With many new stakes organized in the United States recently, the Church surpassed 1,700 stakes in the United States for the first time. As of this post, there were 1,705 stakes and 8 districts in the United States.
Utah
Five new stakes were created in Utah.
The Salt Lake Utah Central Stake (Tongan) was organized in May 19th from the Salt Lake Utah West Stake (Tongan) which was organized in 2019. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Kearns 9th, the Kearns 13th, the Midvale 14th, the Oquirrh 11th, the Taylorsville 5th, the Taylorsville 6th, and the West Jordan 8th Wards. There are now seven Tongan-speaking stakes in Utah.
The West Jordan Utah Wasatch Meadows Stake (Spanish) was organized on May 19th from various stakes in the Salt Lake County area. More than 1,000 attended the conference to create the new stake. The new stake includes the following eight wards: the Bingham Creek, the Cobble Creek 5th, the Copper Hills 5th, the Mountain View 4th, the Oquirrh Point 5th, the River 9th, the Westbrook 10th, and the Westland 5th Wards - all of which are Spanish-speaking congregations. The new stake is the Church's first Spanish-speaking stake to be created in Utah. There are nearly 180 Spanish-speaking wards and branches in Utah. More information about the creation of the new stake can be found here. This article noted that there are plans to create two more Spanish-speaking stakes and two more Tongan-speaking stakes in Utah in the near future.
The Eagle Mountain Utah Sweetwater Stake was organized on June 2nd from the Eagle Mountain Utah West Stake (organized in 2002). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Cedar Valley (Spanish), the Eagle Mountain 2nd, the Eagle Mountain 7th, the Eagle Mountain 11th, and the Sweetwater Wards. There are now 10 stakes in Eagle Mountain.
The Mapleton Utah Maple Canyon Stake was recently organized from the Mapleton Utah Stake (organized in 1975) and the Mapleton Utah West Stake (organized in 2016). The new stake includes the following nine wards: the Mapleton 4th, the Mapleton 14th, the Mapleton 16th, the Mapleton 22nd, the Mapleton 25th, the Mapleton 28th, the Mapleton 34th, the Mapleton 37th, and the Mapleton 40th Wards. There are now five stakes in Mapleton.
The Washington Utah Coral Canyon Stake was organized on June 2nd from the Washington Utah East Stake (organized in 2008) and the The new stake includes the following eight wards and two branches: the Copperleaf, the Coral Canyon 1st, the Coral Canyon 2nd, the Coral Canyon 3rd, the Highland Park, the Leeds 1st, the Leeds 2nd, and the Sienna Hills Wards and the Washington 10th and Washington 12th (Correctional Facility) Branches. There are now 29 stakes in the St. George metropolitan area.
Two new districts were created in Utah. The Salt Lake Basin District Correctional Facility District and the Wasatch Shoreline Youth District Correctional Facility District were recently organized to accommodate adults and youth who are incarcerated in Utah. The Salt Lake Basin District Correctional Facility District includes the following 11 branches: the Brigham City 27th, the Cache 3rd, the Duncomb Hollow, the Farmington 22nd, the Metropolitan 1st, the Metropolitan 2nd, the Oxbow, the Summit, the Tooele 16th, the Water Tower, and the Weber Branches. The Wasatch Shoreline Youth District includes the following 13 branches: the Alma, the Brigham City 28th, the Cache 4th, the Copper Hills, the Decker Lake, the Farmington Bay, the Lakeside, the Millcreek (in Ogden), the Millcreek (a duplicate name but a different branch located in Cottonwood Heights), the Riverside, the Slate Canyon 12th, the Weber Valley, and the West Ridge Branches. Prior to the creation of the districts, these correctional facility and youth center branches were administered by local stakes or the Great Salt Lake Utah District (Correctional Facility) which was organized in January of 2021.
One stake was discontinued in Utah. The Sandy Utah YSA Stake (created in 2011) was discontinued. Wards in the former YSA stake were reassigned to the Draper Utah YSA Stake and the Murray Utah YSA Stake (which each now have seven wards). This marks the first time a YSA stake has been discontinued in Utah. There are scores of YSA stakes in Utah.
There are now 639 stakes and 4 districts in Utah.
Idaho
Four new stakes were created in Idaho.
The Meridian Idaho Fuller Park Stake was organized on March 17th from the Meridian Idaho West Stake (created in 1997). The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Cherry Lane, the Haven Cove, the Meridian 1st, the Meridian 12th, the Parkside, the Peregrine, and the St James Wards. There are now nine stakes in Meridian.
