix it up this time with more places that may be "less likely" along with some of the "more likely" picks that appear to be popular this round. With the numbers being announced each conference, I think we will continue to be surprised at some of the locations. Excited to see what may be announced next month!
In no particular order:
- Majuro Marshall Islands
- Raromatai/Bora Bora Tahiti
- Tasmania
- Glasgow Scotland
- Lomé Togo
- Kampala Uganda
- Pretoria South Africa
- Osorno Chile
- Punta Arenas Chile
- Florianópolis/São José Brazil
- Santa Ana El Salvador
- Poza Rica Mexico
- Victoria British Columbia
- Coeur d'Alene Idaho
- Flagstaff Arizona
- El Paso Texas
- Houston South Texas
- Des Moines Iowa
- Cincinnati Ohio
- Herriman Utah
Saints Vol. 1 was released in 2018. Vol. 2 in 2020. Vol. 3 in 2022. I am hoping Vol. 4 is not put to press until after the Cincinnatti Ohio Temple was announced. Although Vol. 3 going to press before Tula Mexico Temole was announced is a little sad. Tula is adjacent to San Marcos, and the martyrdom of Rafael Monroy and Vicente Morales featured in that volume.
Cincinatti was used as the window on the Church in the Eastern US in Vol. 3, and will play a part in Vol. 4. That is in part because one of the African-American families we will follow until the 1978 revelation is there. The journals and other sources of some from Paul and Connie Bsng are key. One of the writers got his patriarchalblessing from Paul Bang, but if Bang had not left behind records that would not have been enough.
The other thing is we do not know where it will end. I am hoping they bring it to the Kinshasa Temple dedication in 2019. Someone else said Rome, which is also 2019. If you are going to do Rome you need to do Kinshasa also, especially since Luputa that got a stake before full time missionaries will come up. That said if Kolwezi and or Luoutu have a temple announced in 4 weeks I hope it can at least feature in a closing afterward.
Reykjavik, Iceland District was reorganized on February 25 after many years.
Exciting about Iceland! There is definitely some real growth ongoing in that place. This leaves northern Norway as the only part of Scandinavia that is not organized into a stake or district. I wonder if we will see that happen in the next couple of years but truth be told, I don't have a good grasp of how large any of the branches in the area are.
As far as temples go, my thought continues to be that we will see a new wave of very small temples in more remote areas to improve accessibility. I would not be surprised to see a large number of those temples announced in the usual suspect countries, such as Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, and the south Pacific. This makes exact locations increasingly hard to predict. I also believe Africa will get a couple more temples this year. The most significant candidates to me are Kampala, Yamoussoukro, and Lome/Cotonou. Lusaka is a dark horse.
I still consider Morgan and Delta to be the most likely new temples in Utah. With the demographic shifts out of Salt Lake County, I doubt that the Church will announce another temple in the valley until the impact of the Salt Lake Temple operating again is understood. If Salt Lake is constantly running near or at capacity, a temple in a place like Magna or Kearns could make sense. But the boom for urban Utah temples is likely coming to an end, as we've seen in the past few conferences as well. Now, it is likely going to be more about serving fringe areas of the Wasatch Front and eventually rural Utah.
Europe could also see some temples in more remote locations with stakes, such as Dublin or Tirana, along with small second temples for France and Italy. Finally, southern Spain is a quite probable candidate considering recent growth in terms of convert baptisms in Spain. I am less hot on Scotland than some others on this blog but I do think that there is a chance to see a temple in Scotland as well.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/manti-utah-temple-opening-public-tours
The interior images are absolutely beautiful! I'm so happy that all the murals were preserved
I lived in Morgan for a while, and I don't see it getting a temple any time soon. I think Tremonton, Richfield, and multiple spots in Utah and Salt Lake counties would get temples before Morgan. Just not enough people, and it's relatively easy to attend the Ogden or Brigham City temples. If they got another stake or two up there, it could definitely happen--keep an eye on the growth in Mountain Green.
Growth in Mountain Green is quite significant. What might get forgotten here is that Morgan would also shave off about half an hour of travel time for Evanston (two stakes), Kemmerer, Lyman, Coalville, and Huntsville (likely two stakes by the time a temple would be built). So you could probably draw a district with 10 stakes, some of which are quite large. Is there a massive benefit for access if you live in Kemmerer and get to go to Morgan instead of Ogden? Probably not. But you would almost certainly switch districts.
I have also previously proposed Tremonton. I think it's reasonable and will get a temple eventually. Malad would likely be part of that district as well. I just don't quite see how this district could be quite the size of a Morgan district. It would almost certainly top out at 6 stakes unless there is serious gerrymandering. Plus, getting to Brigham City from Tremonton is a very smooth drive at any time of year, while you do have a canyon between Morgan and Ogden. It's not a bad one all things considered but in a blizzard, it can be a bit of a bottleneck.
