The Church has achieved considerable progress in the past 6 months with groundbreakings and dedications of previously announced temples. Eight new temples were dedicated during this time, bringing the total number of completed temples to 222. These new temples include the following:
- Davao Philippines Temple — May 3, 2026 — Dedicated by Dale G. Renlund
- Lindon Utah Temple — May 3, 2026 — Dedicated by Henry B. Eyring
- Bacolod Philippines Temple — May 31, 2026 — Dedicated by Neil L. Andersen
- Willamette Valley Oregon Temple — June 7, 2026 — Dedicated by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
- Yorba Linda California Temple — June 7, 2026 — Dedicated by D. Todd Christofferson
- Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple — August 16, 2026 — Dedicated by Dallin H. Oaks
- Cleveland Ohio Temple — August 16, 2026 — Dedicated by David A. Bednar
- Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple — August 30, 2026 — Dedicated by Patrick Kearon
There are also 10 temples scheduled for dedication by the end of the year, which will bring the total number of completed temples to 232. These temples include the following:
- Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple — October 11, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Gerrit W. Gong
- Ephraim Utah Temple — October 11, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Ronald A. Rasband
- Managua Nicaragua Temple — October 18, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Ronald A. Rasband
- Montpelier Idaho Temple — October 18, 2026 — Scheduled dedication; dedicatory official not listed
- Cody Wyoming Temple — October 25, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Clark G. Gilbert
- Wichita Kansas Temple — November 1, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Patrick Kearon
- San Luis Potosí Mexico Temple — November 1, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Dale G. Renlund
- Modesto California Temple — November 22, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Quentin L. Cook
- Torreón Mexico Temple — November 22, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Gary E. Stevenson
- Pago Pago American Samoa Temple — December 13, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Quentin L. Cook
Additionally, 11 temples have had official groundbreaking ceremonies in the past 6 months, including the following temples:
- Teresina Brazil Temple — April 18, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Ciro Schmeil
- Missoula Montana Temple — June 6, 2026 — Groundbreaking by José A. Teixeira
- Springfield Missouri Temple — June 6, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Aroldo B. Cavalcante
- Santos Brazil Temple — August 1, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Ronald M. Barcellos
- Naga Philippines Temple — August 8, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Steven D. Shumway
- Huntsville Alabama Temple — August 15, 2026 — Groundbreaking by John D. Amos
- Tulsa Oklahoma Temple — August 22, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Pedro X. Larreal
- Victoria British Columbia Temple — August 22, 2026 — Groundbreaking by James E. Evanson
- Coeur d'Alene Idaho Temple — August 29, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Hutch U. Fale
- Colorado Springs Colorado Temple — September 12, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Karl D. Hirst
- Barcelona Spain Temple — September 19, 2026 — Groundbreaking by James W. McConkie III
There are also seven scheduled groundbreakings before the end of 2026. These temples include:
- Maceió Brazil Temple — October 10, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by B. Corey Cuvelier
- Iquitos Peru Temple — October 10, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Sandino Roman
- Vienna Austria Temple — October 17, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Michael Cziesla
- Cincinnati Ohio Temple — November 7, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Alan T. Phillips
- Piura Peru Temple — November 14, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Steven C. Barlow
- Cuernavaca Mexico Temple — November 14, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Moisés Villanueva
- La Paz Bolivia Temple — November 21, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Juan Pablo Villar
Altogether, there will be 21 dedications and 22 groundbreakings in 2026 if all scheduled dedications and groundbreakings proceed as planned.
Based on these statistics, I believe the Church may announce more temples in the coming months than it has during the past year. The total number of planned temples that have no groundbreaking or dedication date scheduled would decrease to 90 by the end of the year if no additional temples are announced (this number was 105 back in March of 2026). Only two temples have been announced since I last updated my new temples prediction list (i.e., the Marysville Washington Temple in April and the Otavalo Ecuador Temple in May), and only three new temples have been announced in the past 12 months (the other temple that was announced was the Portland Maine Temple in December of 2025). Recent temple announcements have followed a new pattern in which announcements are made locally by members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or Area Presidencies, although this may not preclude future announcements in General Conference. The large number of announced temples that has accumulated over the years is likely the greatest contributor in the dramatic slowdown in temple announcements, as efforts appear to have focused on the planning and construction of the hundreds of new temples announced since 2018.
