New Temples Announced in April 2023 - Part II: Asia

Tuguegarao City Philippines Temple

The Tuguegarao City Philippines Temple is the Church's 11th temple in the Philippines following temples in Manila (dedicated in 1984), Cebu (dedicated in 2010), Urdaneta (announced in 2010), Alabang (announced in 2017), Cagayan de Oro (announced in 2018), Davao (announced in 2018), Bacolod City (announced in 2019), Tacloban City (announced in 2021), Naga (announced in October 2022), and Santiago (announced in October 2022). The new temple will likely service at least three stakes and two districts located in the lower Cauayan River valley, although it is possible the new temple may include an additional four stakes and two districts located on the northwestern tip of Luzon Island. Some stakes and a district in the upper Cauayan River valley may also be assigned to the new temple, although these stakes and this district are nearly equidistant between Tuguegarao and Santiago (where a temple was announced in October 2022). Steady growth has occurred in Tuguegarao City and in nearby cities during the past couple decades. Of the three stakes in the area, two of these stakes were organized in 2011 and 2019. The first stake was created in Tuguegarao in 1989. The first branch in Tuguegarao was created in 1980. There are only two stakes in Tuguegarao City. Currently, stakes in the Tuguegarao area are assigned to the Manila Philippines Temple district, although the area will be reassigned to the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (approximately a 7 hour drive) once it is completed likely sometime within the next 6-12 months. The Church reported more than 850,000 members in the Philippines as of year-end 2022.

Iloilo Philippines Temple

The Iloilo Philippines Temple is the Church's 12th temple in the Philippines. This marks the second time in Church history in the Philippines when two temples were announced on the same day (the first time occurred in October 2022). The new temple will likely service the five stakes and one district on Panay Island and the one district on Guimaras Island. There are three stakes in Iloilo City - one of which was organized in February 2023. The first stake was created in Iloilo City in 1985. The Church has generally experienced slow growth on Panay island. The first branch in Iloilo City was created in 1969. The Church organized the Philippines Iloilo Mission in 2010. Stakes and districts in the Philippines Iloilo Mission currently pertain to the Cebu City Philippines Temple district.

Jakarta Indonesia Temple

The Jakarta Indonesia Temple is the Church's first temple to be announced for Indonesia. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world with approximately 280 million people. There are approximately 7,500 Latter-day Saints, two stakes, and one district in Indonesia. Approximately 90% or more of Church membership in Indonesia is located on Java. The Jakarta Indonesia Stake was organized in 2011 and currently has 10 wards, whereas the Surakarta Indonesia Stake was organized in 2012 and currently has six wards and one branch. The Surabaya Indonesia District was organized in 1978 and has three branches. The Church in Indonesia has experienced very slow growth for several consecutive decades, although rapid membership and congregational growth initially occurred in the 1970s. The first branch in Indonesia was created in Jakarta in 2010. The Indonesia Jakarta Mission was first organized in 1975. Limited numbers of visas available for foreign full-time missionaries, a lack of a Church presence in more Christian areas of Indonesia, and decreasing numbers of native Indonesians serving full-time missions have all contributed to slow growth rates and essentially stagnant congregational growth that has persisted for decades.

15 New Temples Announced

Today, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct new temples in 15 cities. These cities include:

• Retalhuleu, Guatemala
• Iquitos, Peru
• Teresina, Brazil
• Natal, Brazil
• Tuguegarao City, Philippines
• Iloilo, Philippines
• Jakarta, Indonesia
• Hamburg, Germany
• Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
• San Jose, California
• Bakersfield, California
• Springfield, Missouri
• Winchester, Virginia
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

With today's announcement, there are now 315 temples that are planned, under construction, or dedicated in the Church.

In the coming days, I will provide additional posts that conduct an analysis of each new temple announced.

Updated Country Profile - Indonesia

Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Indonesia. Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country with 263 million people. However, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reports only about 7,500 members in Indonesia despite a Church presence for 50 years. Indonesia ranks as the country with the 68th most Latter-day Saints among countries with membership figures reported as of year-end 2018. See below for the Future Prospects section of this article:

Potential for church growth remains high, but Latter-day Saints continue to lack the needed nationwide infrastructure and increase in the number of local full-time missionaries to expand mission outreach and reverse the trend of stagnant growth over the past two decades. Decreases in the number of Indonesians who serve missions in the past three decades has been a major challenge not only for mission outreach expansion, but also with supplying leadership for the future as returned missionaries often provide a significant source for leadership positions. All but three congregations are on the island of Java, and there were only four more congregations in Indonesia in late 2019 than in 1995. Church administrative decisions not to translate any church materials into languages spoken by over sixty million Indonesians, low involvement member-missionary programs, the lack of coherent vision for expanding national outreach into unreached areas, and the failure to reach out to receptive ethnic groups and develop a core leadership among them, all bode poorly for the Church’s prospects to achieve breakthroughs in growth in Indonesia in the medium term. Other denominations that have implemented broader visions for national outreach and have made better use of available opportunities have achieved far more rapid growth in Indonesia than The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Government restrictions on visas for foreign full-time missionaries has limited expansion of national outreach over the past two decades. Greater local member participation in missionary activity within the bounds of the law is needed to open additional areas to missionary work, although greater institutional vision could considerably facilitate this process. Other Christian groups have demonstrated that excellent church growth opportunities exist but must be properly approached due to restrictive cultural and governmental conditions. Latter-day Saints have developed a capable, sustained local leadership that can assist in opening new areas of the country to the church if desired by regional church leadership. Due to the creation two new stakes and reduced administrative burden on the Indonesia Jakarta Mission during the early 2010s, additional areas may open to proselytism. However, efforts will likely continue to focus on centers of strength for the Church in select cities on Java, and the establishment of centers of strength in Medan, Manado, and Bali, rather than expansion of the Church into totally unreached provinces inhabited by tens of millions of people. A small temple may be announced in Jakarta within the foreseeable future due to distance and self-sustaining membership and leadership.

Case Studies on LDS Growth in Indonesia

As part of work I provide for The Cumorah Foundation (cumorah.com), I have recently completed a series of case study articles that examine LDS growth in Indonesia. Indonesia has over a quarter of a billion people and has had an LDS missionary presence for over four decades. However, the Church has experienced slow growth within the past three decades and maintains a minimal presence in the country. These case study articles analyze past LDS growth trends in the country and explore opportunities for outreach expansion.

I particularly enjoyed working on this set of case studies. I hope that these case studies will educate interested readers and motivate members to do what they can to help expand the Church's presence in Indonesia.

• Analysis of LDS Growth in Java, Indonesia 
• Prospective LDS Outreach in Kalimantan, Indonesia 
• Prospective LDS Outreach in Papua Province, Indonesia
• Prospective LDS Outreach Expansion in Sulawesi, Indonesia
• Prospective LDS Outreach Expansion in Sumatra, Indonesia
• Prospective LDS Outreach in the Lesser Sunda (Bali and Nusa Tenggara) Islands and the Maluku (Moluccas) Islands in Indonesia

New Stake to be Created in Indonesia

Missionaries serving in Indonesia report that the Church's second stake in the country will be organized at the end of April.  The Surakarta Indonesia District will become a stake and most of the seven branches in the district will become wards.  The Church's first stake in Indonesia, the Jakarta Indonesia Stake, was organized just a year ago.  With the operation of two stakes in Indonesia, prospects appear more likely for a future temple announcement for Southeast Asia.

It is interesting to note that the first stake in Russia was also organized a year ago, but none of the districts appear likely to become stakes within the next year notwithstanding the Church in Russia having more than three times as many members on church records than Indonesia.  Visa restrictions on foreign missionaries and the rapid growth of the Church in Indonesia in the 1970s have generated a somewhat self-sufficient Latter-day Saint community in Indonesia.  Notwithstanding recent progress in two of the three original districts in Indonesia becoming stakes, there has been virtually no progress expanding outreach in Indonesia with the exception of the creation of the Bali Branch about a year or two ago.

First LDS Stake in Indonesia to be Organized May 22nd, 2011

Missionaries serving in the Indonesia Jakarta Mission report that first LDS stake in Indonesia will be organized on May 22nd.  The Jakarta Indonesia District will become a stake at a special conference under the direction of Elder David A. Bednar.  Currently the district has nine branches, seven of which are in the Jakarta metropolitan area.  The Church experienced rapid membership and congregational growth in the 1970s but growth has slowed for over the past three decades largely due to no major efforts to expand national outreach by organizing additional congregations in lesser-reached communities with LDS congregations and in unreached cities and areas of the country.  Slow rates of LDS Church growth in Indonesia are manifest by membership increasing from 4,000 to 6,683 and the number of independent congregations increasing from 20 to 22 between 1992 and 2010.  Overall member activity rates for the LDS Church in Indonesia are higher than most nations in East Asia as active membership is estimated to account for 40% of total church membership.  Indonesian LDS leadership is more self reliant than most nations Asia with fewer than 10,000 members and the percentage of members who have served a full-time mission appears higher than most nations with fewer than 10,000 members today.  The organization of a stake in Indonesia indicates that progress has occurred in reaching the needed number of active, tithe-paying Melchizedek Priesthood holders and that local leadership and membership has matured to the point that additional ecclesiastical and administrative responsibilities can be delegated to local members rather than mission leadership. 

For more information on LDS Church growth history, opportunities, challenges, and prospects, refer to the Indonesia country profile at cumorah.com.

Countries with the Most Members without a Stake Maps

Here are the maps; each green square represents one branch. If you click on the map, it will open in a new window and be much easier to view.