Interestingly enough, the presiding apostle for the Manti rededication has not yet been identified. Kind of makes me wonder if President Nelson himself is planning to do that. Also, the media day for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple will occur tomorrow. Despite the two holding media days back-to-back today and tomorrow, I still think something else will be announced at 2:00 PM MST today. It may be more groundbreakings, but more likely might be site announcements and exterior renderings.
Remember, we still have the publicly proposed temple in the southwest Salt Lake Valley that President Hinckley referenced in 2005. That land is in Herriman.
While I don't know if/how soon Herriman may be announced, Northern Utah County has seen massive growth that will continue. So whenever the next new Utah temple is announced, Utah County is the most likely location. I favor Lehi because I live here currently (and I heard that the Church may have one or even two sites for such a prospect) but Southern Utah County is also probable. Spanish Fork or Mapleton seems most likely for Southern Utah County.
The question is how soon the next Utah Temple
The question is how soon the next Utah temple might be announced. Would President Nelson wait until October this year or April next year to announce that, or would the fact that 1 Utah Temple has been dedicated and 3 others will be by the end of June be enough to qualify Utah for its next temple? Time will tell.
Today's temple update: The groundbreaking for the San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple has been confirmed, and a site location and initial details have been released for the Savai'i Samoa Temple:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/san-luis-potosi-mexico-savaii-samoa-temples
@James, great question. My guess is it'll be until October because by that point, all the Utah temples relatively close to completion that were announced in short succession of each other should be done. Layton, Orem, Saratoga Springs, Taylorsville, and Deseret Peak all kind of ended up become a grouping of temples done in quick succession. You almost see the same happening with Lindon, Smithfield, and Syracuse. Heber Valley is far enough behind that I kind of see that on its own.
I think all three you identified (Herriman, Lehi, and Springville/Spanish Fork) will come within very short succession as the next three temples in Utah. The Church owns plots in all three areas currently that would work well for those temples. Springville/Spanish Fork probably has the most development needing to take place in terms of existing infrastructure. Lehi I have to imagine will be that site that the Church acquired from DR Horton, the homebuilder, up on the hill behind Viewpoint Middle School.
I think a case can be made for Reynosa Mexico, given that the the McAllen Texas Temple only serves the units north of the Rio Grande. Presently, it would comprise of 4 stakes and 1 district that are currently in the Monterrey Mexico Temple District which serves 27 stakes and 6 districts.
I hope Reynosa Mexico has a temple announced.
I really think we will have a Utah Temple announced next month. Herriman us probably most likely, but I could also see Spanish Fork. I would not be shocked if 2 are announced for Utah.
I also hope for a temple in Reynosa Mexico soon.
Sorry. 2 Utah temples were recently dedicated (Saratoga Springs and Orem), and 3 others have dedications set (Red Cliffs, Taylorsville, and Layton), with 1 more nearing completion (Deseret Peak). So that's 6 total that will be dedicated in a period of about 18 months.
I heard that 2 temples could be built in Lehi in the relatively near term: I in the north or northeast and another in the west or south. The growth in this area will necessitate that over the next couple of decades or less, unless I misconstrued what I heard.
Don't you think we have enough temples in utah. We have 2 in northern Utah that have not been dedicated yet plus we have one in Smithfield. They've just opened the one in Orem, and barely open the 1 in Saratoga Springs. Let's kind of wait and see what's going to happen. Before we start building too many more
No. I want to see 775 temples in Utah by 2060.
No. Not if growth trends continue in Utah County the way they have.
The Heber Valley Utah Temple is only the 28th Utah Temple. Do you really think the Church has any realistic chance of having 28 times that amount in the next 36 years? I don't, unless you were over exaggerating for comedic or sarcastic purposes. The math doesn't work.
I was teasing and trying to be funny.
I do believe we need more temples in Utah. I moved here to St. George from the east coast a few years ago. Our local temple was just dedicated, but it is impossible to get in, its so crowded. Presumably the dedication of the Red Cliffs temple will help, but it appears that most Utah temples are heavily used compared to what I saw back east. I suspect that in twenty years Utah could have forty to fifty temples easily.
I wouldn't be surpised if 4 Utah temples are announced this year:
1. Spanish Fork
2. Price
3. Lehi
4. Bluffdale/Herriman
To my knowledge Evanston, Wyoming is part of the Utah Area as well, and I am also expecting it to be announced this year.
I also think several other locations in Utah will have temples announced in the near future:
1. Holladay/South Salt Lake
2. North Ogden
3. Springville
4. Provo #3
5. Alpine
6. Trementon
7. Delta/Richfield
8. Kaysville/Farmington
I agree. Temples in Utah are well used (crowded).
We have received word that Venezuela will no longer belong to our area, South America Northwest, but to the Caribbean Area. This will take effect by August of this year.
That's fascinating, Noah! I wonder why that's being done. I also wonder if the South American Areas will be realigned as a result. But this change will leave each South American Areas with four nations apiece.