I use several variables to identify prospective sites. These include: the size of the Church in a given area (stakes, districts, wards, and branches), the age of the oldest stake, growth trends, distance to the nearest temple, traffic and transportation considerations, temple square footage, the historical number of weekly endowment sessions, and member/missionary reports on activity, temple attendance, and convert retention. Altogether, there are 193 potential temples on the map (which is 3 potential temple sites more than the total number of potential sites identified in March 2026). The following five locations have been added to the temples prediction map with this current update—all of which are in Africa or the Intermountain West and have been added to the less-likely category:
- Abeokuta, Nigeria
- Ammon, Idaho
- Hyrum, Utah
- Onitsha, Nigeria
- West Haven, Utah
Also, there were two locations that were moved from the less likely to be announced list to the more likely to be announced list. The following locations were moved from the “less likely” to the “more likely” category based on the following factors:
- Greensboro, North Carolina (two new stakes created in the Greensboro area earlier this year, steady growth in the number of members and congregations in North Carolina in recent years, small square footage for Raleigh North Carolina Temple)
- Murcia or Málaga, Spain (recent creation of new congregations throughout Spain, organization of the Málaga Spain Stake earlier this year, steady growth in Spain in recent years as a whole)
There are dozens of additional locations that may be added to the less likely locations to have a temple announced in the coming months and years, pending whether recent growth developments are sustained and result in measurable, sustained growth and maturation of the Church.
See below for my top 20 most likely locations for a temple announcement within the next 6 months. This is the same list I provided back in March, as none of these locations have had temples announced. Your predictions are welcome in the comments.
- Angeles or Olongapo, Philippines
- Bo, Sierra Leone
- Port Harcourt, Nigeria
- Rigby, Idaho
- Lomé, Togo
- Southeast Salt Lake City, Utah (i.e., Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, or Sandy)
- Evanston, Wyoming
- San Pablo City, Philippines
- Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
- Ibadan, Nigeria
- Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Lilongwe, Malawi
- Santa Maria, Brazil
- Kimbanseke, Kinshasa, DR Congo
- Tema, Ghana
- Yopougon, Côte d’Ivoire
- San Luis Valley, Colorado
- Longview, Texas
- Lahore, Pakistan
- Luputa, DR Congo
69 comments:
The Aba Nigeria Temple with over 80 stakes assigned to it has the largeat temple district in the world. At the sane time with 11,500 square feet its temple space per stake is very low.
I think it may actually have less than 1 seat per stake in the endowment rooms.
To put thos is perspective we essentially have 8 seats per stake in the endowment rooms in the Detroit Temple.
We have a set up where in general the endowment rooms are used so you start in one and go to the other. We can start a session in the 2nd room but there needs to be movememt to the second room at some point. We also do not have a chapel. So if we had a chapel and two rooms of the same size but with both set up so the full ceremony could be done there we would be able to performmore ordinances, especially at peak times on Saturday.
So endowment seating is not the only comparison that can be done. However it is one, and by that measure compared with stakes Nigeria has about 8 times the temple needs of Michigan.
Michigan has another temple under way. Nigeria has 6 under way, and Benim City might be big enough we could count it as 2 in comparison to Aba.
By these calculations Nigeria could use maybe 8 more temples, although if some more are 30,000 square feet range, it might not be that many.
For this reason I think Port Harcourt Nigeria is one of the most likely temples to be announced. 3-4 more in Nigeria beyomd that also seems likely in the fairly near term.
Beyond Nigeria I think Lome, Togo; Cotonou, Benin; Bo, Sierra Leone; Bulawayo, Zimbabwe; a 2nd Kinshasa Temple closer to the airport; Luputa, DR Congo; Kolwezi, DR Congo and Greensboro, North Carolina and stromg contenders.
I also think a 4th metro Dallas Temple; Little Rock, Arkansas; Somewhere in Mississippi; Charleston, West Virginia and a temple in southern France and likely.
Olongopo Philippines also seems a atrong contender.
Does anyone have a document of the status of the temples announced by President Nelson? When all announced for dedication are dedicated 147 left to dedicate. Of those when every temple announced for groundbreaking is under construction 87 still announced. Though eight still have full construction pending. Of those 87 47 have a site announced. Seems like announcements are pending.
Leaves 40 left without a site announcement. Russia, China and UAE lots of red tape there, but the work won’t be stopped forever.
Other 37 could be announced any week. When will the number left to be announced dwindle? When all all 200 he announced be dedicated? May take a few years, but any guesses on when that will happen?
Even tough the Aba Temple has so many stakes assined, according to the temple tracker it is not busy at all (endowment wise). Normaly between 100 and 200 endowments are done in a week. Capacity with the sessions they run is 920. The temple wirh most endowments done per week on the african continent is the johannesberg temple with around 500. The data on the temple tracker also shows zhat around 80% off all endowments are done in North America and the temples in africa have a high rate for living endowments.
I think every city in africa is still far away from getting a second temple. More temples there will only be anounced for distance reasons.
A few thoughts on Africa:
On the one hand, I think that it is clear that we need more temples in Africa. I think the number of endowment rooms per active member is incredibly low. And I question the utilization metrics to the extent they are based on the online reservation system; technology use is different in parts of Africa than it is in, say, Utah.
On the other hand, statistics indicate that many members in parts of Africa need to have more basic needs met. I think it is very likely that church leaders will view the growth of BYU pathway explored important than the rapid construction of temples. And in many cases it takes many years to go from announcement of a temple to a dedication. There’s a backlog.
