Hello again, everyone! I had this post originally published a couple of hours ago, but ran into some systemic and formatting issues that resulted in my having to redo it and republish it now. A couple of hours ago, I published the first part of the results of my October 2019 General Conference predictions. In this second part, I will be publishing the results of my temple predictions. Before I do so, a few introductory thoughts. First of all, the list of candidate cities in this post were meant solely and specifically to pertain to just thie most recent General Conference.
Given the trends and patterns (and in many cases, the lack thereof) in Nelsonian temple announcements within each of the four General Conferences over which he has presided as the prophet, I will need to reanalyze both the announcements so far and, more importantly, what the announcements thus far may indicate in terms of what to expect for the future. That analysis will likely come in a variety of content posted between now and the April 2020 General Conference. As a result, if I may request it, I would at this point prefer if any comments relating to prospective temple locations in the future, except in general terms, were reserved for those other posts.
Of course, if any of you want to contribute thoughts on that subject here, I would naturally respond to those as I would most comments on this or any other post. But if we were able to defer discussion of future prospects on either my personal list or those on any of your personal lists for other times and other posts specifically intended for that purpose, I would personally appreciate it. With that noted, any offered feedback is always welcome, and the choice is up to each of you whether or not to comply with my personal requests and preferences in this or any other respect.
Well, so much for the introductory comments on the list of prospective locations I had put together specifically for this most recent General Conference. That list, along with the relevant results of those fspecific predictions, and the point total and accuracy percentage of my predictions as a whole follow below. In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here as I always do:
That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
Temple predictions: 14-16 new temples announced for any of the following locations6:
Africa Southeast7: Antananarivo Madagascar; Second DR Congo Temple (in Mbuji-Mayi or Lubumbashi); Maputo Mozambique; Kampala Uganda; Cape Town South Africa
Africa West8: Bo/Freetown Sierra Leone; Kumasi Ghana; Monrovia Liberia; Benin City Nigeria; Yamoussoukro Ivory Coast
Asia9: Jakarta Indonesia; Singapore; Taichung Taiwan; Hanoi Vietnam
Asia North10: Ulaanbaatar Mongolia; Osaka Japan
Brazil11: Belo Horizonte, Florianopolis, João Pessoa, or Ribeirão Preto Brazil
Caribbean: Kingston Jamaica12
Central America13: Coban Guatemala
Europe14: Edinburgh Scotland; Berlin Germany; Barcelona Spain; Oslo Norway; Vienna Austria
Europe East15: Vilnius Lithuania
Mexico16: Torreon or Queretaro Mexico
Middle East/Africa North17: Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
Pacific18: Port Moresby Papua New Guinea; Tarawa Kiribati; Savaii Samoa; Christchurch New Zealand
Philippines19: Tacloban or Bacolod Philippines
South America Northwest20: Santa Cruz Bolivia; Iquitos Peru; Cali Colombia; Maracaibo Venezuela
South America South21: Bahia Blanca Argentina; Vina del Mar Chile; Ciudad del Este Paraguay
North America (including the United States and Canada)22:
North America Central23: Missoula Montana; Green Bay Wisconsin; Wichita Kansas; Des Moines Iowa; Pueblo Colorado; Rapid City South Dakota
North America Northeast24: Cleveland Ohio; East Brunswick New Jersey; Montpelier Vermont;
Augusta Maine
North America Southeast25: Jackson Mississippi; Knoxville Tennessee; Savannah Georgia; Jacksonville Florida; Charlotte North Carolina Shreveport Louisiana
North America Southwest26: Bentonville Arkansas; Fort Worth Texas; Las Cruces New Mexico; Queen Creek Arizona; Elko Nevada
North America West27: Victoria British Columbia; Fairbanks Alaska; Bakersfield California
Utah28: Herriman Utah; Evanston Wyoming or Preston Idaho; Heber City Utah; Washington County Utah (Third Temple)
Temple Predictions Results: During the Women’s Session of General Conference, President Nelson announced 8 temples in the following locations: Freetown Sierra Leone; Orem Utah; Port Moresby Papua New Guinea; Bentonville Arkansas; Bacolod Philippines; McAllen Texas; Coban Guatemala; and Taylorsville Utah.
Additional Note: During the Sunday Afternoon Session of General Conference, President Nelson announced a revision of the temple recommend interview questions.
110/159=69.18% accuracy on these predictions.
Notes
6Having announced a record-breaking 27 new temples during his first 3 General Conferences as Church President, some have suggested that President Nelson could focus on clearing the existing backlog, which could result in a hiatus on temple announcements. While I understand that opinion to a certain degree, we have heard much more from apostles, other Church leaders, and those privy to such information regarding President Nelson’s plans to expand the number of temples. With that in mind, I believe at least as many temples as I have suggested here may be announced, though it could be more. I also believe that the expansion of the number of temples will be done with wisdom, order, and common sense, which may mean that President Nelson might not explain his plans for the near future, and instead focus on gradually implementing them with the end result in mind that the number of temples will ultimately include a ten-fold increase. The locations named below seem to be the most likely to be announced during this conference, based on the reasons I will detail in subsequent notes.