I understand that we don't have missionaries from the United States in Venezuela. But what is the churches situation in Venezuela? Are there no missionaries, or are they only local native Venezuelans, or does it allow missionaries from countries friendly to Venezuela? What about the other ways how the church operates there? What kind of restrictions do we have?
The way I understand it is that there are still missions and missionaries in Venezuela, but they are exclusively nationals (venezuelans). I do not know anyone in Colombia or Ecuador that has been called to serve in Venezuela in the recent years.
Other than that, I am not aware of the church growth nor activity within the country. However, many Venezuelans have accepted the gospel and gotten baptized whist abroad, if they ever come back home they will strengthen the church. immensely
I once worked out that in 1979 if you had predicted 50 temples by 2000 you would have been making a barely believably high prediction. I have no idea what anything will look like by 2060. I would be surprised if there are more than 100 temples in Utah by that year, I just do not see how you could get more temples than that in Utah based on how large most of the temples in Utah are, but as I say the future is very hard to predict.
Venezuela has I believe all Venezuelan missionaries. It clearly has all Venezuelan mission presidents. Moving it to the Caribbean Area makes sense. The Caribbean Area has other highly sensitive areas, such as Cuba under its administration.
On the other hand. Venezuela includes some islands in the Caribbean, and is in some ways more like the Domonican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba than like the places to the south and west. The Area also includes Guyana which shares a long land border with Venezuela.
To be fair, some of the factors that apply to Venezuela also to some extent apply to Colombia. However Colombia at present is very accessible from Ecuador and Peru, and one has to draw lines somewhere, and any place one draws a line you could see drawing it somewhere else.
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia seem a good set of units, and placing Venezuela with the Caribbean Area seems to make sense.
With the current political situation in Venezuela, where do people in Guyana go to the temple? I am thinking it might be the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple. Although I fear that for most members the answer is "we do not go, it is not doable". A Port of Spain Trinidad Temple would be much more accessible, and I hope we get such soon.
There are only 27 temples for the Utah Area. The Monticello Utah Temple is in the North America Southwest Area. The Montpelier Idaho Temple in the North America Central Area will draw at least some members from Utah, although all those may end up being people living in Idaho based stakes.
On the other hand, I believe that Preston Idaho is still in the Utah North Area. If we keep up the now 4 conference long trend of announcing 1 temple named for a city where there is already another city with a temple in it with that name (first Birmingham, England; then Santiago, Philippines; then San Jose, California and most recently Vancouver, Washington) Preston, Idaho pairing with Preston, England is one possiblity (others of course are Portland, Maine; Bracelona, Venezuela; Doing Charleston, South Carolina and Charleston, West Virginia at the same time; Springfield, Massachusetts [very unlikely] or Springfield, Illinois [only a little more likely]; Los Angeles, Chile; Santiago, Dominican Republic, I am sure we could figure out some more).
There is no Utah North Area. It's just the Utah Area. Preston and Malad Idaho and Evanston Wyoming are all in the Utah Area, unless the information I have is in error.
Guyana is in the Manaus Brazil Temple district.
I think Herriman is the only new temple we will see announced for Salt Lake County for quite some time. Recall that the renovated Salt Lake temple will have a little more than TWICE the ordinance capacity as it did before the renovation. After Deseret Peak and Heber temples are complete, the SLC temple will only have 46 stakes in it's district (assuming no consolidations or creations). It's also possible that 6+ stakes in it's district are assigned to Taylorsville.
I think 15 temples will be announced in April, so here are my top 15. See notes below list.
Santiago, Dominican R.
Santa Ana, El Salvador
Chihuahua, Mexico
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Lehi, Utah, USA
Newark, New Jersey, USA
Rosario, Argentina
Sao Jose/Florianopolis, Brazil
Osorno, Chile
Tacna, Peru
Glasgow/Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Lome, Togo
Kampala, Uganda
Taichung City, Taiwan
- I think Taichung City, Taiwan will be moved up due to growing tensions between China and Taiwan potentially coming to a head in the foreseeable future.
- I didn't include Maracaibo, Venezuela because of the political climate, though I am a bit more hopeful after hearing about the country changing Church areas.
- I assume the Lehi temple will be built in DR Horton's Skye Area, and that it will be announced at about the time DR Horton starts taking orders for it's housing build-out. Last year DR Horton's website (https://www.drhorton.com/utah/salt-lake-city/lehi/skye) stated that info on the Skye build-out would be "coming in 2023 or early 2024" (paraphrased) and the website now says "coming soon in 2024." As a reminder, during a long, public city meeting DR Horton slipped that it was in contract with the Church for the land in the middle of it's first phase of the project for a "centerpiece". Here is a map of the first phase: https://www.engagelehi.org/skye-preliminary-plat-a
-I had a really hard time narrowing my list to 15. I'm pretty confident in my list of 30, but determining which temple will be announced this time around vs October was a challenge.