So while the reason for hoping for more Africa temples are so obvious I think the dynamics on the ground may keep the growth of temples in Africa slower than we would like or expect. As others said, distance may be a key factor. This may mean we see a Luputa temple announcement before a second Kinshasa temple announcement.
Considering how many members in the Aba Nigeria Temple district live beyomd an hours travel from the temple by the means of tranportation they have, includimg many even in Port Harcourt, I do not think endowments done is a good measure of potential. There I think a far more accurate measure is faithful tithe payers.That said, excatly how does temple tracker measure the numbers it counts? Anything other than the actually completed ordanace cards being recorded is not going to capture all attendees. The other number that I trust is unique people going through an endowment session each day, and unique people performing any ordinance each day. Although I know at Detroit Temple we do not have those numbers compiled. We keep a record of total people performing the rndowment but do not consider people doing multiple asessioms. We keep a record of total doing baptisms or confirmations. I try to male sure the paperwork accurately reflects everyone who did initiatories, but I am not sure we compile the numbers, and sealings I am not sure. We do not however compare across those and come up with the total unique daily individuals.
Kinshasa is a city of 10 million people where traffic is at a very high level. It may be worse traffic wise than Mexico City. I have a fellow temple worker who travrled back to Kinshasa his home city recently. He planned to go to the temple while there but the level of traffic prevented him from doing so.
This means that going from the airport to the temlle takes a very high amount of timr. Plus the city has 17 stakes but a 12,000 square foot temple.
The small isolated districts in the northernthird of DR Comgo and the outlyimg branches could be much better served with a temple cliser to the airport, plus it would significantly reduce travel time to the temple.
Kinshasa is also one of the largest by area cities in the world. It is something like 20,000 square miles. All the stakes and maybe even all the wards and branches are in the far north-west corner of the coty in probably under 1000 square miles. The other part includes a very large natire preserve.
At the level of stakes served, a 2nd temple in Kinshasa would serve more stakes than any other temple in Africa outside of Nigeria except maybe a second in Abijan positioned to serve all of Ivory Coast outside Abijan.
I am pretty sure a temple closer to the airport could reduce the round trip for those flying in from the northern and eastetn and maybe even the far western parts of DR Congo. I believe there are at two stskes and 4 districts outside Kinshasa that will be assigned to Kinshasa when allDR Comgo Temples are complete, with growth in these outlyimg areas starting to pick up.
Eventually there willbe a need for temples in thpse areas, but it will still make that far trip far easier, the one trip the temple pateon fund covers, wirh a temple that is much closer to the airport.
On Johannesburg, a secomd temple for the greater Johannesburg region, maybe Pretoria, would not surprise me.
Keep in mind though Elder Matswagobothata from Botswama was a temple worker at the Johannesburg Temple when called as a general authority. President and Sister Chadanbuka,who are from a city an hour's or more travel east of Harare in Zimbabwewere also temple workers in Johanneaburg Temple when called to be the first leaders of the Harare Temple. The same is true of a mission president in Kenya who comes from Zimbabwe.
Johannesburg may hold recirds in using temple workers the most who live over 6 hours from the temple.
Personally I wiuld nit be surprised if Luputa, Kolwezi and Kinshsa 2 were all announced the same weekend all by different members of the area presidency. It would also not surprise me to see any of those 3 announced.
BYU-Pathway is exploding in Africa. The Church has built global education centers for BYU-Pathway with computers and rooms people can use to complete their classes in at least Brazaville, Lagos and Accra. In 2011 the first class in Accra all the students crowded round 1 laptop. That was the first Pathway class in Africa. With maybe 12 students. Today Nigeria alome has 20,000 Pathway students.
The Church is also riollimg out aucceed in scholl to guide primary age children in their education.
Seminary and institute number is the Africa West Area are climbimg quite fast. One of the 5 central administrators of seminaries and institutea was promoted from heading the Africa West Area. I believe he is Ghanaian.
Elder I. Raymond Egbo who is from Nigeria is an assistant executive director of the temple department. I am n9t sure how much direct imput the assistant executive directors have, but I know that Elder Bangerter the wxecutive director sits on the temple sitea committee and I would imagine he has sought insights drom Elder Egbo. The Detroit Temple is amomg the temples that have Elder Egbo as the assigned general authority contact from the temple department. I am not sure how many assistant wxecutive directors there are and have no idea how first cobtacts are assigned.
On the other hand in Africa there are 8 temples under construction with 9 planned, including Beira Mozambique and Monrovia Liberia which are the 2 2021 announced temples that do not yet have a site announced. Temples in Africa are often amomg those that take the lomgest to build. Although if some of that delay is obstacles that can be moved past bwfore a public announcement, it couls mean The First Presidency may have even approved more unannounced plans that thry are waiting to announce when the project has passed some early steps in the approval process.
