Updated List of Temple Presidents that have been or might be called during 2017

Hello, all! With the callings of new temple presidents that were announced today, it has become necessary to post an updated list of those who have been or may yet be called. Enjoy! Let me know what you think.

New Temples whose presidents will begin serving later this year:

1.      Paris France (President announced in 2016; will begin formal service on May 21)

2.      Cedar City Utah (President  announced in March; will begin service on December 10)

3.      Tucson Arizona (President announced in March; will begin formal service on August 13)

4.      Meridian Idaho (President announced in April; will begin formal service in November 19)

Operating Temples whose president was changed earlier this year:

1.      Calgary Alberta (president changed sometime during March for an undisclosed reason, likely because the previous president died or became incapacitated)

General Note #1: The president of the Tokyo Japan Temple died during his active service in late April of this year. The Church has no doubt called one of his counselors as the new president so that the work of the temple can go on uninterrupted. Once I learn of that information, I will add that temple to one of the lists above.

General Note #2: Other operating temples, as has already been announced, will be getting a new president later this year as well, and if those changes take place as they did during my six-year service in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, the new presidents will start their service on the first Monday or Tuesday of November, which fall this year on the 6^th and 7^th. Those temples that will have a new president this year include the following:

1.      Apia Samoa

2.      Logan Utah

3.      Vernal Utah

4.      Toronto Ontario

5.      Snowflake Arizona

6.      Phoenix Arizona

7.      Salt Lake

8.      Bern Switzerland

9.      Quetzaltenango Guatemala

10.  Louisville Kentucky

11.  San Diego California

12.  Mount Timpanogos Utah

13.  Madrid Spain

14.  Bogota Colombia

15.  Edmonton Alberta

16.  Newport Beach California

17.  Adelaide Australia

18.  Kona Hawaii

19.  Caracas Venezuela

20.  Bismarck North Dakota

21.  Mesa Arizona

22.  Columbia South Carolina

23.  Ogden Utah

24.  Lubbock Texas

25.  Guayaquil Ecuador

26.  Fort Lauderdale Florida

27.  Los Angeles California

28.  San Salvador El Salvador

29.  Manila Philippines

30.  San Antonio Texas

General Note #3: Temple presidents generally serve for around three years. With that in mind, I feel confident in predicting that the following temples may also have a new president announced:

1.      Baton Rouge Louisiana

2.      Buenos Aires Argentina

NOTE: The current president has been serving since this temple’s rededication in 2012. As that is well beyond the standard 3 years of service, it seems reasonable to assume that there will be such a change this year.

General Note #4: The presidents of the following temples would be marking their third year of service had they not closed previously for renovations. A new president may or may not be called this year for those temples.

1.      Freiberg Germany (Closed for renovation in 2014 and rededicated last year)

2.      Idaho Falls Idaho (Closed for renovation in 2015 and will be rededicated in less than a month)

General Note #5: The presidents of the following temples would be marking three years of service later this year if those temples were not closing for renovations within the next ten months. Therefore, there may or may not be a change.

1.      Asuncion Paraguay

NOTE: The current president has served since 2014, which means that this year would mark time for a charge. But this temple will close for renovation in October, one month before usual changes are made. As a subsequent rededication of this temple is anticipated sometime in 2019, it is more than likely that the Church will hold off on naming a new president until that time.

2.      Washington DC

NOTE: Though this temple president will have marked three years of service later this year, the temple will close for renovation next March. With that in mind, I could see the Church calling a new president this year for a few months prior to that renovation, or holding off on calling anyone until after the renovation is completed sometime during 2020.

General Note #6: The following two temples closed for renovations in the middle of their current president’s active service. Were it not for that, we would likely be seeing changes there as well.

