Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — During the final session of the 193rd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced 20 new temples to be built around the world, the second-most number of temples announced at one time in the history of the church.
New temples will be built in the following locations:
- Savai'i, Samoa
- Kahului, Hawaii
- Fairbanks, Alaska
- Vancouver, Washington
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Roanoke, Virginia
- Cancún, Mexico
- Piura, Peru
- Huancayo, Peru
- Viña del Mar, Chile
- Goiânia, Brazil
- João Pessoa, Brazil
- Cape Coast, Ghana
- Calabar, Nigeria
- Luanda, Angola
- Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Laoag, Philippines
- Osaka, Japan
- Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
President Nelson delivered the announcement during a pre-recorded video message played to wrap up the final session of conference, sitting in a chair after suffering a back injury from a fall shortly after celebrating his 99th birthday.
"Spending more time in the temple builds faith. And your service and worship in the temple will help you to think celestial," said President Nelson, who has announced 153 new temples since 2018. "The temple is a place of revelation. There you are shown how to progress toward a celestial life. There you are drawn closer to the Savior and given greater access to His power. There you are guided in solving the problems in your life, even your most perplexing problems. The ordinances and covenants of the temple are of eternal significance," he said.
"The Lord is directing us to build these temples to help us think celestial."
I recently celebrated my 99th birthday and thus commenced my 100th year of living. I am often asked the secret to living so long. A better question would be, "What have I learned in nearly a century of living?"
— Russell M. Nelson (@NelsonRussellM) October 1, 2023
I have learned that Heavenly Father's plan for us is fabulous, that… pic.twitter.com/dQNsQ0mMuw
With these temples, there are now 335 temples announced, under construction or renovation, or dedicated around the world. There are 177 temples currently operating, 59 under construction or renovation and 99 in planning and design.
Sunday's announcement is the second-highest number of temples announced at one time in church history, behind only former church President Gordon B. Hinckley's pronouncement of 32 new temples during the April 1998 general conference — though he did not list specific locations, according to church public affairs.
President Nelson also announced 20 new temples during the April 2021 general conference.
Sunday's announcement does not include a new temple in the state of Utah, but it does include several notable new temple announcements in the United States and internationally — including the first temple for Samoa announced since the Apia temple was dedicated in 1983, which was later rebuilt after a fire in 2003 and rededicated two years later.
Virginia's newest announced temple in Roanoke marks a banner year for the church in the Commonwealth, following the rededication of the temple in Richmond and a new announced temple in Winchester in April.
The temple in Kahului, Hawaii, will be the first on the shores of Maui. Hawaii houses two other temples, the church-owned BYU-Hawaii and the renowned Polynesian Cultural Center. Kahului is located about 25 miles east of Lahaina, where a devastating wildfire recently consumed communities and took dozens of lives in August. The church has provided substantial aid in support of wildfire relief efforts, including $1 million to the Red Cross to aid in local efforts.
Additional temples in Ghana, Nigeria, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue the rapid expansion of the church in Africa, and will mark the first temple in the Portuguese-speaking country of Angola, that is home to an estimated 9.3 million residents.
The temple in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, brings the first temple to the "coldest capital city in the world" with a population of 1.7 million people in a city where missionaries first arrived in 1992. The first mission for the church was established there in 1995, and there are currently more than 12,000 Latter-day Saints in approximately 25 congregations.
Presently, the closest temple to Mongolia is in Hong Kong, more than 1,800 miles away.
Earlier in the conference, Elder Dale G. Renlund, of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, praised the church's rapid expansion of temple-building around the world. But, the church leader added, as temples become "more accessible," it can be easy for members' temple attendance to "become more casual," as well.
"Living close to a temple does bring greater flexibility in scheduling time in the temple," Elder Renlund said, "but that very flexibility can make it easier to take the temple for granted. When we do, we 'miss the mark,' undervaluing the opportunity to draw closer to the Savior in his holy house."
Latter-day Saints consider temples to be houses of God, different from regular weekly meetinghouses, a place of holiness and peace. They provide a place where church members make formal promises and commitments to God, according to churchofjesuschrist.org. Church members perform a variety of acts and sacraments in these temples, including marriage between a man and a woman and the "sealing" of families for eternity.
"Through the temple, our Heavenly Father binds individuals and families to the Savior and to each other," said Elder J. Kimo Esplin, of the Seventy.