Sorry if I commented too much.
On another note evidently the Sunnyvale California Temple got city approval this week. Hopefully this means it will have a groumdbreakimg fairly soon.
Sorry about one more post. I just realized I made a major mistake in wjat I said above. The site for the Beira Mozambique Temple was announcwd back in January 2026. I am not sure how I missed that or forgot it had happened. It still leaves us with over 5 amd a half years since that temple was announced and no groundbreaking.
I don't see the methodology for data collection for fullerconsideration's Temple Tracker, and consequently do not know how it gets its data. For those with access to online reservations, a maximum of 8 slots are allocated for online reservations per session for the Aba Nigeria Temple and states it allocates 4 walk-ins per scheduled session. I'd imagine the capacity for the temple endowment session would be more than 12. A past stake I was in would occasionally reserve the local temple for a special endowment session for the stake outside of the posted temple schedule.
The church does not publicly release the data. I know for unit tracker, it typically publishes the date when the unit change is displayed online and not the date it was actually created. If it's only counting online member reservations, I would imagine the actual numbers would be far off. Again, I'm not sure where the fullerconsideration gets its data, but I would definitely use it with a large pinch of salt.
Roughly a quarter of the population in Nigeria own a motorized vehicle, let alone have the financial ability to get to Aba. Building additional temples reduces the financial burden of getting to the temple for those members.
1. Kinshasa is about 4,000 square miles, not 20k
2. Please fact check your stats
3. Stop posting random ramblings off the top of your head in such a short spurt.
I commend you for not talking about race, politics all the time like you used to.
At least you are not an arrogant James Stokes, who has BASED views of Charlie Kirk, is a registered democrat, doesnt work, lives with his in laws, and frequently and aggressively grammar and spell checked everyone on this blog like hes a paid moderator. Ever since i created this username James’ autism on this blog has been reduced by 90%. - I take a bow and your welcome everyone.
Lets continue on fruitful discussion of church growth on this blob
- James G Snokes: Quorum of the 12 Sith.
My thanks once again to your attention to this matter.
Miro, what tracker are you referencing? Do you have a link? Also, does the number include reservations or actual endowments performed?
JG Snokes, the 20k square miles wasn't correct but the general narrative of the paragraph was. Maluku, one of the 24 communes of Kinshasa covers 79% of the city (on the east side) and 4% of its population. It is home to Nsele Wildlife Reserve among other conservation areas. So yes, the stakes would be where the population is (the less than 1,000 sq km on the NW corner of the city).
While not on my top 60, a 2nd temple near the Airport is a possibility. I'm not sure what the ownership rate is within the city, but for the DRC as a whole, only 0.2 to 0.3 per 1,000 people own a motorized vehicle. A temple near the airport would double the accessibility to the temple within the city as many members live in that area.
Due to its proximity to the airport, I could see, if announced, the church building a complex around the temple (MTC, meetinghouse, church offices, etc.) and maybe an assembly room within the temple for area meetings.
The one on fullerconsideration. I won't post the link. I understand it to be actual endoments. But they do not explain how they exactly get the data.
Our online behavior is not different in consequence from off-line speech. Using name calling and sarcastic parody to contend in a comment section discussing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is ironic and misses the mark (by a full 180 degrees). It is a stain on the sainthood we espouse.
Please listen to conference and we can all apply the invitations for peaceable and kind online speech specifically issued by several apostles.
I didn’t call anyone names. Just stated facts
am sorry I was off on the size of Kinshasa. It is only 3848 square miles.
However is has 18 million people. I still stand by my observation about the overly crowded conditions and slow traffic. Which would be even more difficult to get to the temple if you are using buses.
I am guessing that in a place like Nigeria most who go to the temple do so without maling a reservation and most reservations are by phone. Online access is low in that country. Phone reservations just feel like more of a hassle, so if the realistic options are that or just walking in, people will do the later.
My other observation is when someone receives their own endowment friends, family members will often show up with no reservation. That is from behavior in Michigan where most active church members have at least some internet access. This would I guess be even more pronounced where people have to rely mainly on phones, which may also have access limits.
If you want that to be true, consider changing your username to something related to your own name.
Preliminary Work (Pre-Groundbreaking) has been approved for the new Yuma Arizona Temple lot. And Newsroom posted it will begin shortly.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/preliminary-work-on-the-yuma-arizona-temple-to-begin
The release says there are more than 900 congregations in Arizona, so some modest congregational growth there since end of 2025, where there were only 892 congregations (still down from the peak however).