The Idaho Falls Green Valley was organized on June 9th from the Iona Idaho South Stake (organized in 2014) and the Iona Idaho Stake (organized in 1973). The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Deloy, the Discovery, the Iona 6th, the Iona 9th, the Lincoln 1st, the Lincoln 4th, and the Old Mill Wards.
The Idaho Falls Pheasant Grove Stake was organized on June 9th from the Iona Idaho Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Berkley Park 2nd, the Lincoln 6th, the Lincoln 7th, the Lincoln 8th, the Red Rock 1st, and the Red Rock 2nd Wards. This marks a rare time in Church history when two new stakes were created from portions of a previous stake (Iona Idaho Stake). There are now 20 stakes in the Idaho Falls area (stretching from Ucon to Ammon). Given significant growth in the area, I will be moving Rigby, Idaho from the less likely locations to have a temple announced to the more likely locations to have a temple announced when I update the temple predictions map in September.
The Preston Idaho East Stake was organized on June 9th from the Preston Idaho North Stake (organized 1884) and the Franklin Idaho Stake (organized in 1983). The new stake includes the following eight wards and one branch: the Glendale, the Mink Creek, the Preston 4th, the Preston 5th, the Preston 8th, the Preston 9th, the Riverdale 1st, and the Riverdale 2nd Wards and the Legacy 3rd Branch.
There are now 142 stakes in Idaho.
The Philippines
Two new stakes and a new district were created in the Philippines.
The Tubod Philippines Stake was created in March 10th from the Placer Philippines District (organized in 1996). The new stake includes the following five wards and four branches: the Alegria, the Bad-as, the Kitcharao, the Placer, and the Tubod Wards and the Bacuag, the Claver, the Mainit, and Matin-ao Branches. Since its creation in 2006, the Philippines Butuan Mission has had significant success with upgrading many of the districts within its boundaries into stakes. At the time of its creation, the mission had only one stake within its boundaries (Butuan). Now, there are five stakes within the mission located in Butuan (organized in 1989), San Francisco (organized in 2018), Tagum (organized in 2021), Mati (organized in 2022), and now Tubod (organized in 2024). There are four districts remaining in the mission - all of which have enough congregations to become stakes, although only Monkayo and Surigao appear likely to become stakes soon.
The Lapu-Lapu Philippines Stake was created on May 19th. The new stake was created from a division of the Mandaue Philippines Stake (organized in 1989). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Cordova, the Lapu-Lapu 1st, the Lapu-Lapu 2nd, the Maribago, and the Marigondon Wards. There are now seven stakes in the Cebu City metropolitan area, and there appear good prospects for the creation of an eighth stake in the foreseeable future from the Talisay Philippines Stake.
The Pandan Philippines District was created on April 14th from the Antique Philippines District and the Kalibo Philippines Stake. The new district includes the following five branches (provided with the year of creation for each branch in parentheses: Buruanga (2022), Culasi (2015), Ibajay (2024), Pandan (2023), and Tibiao (2023). The new district encompasses the northwestern corner of Panay Island which had no church presence until member groups began to be organized approximately a decade ago.
There are now 130 stakes and 53 districts in the Philippines.
Argentina
A new stake was created in Argentina April 14th. The Buenos Aires Argentina Pilar Stake was organized on April 14th from the Buenos Aires Argentina Escobar Stake (organized in 1996) and the Buenos Aires Argentina Sarmiento Stake (organized in 1993). The new stake includes the following six wards: the Del Viso, the Derqui, the Pilar, the Tortuguitas, the Villa Verde, and the Vucetich Wards. There are now 28 stakes in the greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area stretching from Zárate to La Plata.
There are now 80 stakes and 25 districts in Argentina.
Chile
A new stake was created in Chile on March 24th. The Puerto Varas Chile was organized on March 24th from the Puerto Montt Chile Stake (organized in 1982). The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Alerce, the Colón, the Frutillar, the Imperial, and the Llanquihue Wards and the Fresia Branch. The Puerto Varas Chile Stake is technically a reinstated stake, as the stake once operated from 1997 until 2002 when it was consolidated with the Puerto Montt Chile Stake. Given remote distance and now two stakes in the area, Puerto Montt appears a likely candidate for a temple announcement.
A district was discontinued in Chile. The Nueva Tolten Chile District (organized in 2001) was discontinued and consolidated with the Villarrica Chile District which now has seven branches. It is probable that this decision was made to prepare for the creation of a stake in the foreseeable future.
