There was a time that attending quarterly stake conferences with visiting apostles (occasionally several) was part of the life of the Church. We built several tabernacles for that purpose. We don’t meet like that anymore, and we don’t have the buildings to do it in. Stake centers are not designed to hold meetings of a thousand people, though we fill the cultural hall with folding metal chairs a couple times a year to listen to the stake president or watch a video transmission anyway.

So it is with temples. They’ve been asigned a different place in the life of the Church than what we were accustomed to. Not a place for special experiences meant to stay with us more than a month or two. Not places where those from small, scattered congregations could gather and feel the strength of Zion. Like the Provo Tabernacle, the Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. temples are still there to remind of the old way that once existed, but that time is past. Temple worship now belongs in the routine patterns of the saints and must be readily at hand and engaged in with small groups.

#1 – Michael,
Your last sentence exhausts me. It has been so overdone since…..the 1800′s.
I’m sure you are right. I am positive all temples will be available 24-7 at some time. The door for that happening opened with the first 24-hour grocery store. Anything is possible.
My thought is more along the lines of future traveling costs being so prohibitive that people can’t afford to travel long distances to the temple.

About a year ago, Adis Parshall posted on her blog about temple schedules from the 1940s.

http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2009/10/03/temples-at-capacity-temple-schedules-1941/

Manti: 5 sessions per week!
Hawaii: 2 sessions per week!

It was a eye-opener for me, and helped me realize an important point: we don’t build temples for efficiency or cost-effectiveness, we build temples so people can receive important ordinances and perform them for the dead.

“The remaining states are going to be tough ones…”
I buy that, except for Wyoming, which is a surprising omission from states with temples.
And why in the world did Brigham City get a temple and Pocatello did not?
Maybe the church is predicting where future growth will occur.

When I first moved to North Texas, some 16 years ago, the temple president spoke at our stake conference and said that only about 25% of the seats were filled for sessions. At the time, the Dallas temple covered 65-ish stakes in multiple stakes.

2-3 years ago, I heard the same statistic – we’re doing about 25%, although now it only covered 16 stakes (now 18)…

I often puzzle over where temples get built. I live in the Salt Lake valley, where we have several large temples, all of which are very busy. But why does heavily Mormon Davis County to the north of us only have one temple? I am sure that county could use another couple. And I am also baffled by the Brigham City temple. I would think more temples in Davis County and Weber County would be a far higher priority. But I do not doubt that whatever the reasons, they are good ones.

Title spelling probably should be corrected…My first reaction was “Where is ‘Hartfold’?”

I was being tongue-in-cheek with my initial comment about the Temples being built in preparation for the millennium. Of course they are built for that purpose but the Brethren are also following a new strategy in determining locations which differs from the previous historic use of Temples.

It is my opinion that Temple worship is becoming a more important part of living the Gospel in these last days. I will speak from my experience as a single, gay, celibate, previously Irish Catholic convert to the Church. There is nothing in the normal Sunday meetings or current cultural set-up of the Church during the week for me. I do not and will not fit into this culture (please don’t give me the standard responses that I am choosing not to fit in). Other than the joy of partaking of the Sacrament and the occasional uplifting talk or lesson, I am a misfit as a Mormon. I do not enjoy the low-church tradition that we have adopted for Sunday services and my gay side definitely bemoans the lack of ornamentation.

My saving grace and my firm testimony is built upon the Book of Mormon, the authority of the Restoration, the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph, and the saving ordinances of the Temple. I rejoice in these things. I relish the ritual of the Temple. It keeps me sane and grants me access to the Saviour in His Celestial Room. It is where I go to gain personal revelation, to ponder deeply the scriptures and to seal my ancestors together.

I have no family tradition in this Church. All my family remain firmly in the Catholic faith and I return home for the Holy Communions, Confirmations and Marriages of my nieces, nephews and other family members.

I miss the Adoration of the Saviour which is the focus of Catholic Mass and wish we celebrated more fully the Life, the Atonement, and the Resurrection of Our Lord. I understand fully the LDS emphasis on Emulation but I think many Church members disparage the twin commandment of Adoration (please do not provide me with the standard response that Adoration is Emulation – there is more to Adoration than just home teaching and service to your fellow man or woman). I am fully perplexed as to why we don’t celebrate Holy Week as much as we celebrate Christmas or Pioneer Day. I don’t understand why we don’t emphasize the Glory of the Gospel as much as we do its pragmatic lifestyle. In short, living Mormon culture as a single member is boring and stifling.