I have learned today thru communications with the church news reporter who is publishing the biographies of the new mission leaders that the Pakistan Service mission leader is changing but there was a request to remove his name for privacy reasons. Also, they have been told that the last 8 biographies will not be given until after General Conference.
Thank you, Scott S, for sharing that update and clarification on upcoming Mission Leaders biographies. I appreciate it.
What do people mean by here are my dark horse picks?
I meant to say Utah Area. I have no idea how North got in there.
Anonymous, I would encourage you to post your full list of 30 now so we can see in October how many came to be.
Does anyone know what the travel time from Kampala to Nairobi is. I used to think Phenom Penh was somewhat close to Bangkok. Then I Readme it was an 18 hour bus ride. I am not sure if that is 1 way or round trip. Either way it is insanely far.
I would not be surprised if we end up with a few more new mission leaders with general conference. In 2020 Elders Mutombo and Holland were both called as general authorities just shy of 2 years as mission president and had to be replaced. There are other examples of that having happened. I think we have about 10 general aimuthority seventies bring emeritized this year. Including at least 1 member of the Presidency of the 70. So I think we will see some changes on that front.
I do not really expect it, but it would not overly shock me if one of the 12 was called as a 3rd counselor in the 1st Presidency, and thry called a new apostle. As I said I don't think it will happen, but it is not impossible.
One last comment for now. I did a search and it claims 10 hours 18 minutes from Phenon Penh to Bangkok. The same search method gives 12 hours 40 minutes from Kampala to Nairobi. I really do hope that a Kampala Temple gets announced this conference.
Gabe,
Generally, "Dark Horse" is defined as "a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds."
In the way it's used here "dark horse temple", I'm assuming, it's guesses that doesn't seem as likely, but could be called, but hoped for. But that's my assumption and take when I read it.
JPL, as I've noted in past comments here, I count 8 GA Seventies turning 70 this year, including 2 members of the current Presidency of the Seventy. They include: Elders Ian S. Ardern, Shayne M. Bowen, Paul V. Johnson, S. Gifford Nielsen, Brent H. Nielson, Adrian Ochoa, Gary B. Sabin, and Evan A. Schmutz. Elders Johnson and Nielson are in the Presidency of the Seventy.
I have also said for years that , with President Nelson nearing 100 and his counselors both being over 90, we could see a third counselor in the First Presidency. If that happens, I think Elders Uchtdorf or Bednar are most likely. Elder Uchtdorf has served there before, but Elder Bednar would inject some youth. Either could represent the First Presidency in traveling extensively. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks an additional counselor is possible.
As for the Utah temple announcements. I think it's a matter of when a temple is announced not if. I think it's likely to be announced this conference.
I personally have Wasatch Front (South) as one of my top 20 picks. This is Southern Salt Lake County and Utah County. I couldn't be more specific because one can drop a pin just about anywhere and redistrict the temple districts.
On my "Other 40 picks", I have listed Price Utah and Evanston Wyoming (still Utah Area). While I only listed three for the Utah Area on my likely lists totaling 60 temples, I believe the Utah Area will have a likeliness of having more than three of the next 60 announcements. It's just harder to predict potential locations of temples within metros of existing temples.
The following is my list of predicted Temples for the April 2024 General Conference:
01. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA
02. Herriman, Utah, USA*
03. Lehi, Utah, USA
04. Mapleton, Spanish Fork or Springville, Utah, USA
05. Queen Creek or San Tan Valley, Arizona, USA
06. Richmond, Texas, USA
07. Poza Rica or Papantla, Mexico*
08. Ahuachapan or Santa Ana, El Salvador
09. Santiago, Dominican Republic
10. Quevado, Ecuador
11. Osorno, Chile
12. Rosario, Argentina
13. Florianopolis or Sao Jose, Brazil
14. Santa Maria, Brazil
15. Gagnoa, Daloa or Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
16. Abuja, Nigeria
17. Port Harcourt, Nigeria
18. Kampala, Uganda
19. Angeles, Phillipines
20. Batangas, Phillipines
Ok, thank you!
Craig, why are some of the temples on your list stared?
Sorry about that. They can be ignored. I have a master list and I put asterisks beside my choices and in some cases, when I copy/pasted to compile list, I forgot to remove the asterisks.
Craig H
Curious how all western states of the US, except Arizona, have temple construction going on. There are now states with fewer members and stakes with a number of temples announced that equal the number in Arizona. From my experience the 3 metro temples in the Valley of the Sun (Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix) are consistently busy. I don't know about the outlying temples though.
Mathematically it works out that 3 temples should be announced for Arizona to keep it on par with the rest of the US. Right now, Arizona has by far the most stakes per temple (with exception to Utah, but for obvious reasons Utah is an outlier). It honestly seems like more of a matter of time thing, as admittedly, I have been shocked every conference for the past 6 now that a temple hasn't been announced in Arizona
The First Presidency has confirmed that the transfer of Venezuela from the South America Northwest Area to the Caribbean Area will be effective August 1:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2024/03/14/venezuela-caribbean-area-church-of-jesus-christ-first-presidency/
This adjustment will double the number of stakes in the Caribbean Area, and add missions and a temple to it as well. As a result of this adjustment, each of the two South American Areas of the Church will now have four nations apiece. My thanks once again to you all.
