LIST OF TEMPLES OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

This is a 'list of temples operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints', in chronological order. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also called the Mormon Church, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and 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 (an "Open House"), and then they are dedicated as a "House of the Lord," after which only members in good standing are permitted entrance, thus they are not churches but rather places of worship.
Within temples, members of the Church make covenants, receive instructions, and perform rituals and ordinances, such as: baptism for the dead, washing and anointing (or "initiatory" ordinances), the "endowment," and eternal marriage sealings. 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 God’s aid, understand the will of God, and receive personal revelation.

Contents

History

Statistics

List of temples

Destroyed or operated by others

Operating

Dedicated: 1877-1949

Dedicated: 1950-1978

Dedicated: 1979-1983

Dedicated: 1984-1985

Dedicated: 1986-1992

Dedicated: 1993-1998

Dedicated: 1999

Dedicated: Jan-May 2000

Dedicated: Jun-Dec 2000

Dedicated: 2001-2002

Dedicated: 2003-2006

Under construction

Announced

Efforts suspended

Footnotes

See also

References

External links

History

In 1832, shortly after the formation of the Church, Joseph Smith, Jr. said that the Lord desired the saints build a temple;^[1] 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, Hawai'i (all in the USA), and Alberta (Canada). In the mid 20th century, because of the importance of temples in the theology, the Church tried to balance density with the travel requirements that attending the temple imposed upon members. Thus, temples were built in Europe (Switzerland-1955 and England-1958); the Pacific Islands (New Zealand-1958); and Washington, D.C. (1974 - first American temple East of Utah since Nauvoo in 1846) when membership alone might not have justified the effort.
In the 1980s, Spencer W. Kimball directed the Church to build smaller temples according to standardized plans^[2] allowing temples to be built where there were fewer members. As a result the first temples in South America (Brazil-1978); Asia (Japan-1980); and Central America (Mexico City-1983) were built and the number of temples doubled from 15 to 36. Current church president and prophet Gordon B. Hinckley has also accelerated the construction of temples through the use of an even smaller standardized base design.^[3]
In 1998 when there were only 51 temples, Hinckley set a goal to have 100 temples before 2001.^[4]
The effort succeeded with 102 before 2001. During Hinckley's service as president, the number of temples has more than doubled from 47 to 124.^[5]

Statistics

List of temples

Destroyed or operated by others

|}

Operating

Dedicated: 1877-1949

|}

Dedicated: 1950-1978

|}

Dedicated: 1979-1983

|}

Dedicated: 1984-1985

|}

Dedicated: 1986-1992

|}

Dedicated: 1993-1998

|}

Dedicated: 1999

|}

Dedicated: Jan-May 2000

|}

Dedicated: Jun-Dec 2000

|}

Dedicated: 2001-2002

|}

Dedicated: 2003-2006

|}

Under construction

|}

Announced

|}

Efforts suspended

|}

Footnotes

1. Recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, Smith wrote that the Lord commanded the Saints to "establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;" (see )
2. Before this time, all but the Switzerland temple were at least 45,000 ft² (4,100 m²), and the average size of the first 20 temples was 103,000 ft² (9,600 m²). The new temples varied in size but were generally less than 25,000 ft² (2,300 m²). By comparison, the Nauvoo temple, built in the 1840s, was 54,000 ft² (5,000 m²). Some of these temples have been remodeled since the original construction to provide additional rooms.
3. Hinckley announced the use of smaller standardized temples in 1997( Some Thoughts on Temples, Retention of Converts, and Missionary Service Gordon B. Hinckley ). The base design is about 10,700 ft² (1,000 m²), and temples built from the design are generally between 10,000 and 18,000 ft² (900 and 1,700 m²). These temples generally do not include a large laundry facility, provide members with the ability to rent temple clothing, or provide a cafeteria for patrons (Almanac, 2000).
4. New Temples to Provide "Crowning Blessings" of the Gospel Gordon B. Hinckley
5. Because the two prior Presidents of the Church before Hinckley (Kimball and Ezra Taft Benson) had incapacitating illnesses during the latter part of their service as prophet, Hinckley has dedicated a total of 84 temples, even though, during his presidency, 14 temples were dedicated by others: James E. Faust (7), Thomas S. Monson (6), and Boyd K. Packer (1).

See also

★ List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region

★ Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

★ Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)

★ List of buildings

References

★ Deseret Morning News 2005 Church Almanac (200th Anniversary, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), Avant, Gerry, , , Deseret News, , ISBN 1-59038-422-9

★ 2007 Church Almanac, Deseret Morning News, , , Deseret Morning News, , ISBN 1-59038-734-1 (Almanac)

★ 2001-2002 Deseret News Church Almanac, Deseret News, , , Deseret News, , ISBN 1-57345-933-X (Almanac)

★ The First 100 Temples, , Chad., Hawkins, Deseret Book Company, ,

★ Official Temple List (Official List)

★ The Holy Temple, , Boyd K., Packer, Bookcraft Pubs, , ISBN 0-88494-411-5

★ Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

External links

★ Official Church Temples Site

★ List of leaders that dedicated each temple

★ Temple Geography Links