Matthew Martinich's Potential Temple Sites Predictions: April 2015 Edition

Around each General Conference, one question on many Church member's minds may be "What (if any) new temples may be announced, and where will they be located?" Matthew Martinich, a Church member who devotes his blog to everything relating to LDS Church Growth, attempts to answer that question by making careful predictions based on extensive research. He recently posted his predictions for temples that could potentially be announced at the upcoming April 2015 General Conference, and with his permission, I am posting a link to those predictions. Before doing so, I want to make it absolutely clear that these are Matthew Martinich's predictions, not mine, and that a link to them only appears with his express permission. After posting the link, I will make some comments of my own about his post. Click here for the predictions.

I believe Brother Martinich's predictions to be well-researched and thought-out, more so than my own. A careful study of temple distribution around the world is instructive. There are no temples in North or East Africa, only in the West or South. All temples in Asia are in the East. The temples in Europe seem fairly evenly distributed. There are no temples in the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Manitoba, Virginia, Kansas, New Jersey, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Iowa, Mississippi, Iowa, West Virginia, Maine, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Delaware, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Washington D. C. (what is called the Washington D. C. Temple is technically located in Virginia). The temples in the Pacific, South America, and Brazil seem to be fairly evenly distributed.

There are some temples that have been publicly proposed by apostles and prophets but have not yet been announced though sites may have been procured for one or two of them already. This list includes five proposed by President Gordon B. Hinckley: ((Nairobi Kenya: February 17, 1998); (Maracaibo Venezuela: August 3, 1999); (Singapore: January 30, 2000); (Bangkok Thailand: June 13, 2000); (Southwest Salt Lake Valley: October 1, 2005)); one proposed by Elder Neal A. Maxwell: (New Delhi India Temple: June 1992); and one proposed by Elder Russell M. Nelson: (Managua Nicaragua Temple: January 18, 2012).

Additionally, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see one or two more temples in Utah County in the near future, perhaps in Orem or Lehi. I would personally love it if President Monson or his immediate successor made a goal of having 200 temples by the 200th anniversary of the reestablishment of the Lord's Church on the earth (April 6, 2030). I was looking over the progress of temples being built. It took us over 167 years after the Church was first organized for us to dedicate the first 50 temples of the Church. The next 50 temples took a little less than three years to dedicate thanks to President Gordon B. Hinckley's goal of having 100 temples by the year 2000. By the end of this year, the 185th year of the Church's organization, we will almost have another 50. In fact, we will be just one short of that. The 149th temple of the Church will be dedicated on December 13, 2015. It is not unreasonable to believe that we could have another 51 done in less than 15 years, especially if President Monson announces several more temples that could be completed relatively easily. It is wonderful to contemplate the progress the Church is making in this regard.

It has been said that each temple built lessens Satan's power over the hearts of the children of men. If that's the case, I hope to see within my lifetime 300 or even 400 temples. It could happen. We are a temple building people. But even as we build, let us not forget our duty to attend. I feel like a hypocrite saying this, because I don't do it nearly enough, but for those who live here in American Fork, we have a temple in our midst, so it is our duty to use it. It is my prayer that we will attend often. "Brethren [and sisters], shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren [and sisters]; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free." They are waiting for us to redeem them. It is my prayer that we will go and do so, and my testimony that blessings abound as we do so. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.