There are now 79 stakes and 10 districts in Chile.DR Congo
A new stake was created in the DR Congo on June 9th. The Bondoyi Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake was created from a division of the Mwene-Ditu Democratic Repubilc of the Congo Stake (organized in 2019). The new stake includes the following six wards: the Areodrome, the Bondoyi, the Kalubey, the Kamisaany, the Peage 1st, and the Peage 2nd Wards. The realigned Mwene-Ditu Democratic Repubilc of the Congo Stake now has six wards. The first branch was created in Mwene-Ditu in 2008 at the same time as the Ngandajika Branch. However, the Church has grown much more slowly in neighboring Ngandajika, as there is only one stake there which was created in 2023 (which has five wards and two branches). It is also important to note that the population of Mwene-Ditu is much larger than Ngandajika. It only took five years for a second stake to be created in Mwene-Ditu after the first stake was created. If this rate of growth continues, there may be as many as four stakes in the city by 2029.
There are now 10 stakes in the Kasai Region of the DR Congo - an area which had no stakes in 2010. The first mission in the area was created in 2016 in Mbuji-Mayi followed by a second mission in Kananga in 2023. Both of these cities have had temples announced. The creation of at least two new stakes in Kananga appears likely this year, as the three stakes in the city have a combined 33 wards. Given recent trends in temple announcements, Mwene-Ditu and Luputa each appear likely candidates for temple announcements now, as each city has two stakes and are located in an area of the country that has experienced rapid growth with high convert retention and excellent member activity rates. Moreover, the Church has recently established branches in previously unreached cities in the Kasai Region, including Kamanda and Luiza - both of which had two branches organized in 2023.
Ghana
A new stake was created in Ghana on March 17th. The Ejisu Ghana Stake was created from the Kumasi Ghana University Stake (organized in 2016) and the Kumasi Ghana Suame Stake (organized in 2013). The new stake includes the following four wards and six branches: the Ejisu, the Kwamo 1st, the Kwamo 2nd, and the Mampong Wards, and the Agona, the Aprade, the Asamang, the Effiduasi, the Onwe, and the Seneagya Branches. Nearly all of the congregations in the new stake were previously part of the Kumasi Ghana University Stake which has experienced significant growth since its creation 8 years ago. There are now five stakes in the Kumasi metropolitan area (six if Konongo is included).
There are now 31 stakes and 11 districts in Ghana.
Indiana
A new stake was created in Indiana on June 2nd. The Columbus Indiana Stake was organized on June 2nd from a division of the Indianapolis Indiana Stake (organized in 1959), the Crestwood Kentucky Stake (organized in 2010), and the Cincinnati Ohio Stake (organized in 1958). The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Batesville, the Columbus 1st, the Columbus 2nd, the Columbus 4th, the Franklin, the Madison, and the North Vernon Wards. Prior to the creation of the new stake, the Fishers Indiana Stake was the most recently organized stake in the state (organized in 2021).
There are now 13 stakes in Indiana.
Nevada
A new stake was created in Nevada on May 5th. The Logandale Nevada West Stake was organized on May 4th from the Logandale Nevada Stake (organized in 1912). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Cottonwood, the Hinckley, the Meadow Valley, the Muddy River, and the Pioneer Wards. The revised minimum standards to create new stakes likely enabled the creation of the new stake due to a relatively small membership in the area but with enough active membership to create a second stake.
There are now 44 stakes in Nevada.
Nigeria
A new stake was created in Nigeria on March 17th. The Onna Nigeria Stake was organized from a division of the Ikot Akpaden Nigeria Stake and the Ikot Akpatek Nigeria Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards and two branches: the Asong, the Ikot Anang 1st, the Ikot Anang 2nd, the Okom, and Udo Wards and the Ikot Nkan and the Ukpana Branches. There are now 14 stakes and one district in Akwa Ibom State.
A new district was created in Nigeria on May 12th. The Ifo Nigeria District was organized from three mission branches in the Nigeria Ibadan Mission, including the Ifo 1st, Ifo 2nd, and Owode Branches. The first branch was organized in Ifo in 2022, whereas the Owode Branch was created in 2024.
There are now 72 stakes and 15 districts in Nigeria.