Also, last week on September 28th, Pres. Michael Ulrich of the Nancy France Stake had a interfaith meeting with Pope Leo, in Metz, France during the Popes travel through France.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2026/10/05/stake-president-interfaith-event-pope-leo-france/
Hey, Hank! I just wanted to thank you for what you said above. The James G. Snokes account was created primarily to criticize/mock/impersonate me, as evidenced in the dialogue above. I very much wanted to jump in and defend myself from the criticisms leveled at me above (many of which are not true or are half-truths) but felt impressed to sit back and watch what transpired if I didn't. I especially appreciate your intervention here, as we may have had our differences in the past. I am taking a risk by posting this comment, as it may or may not lead to further criticism/half-truths coming from this same individual..
But I couldn't let this pass without weighing in to thank you. I appreciate your defense and hope we can look forward to more positive interchanges between u.s here in the futurue
My own list of prospective temple locations was shared by Chris D. in a recent comment in the threads of the previous post. But for those who missed it, I share the link again here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/10EPzdevnRAV_AGL1cZlNKtT0RqLr8aBBvdGySiHHJHk/edit?usp=sharing
I will just add for context that, with the 7 groundbreakings scheduled, the announced temple count will drop down to an even 90. I am hopeful that means that one or two other temples may be announced before General Conference next April. In the interim, we have the Salt Lake Temple Celebration to which we can look forward, in addition to the continued weekly announcements relating to temple construction. Aside from these thoughts, my list is fairly self-explanatory.
As long as you/we stay on topic of church growth then there will be no comments from my alt account.
My gripe is/was with you/JPL/ with the nonstop posts and ramblings, both church growth related or not (Charlie Kirk)
Even Matt is the past has asked you and JPL to stay on topic.
James G Snokes, are you not contributing to steering the conversation away from church growth? As Palpatine would say, "Ironic." Seems like you have become the very thing you criticize. Maybe someone should create a Games G Snorks account to parody you?
Criticizing me for "policing" comments in the past (which, again, was one of many half-truths on your part) by suggesting that you're taking it upon yourself to jump in and "police" my comments here if they turn in a direction you don't happen to like is disingenuous at best and starkly hypocritical at worst. So let me say this as politely as I can: under the circumstances, let's leave any "comment-policing" to Matt and not make any pretentions to do otherwise.
In the meantime, I happen to agree with Hank. If all you are doing is "stating facts", then Hank's recommendation that you change your username to something relating to your own name would be an appropriate resolution. Hiding behind an impersonating account is disingenuous at best and cowardly at worst. And it's definitely not in keeping with what our Church leaders have asked us to do in terms of respectful dialogue online, which is a two-way street.
Matt, as always, if any of my comments are not sufficiently Church Growth-related for inclusion on this blog, please feel free to delete them. In view of the above comment, I would be in favor of you reinstating some degree of comment moderation here to preclude anyone, myself included, from taking it upon ourselves to "police" each other's comments. Thanks.
I would love to be a moderator. Great idea James.
Where do i signup?
Much better Joseph.
Not sure if this is exactly what you are looking for, but this site has great figures with trends and cost estimates and backlog data:
https://thewidowsmite.org/templedata/
There really isn't a choice between BYU Pathways and having a temple available. I personally think the lack of an announcement is indicative that utilization is low, even without the online sign-up data metrics.
There have been discussions on the r/mormon subreddit about how the data were accumulated. They are obviously scraping the data off the online reservations. The reservation system holds walk-in spaces, which they state they have accounted for. And then they have some inside baseball they claim to be working with (insider information to cross-check their data and methodology).
I mean, I don't know how accurate it is, but it's the most relevant statistic and most accurate version of that statistic we have. It's similar to membership activity rates, church finances, etc. The church chooses not to publicly release the most relevant data, and so data scientists take public data and make estimates.
Classic tradeoff of reliability and relevance of statistics. The church gives highly reliable, woefully irrelevant statistics. Or we can rely on the questionably reliable, but at the very least relevant, statistics from the public or insiders. For whatever reason, we're not allowed to have both (relevance and reliability).
As a Chilean who remains in the church—despite everything happening within it or what I have learned thanks to technology—it inevitably affects me, because our church is not always transparent or clear; often, it omits details or speaks in half-truths.
The growth and stagnation of the Church in Chile and around the world is evident; our Church speaks of thousands of baptisms globally, yet we know full well that a high percentage do not remain in the Church—every day, we see more inactive members and less commitment among the Latter-day Saints.
Our church is well aware of the actual attendance figures for classes and sacrament meetings, as well as the number of congregants attending church and the temple; yet, it never speaks openly about the actual number of Latter-day Saints the church has.
It is disheartening to see that not all that glitters is gold—whether in the Church or in the world; the Church is not perfect, and leaders are not infallible. The Church needs to be more transparent and truthful; that is my desire as an LDS member.
I know it is very jarring for members in Chile and other places to hear talk of growth and activity when their own congregations struggle with activity.
I find this website incredibly hopeful because, while acknowledging evidence of diminishing activity in some areas, it provides powerful evidence of rapid growth and membership activity elsewhere.
