Some Thoughts and Analysis About the Top Ten Nations Without a Temple, Recently-Announced Temples, and Future Temple-Building Plans

Hello again, everyone! On this Sabbath Day, I wanted to post my thoughts and analysis on the recently-updated list of the top 10 nations with the most members that do not have a temple in any phase. Let's get right into those.

First, of those top ten, the Saints in only two of those nations (American Samoa, which comes in at #4, and Mozambique, which comes it at #9) have a journey of less than 400 miles, and the Saints in most of the remaining 8 nations have a journey of 1,000 miles or greater to their currently-assigned temple. So at least the other 8 make prime temple candidates based on the mileage metric, although all of those locations could be said to constitute an undue hardship (either by distance, cost, difficulty of travel, or a combination of any or all of those factors).

As a second observation, due to growth in both the number of units and the membership totals involved, Sierra Leone, once below Kiribati, has now jumped ahead of that nation. Thirdly, 3 of the nations on the previous list of the top ten in that category had a temple announced this last go-round. Fourth, given the nature of the Church's situation in each of the 19 locations which had a temple announced last year, it seems reasonable to assume that the Church will continue to prioritize temple announcements in the nations currently on that top ten list, where membership and the number of Church units would easily support a temple of their own in such locations.

The other side of that has no direct relation to the list, by which I mean that if a bunch of new temples are announced regularly for the near future, something will need to be done to clear any existing backlog. I am sure the fact that the Church has 31 temples which need to get from announcement to construction will play into what is done to deal with the backlog, as well as the timing and number of future announcements.

That said, as many have rightly pointed out, there is more than a good chance that, by the time the next General Conference rolls around, at least 4 (but perhaps as many as 9 or more) temples could see construction begin. As I observed in response to a recent question through a comment on this blog, surely some of these temples are being planned on the smaller side so they can easily and quickly be constructed and dedicated.

Another factor in all of this is, of course, the extent of the plans going forward, and whether or not the consideration of what qualifies any area for a temple of its' own will change. We have previously heard Church presidents talk about having every member within a 200-mile radius of a temple, or of prioritizing locations where travel to a currently-assigned temple is long, hard, expensive, impractical, or unsafe in any way.

The fact that we began this year with 182 temples in various phases and have seen that number swell to 201 now has to mean that there is something big coming in terms of the frequency and extent of future temple announcements, and that the necessary processes will be adapted in such a way as to allow temples to more rapidly move from announcement, to construction, and on to dedication.

Not all of the announced temples will be on the smaller side, but many will be. And I am sure that something will occur in addition to what we have already seen that will ensure a smoother, more rapid transition between various phases of those processes. How, to what extent, and in what manner that may be accomplished may be yet-to-unfold, but I am grateful to know that it is being worked on.

What will the future hold for temple construction? It is unclear for now, although we do know that President Nelson has "[begun] with the end in mind." And if what I have heard in public and privately is any indication, we have barely scratched the surface of what's coming for future temple construction in the years ahead.

There was little to no doubt in my mind before this year began that we would have at least 200 temples in operation by or before Saturday April 6, 2030, which is the day that the Church will mark its' bicentennial, whether or not an official goal is made to do so. If all but one of the temples currently announced are completed within that time, it is well within reach. And there is little top no chance that 19 new locations would have temples announced this year if there was not a plan in mind to handle the windfall of those announcements, to say nothing of dealing with the 12 locations that had not made it to a groundbreaking when this year began.

One thing is absolutely certain: We live in an outstanding time for temple developments, and we'd better buckle up because only the Lord and those privy to conversations at Church headquarters on the subject of temples know exactly what's coming and how the Church will be able to handle it. The very reason we sustain prophets, seers, and revelators is because they are able to put personal preferences, ideas, or views aside to bring themselves and the Church in full conformity with what the Lord, in His infinitely superior wisdom, knowledge, and judgement, deems necessary to prepare the Church as a whole and its' members as individuals and families for the immediate and more distant future.

Whatever might occur in that regard, you can count on my reports about it all as I become aware of such things. I do continue to monitor all of these developments on an ongoing basis, and will do my level best to pass word of those along to you all ASAP. If any of you would like to see the more specific data I have compiled on the list of those top 10 nations, let me know.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.