Note: An initial version of this post was published at 2:07 PM today. Updated analysis was added between 4:30-5:30 PM.
Hello again, everyone! I had wondered if today's announcement on the Red Cliffs Utah Temple media day was the only announcement we'd get. I am pleased to be able to report that we got more than that. The Church has confirmed that ground was broken for the Knoxville Tennessee Temple on Saturday as scheduled. As I mentioned previously, barring anything unexpected, I anticipate that full-scale construction will begin on that temple either later this week or early next week.
And those aren't the only updates the Church shared in terms of temple construction today. The First Presidency also released official information for 2 temple sites in Peru: Cusco Peru (announced by President Nelson in April 2022) and Iquitos Peru (announced by President Nelson in April 2023). Let's break down the relevant details:
A 2.48-acre site at Avenida Arcopata 452 Cusco, Cusco, Peru will be the location of what I presume will be a single-story edifice of approximately 9,950 square feet. And a 1.75-acre site at Calle San Marcos 117–137, San Juan Bautista, Maynas, Loreto, Peru will be home to what I believe will be a single-story temple that will be approximately 20,000 square feet.
The good news is that with both of these temples on the comparatively smaller side, approvals will likely be more easily obtained than for their larger counterparts elsewhere in the world. Exactly how soon that might occur is anyone's guess. But I imagine that these temples will have similar exterior designs as other temples of similar sizes.
I was somewhat surprised we have not yet heard about opening arrangements for the Casper Wyoming Temple, but even if that is not announced until mid-February, the odds seem pretty good that a dedication could still occur for that temple by the end of June. I know many of you might be surprised also by the fact that no groundbreakings have been announced today. I would count on an uptick of those announcements in February.
I would also like to note that I am not concerned about the lack of more groundbreaking announcements at this time. As was observed on the Church Growth Blog, approvals were accelerated for the Hinckley-era smaller temples, and many of them are seeing problems crop up now. I would prefer the Church take their time to get the necessary approvals to ensure we avoid that scenario going forward. As I have previously observed on this blog, President Nelson doesn't seem to be afraid of or deterred by a temple backlog.
As a result of today's announcements, of the now-95 announced temples, only 45 now lack an official announcement. I expect that number will go down further before General Conference in April. And when spring hits in the northern hemisphere, I expect to see an uptick in the number of temple groundbreakings, though we are also likely to see groundbreakings in the southern hemisphere between now and June, when winter hits that part of the world.
In any case, I trust that the Brethren know what they are doing and how to work through the necessary approvals, so I have no doubt groundbreakings will pick up throughout the rest of this year. And I am not worried in the slightest about any sort of "backlog" of announced temples. Looking ahead to April, I think we will see anywhere between 15-20 new temples announced. The Brethren also seem to be more deliberate in how they schedule temple dedications and groundbreakings, so we can trust that process fully.
I continue to monitor any and all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as they cross my radar. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines.
I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Still no groundbreakings. We now have 50 temples with identified sites, 3 of which have been identified since 2021. 15 of those also have had a rendering released. If we don't start holding some groundbreakings 2027-2029 will be very few dedications. So far only 1 this year, with no more announced. Last year was only 8, half of the number previous year (2022). It was also the first year we had less than 11 since we had only 1 in 2018.
ReplyDeleteI'm honestly more surprised that opening dates for the Casper Wyoming Temple weren't announced than no groundbreaking confirmations. It's still fairly early in the year, so it's possible that we can have many groundbreakings announced later. 50 Sites confirmed is far beyond the most the Church has ever had at one given time, so there may be plans to have dozens this year or next year.
DeleteScott and Noah, I just finished updating the post above. As I mentioned, I'm not concerned about the fact that there is a backlog of temples awaiting their groundbreakings. A recent comment on the Church Growth Blog noted that the Nelsonian temples appear to be trying to avoid the Hinckley-era trend of accelerated construction and risking the need for a rebuild in a decade or two. So I would infinitely prefer the Church take their time to get the plans to a point that that won't happen than that temples should be rushed to a groundbreaking. Either way, from what I hear, 2024 and beyond are going to see double-digit groundbreakings, so the fact that only one has taken place so far isn't a huge cause for alarm at this point.
DeleteNoah, to your comment expressing surprise that the Casper opening arrangements have not yet been announced, I addressed that as well in my updated post above. According to my calculations, the Church could announce the dedication of the Casper Wyoming Temple anytime in the month of February, and we'd still be likely to see the dedication occur before the end of June. So I'm not worried in that regard either. Thank you both for taking time to comment.
One non-temple related note. As per CDOL Elder W. Mark Bassitt began serving as the Executive Director of the Missionary Department on January 23rd. He was replaced as 2nd Counselor of the North America Southeast Area by Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt on January 16th.
ReplyDeleteScott, thanks for these updates. I didn't know that the CDOL listed information about Church departments, but it makes sense that they would. It also makes sense that Elder Bassett is the new Executive Director of the Missionary Department. He's been an Assistant Executive Director of that department for a while now. And the Church would naturally look to someone who's going to be able to fill that position for the longterm. It makes sense that Elder Corbitt replaced Elder Bassett in the North America Southeast Area presidency as well. I believe he had been an area assistant there for a while now. Thanks for advising us of these changes. I appreciate you sharing the information.