Thank the Prophets and Apostles for the proliferation of Temples. They allow me to remain true to my testimony while celebrating the Redeemer in the more fulfilling high-church tradition (at least more fulfilling for me).

6. Paul S. – thanks that was interesting.

7. Orwell – Brigham City seems like a similar example. I guess there are reasons that we just don’t know about

8. Tim – you know I did think about Wyoming – it is strange that it does not have a small Temple since Montana and other small states do.

10. queuno – interesting data point. was that because the 16 stakes were 90% of the attendees?

11. kate – they should have put the Memphis Temple across the river in MI then?

14. Mark D. – thanks – change made

15. John Mansfield – fair point, but it does require a cultural shift that I am not sure is apparent in the East

I’d also add that we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the concept of Emulation. It’s something that takes a life work + a thousand years give or take. I’m not sure what a person would be lacking if they could even attempt to emulate the Savior at every stage of their life. And certainly part of that would be giving the glory to where it belongs.

Regarding the Brigham City Temple, additional space for weddings may be a purpose more than access to endowment sessions. The Wasatch Front sealing rooms are in high demand some weekends. I entered the Salt Lake Temple before dawn to attend one sealing, and another was held in the Bountiful Temple for a southern Utah County bride, because the closer temples were booked up. This seems to have been the motivation for new landscaping at the Provo Temple, and maybe its a reason for the Ogden Temple facelift.

The ONLY reason that Brigham City got a Temple was because of President Packer’s influence. While he may not have DiRECTLY pushed for its approval, it was given to him as a favor. It clearly was a favor for his long years of service.

I am with the Only True and Living Nathan in wondering how on earth people come to be so sure that they know the exact non-religious reason that a temple is being built.

Considering that at least 3 Monson-era temples have been announced/built in or near significant real estate developments of either (a) LDS church-owned businesses, or (b) major donors’ companies, I can’t help but wonder whether there’s a similar situation brewing near Hartford. Of course, those could all have been pure coincidence, but my suspicious mind suspects that Mr. Monson is well aware of the effect of LDS temples on surrounding real estate sales.

That’s a good point regarding NIMBY, John. Still, it doesn’t seem accidental that several recent LDS temples seem to be announced at least in part for economic reasons. The real estate division of Kennicott donated land within their “Daybreak” housing development in Draper, and their sales inquiries skyrocketed with the temple announcement there. Ogden city officials and others were openly elated that the Ogden Utah Temple facelift–adjacent to yet a major LDS church-owned development–would raise real estate values, increase business traffic, and provide needed jobs in the local construction industry. While I don’t have hard data, I expect there was a substantial increase in LDS families interested in purchasing homes in the LDS church’s Shoal Creek development once a temple was announced there (keeping in mind that there are always LDS families seeking to “gather” to places like the Kansas City metro area, Nauvoo, and other historic LDS locations). None of this rules out divine inspiration, but it seems to be a common thread for the Monson era.

8-Tim,
I hope that you are just unfamiliar with the east coast concentration of LDS. Virginia has many more saints than most eastern states. I think it even has a higher total membership than Wyoming. The only reason it did not get a temple 10 years ago is that the highest concentration of members live in the DC suburbs near a temple. Richmond or Hampton Roads are probable locations for a future temple.

If you take the criteria of multiple stakes being more than 2 hours from the temple, then Arkansas definitely is getting close to having one in the NW corner. It is almost 4 hours for most of them to get to OKC. KC is still over 3 hours away when the temple there is completed.
Iowa, Kansas and Wisconsin all have plenty of saints, but also have nearby temples to provide access for much of their LDS population.

Nick,

I am compelled to point out that Daybreak is not in Draper. The Draper temple is near Corner Canyon and is surrounded by large houses built in a Thomas Kincaid after a trip to France style. Many are now in foreclosure. On top of that the Suncrest development above the them turns out to have been built on an active landslide and will probably be much closer to the temple someday soon after a good rainstorm.

Daybreak is on the other side of the valley, technically in South Jordan. Which means there are two temples in a single city, I believe.