Stake growth worldwide is actually a pretty good proxy for active membership growth.
What good would reporting worldwide attendance do for members of the Church? How would it help us develop a relationship with Jesus Christ? It wouldn't. The Church isn't a numbers game. It's Christ's restored Church here on Earth.
The Church is also certainly growing in active membership, though it isn't growing uniformly throughout the world, and is declining in a few specific areas. In the last 10 months, there has been a net growth of 185 wards and 90 branches in the Church. Hopefully we can all strive to minister to the inactive members in our own areas.
Any news stakes this week?
I just read on the Cookeville TN Facebook page that the Mount Juliet stake will be created next weekend. Lebanon ward will go to the next stake and some wards from the Murfreesboro stake. Madison to the north and Nashville to the west don’t really have wards to give. Potentially and English branch Percy Priest and one of the Spanish branches might reach ward status. Otherwise this looks like another Bowling Green
Spencer, great question. An internet search shows that since Columbus Day is not a paid holiday widely observed, Church offices are not traditionally closed on Columbus Day. So I would fully anticipate the usual weekly announcement during the 2:00 PM MDT hour tomorrow. Hope that answers your question.
Caleb. That’s a straw man. Nobody is arguing that attendance numbers will magically help members develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. The question is why an institution that claims to be Christ’s restored Church refuses to provide a very basic measure. So I’d ask a different question: What legitimate reason do members have to be denied information that would allow them to assess the effectiveness of their own Church’s missionary and retention efforts?
Michael Worley Hello! You are right; this blog and others provide clearer and more accurate information than what our church offers. My desire is to see the Gospel grow and strengthen—not only in Chile but throughout the world.
Caleb It is important to acknowledge the situation, given the alarming number of inactive members—numbering in the thousands—across our wards, stakes, and countries. There is no doubt that the decline in wards and stakes, along with the loss of our status as a designated Area, was a hard and painful blow; subsequent recovery and strengthening have been slow and remain ongoing due to various factors.
I visited every Latter-day Saint in my ward—going door-to-door—before leaving for my mission in 1994; at that time, there were nearly 2,000 baptized members, yet only about 110 people attended. Upon returning from my mission, I visited the entire ward again; currently, attendance does not exceed 80 people. Many have passed away, and few new converts have remained, though the arrival of foreign Latter-day Saints has bolstered the Church throughout the country.
I share this based on what I see, what I have experienced over decades, and my own service—never with the intent to criticize, but out of sorrow at seeing how things could be different. Our paid leaders are not up to the task, while the few who serve without pay find themselves overwhelmed.
Groundbreakings were just announced for the Eket Nigeria, Calabar Nigeria and Vina del Mar Chile Temples. Eket will be Nov. 28 and the other 2 the first Saturday in December.
I agree with Caleb. Ultimately this is the work of Jesus Christ in the world. If every single Latter-day Saint but me leaves it will still be true, and I will remain faithful to what I know and understand through my own experiences. In this case I speak of the 'church' as the true and living spiritual entity, not the institutional church.
I'm not sure the church benefits from the opaqueness of the data. The church (in the human institution sense) has historically been so since the pioneers went west. Part of this was protective, as the Washington government and eastern press turned every data point into a scandal (not to mention the risk of a leadership challenge from Joseph Smith III and others). Even when Fawn Brodie's book came out the church reacted by locking down our historical records. Her work distorted the facts pretty badly to support her own narrative, but the church's reaction prevented our own apologists' from effectively responding for many years. This protective instinct has done a lot of harm, and the church has begun to remedy this through myriad efforts, like the Joseph Smith papers.
As for the finances, our harshest critics are usually disaffected members. Remember, every line item is a potential point of contention even when it is a strength (What, only $1.8 billion to charity last year?) I remember my brother (ex-LDS) had a tantrum when he learned that the church leaders receive a stipend of about $100,000 - slightly more than what my wife makes as a nurse. Not exactly proof of kleptocracy level corruption.
Bottom line is, we have every right to keep some things secret, and some things should be, but it is not always helpful and should not be the default setting. My tithing is private, and how the church uses it should be too. The (spiritual) church is still true.
I am a registered Democrat, a former teacher and currently a stay-at-home dad (we adopted two children with disabilities, and it is my turn to stay home). None of these things are bad. There is evil and good in every political party. I love my fellow Saints and neighbors, I love my Republican friends and my Democratic friends, and I believe a significant benefit of the Holy Spirit is a feeling that such distinctions do not matter. Let's be kind and accept correction with grace and offer it when needed with love.
I suspect that in large parts of Africa travel to a temple is difficult - even those that are close by American standards. I know in many places people travel by foot or minibus, and urban travel can be a nightmare of congestion. This makes temple attendance MUCH more difficult than here in downtown St. George. Nonetheless, it is wonderful to see so many temples and so much growth so quickly.
