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.

Open House Concludes for Concepcion Chile Temple

Hello again, everyone! Given the fact that Chile is 3 hours ahead of Mountain Daylight Time here in Utah, the Concepcion Chile Temple open house has officially concluded, and that temple will now be in a two-week preparation phase prior to the youth devotional 14 days from now, and the dedication of that temple on October 28.

As previously mentioned, President and Sister Nelson and Elder and Sister Stevenson will be the presiding Church leaders in attendance at that temple's dedication, and that will be the culmination of the next leg of the Nelsons Global Ministry Tour. That leg involves visits to Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile, and is set to begin a week from yesterday. I will be carrying full reports of this leg of the Nelsons' trip, along with full coverage of the temple dedication, as those events occur.

I also continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will pass word of those along to you all as I receive it. 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.

Additional Church News Updates Reported

Hello again, everyone! Since my last Church news update a couple of days ago, several additional developments have been reported. This post will share some of those latest developments. So let's get right into all of those. We start with the Church's official Newsroom. As many of you are no doubt aware, Elder Steven E. Snow has been serving as Church Historian and Recorder since August 2012, and, in that capacity, has overseen the Joseph Smith Papers Project, the publication of the new narrative history Saints, and many other developments, in addition to weighing in on other matters connected to the history of the Church.

At a recent Environmental Stewardship Symposium held at Utah State University, he noted that God will hold all of us accountable, as individuals and as the human race, for how we treat the Earth that He has created. That stewardship, he noted, has been clearly outlined in ancient and modern scripture. The Newsroom provided a detailed report of his remarks on that subject.

2 days ago, the Church, through spokesman Daniel Woodruff, released a statement on the safety of missionaries who are serving in the path of Hurricane Michael's devastation. Those who were in dangerous areas were relocated, and those not directly in the storm's path remained to help those in nearby areas that had been impacted. General Church leadership, through communication with local leaders, continue to assess the safety of those in the storm's path and will conduct further missionary evacuations if and when that becomes necessary.

Although many Church members in the western portion of the United States have headed to the eastern regions to help with recovery efforts, for many others who are not able to do so but would still like to be of service somehow, the Church has provided an ongoing list of opportunities for service as time and circumstances allow.

And in continuing the theme about areas impacted by the recent storms, Area Seventy Elder Douglas B. Carter, who lives, works, and serves in the path of the storm, has provided some first-hand perspective on the extent of the storm, how local Church members have been impacted, what is being done in terms of ongoing recovery efforts, and how impressive it has been to see the Saints in that area rising above their own losses to reach out and help their friends and neighbors. That kind of help, he noted, is not exclusively being rendered by Church members. The community has come together to help each other through this in a remarkable way.

The final two stories on which I wanted to focus in this post relate to General Conference. Throughout the General Conference weekend, our 15 prophets, seers, and revelators posted through various social media platforms some additional thoughts about either their own remarks or the major announcements which occurred during General Conference weekend. You can find those thoughts summarized in the latest edition of "This Week on Social".

And although full transcripts of the addresses given during the General Conference weekend are now available, for any that would prefer or need brief summaries of each address, the Church News has you covered. Whether by summary or through reading full addresses, I hope each of us will frequently study these talks over the next six months, as President Nelson has invited us to do.

I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you all as I receive it. 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.

Temple Construction Updates (Including Revised Specific Estimates for Known Future Events)

Hello again, everyone! Given the fact that a couple of updates have been reported on temples around the world, and also because I have taken time to update my more specific estimates for known temple events in the near future, I wanted to post an updated copy of my temple construction progress report. That complete report (with new information in red text) follows below.

So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here as I always do. 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.

Temple Construction Progress (current as of 10/11/18)

Note about future temple construction: I have previously referenced the statement made by Elder Larry Y. Wilson, who serves as the Temple Department Executive Director, to the effect that 80 temples were on a list of locations that would be considered for an official announcement within the 15 years following that statement. And although we may not know whether or not those 80 locations have been announced by late April 2032, it seems reasonable to believe that the Church could (and likely will) have at least 200 operating temples by or before Saturday April 6, 2030 (which will mark the Church’s bicentennial anniversary).

Current temple status: The Church has 201 temples in various phases. There are 159 in operation, while the open house for 1 other is underway (which will conclude next weekend); 3 more have a dedication scheduled; and 7 others are in various phases of construction; 1 more has had a groundbreaking scheduled (and officially confirmed). In terms of temples undergoing renovations, 10 temples are currently closed for renovation (5 or 6 of which are anticipated to be rededicated next year), and 1 other, which closed for renovation in late 2017, is currently stalled in its’ renovation process. The remaining 30 are announced, several of which are likely to have a groundbreaking in 2019 and the years following that.

During the October General Conference, President Nelson also announced that many more operating temples will be renovated in the near future, including several pioneer-era temples (most significantly the Salt Lake Temple), and that more information will be released in the coming months about which temples are closing, and what the renovations will involve and entail.

Public open house underway:

160. Concepcion Chile Temple: Public open house underway (will conclude this Saturday); dedication scheduled to occur on Sunday October 28, 2018.