Thanks James. Venezuela, particularly western Venezuela seem overdue for a temple when looking at the size of the church there. I wonder if the political climate has anything to do with it?
Сњешко,
I have Phoenix Metro as a likely possibility for a temple announcement. That being said, the Phoenix Metro temples are comparable in size to temples along the Wasatch Front. They can handle more stakes than 10,000 sf temples found in the Eastern US and rural temples in the west.
The new temple president of the Sydney Australia temple was born in Lebanon. Assuming he is ethnically Lebanese and not born to expatriates, which he appears to be judging by his name, would he be the first temple president from the Middle East?
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2024/03/15/new-temple-presidents-and-matrons-mexico-manitoba-japan-australia-netherlands-denmark/
Also found on the Church Newsroom site,
"13 March 2024 - KOH THOM, Cambodia News Release
The Church of Jesus Christ Collaborates with Cambodian Government to Open Techo Sen Koh Thom Hospital
One of the Church's Largest Humanitarian Projects in Asia Set to Serve Over 400,000 People"
https://news-kh.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/the-church-of-jesus-christ-collaborates-with-cambodian-government-to-open-techo-sen-koh-thom-hospital
Hello!
Like everyone who participates in this blog, I am very excited about the upcoming conference, and especially about the possible announcements of temples, necessary closer to the faithful who wish to attend frequently. There are many countries that require temples closer, however, in several countries the problem is the lack of money for travel for them and their families, the bureaucracy of the temple hostel to stay comfortably, and the excuses of the brothers and sisters to Work on your own family history.
In the case of Chile, we have 2 operational temples, the one in Antofagasta that still has to be ready, a modest and striking temple, which will finally, after decades, be available to its faithful, 2 more temples have been announced that are still They do not begin construction.
It is true that the church has improved little in recent decades due to inactivity, lack of commitment to the faith, and little or no attendance at church and temple. I stay 3 weeks a month at the hostel in Santiago de Chile and I see the low attendance at the temple, and the few workers who arrive for their shifts.
I long for new announcements because in Chile and in many countries they are needed, I see the sacrifice of Chilean families who come from far away to the temple, I hope we have an announcement despite the fact that there are few workers and active in the gospel, and since the distances are so long in a country They are huge, in: Osorno or Temuco, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Talca, Rancagua, Arica, La Serena, Atacama, etc.
From trends I hear about from people it seems that having a temple closer, will increase not only temple attendance, but overall church activity. Especially now that youth have been able to get their own limited use recommends. When I was a youth we did not have our own recommends, we interviewed with the bishop whenever there was a ward youth baptism day and the leader brought a group recommend. A coworker of mine told me this week that the goal in in his stake is to get people their endowment as soon as possible after they turn 18. Whereas it seemed that before it was only when they went on a mission or temple marriage or when they were a few years older if neither happened yet.
Here's a handful of guesses
Henderson, Nevada
Sandy, Utah
Springville or Spanish Fork, Utah
Shreveport, Louisiana
Newark, New Jersey
Alexandria, Virginia
Glasgow, Scotland
Milan, Italy
I'll update if I think of more these are just off the top of my head
OK, y'all have inspired me to dig a little deeper. I went through and actually mapped out proposed districts for each of my top 30 locations and ended up adjusting them as a result. Here is my final, locked-in top 30 before General Conference:
Neuquen Argentina
Rosario Argentina
Flagstaff/Prescott Valley Arizona
Araçatuba Brazil
Santa Maria Brazil
Valdivia Chile area
Daloa/Gagnoa/Yamoussoukro Côte d'Ivoire
Santiago Dominican Republic
Quevedo Ecuador
Santa Ana El Salvador
Blackfoot Idaho
Des Moines Iowa
Milan Italy
Chihuahua Mexico
Poza Rica Mexico
Abuja Nigeria
Port Harcourt Nigeria
Uyo Nigeria
Cincinnati/Dayton Ohio
Chimbote Perú
Tacna Perú
Angeles Philippines
Quezon City Philippines area
Edinburgh/Glasgow Scotland
Bo Sierra Leone
Lomé Togo
Kampala Uganda
Lehi Utah
Spanish Fork/Springville Utah
Milwaukee Wisconsin
As usual, I'll included a link to my spreadsheet showing my Top 30, Next 50, and less likely locations.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16fEj-5hfS38I50UUu_37kSZ9KyGRoukjeUBn-vwkcSo/edit?usp=sharing
I'll also include this link, to a document which shows a hypothetical district for each of my proposed new temple locations.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1skF3KhEtwDNwFdw7muAXKZv1hqpVcRYs4XnaohHVjvs/edit?usp=sharing
As usual, I would love to hear your thoughts on any of these that stick out to you!