I think a temple in Southern Spain (Malaga or Seville) could also be added to the less likely list with four stakes in the area, small as they are.
Also, one on the Rio Grande in Texas or Mexico (Laredo?) is a possibility, though the politics of the last decade has really made cross-border temple attendance VERY hard in North America.
One more thought, I would love to see rural temples at a few more church history sites. One in South Royalton at the Joseph Smith birthplace site (serving a stake each in Vermont and New Hampshire), and at the Aaronic Priesthood Restoration site in northern PA (possibly three stakes in the area).
I think there’s a good chance we finish the year with 300 temples dedicated or under construction. I think theirs is a likelihood that the Church has 300 dedicated temples by its 200th anniversary.
in response to the concerns about the lack of activity in the church, the concerns are genuine; however, is lack of activity due to loss of testimony? Lack of testimony? Or due to financial circumstances that require someone to work multiple jobs just to survive, and therefore cannot attend services? Or, due to mental or physical limitations that restrict mobility? Or…and this might be the kicker—lack of feeling welcome because we all are human with our insecurities and are afraid to reach out and connect constantly with our brothers and sisters while we try to include everyone in our God-consecrated family as established through the sealing power linking all humans to the covenant family of Adam and Eve? It IS very difficult to live by faith, but Jehovah and our Heavenly Father have required it of all of us. Thankfully, the final judgment isn’t until after the Millenium, and EVERYONE has time to change and recommit before the judgment day.
Sorry, I did not want that last post to double post and I don’t know how to delete the second post so I am sorry
To say that the Church is not growing, or to judge it based solely on the current state of the wards in Chile, is being short-sighted. I rarely see people analyzing the activity levels of members in any other religious group the way we do here.
First of all, inactive members have always been a part of the Church of Christ. Throughout history, we have seen apostasy and people who do not fully understand the gospel. Look at what Judas did to Christ, or what Peter did, or what many of the biblical prophets experienced. Consider the crowds that were fed by Christ and how easily they walked away afterward.
While it is sad that some are inactive, many are returning and will return. I am from another country in South America, and I can tell you that miracles are happening in so many people's lives. The reality is that statistics, although they are interesting to read, never tell the whole story. Even during the Restoration, many people left, but the gospel still moved forward. The Good Shepherd continues to work and minister to them, even if we do not see them at church.
This is not a competition to have perfect wards, 100% activity, or to expect every single convert to go to the temple exactly a year later and contribute perfectly. That standard is unrealistic. If you were to look at the activity rate of the Catholic Church where I am from, you would find it is only about 2% to 3%. Yet, I do not see the world claiming that the Catholic Church and its leaders are deceiving everyone. Those 2,000 inactive members in your ward are still part of God's plan, and I pray with all my might for them to return. However, neither I nor anyone else can force them.
I want to emphasize that the Church is still growing in Chile and everywhere else, even when the raw numbers suggest a different reality. I am incredibly excited about the changes happening worldwide. My own ward just took between 120 and 130 members to the temple on buses. Fifty years ago, there were not even five members in my country. Today, we have several stakes and multiple temples. Even with inactive members factored in, this progress is a miracle.
We can choose to focus on the negatives—which are simply part of living on a fallen planet—or we can be of good cheer, knowing that the Savior of the world is always ministering and working with His children to help them repent and change forever. This is the essence of the gospel. Seeing international General Authorities from so many different countries is a miracle that was unthinkable just decades ago. The temples will fill up, and they will be here through the Millennium to complete the work of God. I feel faithful and hopeful that His kingdom will grow as we remain obedient and open our hearts to His promptings. Christ never gets tired of inviting people to come and follow Him.
Thank you, Henry! Perfectly said….
Is it just my impression, or has it been three weeks since any Stakes were created?