Zimbabwe
A new stake was created in Zimbabwe on June 9th. The Bulawayo Zimbabwe Masiyephambili Stake was organized from a division of the Bulawayo Zimbabwe Stake (organized in 2005) and the Nkulumane Zimbabwe Stake (organized in 2013). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Emganwini, theFamona, the Nketa 1st, the Nketa 2nd, and Tshabalala Wards. There are now three stakes in Bulawayo. Given distance from Harare, Bulawayo appears a likely candidate for a temple announcement.
There are now 10 stakes and 1 district in Zimbabwe.
Benin
A new district was created in Benin on March 31st. The Bohicon Benin District was organized from the Bohicon Branch, and four new branches were created at the special conference to organize the district. These four new branches include the Dassa-Zoume, Parakou, Seme, and Tchaourou Branches (all of which were organized in cities that have never had branches except for the Seme Branch which is located in Bohicon). The conference to organize the new district had hundreds in attendance. The area covered by the new district had less than 100 members in 2019 and had 420 members at the time of the creation of the district. More information about the creation of the new district can be found here.
There are now two stakes and one district in Benin. The creation of 1-2 new stakes in Cotonou appears highly likely in the immediate future, as each of the two stakes have 10-11 wards.
Brazil
A new district was created in Brazil on June 16th. The Bacabal Brazil District was organized, and it is unclear which branches are assigned to the new district. However, it appears that the new district includes five branches in Bacabal, Codó, Itapecuru Mirim, Pindaré Mirim, and Santa Inês - all but one of which were previously under the direct supervision of the Brazil Teresina Mission. The Church had no presence in any of these cities until approximately 10 years ago, and most of these branches have been organized within the past few years.
There are now 285 stakes and 40 districts in Brazil.
Ecuador
A new district was created in Ecuador on March 17th. The Puyo Ecuador District was organized from three mission branches, including the Macas, Puyo, and Tena Branches. The Macas Branch is the newst branch in the district which was organized in 2023, whereas branches in Puyo and Tena were organized decades ago. The new district is the Church's first district to be organized in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador. Several new branches have also been organized elsewhere in eastern Ecuador, and prospects appear good for the creation of districts in Coca and Nueva Loja in the foreseeable future.
There are now 44 stakes and 5 districts in Ecuador.
Honduras
A new district was created in Honduras on May 12th. The Intibuca Honduras was organized from three mission branches, namely the Intibuca, the Jesús de Otoro, and the Marcala Branches, which were all organized in 1996-1997. The branches have historically had very few active members.
There are now 31 stakes and 6 districts in Honduras.
Pakistan
A new district was created in Pakistan on March 17th. The Faisalabad Pakistan District was organized from the Lahore Pakistan District. The new district includes three branches, namely the Faisalabad 1st, Faisalabad 2nd (organized in 2024), and the Mian Channu (organized in 2023) Branches. The Church has experienced significant growth in Mian Channu with church services sometimes including several hundred attendees. The creation of the new district came as a surprised, as the Lahore Pakistan District appeared to be the district closest to become a stake in Pakistan before the district was divided.
There are now four districts in Pakistan.
Peru
A district was reinstated in Peru on March 24th. The Huaral Peru District was reinstated (the district previously functioned from 2010 until 2013). The district includes the following three branches and one group: the Chancay, the Huaral, and the Valle Hermoso Branches and the Peralvillo Group. The Valle Hermoso Branch and Peralvillo Group were reinstated. Prior to the reinstatement of the district, branches were under the direction supervision of the mission.
There are now 115 stakes and 18 districts in Peru.
Australia
A stake was discontinued in Australia. The Adelaide Australia Modbury Stake was discontinued, and all retained congregations were reassigned to the two remaining stakes in Adelaide. The Church in Adelaide has experienced no growth in regard to the number of congregations in decades, and the stakes were small and appeared likely to be reconfigured into two stakes as a result.
There are now 40 stakes and 4 districts in Australia.
Canada
A district was discontinued in Canada. The Terrace British Columbia District (organized in 1980) was discontinued, and all four branches in the district were reassigned to the Prince George British Columbia Stake (which now has four wards and eight branches).
There are now 53 stakes and 3 districts in Canada.
Guatemala
A district was discontinued in Guatemala. The Momostenango Guatemala West District (organized in 1993) was discontinued and all four branches in the former district were reassigned to the Momostenango Guatemala Stake (which now has six wards and four branches). It is possible that this decision was made so some of the larger branches in the former district may become wards or because there was sufficient strength in the Momostenango Guatemala Stake to have the stake administer to these branches rather than the mission.
There are now 52 stakes and 11 districts in Guatemala.