We should be gearing up to complain about when there are two temples in Brigham City. Of course some of us already consider Maddox to be a temple of sorts, but is it in Willard?

arJ, Maddox is in Perry, which already has two temples (the other being Walmart).

Mark D., I’ll agree that it’s better to put a temple in Brigham than in northern Weber county… but I still can’t figure out why they’re putting one in the area to begin with.

As I mentioned above, the Logan and Ogden temples are both only about 25 minutes away, and there’s no other sizable population center to speak of in the area which would benefit (I don’t think you can call Brigham itself “sizable”). Here are the biggest incorporated municipalities in order of their distance from Brigham and their populations (the core of the Brigham City micropolitan statistical area):

• Brigham — 18,712

• Perry — 2,383

• Mantua — 791

• Corrine — 621

• Willard — 1,620

• Honeyville — 1,214

• Bear River City — 750

• Tremonton — 5,592

• Garland — about 6,000

Any further north from Garland and you’re actually closer to Logan (Garland’s pretty much a wash, as it is). Depending on where you live in Willard, it’s likely faster to get to Ogden.

There is no benefit to Nevada, Idaho, or Wyoming:

• Nevada: To the west of the cities on the above list, there’s only the lake and unincorporated space. I can’t see anyone bothering to cross the western half of the county to get to Brigham from Nevada. It would be easier to take I-80 through Wendover in to one of the SL-area temples.

• As for Idaho, if you go up I-15, Malad is the first noticeable thing you hit, and it’s actually closer to Logan. If you go up I-84, Burley is the first thing of consequence, and it’s way closer to Twin Falls.

• All the main roads from Wyoming feed through Ogden, with some lesser ones through Logan. There is nothing direct to BC.

So what’s the benefit? I wasn’t aware that Ogden and Logan were overcrowded (I have no numbers on this, but that’s my impression, having been to both of them frequently), especially Ogden, which is as high capacity as Provo.

The new temple’s district is probably only going to be about 13 stakes (and this isn’t a mini one we’re talking about). By contrast, Ogden’s district comprises 78 stakes, Logan’s has 48, Draper’s district is 25 stakes, and Oquirrh Mountain’s is 26. (That may sound like a lot for Ogden, but remember it is high capacity — Provo serves 77 stakes, and I am willing to bet that it has better attendance statistics.)

Someone above mentioned the impending facelift of the Ogden temple as being one of the reasons… perhaps that’s a contributing factor; however, as one of the principal justifications, it strikes me as wasteful. Ogden is scheduled to close in 2011 while Brigham won’t be finished until 2012 at the earliest. If making up for Ogden were so important, you’d think they would try and coordinate that a little better.

Besides, Brigham City is growing and all, but it’s not even close to approaching the urban / suburban sprawl of the SLC area and Utah Valley (seriously, nowhere near it — just thinking about the comparison makes me laugh). So, when the Ogden facelift is done, then what? There are no development factors whatsoever in downtown BC (unless they’re trying to stave off an Ogden-type situation before there’s even any evidence that it might possibly one day happen).

So, I realize that I certainly don’t have all the information — I have no idea what statistics are important (and probably have no access to those that are)… but, honestly, I’m still trying to figure out how you can spin this without Elder Packer’s name creeping into the discussion.

That said, I love Brigham City and can’t wait to visit the temple when it is finished.

Am I now relegated to the Limbo of “all posts moderated,” or did I write something in my #37 that triggered a hold on the post?

Nick,

You can’t spell Draper without also spelling a bad word or two. So all mentions of the city have some chance of being automagically moderated.

They could buy Cherry Hill and put a temple on it, but keep the river tube ride.

Put it on Antelope Island.

Nick, you’re not in the mod queue — you’re quite welcome here. Sorry about the auto-spam thing. It blocks literally thousands of spam comments a week, and sometimes we get the occasional false positive. Drop me or arj an email when it occurs and we’ll make sure that it gets approved.