Note: On October 9, the Church announced that President Nelson, accompanied by his wife and Elder and Sister Gary E. Stevenson, would preside at the dedication of this temple, which will be the culmination of a South American tour for the two couples.

Preparing for public open house:

161.  Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Planting final flowers in flowerbeds; preparing for public open house (which will begin in just over 4 weeks); dedication scheduled to occur on Sunday December 9, 2018.

Dedication Scheduled:
162. Rome Italy Temple: Monument sign completed; flower beds being planted; dedication scheduled to occur from Sunday March 10-Sunday March 17, 2019.

163. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Exterior lighting tests underway; laying driveway and walkway pavers; planting trees and shrubs; dedication scheduled to occur on Sunday April 14, 2019.

Under construction, completion estimated during 2019:

164. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Exterior lighting tests underway; completion estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

Note: I could potentially see this temple’s dedication announced before 2018 ends. If that occurs, it would not shock me to see it set for mid-to-late May.

165. Durban South Africa Temple: Finishing the temple tower surfaces; tiling the roof, floors, and walls; finish work continues on stairwells; completion estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Note: Given the increased number of progress reports we have seen on this temple recently, I could see a dedication set for this temple in early-to-mid August.

166. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Stone cladding being added to exterior walls; completion estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Note: Depending on what occurs between now and then, I could see a dedication for this temple set for mid-October.

167. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Stone cladding exterior walls; installing lamp-posts; planting trees and shrubs; completion estimated sometime during late 2019.

Note: Given the fact that the Church has scheduled the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional for the second Sunday in December, this temple could be dedicated during the first Sunday in December. If it doesn’t happen that week, it may be done 2 or 4 weeks following that.

Temples estimated to be completed sometime during 2020:

168. Arequipa Peru Temple: Stone cladding has reached tower base; completion estimated sometime during early 2020.

Note: If this temple’s progress stays on track, I could see its’ dedication occurring in mid-February.

169. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Spire framework installed; stone cladding the exterior walls; completion estimated sometime during early 2020.

Note: Given the fact that there have been delays with this temple, I could see its’ dedication potentially occurring in mid-April.

170. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Plumbing and foundation work underway for on-site chapel; completion estimated sometime during mid-2020.

Note: In view of the recent change to this temple’s general estimate, I think we could either see its’ dedication occur in either mid-August.

Groundbreaking scheduled:

171. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Preparing for groundbreaking; groundbreaking scheduled for November 8, 2018; completion estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

Note: African members report that they were advised by a letter from Church leaders that this temple would have a groundbreaking on this date, and that Elder Neil L. Andersen would preside at that event. That was subsequently confirmed through the Ghana edition of the Church’s official Newsroom, and will almost certainly be confirmed through the main Newsroom within the coming days. If I am correct in assuming that this temple will take 18-24 months to construct, a dedication could be held in mid-to-late August. As more information is made available, I will make any adjustments to this estimate which may be needed.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during 2019):

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; reattaching cladding to temple exterior; staircase poured for expanded parking area; completion estimated sometime during mid-2019.

Note: Based on the recent adjustment to the general estimate for this temple, I am thinking a rededication could be set for early-to-mid June, and, as previously noted, I would anticipate that our native German apostle, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, will be asked to return to his homeland to preside at that event.

13. Oakland California Temple: Closed for renovation; cleaning and repairing exterior walls; water features being upgraded; rededication estimated sometime during mid-2019.

Note: When the Church of Jesus Christ Temples website came back online, the general estimate for this temple was adjusted to what is listed above. Additionally, a member living within this temple’s district informed me personally that the completion of this temple would occur sooner than many anticipated. For those reasons, I am venturing a more specific estimate of mid-to-late August.

95. Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple: Closed for renovation; art glass windows installed; stone cladding exterior walls; rededication estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Note: Given the somewhat steady progress which has been reported recently on this temple, I could see a rededication occurring in mid-September.

80. Memphis Tennessee Temple: Closed for renovation; stone cladding continues on exterior walls; rededication estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Note: If all goes well with this temple’s renovation, I could see a rededication occurring in mid-to-late October.

68. Raleigh North Carolina Temple: Closed for renovation; stone cladding continues; rededication estimated sometime during late 2019.

Note: Since this temple has seen a recent increase in its’ construction progress, I am thinking that a rededication could follow in mid-November.

94. Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple: Closed for renovation; waterproofing membrane applied to exterior; rededication estimated sometime during late 2019.

Note: Barring anything changing with this temple’s general estimate, and on whichever Sunday (first or third) the dedication is held for the Lisbon Portugal Temple, this temple’s dedication would likely be held on the other Sunday, just before the Christmas holiday.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during 2020):

18. Tokyo Japan Temple: Closed for renovation; scaffolding and debris netting put up around exterior; rededication estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2020.

Note: If all goes well with this temple’s renovation process, I could see a rededication occurring in mid-to-late May.

16. Washington D. C. Temple: Closed for renovation; repairs continue on temple spires; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

Note: If this temple’s renovation progresses swiftly enough, a rededication could occur in mid-November, though it is possible that the rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple could occur first.

