List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are buildings dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time. During the Open House, the church conducts tours of the temple with missionaries and members from the local area serving as tour guides, and all rooms of the temple are open to the public. The temple is then dedicated as a "House of the Lord," after which only members twelve years of age and older who hold a current and valid temple recommend are permitted entrance; temples are not churches but are places of worship. , built in 2002 and based on the original Nauvoo Temple that was built in 1846 and destroyed in 1848 Within temples, members of the church make covenants, receive instructions, and perform sacred ordinances, such as: baptism for the dead, washing and anointing, the "endowment," and eternal marriagesealings. Ordinances are a vital part of the theology of the church, which teaches that they were practiced by the Lord's covenant people in all dispensations. Additionally, members consider the temple a place to commune with God, seek His aid, understand His will, and receive personal revelation.
History
In 1832, shortly after the formation of the church, Joseph Smith said that the Lord desired the saints build a temple; and they completed the Kirtland Temple in 1836. Initially, the church constructed temples in areas where there were large concentrations of members: Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Hawaii, and Alberta. In the mid 20th century, because of the importance of temples in the theology, the church tried to balance density with the travel requirements attending the temple imposed upon members. Thus, temples were built in Europe ; the Pacific Islands ; and Washington, D.C. . All were dedicated at a time when membership in the region alone might not have justified the effort. In the 1980s, Spencer W. Kimball directed the church to build smaller temples with similar designs allowing temples to be built where there were fewer members. As a result, the first temples in South America ; Asia ; and Mexico were built and the number of temples doubled from 15 to 36. , an example of smaller temples built under Hinckley's direction Church president Gordon B. Hinckley also accelerated the construction of temples through the use of an even smaller standardized base design. In 1998, when there were 51 temples, Hinckley set a goal to have 100 temples in place before the end of 2000. Between the brief building period from 1998 to 2001, 38 of these standardized temples were constructed and dedicated, meeting Hinckley's goal by having 102 dedicated temples before 2000 closed. During Hinckley's service as president, the number of temples more than doubled from 47 to 124. On October 7, 2018, Russell M. Nelson announced the intent to construct 12 more temples, putting the church's total number of temples operating, under construction, or announced above 200.
Note: Numbering of temples announced or under construction is tentative and based upon the groundbreaking date, or the date of announcement if no groundbreaking has taken place. Permanent numbering may change depending upon the date of dedication.
Announced
Efforts suspended
The following is a list of temples that had been announced and in some stage of development, but whose construction is not actively being pursued at this time.