7The Africa Southeast Area has experienced significant Church growth. In fact, the degree to which such growth has occurred resulted in the First Presidency announcing the division of this area on June 28, 2019, which will go into effect in August 2020. There are currently 2 operating temples which are serving this area, with the Durban South Africa Temple set to be dedicated in February of next year. With 2 other announced temples for which a site confirmation or groundbreaking are pending, I have found 6 additional cities which could get a temple in the near future. Most of these candidates are on the list based on either the mileage to the current temple(s), travel rigor, or oversized temple districts. Additionally, Uganda, Mozambique, and Madagascar are fourth, sixth, and seventh respectively on the list of top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that do not have a temple in any phase. Due to its’ isolation from the rest of the African continent, Madagascar is my top pick for this area. And in reference to a second DR Congo Temple, I have personally favored Lubumbashi, but a recent report on the Church Growth Blog pointed to the idea that a temple in Mbuji-Mayi might be more imminently needed, so both are on this list. Moreover, a temple in Mbuji-Mayi would fulfill the public proposal of a temple for the Kasai region, which was made by Elder Andersen in 2016. For some of these locations which are in political, moral, or other turmoil, the temples mentioned could provide a welcome refuge.
8The same factors I referenced in note 7 above (about significant Church growth, the mileage and rigors involved, and temple district sizes) also applies to the Africa West Area, as reflected by the 5 candidate cities listed here. With only 2 temples currently operating, 1 more under construction, and 1 which has been announced, the Church Growth Blog has noted that West Africa could have at least 13 operating temples by 2030. Only two of the five candidate locations in this area do not have a temple in any phase: Sierra Leone and Liberia, which rank as the second and fifth respectively on the aforementioned top ten list. Sierra Leone is my top pick for this area, and also for Africa overall. With reference to Sierra Leone particularly, I had thought the first temple would be built in the capital city of Freetown, but a new post published on the Church Growth Blog in mid-September noted a strong rationale for the temple being built in Bo. I have kept both cities on my list for now. Also, although it may be difficult to know how soon a second Ivory Coast temple and a third Nigerian temple may be announced, I have felt confident enough in these picks to include them here.
9The Asian Saints, whose ability to practice their faith has been somewhat limited at times by governmental regulations, are nonetheless very faithful, as evidenced by recent temple announcements for that continent. With 2 temples currently serving the Saints in this area, one other is under construction, and two more have been announced. The factors first mentioned in previous notes above also apply to the Asia Area, which is the largest geographically in the Church. Additionally, President Hinckley publicly proposed a temple in Singapore around 2 decades ago, and Vietnam is a dark-horse pick that I included based on reports of Church growth in the area.
10Although the Asia North Area has seen some stagnating growth conditions, on July 24, 2019, the Mongolian Newsroom shared information indicating that Mongolia was being reassigned from the Asia to the Asia North Area. Since Mongolia has been a Church strong-hold, the transfer should enable the Asia North Area to grow in ways it has not yet been able to. Of the locations listed, Mongolia is my favored pick, since that nation is eighth on the aforementioned top ten list, and any temple to which it is assigned will involve extensive and expensive travel. Additionally, since President Nelson announced a temple for Yigo Guam in October 2018, and a temple for Okinawa Japan last April, no location can be counted out, which is why my list also includes a probable temple for Osaka. A combination of the reasons I have provided previous leads me to conclude that temples in both Ulaanbaatar and Osaka may simply be a matter of time.
11Brazil has been a Church stronghold for a while now. With seven temples currently in operation, the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple will be dedicated within the next 4-8 months. The Belem Brazil Temple had a groundbreaking ceremony 7 weeks prior to this General Conference, and the Brasilia Brazil Temple is anticipated to have a groundbreaking prior to the end of this year. One other temple (in Salvador Brazil) is awaiting a site announcement and groundbreaking. Although any or all of the candidate cities I listed above appear to be likely prospects for the immediate or near future, President Nelson visited Saints living in the Sao Paulo region roughly 5 weeks prior to this General Conference, so another temple in that area may be the priority.
12This city is another dark-horse pick, but is on the list due to the factors mentioned previously, and also because someone suggested it elsewhere. And given what President Nelson has done in terms of the 27 temples he has announced thus far, Kingston could be another location for a smaller temple. I say that because the Kingston Jamaica Saints travel 298 miles one-way overseas to worship at their assigned temple (in Port-au-Prince Haiti, which was dedicated 5 weeks before this General Conference). Given President Nelson’s attention to remote areas, it seems more likely than not that a temple in Jamaica may be in the works for either the immediate or near future.