DeleteIn other news on this Tuesday, the Newsroom has reported on the launch of a new French-language Newsroom for African nations. Meanwhile, the Church News shares new updates from RootsTech, including new mobile app features like session schedulers. And Latter-day Saint youth have shared what they learned from the recent worldwide discussion featuring Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Young Women and Young Men General Presidents Emily Belle Freeman and Steven J. Lund. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteOn this Wednesday, a significant announcement affecting seminary has been made. Effective immediately in the United States and Canada and effective January of next year worldwide, seminary classes will now devote one lesson per week to life preparation lessons. As I read about this, I received confirmation that this change was inspired.
ReplyDeleteThe Church News also reported on how neonatal and maternal care is saving lives in Sierra Leone. The Church is unfurling a virtual welcome mat to the Red Cliffs Utah Temple open house. Practicing Muslim Eboo Patel spoke to young adults. Latter-day Saint runner Daniel Simmons was awarded the Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year award for the second year in a row. And the latest edition of the Church News podcast, with guest host Sheri Dew, has been released. My thanks once again to you all.
Brother Michael T. Nelson, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, spoke at this week's BYU-Idaho devotional. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteSorry. Yesterday was Tuesday. Today is Wednesday. I've had a lot going on personally, so I'm in a bit of a time warp. That being said, on this Wednesday, Elder David A. Bednar has issued an apostolic invitation for World Interfaith Harmony Week 2024. The Church News has provided an additional report about service rendered on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Church News also reported on this week's forum at BYU-Provo, Elder Dale G. Renlund's ministry in Cambodia, self-reliance stories from Nigeria, and Canada's first Portuguese-speaking branch.
DeleteAdditionally, status update have been reported on the Burley Idaho, Lindon Utah, Pago Pago American Samoa, Montpelier Idaho, and Heber Valley Utah Temples. My thanks once again to you all.
An update was also provided on the status of the Salt Lake Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Friday, the Newsroom has reported that the "no cost" subscriptions for Church magazines are now available worldwide. More news has been shared about RootsTech 2024. And a Church-supported nursing training center has opened in Kurdistan Iraq. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteThe Newsroom and the Church News have announced permanent adjustments for Easter and Christmas Sundays (or the Sundays nearest to Christmas), which will be Sacrament Meeting only going forward. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteSorry. Forgot the link to the Newsroom article. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteA status update has been noted for the Lindon Utah Temple. My thanks once again to you all
DeleteSorry. Yesterday was Thursday. Today is Friday. As I said, I've been in a time warp lately. So on this Friday, the biographies of 16 more mission leaders have been shared. Among this latest group, there were 2 current area seventies (Glenn Burgess & Tito Ibanez) and 3 former area seventies (Marc Davis, Kevin J. Hathaway, & Anthony Quaisie). The first organ virtuoso series of 2024 has been announced. And the Church has responded to the recent earthquake in Japan.
DeleteAlso, the latest edition of "This Week on Social has been published. In the newest installment of that ongoing series, the following general Church leaders had content featured: Acting President Jeffrey R. Holland and Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson, Gary E. Stevenson, Dale G. Renlund, and Ulisses Soares; all of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson; the entire Young Women General Presidency (President Emily Belle Freeman and Sisters Tamara W. Runia and Andrea Munoz Spannaus, who did a joint post on Young Women Worldwide); Sister Amy A. Wright, First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency; Sunday School General President Mark L. Pace and his Second Counselor, Jan E. Newman; and Young Men General President Steven J. Lund (posting on Young Men Worldwide). My thanks once again to you all.
On this Saturday, Church News editor Sister Sarah Jane Weaver shared the lesson she learned from covering President Jeffrey R. Holland's first ministry trip outside of Utah. Several Church members shared how they gained their testimonies about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. And the text of the message that will be given in English and Spanish during the Music & the Spoken Word broadcast tomorrow. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAlso of note with the latest group of Mission Presidents is a son of Elder Lawrence E. Corbidge & the son-in-law of Elder Lynn A. Mickelsen
DeleteThat's interesting. Well spotted. Thanks for bringing that to our attention. I always appreciate hearing from you, Scott.
Deletehttps://www.powelltribune.com/stories/judge-allows-church-to-begin-building-cody-temple,114731
ReplyDeleteA good sign that may possibly lead to a groundbreaking announcement in the coming weeks.
I sure hope that will be the case. Thanks, Noah.
DeleteOn this Sabbath Day, the Church News has shared a few new reports. A football recruit has no qualms about putting his collegiate career on hold to serve a mission for the Church. The latest edition of In Case You Missed It: Week in Review recapped the top 9 developments covered by the Church News this week. And with 2 Nephi 1-2 being the "Come, Follow Me" study for this next week, teachings from Church leaders provide important context. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteThe next Friend-to-Friend event has been announced, and an update on the aftermath of Chilean wildfires has been provided. My thanks once again to you all.
Delete