Well a new round of temple president were called. In Barranquillla Columbia Temple a Colombian couple is replacing an American couple.
We did get our first non-national Temple leaders. The new leaders of the Copenhagen Temple are from Malmo, Sweden. However I believe that is in the Copenhagen Temple district.
The new president of the Symey Australya Temple was born in Lebanon. He may be the 1st Lebanese Temple president. He lives in Australia now, his wife was born in Australia. I would not be surprised if he joined the Church in Australia and has lived there for decades. I am not sure this is the first Lebanese Temple president but I suspect he is.
JTB,
I am not sure if President Sailaly would he the first Southwest Asian origin Temple president. I do not know of any counter examples. In fact off the top of my head I am Temple to say President Toronto of the Rome Italy Temple, who was a BYU Professor of studies related to South-west Asia, headed with his wife the Church's operations in Jordan for a time and was mission president of the Central Eurasia mission based in Ostanbul, might be the only Temple president who might have spent more time in south-west Asia than President Saikuly. Although I have no clue how old President Saikuly was when he left Lebanon.
For that matter, Sister Casey the incoming Laie Hawai'i Temple matron might be the first ethnically Hawaiian Temple matron. There might have been one in Kona though.
The Temple related website lists all matron and presidents of all temples. I am not sure if you could dig up details on all from their names. The first ethnically Samoan president of the Apia Samoa Temple had the last name of Adams and equally Anglo sounding first and middle names, he had an Anglo father and a Samoan mother.
I know there was an African-American Temple president of the Louisiana Baton Rouge Temple. I feel like there have been others but am not sure who. The London Temple president is Ghanaian man, and there are African-descended Temple presidents in Nigeria, Ghana, DR Congo, Cape Verde, Haiti, and possibly a few other places, including Brazil, DR Congo and maybe South Africa. I have met one of the Temple presidents in Brazil, and think he might have African ancestry, I believe his last name is Oliveras, but I am not sure on the matter. The new President and matron of Manaus Temple from Rio Branco also look like they might be of African descent, but I can not say for sure.
The Toronto Temple president in a Hong Kong native with the last name of Wong and the Atlanta Temple President, President Alba, was born in Mexico. The president and matron of the McAllen Temple are ethnically Mexican. For really high points the first ethnically Mexican matron of the Colonia Juarez Remole was born in the US.
My stake president explicitly stated ghat the goal is to have all young men and young women endowed as soon after thry are 18 and have moved beyond high school as possible. You have to meet both requirements, so young men and women who turn 18 in the fall of their senior year still have to wait until the end of the school year to be endowed unless they graduate early.
In 2000 when I went on my missionI was told I could not get endowed until after I had my mission call. In 2003 I did know a few 20-year-old young women, OK I think this is at most 3 and one may have been 21, who had been endowed and they were thinking of going on a mission. Shortly after that the 1st Presidency issued a letter in which they discouraged too young endowments and said wanting yo attend a siblings sealing was not sufficient to get endowed.
I think if you go back a few years one had to be at least 25 and often even older to get endowed not for a mission or marriage.
Prior to some time in the 1980s I think the rule was they would not endow a sister whose husband was not endowed, and thry were very hesitant to endow single sisters except for missions.
Missionaries not being endowed was at times fairly common. The states on that are a bit hard to track, because until sometime in the 1960s almost all missionaries from outside the IS, and I think at least until 1950 many missionaries serving from at least the southern states and maybe some other parts of the US, were called as irregular local missionaries, not centrally called full time missionaries. I once found a report given on total missionaries served where thry admitted that the numbers did not include locally serving missionaries.
However by the 1970s most missionaries are being centrally called, but those from Latin America, much of the Pacific, and the small numbers from Asia and the even smaller numbers from South Africa are not being endowed. 1978 with a temple in Brazil you start having more missionaries endowed, but you balance that out with more missionaries coming from areas far from the temple.
The 1970s with multiple temples in Latin America, the Pacific Islands, Asia and one in South Africa you see the number of undmendowed missionaries decline, but thry still exist. Both Elder and Sister Mutombo served missions right around 2000, and neither were endowed. The Temple in Accra probably helped cut down on such, but it may not be until the Kinshasa Temple we really see that issue end fully.
Thanks for the response JPL, it would be interesting to dig around and see if I could find someone else. For now I assume President Saikaly is making history. Very exciting!
My coworkers daughter graduated early this year. This past week or two they had stake conference and she was asked to come in for an interview and to take temple prep class to prepare for her receive her endowment as soon as her 18th birthday.
JPL, while I was in the MTC in Provo during summer of 2001 I overheard a conversation where a new Elder arrived in Provo a day or two before entering the MTC. A senior missionary was assigned to basically be the Elder's companion for a day or so and take him to receive his endowment and help him get garments and make sure he had the required clothes and such for his mission. The Elder was from an area far from a temple.