Ireland
A district was discontinued in Ireland. The Limerick Ireland District was discontinued and consolidated with the Dublin Ireland Stake. Two branches in the former district became wards, including the Cork and Limerick Branches, and one ward in the original Dublin Ireland Stake was discontinued (Terenure 2nd). Mission leaders have sought for decades to prepare the Limerick Ireland District to become a stake as it was close at times to meeting the minimum qualifications. Due to the lack of growth in the Dublin Ireland Stake, the reconfiguration of the country into a single stake was likely due to strengthen the stake and also permit the larger branches to become wards. Now, all of Ireland is assigned to the Dublin Ireland Stake.
37 comments:
Adelaide city Branch created March 2017.
This is all exciting stuff. In the case of Bohicon the linked article is already a little out dated. It mentions the mission president who organized the first branch in Bohicon was Martin Ghory. The article says he is now an area seventy. He actually is now a general authority seventy.
Are there any data out there on ward creation so far this year? The only reason I ask is that anecdotally, I've seen lots of news of ward consolidations, and then simultaneously lots of news about new stake creations. Just wondering what the impetus behind both could be since they are moving in opposite directions.
For example, I could see a policy for larger wards but smaller stakes being warranted. In my area, nearly every stake around me (including the one most recently created) has 4-6 wards, with the exception of one. Meanwhile, two wards I know of have been consolidated to make the resulting wards larger.
James - we have had a net increase of probably 100-150 wards and branches for 2024 thus far. I update these on the LDS International Atlas on www.cumorah.com, although I am very behind in many areas like Utah. So far this year, the countries with the most new units being organized have been in Africa, Mexico, the Philippines, the United States, and Canada. The first three Portuguese-speaking branches were just organized in Canada - one each in Calgary, Toronto, and Halifax. A Ukrainian-speaking branch was recently organized in Calgary. New Swahili-speaking branches have been organized. However, most new units in North America have been English-speaking ones.
I was surprised yesterday that the 2 Stakes in Tarija Bolivia got reassigned across the border to the newly dedicated Salta Argentina Temple District. I had placed them in the newer Santa Cruz Temple District that just had it's groundbreaking last week. But i made the correction because I found that Salta Argentina Temple is about 100 kilometers closer than Santa Cruz Bolivia site.
The other 6 Stakes and 5 Districts i had correctly guessed from the Argentina Salta Mission.
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/salta-argentina-temple/district/
And the 23 Layton Stakes i had guessed from the Bountiful district. But i had also included about another 20 from the Ogden Utah Temple that i have going to the newer Syracuse temple once completed. I guess they left those with the Ogden District (total 65) until Syracuse is complete instead of a temp reassignment to Layton.
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/layton-utah-temple/district/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/ogden-utah-temple/district/
So if anyone is following on my shared excel spreadsheet and Google Earth maps folder. I have made the corrections yesterday to the Salta, Córdoba, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz Temples and the Layton, Bountiful, Ogden and Syracuse temples.
I'm still waiting for a Pahrump, Nevada stake to be created. There are five wards and one branch in Pahrump. A Pahrump Nevada Stake could include the branch in Beatty, Nevada and ward in Tonopah, Nevada. Tonopah is actually a bit closer to Pahrump than Fallon and is located in the same county (Nye) as Pahrump.
If I was not mistaken by the translator, the announcement for the Brussels temple states that the temple will follow the New York model, being built inside a pre-existing building. Is the information valid?
The announcement for Brussels says it will be built within at existing building. It also mentions a Chapel and arrival center in the building as well. What is not clear is what the existing building is at present.
We also got Deseret Peak now slated for bring the 201zmst temple dedicated. At least if nothing gets announced for the first weekend in Novrmber. That still could happen so it might actually be 202nd.
Wellington New Zealand we got a detailed design for the temple. Hopefully a ground breaking soon follows.
I was hoping we would get a ground breaking as well. However 3 temple progress events after the two dedications yesterday that brought us to 195 temples seems a good sign.
I'm interested by the number of four-ward stakes that we're seeing created. I always thought the informal minimum was five. That makes me wonder if we could see the Decatur 1st and 2nd Wards in the Springfield Illinois Stake merged soon. The other three wards in that stake are all reasonably solid, and a single, strong Decatur ward might do good things for the church in that area. Both Decatur wards have been on life support for years now, but together, they'd be a large and well-attended ward.
Are there 4 ward stakes being created? I'm not so sure about that. The ones that exist in California used to be much larger than they are now and their days may be numbered. It is highly doubtful they would have been created had their present-day compositions existed at the time of their creations, IMHO.
