Mormons Continue to Build Meeting Houses and Temples as Church Continues to Grow

Salt Lake City, Utah – World-wide growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, popularly referred to as "Mormons," is evidenced by the rapid construction of new meeting houses and temples, where Christian worship takes place.

President Thomas S. Monson, leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and revered as a prophet of God by members, opened the 178th Semiannual General Conference in Salt Lake City with the announcement that five new temples will be constructed because of continued growth of the church.

The additional five temples will be built in the Kansas City area; Philadelphia; Calgary Alberta, Canada; Córdoba, Argentina; and Rome, Italy. There are presently 128 temples throughout the world, with another 17 in some phase of planning or construction, which will bring the worldwide total to 145.



Temples are not where members of The Church of Jesus Christ meet for Sunday worship. There are nearly 30,000 local congregations throughout the world that meet in local church buildings. In fact, temples are not even open on Sundays.

Members of the Church believe that temples are the most sacred places on earth. Temples are used for the performance of sacred ceremonies such as eternal marriage for "time and all eternity," rather than "until death do you part." Temples are also a place of religious instruction aimed at strengthening relationships with God and people.

Latter-day Saint temples differ from ordinary church buildings where members meet for Sunday worship services, midweek classes, and activities. There are thousands of such chapels throughout the world, and all are open to visitors.

The planning and building of more than 100 temples in recent years has brought the ordinances offered in temples to easier access to Latter-day Saints. Elder William Walker, with the LDS Temple Department, said in a press release, "Eighty-two percent of the members live within 200 miles of a temple worldwide, which is essentially within about three hours of ground transportation."

News reports and recent research confirm that members of the public are unaware that worship services and meetings such as the recent conference are open to the public. Latter-day Saints invite all people to attend church meetings on any Sunday, where they can see for themselves how Mormon worship is focused on Jesus Christ.

The continued growth of the 13-million-member church requires constant construction of churches. More than one new church building is completed each day somewhere in the world, according to Church statistics. Uniquely, each building is constructed without debt.

Like other Christians, Latter-day Saints attend church every Sunday. Each congregation is led by a lay priesthood. There is no paid minister. A local congregation is known as a ward, and is led by a bishop who is called to voluntary service for approximately five years.

At a typical Sunday service, men, women, as well as teenagers speak from the pulpit about Jesus Christ and gospel topics. The meeting includes extemporaneous, not recited, prayers as well as hymns. Many of the hymns are traditional Christian hymns heard in other denominations.

The weekly Sunday church service is known to Latter-day Saints as the "Sacrament Meeting." During the meeting members reverently receive the sacrament, similar to ceremonies in other Christian denominations.

During the recent world-wide conference, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, explained that Latter-Day Saints receive the sacrament each Sunday "as part of commemorating the Savior´s death and sufferings for the redemption of the world. This ordinance was introduced so that we can renew our covenants to serve Him, to obey Him, and to always remember Him."

While local congregations are open to everyone, a temple is a place where the most cherished of human relationships are made eternal. Accordingly, it is only fitting and appropriate that the lives of those who worship there reflect that sacredness.

The public are sometimes disappointed to find out that only Latter-day Saints in good standing may enter temples. However, members of the general public are invited to participate in an open house after the construction of each new temple.