1.      Jordan River (president has served since 2014; temple closed in 2015 and will be rededicated sometime next year, so a new president may not be called until sometime during 2020)

2.      Frankfurt Germany (president has served since 2013; temple closed in 2015 and will be rededicated sometime next year, so the president could be changed sometime within the next two years)

General Note #7: Temples that will most likely be dedicated during the early or middle part of next year and might therefore have their first presidents announced at some point during the fall of this year (since the first president of the Paris France Temple had its’ first: president called during the summer of 2016):

1.      Rome Italy

2.      Kinshasa DR Congo

3.      Barranquilla Colombia

Church News Update

The News and Events section of the Church website has recently undergone a massive update within the last couple of days. While I don't currently have time to post an analysis of all that news, I did want to post a link to where people can read about it themselves. Perhaps the most significant development, aside from the post about President Monson's recent decision to not take as much of an active role in Church leadership, is the scheduling of the first regional Face-to-Face event for the youth in the two geographic areas of Africa. The broadcast, which will feature Elder and Sister Renlund, will give them a chance to go back to the areas they grew to love so well as a result of their time in one of the Africa Area Presidencies. I also love Elder Renlund's self-effacing statement: "People usually like me more if they meet Ruth first." I have loved following how extensively the apostles have been traveling and talking lately, and that applies even more so with the increased role they will have in Church decisions in President Monson's stepping back. I have noticed particularly that even our newest apostles are hard at work filling a variety of assignments, and that speaks to how inspired their callings have truly been. More analysis will follow in the coming days on some stories. In the meantime, you will find the latest news here. Thanks. Comments are always welcome and appreciated.

Initial Predictions for the October 2017 General Conference

Hello, all! I have thought a great deal about my predictions for next General Conference (which I initially put together shortly after the last General Conference ended), and I have recently reworked some of them, more particularly the speaking order for General Authority Seventies. While I originally did not want to post them prematurely, now I am making an effort to make them the best they can be. Also in the works is a much-needed update on the latest apostolic statistics. More will come on that, which I hope to post by or before Sunday.

I am also trying to study developments in terms of likely temples and future temple-related developments. I know I have been promising to post my updated estimated timeline for those future events, but I am trying to make the current version the most researched one that I have ever done.

In terms of these predictions for the October Conference, I know for sure that my research in recent days has led me to reconsider some of the temples I have listed. I am leaving the list untouched for now because I want to ensure that there is adequate time for feedback on what you, my readers, feel are more or less likely possibilities. As with anything, I try to take such insights into account when fine-tuning things. And if there are any comments any of you have on any of these other predictions, please share that as well. I look forward to the discussion.

I would also be interested to hear anyone who has thoughts as far as what the update regarding President Monson might mean in terms of whether or not he will speak in future General Conferences. While a prophet not speaking as much, if at all, is not uncommon, it is unclear whether or not his decision means he will not attend future General Conferences. It is also not clear how much longer he might live. It is almost certain he will live to see his 90th birthday in less than three months (though unclear whether or not the Church will do anything special to mark this milestone birthday), he would reach some other milestones regarding his tenure as prophet and his age, to say nothing of his First Presidency moving up on the list of the five longest continuously serving ones, so much is unknown about how his decision will impact things like his speaking in General Conference.

And, in one way, this situation is unprecedented. President Monson voluntarily stepped back from active service, unlike Presidents Kimball and Benson, who were older and had no choice. It is certain that, if he does speak at all in subsequent conferences, his addresses will continue to be 10 minutes or less total in length, and will be given at the top of those sessions. But I could see him stepping back from even that and letting his counselors and the other 12 apostles speak a bit longer instead.

Additionally, I should note that, because I wanted to see what it might look like, I have put together a hypothetical prediction for the April 2018 General Conference. But since that will be largely determined by what happens between now and then, and specifically during the October General Conference, I am not posting that now nor will I until I see how October pans out.

As always, I look forward to the discussion. Here are those predictions:

October 2017 General Conference Predictions

Speaking Order (Text in brackets indicated what actually happened.)

Session	Conducting	Speaker
General Women’s	Joy D. Jones	Christina B. Franco
		Sharon Eubank
		Bonnie L. Oscarson
		President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Saturday Morning	President Henry B. Eyring	President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
		Bishop W. Christopher Waddell
		Jean B. Bingham
		Elder David A. Bednar
		Elder Massimo De Feo
		Elder O. Vincent Haleck
		Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Saturday Afternoon	President Dieter F. Uchtdorf	President Henry B. Eyring (Sustaining of Church Officers)
		President Russell M. Nelson
		Elder Dale G. Renlund
		Elder Larry Y. Wilson
		Elder Joni L. Koch
		Elder Ian S. Ardern
		Elder Quentin L. Cook
		Elder Ronald A. Rasband
Saturday Priesthood	President Henry B. Eyring	President Thomas S. Monson
		Elder D. Todd Christofferson
		Elder Patrick Kearon
		President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
		President Henry B. Eyring
Sunday Morning	President Dieter F. Uchtdorf	President Thomas S. Monson
		Elder Robert D. Hales
		Elder Juan A. Uceda
		Neill F. Marriott
		Elder Gary E. Stevenson
		Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella
		Elder Brian K. Taylor
		President Henry B. Eyring
Sunday Afternoon	President Henry B. Eyring	Elder Neil L. Andersen
		Tad R. Callister
		Elder David F. Evans
		Elder M. Russell Ballard
		Elder Taniela B. Wakolo
		Elder Jose L. Alonso
		Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Changes in General Church Leadership