I would love to see a Pahrump Nevada Stake. I am hopeful we will see it this year.
I am also thinking Tarija Bolivia could get a temple. Bermejo and Tupiza becoming stakes would make this easier, as would seeing some of the districts in the north of Salta Province and the district in Jujuy province, which only has 1 stake, become a stake. A Tarija Temple might take in Potosi, but I am not sure. Potosi is about halfway between Cochabamba and Tarija.
Chris D., I also thought some stakes from the Ogden temple district would be assigned to Layton until Syracuse is operating. However, now that I think more about this, I think the current set up makes more sense even if only for practical temple worker staffing considerations. After all, anyone who wants to attend the Layton temple can do so and I expect many people who liver closer to Layton than Ogden will.
The Brussels Belgium temple is reported to be an interior renovation. Will it still look like an office building when completed? Would that give us the same idea of what the Shanghai China Temple would be like and blend into its surroundings? Or allow it a speedier approval process to get the permits to allow it?
I'm guessing Brussels will be more like Manhattan, where it will keep the dimensions of the old building but have the exterior renovated to look more like a temple. I'm very excited to see the renderings for that one!
This just in from the First Presidency:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/missionary-training-center-democratic-republic-of-congo
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2024/06/18/new-mtc-missionary-training-center-kinshasa-dr-congo-august-2024/
My thanks once again to you all.
I am very excited about the Kinshasa Missionary Training Center. I hope at some future day Swahili, TsiLuba, KiKongo, Kenya Rwanda and Libgala will be added to the languages used there. Since as mentioned using the article there is already some training happening in Kinshasa this does not surprise me at all.
Was the Bangkok MTC started this year or last year?
I am guessing also that Brussells Vekgium Temple thry were renovate the exterior to give a look of a temple.
Each building to temple has been unique and unlike any before. Vernal was renovating an old stake Tabernacle into a temple. Manhattan was such that you went from a double to a single meeting house at the site, so it was paired with chaple creation elsewhere in on the island. Copenhagen turned the challenge into a temple, I believe with a little expansion, in part because demolition is hard yo get approved. Provo City Center the building was largely destroyed by fire, while the temple is much bigger than the old Tabernacle. It is the only of these buildings I have ever been in.
Brussels looks like it is the first case where a non-religious building is transformed into a temple. I wonder if difficulty in demolition is a reason for this. In Tampa the plan apparently is to tear down an existing office building and build a temple.
Brussels joins at least old Hong Kong and Manhattan with a chaple and temple in the same building. Something I read suggested that in Hong Kong the building has all become temple.
I think for Layton Temple it would be a bit odd if almost half your workers were likely to be assigned to a new temple very soon. W8th the distances involved leaving Syracuse with Ogden just works. Now in DR Congo I could see sending people destined for Mbuji-Maye to Lubumbashi, because the distance drop is considerable.
Aldo whichever gets done first, Kanaga or Mbuji-Maye I am sure will get the other until that temple is completed. Not just because of distance saved, but realistically you will have very few temple workers in either district so A-you will almost certainly need all trained temple workers in the greater Ksai region to have the temple operating well from day 1, and 2-assuming the temples are completed in the Order thry were announced, it will be much easier to have workers ready to start the Mbuji-Maye Temple if you are training some Mbuji-Maye area workers in Kananga, then if you are making them keep going to Lubumbashi.
A thought that occurred to me is that the Brussels Belgium Temple might serve as a test for the Shanghai People's Republic of China Temple. From the announcement, it seems like the priority is the interior of the building, and with Brussels being the hub of the EU, it could allow Chinese diplomats and leaders visiting Brussels to have an idea for the temple in Shanghai, such as how simple it would be to renovate an existing building and how unassuming it would look (as in not looking like a temple from the outside).
The Newsroom article mentions that exterior renderings of the Brussels Temple will be released at a future date:
"Detailed design plans for the temple are still under development. Further information — including exterior renderings — will be made public later. A groundbreaking date will be announced in the future. Project leaders will work with city officials on plans and permits for the temple in preparation for future construction activities."
So I'm thinking that there will be renovation of the exterior to make it look more like a temple rather than an office building. Plus, with a meetinghouse being planned as part of the building, it would make sense to have it look more identifiable as a place of worship.
Either way, still excited to see what the renderings and design plans are for this one!