Gilroy – I actually like how the Rome Temple looks. True it isn’t neoclassical, or neo-gothic for that matter. But if it was it would not stand out from the buildings in Rome. I really like the sleek look and the slightly curving walls. As for it being a variation of a design, so what. Gothic cathedrals are all variations of cathedrals with a cross shaped floor plan and the Salt Lake, Manti and Logan Temples are all the same plan. I think the new 2 towered design looks really nice and has the benefit of symbolism. It may not be classical but it definitely has style and a lot of details. The 3 temples with this design look distinct from each other. In the last few years the church has switched from almost identical small temples of the late 90s to mid 2000s to several different small temple styles with 4-9 variations of each plan. These newer temples have a lot more variety even though they share floor plans. These newer temples vary in murals, stained glass design, window and doorway styles (arch, semi arch, or no arch, etc.) tower heights and exterior materials just to name a few areas of variation.

A few comments above reminded me that I once attended an endowment session with only seven people in the Provo Temple. It even happens in the busiest temples. It was a midweek early afternoon in the same building where visits on Fridays or Saturdays could involve waiting an hour or more at that time.

I lived in Hartford for a year and spent that time with the Saints there. When I heard that a temple would be built there, I literally shed tears of happiness. The Saints in this area are strong in their faith and love the temple. That they will be blessed with a temple so close to them warms my soul. I watched the Sacramento temple built, and saw the impact it had on missionary work. The temple will be utilized to it’s full potential, of that I have no doubt. Remember that the announcement of a temple in Hartford, CT and other temples all over the world comes from revelation from our Father in Heaven to a worthy, amazing Prophet here on the Earth. Heavenly Father knows whats best for the New England area, just as he knows best for every area on this Earth.

Steamtrain – if you can figure out the rationale let us know. Good luck to you

Steamtrain – I tend to guess that many of these decisions are motivated by some personal biases – perhaps someone in the 12 really wanted to put a Temple there. I also wonder if there isn’t a move afoot to have a Temple in every state and province (or at least most). In the US, the last stake was Providence, RI – which has more than half of its units in Connecticut as well as the Stake Center, but you call it the PRovidence, RI stake and you can brag you have a Stake in every US State…

It may do all to remember the sacredness of what the temple represents, the questions we answered and what it means to sustain the president of the church as a PROPHET, SEER & REVELATOR.

Do you have faith in and a testimony of God the Eternal Father, His Son Christ, and the Holy Ghost?
Do you have a testimony of the Atonement of Christ and of His role as Savior and Redeemer?
Do you have a testimony of the restoration of the gospel in these the latter days?
Do you sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and as the only person on the earth who possesses and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys? Do you sustain members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators? Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local authorities of the Church?
Do you live the law of chastity?
Is there anything in your conduct relating to members of your family that is not in harmony with the teachings of the Church?
Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your sacrament and other meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?
Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?
Are you a full-tithe payer?
Do your keep the Word of Wisdom?
Do you have financial or other obligations to a former spouse or children? If yes, are you current in meeting those obligations?
If you have previously received your temple endowment: Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple?
Do you wear the garment both night and day as instructed in the endowment and in accordance with the covenant you made in the temple?
Have there been any sins or misdeeds in your life that should have been resolved with priesthood authorities but have not been?
Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord’s house and participate in temple ordinances?

From the General Conference in 1998

Less than one year after President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the Church’s new undertaking of building small temples in places where relatively few members live, the first small temple was dedicated in Monticello, Utah, on Sunday, 26 July, with additional dedicatory sessions held the following day. Monticello is a town of about 2,000 residents located in southeastern Utah.

“Since the beginning of Thy work in this dispensation, Thy people have been commanded to build temples,” said President Hinckley in the dedicatory prayer. “Even in seasons of great poverty, they have struggled to erect these sacred houses. Now Thou hast made Thy will known and blessed us with the means to erect many more temples, smaller in size but complete in their necessary appointments. These will be convenient to Thy faithful Saints and will meet the needs of Thy growing Church throughout the world. This is the first of a new generation of such structures.”

I have served as ordinance worker in the St. George Utah Temple for 7 1/2 years. It has been my experience that those that claim to know what the “MORMON MENTALITY” is, are on their way to apostasy. Let us be grateful, even rejoicing for the bounty that our Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ have given. Let us not trifle with sacred things. For God will not be mocked.

You truly have a gift, arJ.

Who is this Aaron B? Not Aaron Brown I take it. What sacred things are being trifled with here Aaron, and who the heck are you to post the TR questions?