13I have previously referenced information on prospective temples in Central America from someone who lives and works in Guatemala. Based on the information received from that individual, when Guatemala receives a third temple, the best way to split the current Guatemala City district would be for a temple to be built in Coban. My personal research has confirmed that opinion. But above and beyond that, during the same tour that saw President Nelson in Brazil, he also made a stop in Guatemala, and could perhaps have been assessing Coban as a temple prospect. So a temple in that city may simply be a matter of time.
14The situation of Saints living on the European continent is somewhat interesting. Where there are centers of strength, significant growth has occurred. But there has been some stagnant growth through the continent in recent years. Having said that, both the Rome Italy and Lisbon Portugal Temples were dedicated this year, while construction is underway on the Praia Cabo Verde Temple (which falls under the Europe Area, even though it is geographically closer to West Africa), another temple has been announced in Budapest Hungary. And most or all of the factors I have mentioned previously apply in equal measure to the Europe Area, making it likely that any of the 5 locations I mentioned here could get a temple this go-round. With Barcelona and Berlin being new additions to this list, I have prioritized the latter over the former due to Elder Uchtdorf’s recent visit there. And the odds of a temple in Austria, which was also visited by Elder Uchtdorf recently, may depend on how soon work is able to get underway on the temple in Budapest, which is Austria’s closest neighbor with a temple in any phase.
15The Church in Eastern Europe is an interesting case to consider. With one temple currently operating in Kyiv Ukraine, one other has been announced for a major, yet-to-be-determined city in Russia. Based on the political climate of Russia, it may take a while for the Church to get the temple there approved and built. In the interim, a temple in Lithuania, which, insofar as I can tell, would have no political obstacles, may be the best option to help with the currently-reported activity levels at the Kyiv temple. Additionally, although no stakes are currently established in Lithuania, which would make the nation more of a dark-horse pick, there have been recent examples of President Nelson announcing temples for other cities where no stakes are established. Above and beyond that, in the mid-1990s, then-Elder M. Russell Ballard visited the Saints in Lithuania and publicly proposed a temple there, so I have felt confident enough to list such a prospect here this go-round.
16Mexico presents an interesting anomaly. With some significant growth in areas of strength, the mass consolidation of units in that nation continues. A temple was announced in Puebla last October, and it is difficult to know how soon another temple may be announced for that nation. But the cities of Queretaro and Torreon have been identified by a Church member living in Mexico as likely to get a temple in the near future, so both are on this list.
17The bulk of Church membership in this geographical area is comprised of US military personnel. The fact that such personnel are only there for a comparatively short amount of time led me to conclude for a while that a temple for this area would not occur for a decade or more from now. But given the unprecedented, out-of-the-box thinking President Nelson has demonstrated in the temples he has announced (particularly in announcing temples in locations that I felt were unlikely to see a temple for another decade or more), and given the fact that the UAE represents a Church stronghold in the area, I have put a temple for that nation on this list. And although it seemed that there was an equally-likely chance such a temple could be built in either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, after further research on my part, I have concluded that the latter is the more imminently-likely prospect.
18The Pacific area is another stronghold of Church growth. With 10 temples currently operating there (and 3 others announced), it seems logical to assume that other temples will be needed to serve the area. Most (if not all) of the factors I mentioned previously apply equally to this area. Additionally, New Guinea, and Kiribati are ranked first and third respectively on the aforementioned top ten list of nations. So I have no doubt the Pacific Area will see temples announced in each of these cities within the next 5-7 years, if not sooner.
19The Church has two operating temples in the Philippines (Manila and Cebu City). The temple announced in October 2010 for Urdaneta is now under construction, with three more announced for Muntinlupa City, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao. If that is any indication of what might happen in the future, then other temples may be needed for the Philippines, and the cities mentioned here seem to have the highest likelihood of having a temple announced, due to difficult travel which may constitute an undue hardship for reasons outlined in prior notes.
20The entire South American continent has experienced massive Church growth. Having previously discussed Brazil, in reference to the South America Northwest Area, I wanted to observe that there are 7 operating temples there. 1 more is currently under construction in Arequipa Peru (for which a dedication is anticipated before the end of this year) Two others, the Lima Peru Los Olivos and Quito Ecuador Temples, are both now under construction. And while I have personally-favored La Paz as the candidate for Bolivia’s second temple, my research shows one in Santa Cruz may be more crucially needed. And although I had two candidate cities each for Peru and Colombia, further research has enabled me to narrow each down to the most likely location. Also, President Hinckley publicly proposed a temple in Maracaibo, and further research on my part suggests the time may be right for that prospect.