Presidency of the Seventy: Elders Donald L. Hallstrom and Richard J. Maynes released from the presidency, Elders Juan A. Uceda and Patrick Kearon sustained. NOTE: These changes, announced on May 3, became effective on August 1. For that reason, they will likely be ratified by sustaining vote.

General Authority Seventies: Elders Stanley G. Ellis, Larry R. Lawrence, and W. Craig Zwick released as General Authority Seventies and granted emeritus status. NOTE: Elder Ellis turned 70 in January this year, just as Elder Zwick did in June, and Elder Lawrence did in August, so it would make sense if these men were released and granted emeritus status. RESULT:

Area Seventies: Releases and sustainings. NOTE: It has been customary for most changes in area seventies to take place in April, when President Uchtdorf leads out in the sustaining vote, and for only a few to take place in October, when President Eyring leads out in the sustaining. Since we are talking about an October General Conference, it would make sense if only a few changes happened this go-round. RESULT:

Temple Predictions:

3+ temples announced in any of the following locations:

NOTE: Since it is difficult at best to know where the Lord feels a need for a temple and temple locations are not as cut-and-dried as I have originally believed them to be, I am doing a preliminary list, which I will refine as the time for General Conference draws closer. I will look forward to seeing what happens with those possibilities, if any are announced at all. So far between 2015 and this year, the 12 newest temples were announced during the April General Conference. If any temples are announced, there will only be a few.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: As with the previous conference, these temples are grouped first by geographical area of the Church, then by likelihood within that area:

Africa West: Lagos Nigeria

Asia: Phnom Penh Cambodia; Jakarta Indonesia

Brazil: Belo Horizonte; Salvador

Central America: Managua Nicaragua NOTE: This temple was publicly proposed by then-Elder Russell M. Nelson in 2012, and land for this temple was reportedly purchased several years ago. An official announcement will follow when membership and temple activity in the area this temple district will cover warrant that. Nicaragua is also the first of the top ten countries without a temple in any phase.

Europe: Budapest Hungary; Vienna Austria

Mexico: Puebla Mexico

North America Central: Missoula Montana; (NOTE: Land for this temple was purchased several years ago, and it will be announced when membership and temple activity in the area this temple district will cover warrant that.); Green Bay Wisconsin

North America Northeast: Richmond Virginia

North America Northwest: Salem Oregon

North America Southeast: Bentonville Arkansas NOTE: Land for this temple was purchased several years ago, and both will be announced when membership and temple activity in the area these temple district will cover warrant that.

North America Southwest: Fort Worth Texas

Pacific: Auckland New Zealand; Port Moresby Papua New Guinea NOTE: Land for both of these temples was purchased several years ago, and will be announced when membership and temple activity in the area this temple district will cover warrant that. Of the two, Auckland is more likely, but Papua New Guinea is the second of the top ten countries without a temple in any phase.

South America Northwest: Santa Cruz Bolivia

South America South: Neuquen Argentina; Valparaiso Chile

Utah North: Layton Utah

Utah Salt Lake City: Tooele Utah

ADDITIONAL TEMPLE NOTES: As growth has stagnated in the US, it is unclear how many (if any) additional US temples might be announced. I would not be opposed to removing all but the ones that are most likely. And in terms of a temple for Austria, it makes sense in terms of President Monson's goal to have every member within 200 miles of a temple, but it is not likely because Austria is retrogressing rather than progressing in the gospel. So that would be an easy removal as well. Other than those, any one of them is fair game to happen or to be removed as a possibility. And if I have omitted or overlooked any possibilities, let me know that too. Maybe no temples will be announced this go-round at all, which would be in line with the fact that the last 12 temples were announced during April General Conference. But I am still including them just in case. Thanks.