When I was in the Preston MTC about 11 years ago, there were two missionaries in my cohort who were not endowed and got her endowment there. One was an Elder from Kiribati, the other was a Sister from Zimbabwe. They just got half a day off to go with their companion as official chaperone and all the other missionaries in the same session during our first week.
Missionaries not being endowed was fairly common during Covid for non-US missionaries. I taught ESL at the Provo MTC from 2019-2020 and in my last two classes (each about 8 missionaries large and both taught entirely virtually), none of the missionaries had been endowed. I set aside one day to do a deep dive in the history of temples and walk them through the endowment and what they should expect. It was a phenomenal class both times. Before Covid I had a companionship where one sister was from mainland China and the other from Puerto Rico, and both received their endowments upon arriving at the MTC. The only other missionary I taught who I think went through for the first time in Provo was a sister from Cote D'Ivoire. I can't speak to anything more recent than that, but during my time I taught around 70 missionaries and probably close to 20 were unendowed
L Chris Jones is your daughter going on a mission just wonder why they want her to go to the temple as soon as she 18
places i think will need a new temple soon based on how many stakes the temple serves
Atlanta Ga
Boise Idaho
Boston,Ma
Chicago,il
Columbia River Wa (Richland,Wa)
Houston,Tx
Phoenix,Az
Raleigh,NC
Redlands,Ca
Sacramento,Ca
Snowflake,Az
St Louis,Mo
Omaha,Ne
I can affirm that St. Louis does not need another temple. The other districts you listed might split eventually.
Yeah, it would take quite a bit for St. Louis to get another temple. I served my mission there, and it's actually kind of a big temple for how much use it actually gets. It's a huge district geographically, but the church is so spread out in that area that there's not actually that much concentrated membership.
They created a stake while I was in the mission (Hazelwood MO), but there hasn't been a ton of growth in the area since. In fact, the Springfield IL and Cape Girardeau stakes have actually shrunk precipitously. I think it may only be a matter of time before the Springfield stake is dissolved. It only has five wards and a handful of small branches as it is, and the Decatur wards are both very small and constantly shrinking. Candidly, very few want to live in southern Illinois who can logistically live elsewhere.
There are really two competing trends in downstate Illinois that I saw when I lived there. Firstly, some of the most committed and active members I've ever met, along with reasonably high receptivity to the Church's message in the general population. Secondly, a tremendous drain of population. There are places that have it far worse than Mattoon where we used to go to Church but I can't think of very many units I'm familiar with that have had in the last decade dozens of convert baptisms with very high retention rates, highly active youth with exceptional mission participation, and still a loss of two thirds of their active membership. The outflow of active member families and especially young adults from downstate Illinois to the western US is absolutely outrageous. I think a small temple would help - Champaign or Bloomington are probably the most suitable locations since they are somewhat less affected by this outflow thanks to their more robust economy and large universities - but just putting another temple into the STL metro is not going to be the solution.
Why isn't northern Arizona been up for consideration much on another temple?
Has growth been slow up there lately?
I don't have a daughter. I was talking about my coworker's daughter. No mission yet as far as I know.
I wonder if the Winston-Salem stake will transfer from the Raleigh temple to Charlotte. But it is almost halfway between the two. But maybe a temple in Greensboro is possible.
Modesto will probably take a couple of stakes from Sacramento.
L Chris Jones then that weird they want her to go to the temple when i lived in provo they didnt want single sisters going to the temple til much older i asked a few times they said no so i quit asking im almost 32 and still havent went
Today at Detroit Temple we had 7 people get their own endowments.
In an ideal world I would have hope there would Doon be Ann Arbor, Lansing and Midland Temples in Michigan. I am not sure I quite have hope for any of those 3.
My missionaries not endowed was more about returned missionaries who are not endowed. Missionaries getting endowed after they start their missions is less than ideal. I am glad I got endowed with my parents there. Even those without family probably prefer long time friends to only new acquaintances.
My guess is in 1971 most missionaries from the Eastern US got endowed after entering the mission home. I would also guess when the MTC opened in 1976 it was common for missionaries from the Crntral and some parts of the southern US to get endowed after coming to the MTC. It is not until the Dallas and Chicago Temples are built there are any temples between Idaho, Utah and Arizona on one side and DC on the other.
I am sure most people going on missions not just from basically any country without a temple, but even from Mindanao or Laoag and several other outlying parts of the Philippines get endowed after they go to the MTC. This may also apply to people in some parts of Peru, Chile, and maybe even Durango State in Mexico, as well as other areas.
I know my last companion from Mongolia got endowed in Provo. I just realized I am not sure where my French co.panion got endowed, but he was from a Frwnch suburb of Geneva, Switzerland so I suspect the Swiss Temple.
My stake president in stake conference told us the directive from higher up is that all people who are both 18 and graduated from high school get endowed.
I had a friend who was endowed just before going to serve in Vietnam. He was not 18, but he was younger than most people not about to marry or go on a mission were endowed then.