8. Mesa Arizona Temple: Closed for renovation; grounds cleared; interior work underway; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

Note: As noted above, this temple’s rededication could occur before that of the Washington D. C. Temple. But if anything unexpected occurs, then this rededication could be held in mid-December.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during 2021):

11. Hamilton New Zealand Temple: Closed for renovation; dismantling interior; rededication may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2021.

Note: Barring anything unexpected, if all goes well and swiftly for this temple’s renovation process, I stand by my previously-offered estimate that this temple could be rededicated in mid-April.

Renovation process stalled; full-scale work pending:

112. Asuncion Paraguay Temple: Closed for renovation; full-scale construction pending.

Announced Temples:

172. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Site preparation phase; construction barrier in place.

173. Pocatello Idaho Temple: Laying asphalt for streets; site confirmed and artist’s rendering released on September 6, 2018; groundbreaking anticipated in early 2019.

174. Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: Government approval phase.

175. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Artist’s rendering and site announcement released on March 19, 2018; groundbreaking pending.

Note: Although the rendering and site location for this temple was one of the first temple-related announcements of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, unless and until verification is provided that the on-site office building has been razed and that the site is cleared, it does not appear likely that the Church will break ground on this temple this year.

176. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning and preliminary construction phase; awaiting official site announcement.

177. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; media event held June 14, 2017.

178. Brasilia Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; site inspected by Church engineers on June 21, 2017.

179. Greater Manila Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official name announcement

180. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

181. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

182. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

183. Richmond Virginia Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

184. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

185. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site.

186. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

187. Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

188. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

189. Russian Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official location and site announcement.

190. Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

191. Salvador Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

192. Yuba City, California Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

193. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

194. Praia Cape Verde Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

195. Yigo Guam Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

196. Puebla Mexico Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

197. Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

198. Lagos Nigeria Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

199. Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

200. San Juan Puerto Rico Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official site announcement

201. Washington County Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; Announced October 7, 2018; awaiting official location and site announcement.

Key:

Bolded numbers and text denote temples whose numbers already exists (for renovations), or is certain due to a scheduled dedication, as well as information that is certain, such as dedication or groundbreaking dates.

Italicized numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings are scheduled.

Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on progress towards planning, approval, and groundbreaking.

Changes since last report are highlighted in red.

Updated Research About Church's North America Areas

Hello again, everyone! I have a wide variety of projects on which I am currently working right now, many of which I hope to post on this blog at some point in the near future. But right now, I wanted to address some additional thoughts about the Church's North America Areas. Let's get right into all of that.

As some of you may be aware, the First Presidency announced the changes in Area Leadership for this year just a few days after the April General Conference. Among those changes was the fact that what had been 10 areas in the United States and Canada, for which the members of the Presidency of the Seventy have had oversight since 2004, would now be overseen by 6 area presidencies.

And that led to questions about whether or not what had been 7 separate areas of the Church had been consolidated into 3 areas, as one area presidency had oversight of the entire state of Utah, one would be overseeing what had been the Idaho & North America Central Areas, and the third would be overseeing what had been the North America Northwest & North America West Areas.

Since that time, as a Utah resident, I have received correspondence and read news releases from the Church which seem to indicate that the 3 Utah areas have been merged into a singular one. So I wondered what that meant in terms of whether or not the other 2 area presidencies had oversight of 2 separate areas each, or whether the 4 previously-separate areas had been consolidated to 2.

Particularly, if there are really only 6 areas in North America now, how would that change the composition of area seventies Quorums, since the Idaho and North America Central area seventies had been serving in two different Quorums? (Those in the former area had been serving in the 5th Quorum, and those in the latter had served in the 6th Quorum).

Before General Conference, I was able to do some more digging in relation to these questions. Particularly, I looked at the online biographies for the 9 Brethren in the 3 presidencies (both via the main biographies via the Church website's section for that purpose, and through the Newsroom's Leadership section).

The following information was found in that regard:

Wilford W. Andersen—President, Idaho and North America Central Areas (plural)
Craig C. Christensen—E-mail sent to Utah members by him as “Utah Area President” (singular; his Newsroom bio uses the plural)
LeGrand R. Curtis Jr.—Counselor, Utah Area Presidency (singular)
Randy D. Funk—Area Presidency (singular) of the Utah Areas (plural)
Jörg Klebingat— “Area assistant in the North America Northwest and North America West Areas” (plural)
S. Gifford Nielsen—First Counselor. Idaho and North America Central Area Presidencies (plural)
Kevin W. Pearson—President, North America Northwest & North America West Areas (plural)
Brian K. Taylor—Second Counselor, Idaho/North America Central Area Presidency (singular)
Scott D. Whiting—Serving at Church headquarters

From this research, aside from the personal knowledge I have (based on the letter I received from Elder Christensen on the medical marijuana ballot initiative) that the three Utah Areas are now one singular one, it appears that more information will be needed to determine what the situation of the other areas (Idaho, North America Central, North America Northwest, and North America West) actually is.

I continue to search for information in that regard and will post updates here as I am able to do so. 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.