I am very very excited that a new stake was formed in Indiana, and am hoping that maybe they will announce a second temple here soon. All the states around us either have fewer members or are not growing as fast as the church is here but have more temples than Indiana, but we have only one major metropolitan area (Indianapolis). Perhaps they will announce it in Lafayette, which is the stake I live in now. Several years ago they discontinued a YSA branch in Louisville Kentucky from the Crestwood stake and since finding out about that I wondered why, but now it appears that stake is strong enough to split off a ward into this new Indiana stake. Great news from my corner of the Lord's vineyard! It's obviously far too early for temple predictions but I will be penciling in Indiana as a place that could get and use a second temple.
Kentucky has the same number of temples as Indiana. Ohio has 16 stakes, Indiana 13 and Illinois 12 while Michigan has 10. The Indianapolis Temple is 34,000 square feet, wheras Detroit and Columbus are 11,000 square feet.
Indianapolis is in the center of the state, Detroit is to the east side, and we thus get some people come from London Ontario Stake and Columbus Ohio Stake. There are 2 southern Indiana stakes that go to Louisville Temple and Valparaiso goes to Chicago. So Right now I think Detroit Temple may functionally be serving more stakes than the one in Indiana, at a third the size.
I would live to see a temple announced for a second livation in Indiana. The thing is I believe South Bend might get assigned to Grand Rapids.
Fort Wayne has some advantages, but at most it would get South Bend, Muncie, Fort Wayne and Toledo Stakes.
I am also inclined to believe that other states will get their first, second, or third temple before a second comes to Indiana. The trajectory of Church growth in some parts of the United States is easier to predict than in other parts. Utah received one or two new temples every General Conference through October 2021 (and one announced outside of General Conference), then didn't see any other temples announced until the most recent General Conference. The North America Southwest and West Areas almost always have a temple announced every six months. Sometimes temples are announced in both areas, and sometimes, those areas are skipped in favor of additional temples in the North America Northeast and Southeast Areas. For the North America Central and North America Northeast and Southeast Areas, temples have been announced by President Nelson in somewhat of a staggered pattern. Sometimes temples have been announced in all three areas, or multiple new temples have been announced in one, two, or all three. We have also seen US temples announced in areas where Church growth has not been sustained or consistent, so Church growth (or the lack thereof) in certain states doesn't tell us much about what to expect for future US temple announcements in the United States. In any case, more Church growth and centers of strength may be deemed necessary before a second temple is announced in Indiana.
The most incredible thing is the possibility of experiencing the temple as a routine activity in our lives. For many years, going to the temple meant traveling, planning the costs, who the children would stay with, thinking about food... A time is coming when being at the temple will just mean leaving work early, picking up the children on the way and contemplate the sunset in the gardens of the House of the Lord before entering a session, and be able to repeat this two or three times a week. Its a blessing.
My new temple in Ribeirão Preto will be just 90km from home, or the territory of two wards away, in the stake immediately next to ours. The groundbreaking will be this Saturday, the 22nd. I'm very excited.
I say Amen to everything you said, Daniel! My wife and I are somewhat fortunate. We currently live in the Mount Timpanogos (American Fork) Temple District, but a temple was announced for my wife's hometown of Lehi (where we now reside) in April, and the site location has already been confirmed. Lehi City's Mayor is a member of our ward, and if he has anything to say about it, when the Church presents the plans for the temple, the necessary approvals should quickly be granted. Once dedicated, we will have a temple less than 5 minutes from where we live, which will make temple attendance more easy.
Thanks for sharing with us that your new temple will be the one in Riberao Preto. Hopefully, with Brazilian temples being announced regularly, you will soon have another that might be even closer to where you live. I think, based on what we've seen announced thus far, that we are sure to see several other Brazilian temples announced over the next 2-4 years. And if approvals go quickly for those temples, hopefully that will serve to cut distances for several hundreds or thousands of the faithful Brazilian Saints. Please keep us posted on the progress of the Riberao Preto Brazil Temple, and all others in Brazil as you can. I look forward to all such updates.
I joke at meetings with members that my parents got married in São Paulo, I got married in Campinas, my daughter will get married in Ribeirão Preto, but we cannot allow our grandchildren to get married in Araraquara, we will have to win this dispute here in São Carlos (a small comparison with Springfield and Shelbyville, from The Simpsons). Obviously before a new temple arrives in this region, several other locations need to be reached: Cuiabá, Campo Grande, Rio Branco, Aracaju, São Luiz, Palmas, São Paulo Sul, Santa Maria, Sorocaba, São José do Rio Preto, Araçatuba, São José dos Campos, Jundiaí, Porto Velho, Uberlândia, Piracicaba... the list is immense, and with each new temple we will see the Lord's blessings on the saints of Brazil and all the places where the prophet is inspired to announce a new sacred building.