This is I believe part of some fundamental rethinkings of the role and function of temple worship in the Church, and a general push to fully treat all people 18 and up as adults in the Church, that have come to full force under President Nelson, although dome of the key changes pre-date his administration.
I never heard a discussion of the issue on my mission, but with the increasing push to have members endowed a year after baptism, what do you do if you are baptizing 18-year-olds?
Males, it is realistic to hope they serve missions, but not for all females.
I think the push to have all 18-year-olds who have graduated high school endowed is a good thing.
Part of me actually wishes that we would stick with 18 years old, and allow people still in high school to be endowed, but I also understand the delay. The same general rule has applied to ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood basically all my life, and it works well enough. True young men born the time of the year I was have now gone from serving over two and a half years as priests to serving over 3 and a half years as priests. I have to admit although I was glad to become an elder, I never felt under utilized or not given enough assignments as a priest. I came closer to feeling that as an unendoee elder. Now that priests can baptize in the temple things are better.
It makes sense to me if we assume all men are ready to serve missions at high school graduation or their 18th birthday that we assume all sisters are also ready to go to the temple at that point.
I like this new way of doing things. It will make more temples even more needed though.
The question is, is that a directive just for your area? I ask because of JoellaFaith's comment that she's in her 30s and still hasn't gone through the temple.
As far as being ordained an Elder, I was ordained just 2 days after turning 18. But because my bishop needed me for a couple of weeks as his First Assistant, I only attended Elders' Quorum for the first time about 2 weeks after my ordination.
At my ordination, my dad made the comment that, in his opinion, I had been ready to be ordained an Elder since I was 16. The bishop agreed with that assessment.
I take Joella Faith's list to be temples that the district could use another temple.
I would love a temple in very heavily African-American inner city St. Louis. I would love the same for Detroit. Or for us to put a temple in truly downtown Detroit very close to the Scientology Building. The True downtown Detroit plan might be hard. A little easier to build the Temple on Temple St, possible very close to the Detroit River Branch Chaple at 14th and Pine. Temple is 1 block north of Pine at least on 14th, and the Chaple is on the Northside of Pine.
Those are probably not the temples needed at this time though.
Atlanta, Houston and maybe Chicago metro could use additional temples. For Raleigh even though much of the North Carolina Church growth since the Raleigh Temple was built has been in Raleigh Metro, I do not expect a 2nd RLeigh Temple anytime soon.
The next temple in North Carolina will probably be in Eastern North Carolina. Which city there is harder yo determine. I think Greensboro will also get a temple, and I could see Asheville getting one before 2040, but I suspect we will see at least 1 more stake before that happens.
I suspect it will be Nampa that gets a temple in southwest Idaho next.
Metro Phoenix I would not be surprised if it has 4 more templesannounced by 2030. I would be shocked if there are not at least 2 temples announced by then.
Joelle Faith, the push to have all endowed at 18 if out of high school I believe has really only started this year. My sister was endowed at 24 or so in about 2005, and for the most part since at least that time people 22 or so and older could be endowed if they were spiritually mature enough. My wife in her mid-30s a few years before our marriage had her branch president want her to hold a calling as a teacher at church a few months before he would have her get endowed, but there are lots of other points there so I think it was a reasonable ask.
Presidents Hinckley, Monson and Faust sent a letter in about 2003 saying wanting to attend your sister's sealibg was not sufficient reason to be sealed.
There has been some back and forth. I would say though if a bishop has an active 32-year-old sister in his ward who has not been endowed, no matter what her marital status is,he should be actively talking to her about getting endowed, either in the short term if there are no worthiness issues, and if their are earthiness issues he should still have that as the end goal in discussions of overcoming them.
This push for all 18 year Olds to be endowed once they are past high school is a very big change, but I think a wonderful one.
The strong push to get all 18 year Olds out of high school endowed may be an area thing. However the structural changes that make it doable are church wide, and I suspect we will see this more evident Church wide.
This https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/inspiration/when-should-i-be-endowed?lang=eng is the Church's own website. It says 18, out of high school or equivalent, worthy and "prepared". Then it says also if you have a mission call or are engaged to be married in the temple.
This really seems to be setting up for 18-year old endowments to be the norm, unless you get engaged before your 18th-birthday.
In fact those are also the minimum criteria for a mission, but mission call issuing I think can be done in anticipation. So for example if you turn 18 August 1st, you can submit your paperwork earlier, and you could have your call in June to start in August, so thry will let you go to the temple once you get the call even if you are not 18 yet.
From what my stake president said this change really only fully happened this year, at least as a positive push, so it is fairly recent.
Here are my guesses for temples announced in April:
Flagstaff AZ
Herriman UT
Houston south TX
Coeur d'Alene ID
Santa Ana, El Salvador
Otavalo Ecuador
Ushuaia/Punta Arenas Arg/Chile
Edinburgh/Glasgow Scotland
Florianopolis/SaoJose Brazil
Kampala Uganda
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