Countdown to the 200th Latter-Day Saint Temple, and What’s Next
Seven years ago today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had 157 temples across the world. Two more were dedicated before President Russell M. Nelson became the church’s prophet-president a few months later, in January 2018, giving the church 159 temples at that time.
Now the countdown to temple No. 200 will be complete in a few weeks.
Here’s a quick-read list that shows:
The temples dedicated this year.
Which temple will be No. 200.
The next temples to be dedicated.
Countdown to the 200th Latter-day Saint temple ... and beyond
187 Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple (Was dedicated Jan. 14).
188 Orem Utah Temple (Was dedicated Jan. 21).
189 Red Cliffs Utah Temple (Was dedicated March 24).
190 Urdaneta Philippines Temple (Was dedicated April 28).
191 Puebla Mexico Temple (Was dedicated May 19).
192 Taylorsville Utah Temple (Was dedicated June 2).
193 Cobán Guatemala Temple (Was dedicated June 9).
194 Salta Argentina Temple (Was dedicated June 16).
197 Mendoza Argentina Temple (Was dedicated Sept. 22).
198 San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple (Was dedicated Oct. 13).
199 Salvador Brazil Temple (Was dedicated Oct. 20).
200 Nov. 10 dedication of the Deseret Peak Utah Temple.
201 Nov. 24 dedication of the Casper Wyoming Temple.
202 Dec. 9 dedication of the Tallahassee Florida Temple.
The Deseret Peak Temple will not only be the church’s 200th, it will be the 40th dedicated during President Nelson’s administration.
Temple presidents and matrons have been called for three additional temples:
The Antofagasta Chile Temple.
The Auckland New Zealand Temple.
The Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple.
The church’s 100th temple was dedicated in October 2000 — 170 years after its founding — in Boston, Massachusetts.
President Nelson has launched the church into the greatest era of temple construction in its history, and he has explained why.
“Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find him in the temple,” he said at the church’s general conference this month. “You will feel his mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of his gospel.”
He has announced 185 new temples in fewer than seven years.
Think about that: It was just a year ago this week that the church dedicated its 185th temple, which is in Bangkok, Thailand.
In all, the church now has 367 total temples announced, in planning, under construction or dedicated and in operation.
“Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so,” President Nelson said at conference. “The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!”
One note: All of these numbers are based on modern, operating temples. The church completed and dedicated two other temples early in its history in Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois. The Latter-day Saints left the Kirtland Temple in the 1830s when they fled persecution, but the church re-obtained the temple earlier this year. The original Nauvoo Temple burned to the ground after the early church left Illinois for Utah.
The Kirtland Temple is not an operating temple, and it and the original Nauvoo Temple are not counted by the church in compiling the list of 200 operating temples.
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On Sunday, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the 199th temple, the Salvador Brazil Temple. Read the English translation of his dedicatory prayer.
A BYU professor’s research suggests that scripture study, family prayer, church attendance and belief in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ are supported by and supportive of temple attendance. Listen to him talk about the relationship between temple attendance, religious practices and mental health in Latter-day Saint youth on the Church News Podcast.
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