Stakes Opened (reported to Church Database of Organizations and Locations dates, not actual organization dates)
1 Jan 06, 2026 Diulu Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake
2 Jan 13, 2026 Hurricane Utah Sky Mountain Stake
3 Jan 14, 2026 Ngandajika Democratic Republic of Congo Kabanda Stake
4 Feb 03, 2026 Bella Vista Virginia Stake (Spanish)
5 Feb 10, 2026 Shelley Idaho East Stake
6 Feb 11, 2026 Bulawayo Zimbabwe Luveve Stake
7 Feb 25, 2026 Ibarra Ecuador Stake
8 Feb 26, 2026 Ikot Use Ekong Nigeria Stake
9 Mar 03, 2026 Queen Creek Arizona Frontier Stake
10 Mar 03, 2026 Lehi Utah Willow Creek Stake
11 Mar 09, 2026 Antananarivo Madagascar Ampitatafika Stake
12 Mar 10, 2026 Lubumbashi Democratic Republic of Congo Bel-Air Stake
13 Mar 11, 2026 Cotonou Benin Akpakpa Stake
14 Mar 18, 2026 Nampula Mozambique Mutauanha Stake
15 Mar 19, 2026 Beira Mozambique Chamba Stake
16 Mar 24, 2026 Lewiston Idaho South Stake
17 Mar 24, 2026 Columbia Tennessee Stake
18 Mar 24, 2026 Mkoba Zimbabwe Stake
19 Mar 24, 2026 Saratoga Springs Utah Mountain View Stake
20 Apr 01, 2026 St Augustine Florida Stake
21 Apr 29, 2026 Mebane North Carolina Stake
22 May 06, 2026 Harare Zimbabwe Kuwadzana Stake
23 May 14, 2026 Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Mont Amba Stake
24 May 19, 2026 Ammon Idaho Centennial Ranch Stake
25 May 19, 2026 Mount Airy North Carolina Stake
26 May 19, 2026 Sipsey Alabama Stake
27 May 27, 2026 Spruce Grove Alberta Stake
28 Jun 02, 2026 Raleigh North Carolina East Stake
29 Jun 04, 2026 Maputo Mozambique Magoanine Stake
30 Jun 10, 2026 Salem Utah Summer Spring Stake
31 Jun 10, 2026 Washington Utah Long Valley Stake
32 Jun 11, 2026 Lagos Nigeria Gberigbe Stake
33 Jun 24, 2026 Málaga Spain Stake
34 Jun 24, 2026 Bowling Green Kentucky Stake
35 Jul 08, 2026 Enugu Nigeria North Stake
36 Jul 14, 2026 Kenema Sierra Leone West Stake
37 Jul 28, 2026 Fungurume Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake
38 Aug 05, 2026 Jinja Uganda West Stake
39 Aug 25, 2026 Justin Texas Stake
40 Aug 25, 2026 Kimberly Idaho East Stake
41 Aug 26, 2026 Pocatello Idaho Hawthorne Stake
42 Aug 28, 2026 Salt River Wyoming Stake
43 Sep 02, 2026 Eagle Mountain Utah Brandon Park Stake
44 Sep 02, 2026 St Anthony Idaho Juniper Mountain Stake
45 Sep 15, 2026 Johannesburg South Africa Central Stake
46 Sep 15, 2026 Caldwell Idaho Lake Lowell Stake
47 Sep 22, 2026 Syracuse Utah Waterfront Stake
48 Sep 22, 2026 Abeokuta Nigeria Obantoko Stake
49 Sep 24, 2026 Dondo Mozambique Stake
Stakes Reorganized from Districts
1 Mar 12, 2026 León México Aeropuerto Stake
2 Mar 13, 2026 Bauru Brazil Jardim Santana Stake
3 Apr 21, 2026 Santa Rosa de Copan Honduras Stake
4 Apr 22, 2026 Tartagal Argentina Stake
5 Apr 29, 2026 Copperbelt Zambia Stake
6 May 29, 2026 Nsukka Nigeria Stake
7 May 29, 2026 Bouafle Cote d'Ivoire Stake
8 Jun 04, 2026 Polochic Guatemala Stake
9 Jun 05, 2026 Gulf of Fonseca Honduras Stake
10 Jun 19, 2026 Gingoog Philippines Stake
11 Jul 14, 2026 Artibonite Haiti Stake
12 Jul 15, 2026 Kpong Ghana Stake
Brekenfeld, to be fair. One of those three weeks was worldwide General Conference weekend. Where no known Stake Conferences would have been scheduled for organizations.
I know that Cris D., anyway two weekends.
There was also a 3 week gap between August 5th and 25th with no new stakes organized, as seen on the above list.
Marromeu Mozambique District (2338092)
Organized on 11 October 2026
- Caia Branch (2321130)
- Marromeu 1st Branch (375675)
- Marromeu 2nd Branch (2338106)
Parent: Mozambique Beira Mission
Temple: Harare Zimbabwe
Tks Chris D.
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For those predicting temples, note with interest the comment in the church news article today - “We are currently on pace to have over 400 houses of the Lord in the near future,” Bishop Waddell noted.” You can read that a number of ways (built, announced, in construction), but at a bare minimum we can expect to hear of least 15 more announcements soon.
Between the 10 and 11 minute mark, Bishop Waddell says convert baptisms are up 20% and projects that the total number of convert baptisms this year could be between 450K and 500K.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyQk-F4hUVg
Africa alone expects over 120K baptisms, which would translate to over 10% of African members being baptized within the last 12 months.
17 groundbreakings for the last 5 months of 2026, or 24 groundbreakings for all of 2026.
42 Announced (no site announced)
45 Site Announced
8 Groundbreaking Scheduled
55 Under Construction
11 Dedication scheduled
After April 2025 General Conference
120 Announced (including those with site announcements)
5 Groundbreaking Scheduled
48 Under Construction
5 Dedication Scheduled
So, while temples were announced at a higher rate under President Nelson, there's been an increase in construction so far under President Oaks.
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