I'm still trying to figure out whether the Ribeirão temple will be made traditionally or manufactured in modules in the USA and shipped. I contacted the blogger who is covering the work on Instagram, but I didn't get a response. I also asked my stake president, who will be with his family at the event, to do a survey for us. I hope to have news soon.
I forgot Fortaleza #2, Joinville, Passo Fundo, Foz do Iguaçu, Juazeiro, Ponta Grossa, Livramento...
Daniel, if it helps, to my knowledge, the only temples using the modular design have been around 10,000 square feet. Unless I am mistaken, that means that since the Riberao Preto Temple is three times that size, it will likely be traditionally built. If someone knows of larger temples using the modular design, please enlighten me.
That being said, Daniel, based on the locations you listed, if you were to put them in likely priority order, what would that order be? If you don't know for sure, that's okay. Just thought I'd ask in case you knew.
I would list Santa Maria, Cuiabá and Sorocaba as future announcements. Everything else is quite remote possibilities or surprises (e.g. Passo Fundo or Livramento in place of Santa Maria and Campo Grande in place of Cuiabá).
I was thinking about the modular proposal because I heard conversations in the hallway that the Ribeirão Temple could be completed in just two years. But Belo Horizonte is also a medium temple and is advancing very quickly, so it could just be the construction company's know-how working well.
Santa Maria and Cuiabá are at my radar !!!
The Detroit Temple was done and dedicated less than 15 months from the day it was announced. Even if they had announced in general conference it would have been under 19 months. That said I do not think the 32 temples President Hinckley announced in April 1998 were as far along in planning as the ones President Nelson announces.
The main point is there are other ways to build very fast besides modular construction.
On the other hand other temples have seen long delays from groundbreaking to the point where construction actilually starts.
@James G. Stokes, regarding your comment that "As he's [meaning President Nelson] shown time and time again, he is not worried or concerned about a double- or even triple-digit 'backlog' of announced temples", I know for a fact that this is false. It is true that he is not letting the backlog of announced temples impede the announcement of more, but he is concerned about that backlog. He has expressed to the special projects department that he does not want temple announcements to amount to "I-O-U"s to the Saints for a temple to eventually be built -- rather he wants them planned, designed, and built promptly.
--Felix
I counted five Tongan stakes in Utah (Salt Lake, Salt Lake West, Salt Lake South, Orem, Provo stakes) with a sixth (Salt Lake Central) recently created. What is the seventh stake?
Soakai Fam, Lehi 3rd (Tongan Stake?), June 9th.
Matt,
just and FYI- Rick's temple site shows the Saratoga Springs temple has 11 Eagle Mountain stakes, not the 10 mentioned in your article.
Unknown, any idea on potential solutions to the backlog? Hire more people at the special projects department or have them work longer hours? Have Area offices help more with legwork? Incentivize contractors/others to get stuff done quicker while maintaining quality? (I.E. do stuff better the first time), restructure the special projects department to improve efficiency? Improve workflow bottlenecks? Have temple announcements only 1x per year? Slow temple announcements to 20-30x per year at some point?
I would think having the special projects department try to juggle too many temples at once would create inefficiencies that would cause temples to take even longer to complete on average.
Anonymous, my understanding is that the Temple Department and Special Projects Division have been looking to hire more qualified people perpetually for a while. But looking to hire and actually getting qualified people to apply are two different things. I'm currently on the job search myself and I've come across numerous requests from the Temple Department and Special Projects Division for qualified people to apply. I'm not qualified for any of that, but it has been a perpetual request for a while now.
Note that portions of the structure to now be incorporated into the renovated and enlarged Manhattan New York Temple were originally used as commercial tenant spaces (e.g., Orloff's Bakery, American Folk Art Museum, etc.). The upper floors used as a second chapel (for YSA congregations) were originally developed as racquetball courts and gym facilities for the adjacent residential tower. As originally designed and built, the ground floor featured a large open courtyard/plaza as required by the Lincoln Square design requirements of thr era. The building has gone through many design changes over the years. The second floor was originally used as a visitors c3nter with a full-scale First Vision diorama patterned after the one at Temple Square in Salt Lake. That space was later converted into a large family history center.
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