21The South America South Area has likewise seen very significant and rapidly expanding growth. So again, with President Nelson’s extensive temple-building plans in mind, I have considered the most imminent prospects for future temples in this area, and the factors mentioned in previous notes hold true here as well. Currently, this area of the Church is served by 6 operating temples (1 of which is closed for renovation), and there were 2 more announced for this area last year. With that in mind, the 3 locations listed in this section seem to have the strongest case in their favor of a temple announced in the near future. In reference to Argentina, I received word of a report that Saints in the city of Bahia Blanca were lobbying Salt Lake City for a temple of their own. And in view of President Nelson’s visit to the Buenos Aires area 5 weeks before this General Conference, it seems probable he went there in order to personally assess such a prospect in addition to visiting with Church members there.
22Although the North American continent (primarily in the United States) has seen somewhat of a stagnating growth situation, in light of the recent increased mentions of President Nelson’s ambitious temple-building plans, the likelihood is extremely high that the US and Canada will be included in whatever the plans are to expand the number of temples worldwide. The locations listed below represent what I believe are the most imminent prospects for each of the now-6 North American areas of the Church.
23As mentioned in previous notes, on the one hand, it may be difficult (if not impossible) to gauge the imminent likelihood of any locations. But as also mentioned, in view of some of the relevant factors, I can see the merits of each location listed here. Particularly, I heard a report of a public proposal of a temple for Missoula Montana. Pueblo made the list due to a report I received of high attendance numbers at the Denver Colorado Temple. For Kansas, Iowa, and South Dakota, mileage is the main factor driving my choices, and a temple (if only a smaller one) seems likely for all three states in the near future. And a temple in Iowa could be named for Mount Pisgah, a significant landmark in the pioneer history of the Church.
24Given the steady growth of the Church in Ohio and Pennsylvania, second temples for each seem to be likely sooner rather than later. And New Jersey, Maine, and Vermont may each be eligible for a temple of their own given the distance factor, and the rigors of travel involved in getting to their currently assigned temples.
25Since the Saints in Jackson currently have an arduous journey to get to their assigned temple, it is my opinion that a temple will be announced in that city sooner rather than later. And an arduous journey also factors in to my reasoning for temples in Shreveport, Jacksonville, Knoxville, and Savannah. If, as I anticipate, President Nelson plans to prioritize the mileage factor and also filling in the gaps that exist in temple district coverage, then any or all of these may simply be a matter of time.
26For this area of the Church, the Saints in some cities currently assigned to temples across the Mexican border may, depending on what happens in the future, have a hard time reaching those temples. With that said, I am basing my theories on the potential location of an Arkansas temple on information from a friend indicating that land has been held in reserve for a temple in Bentonville for several years now. And I am basing my picks for temples in Texas and New Mexico on the opinion of someone living within the current Dallas Texas Temple district. This individual noted that Fort Worth would almost certainly be the next city in Texas to get a temple. So if border issues arise, those could be ameliorated by a temple in Las Cruces, which would likely also cover El Paso for the time being. Arizona and Nevada both fall under the “Mormon corridor”, and, based on further research on my part, I have prioritized Queen Creek due to recent growth in that city. And although Elko and Ely Nevada once seemed to have an equal likelihood of having a temple announced, after further research on my part, I have chosen to prioritize Elko this go-round.
27With this area having been consolidated in August of this year with the North America Northwest Area, there are a total of 3 locations for which I feel a temple announcement is most likely. Victoria was mentioned by name to me by someone living there, who reports the hardship of rigorous travel and the expense involved, which makes a temple a feasible prospect. Fairbanks is one of two Alaskan cities for which I anticipate a temple will be announced in the near future (the other being Juneau), but my research shows the former as being the more imminent prospect. And although there has recently been some stagnant growth in California, Bakersfield has been on my radar for a variety of reasons, many of which have been explained in previous notes. Additionally, in my opinion, the fact that a temple was announced in Yuba City last October does not at this time eliminate the likely imminence of a temple for Bakersfield.
28Since one new temple has been announced in the Utah Area of the Church within each of the last four sets of announcements, more are surely in the works. Particularly, a temple site was publicly mentioned as being held in reserve in April 2005 for a temple in the Southwest Salt Lake Valley. Though no official confirmation has occurred, if my research is correct, the land in question has been the subject of a border dispute between Herriman and Bluffdale cities, but is currently owned by the city of Herriman. For Heber City, Preston, and Evanston, they all seem to have an equal likelihood of having a temple announced in the near future. And Elder Steven E. Snow, who was born in Washington County, recently told the Saints there at a stake conference that someone from the Temple Department had indicated to him that a third Washington County temple would be needed in the not-too-distant future. For these reasons, I couldn’t narrow any of these selections down, at least not for the moment.
