David NoyceThe Mormon Land newsletter is The Salt Lake Tribune’s weekly highlight reel of news in and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join us on Patreon to receive ad-free podcast episodes, the full newsletter and access to all of our religion content.
New temple predictions
Given church President Dallin Oaks’ comments last fall, the announcement of new temples may no longer be a General Conference staple.
Instead, news about these sacred edifices is expected to emerge piecemeal, leaders have said, at regional meetings where the temples are to be built. Thus, plans for Maine’s first temple, in Portland, were announced there at a Christmas devotional by a general authority Seventy.
But one constant continues: Independent researcher Matt Martinich, who tracks church growth at ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com, has again revealed his list of “most likely” locales to have new temples pronounced in the next six months:
1. Angeles or Olongapo, Philippines.
2. Bo, Sierra Leone.
3. Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
4. Rigby, Idaho.
5. Lomé, Togo.
6. Southeastern Salt Lake County (Cottonwood Heights, Holladay or Sandy).
7. Evanston, Wyoming.
8. San Pablo City, Philippines.
9. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
10. Ibadan, Nigeria.
View the remainder of Martinich’s top 20.
From our pre-General Conference special section
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Elaina Mora and her husband, Jovany Mora in American Fork. They met on their missions in Mexico.
• Courting converts and finding your companion — your “eternal” one — on your mission.
• A liberal apostle from decades ago saw a “gerontocracy problem” emerging among the faith’s top leaders and proposed a radical remedy.
• A behind-the-scenes look — in words, pictures and video — at the church’s most iconic instrument and the man who keeps it in tune.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Master organ technician Joseph Nielsen discusses the upkeep of the Tabernacle organ at Temple Square.
• This Latter-day Saint athlete paused his pro career. Three years later, he’s back in the arena.
• What does your heaven look like? Tribune columnist Gordon Monson wants to know.
• Maybe new apostle Clark Gilbert should bless, not curse, secular education.
• Tribune guest columnist Eli McCann recalls the titanic battle over “Titanic” and that — gasp — scene with Kate and Leo.
• Why the church needs to keep liberals in the fold.
The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: Sunday school change
Is the recently announced shift — allowing women to serve as Sunday school presidents and in all-female Sunday school presidencies — a big stride toward greater gender equity in the church or simply a small step?
Listen to the podcast.
Welcoming a cross
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) “Jesus Christ Carrying the Cross," created by Michael Hall, debuts just south of the Salt Lake Temple.
Just in time for Holy Week, the Christian cross has arrived on Salt Lake City’s Temple Square — this one in the form of a new statue depicting Jesus carrying the cross to his crucifixion.
A companion sculpture shows Christ praying in Gethsemane.
While the faith’s official symbol is an image of the resurrected Christ, and Latter-day Saints generally don’t wear crosses as jewelry, nor are they found atop meetinghouses and temples — there is no church prohibition against doing so.
Seminary surge
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Students learn from the scriptures during a seminary class.
A surge in sign-ups the past two years has pushed enrollment in the church’s seminaries (for high schoolers) and institutes (for college students) past the 1 million mark for the first time.
“Every one of you who attends ... this year will literally be one in a million,” said Chad Webb, who oversees the two education programs, “an important part of a historic year, known and numbered by our Father in Heaven.”
A positive lake effect
The Great Salt Lake needs saving, and Utah’s governor is praising the church for doing its part to help.
The Utah-based faith donated 20,000 acre-feet of water (enough for about 60,000 households) in 2023 and, according to a news release, plans an additional lease of 6,800 acre-feet this year.
“Having your leadership,” Gov. Spencer Cox said, “has helped us get other people involved who may have been hesitant otherwise.”
From The Tribune
• Major changes are coming to the church’s Sunday worship services, and how members are reacting.
• A college Republican group tapped a Brigham Young University student and returned missionary for its political director. The backlash was swift.
(Kai Schwemmer via X; illustration by Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Screenshots from Kai Schwemmer's X account. The BYU student was named as the political director of the College Republicans of America.
• A historic moment awaits President Dallin Oaks at this weekend’s General Conference.
• BYU celebrates Easter and the school’s sesquicentennial.
David is a managing editor at The Tribune, where he has worked since 1984. He oversees coverage ranging from local government and west-side issues to growth, development and housing. In addition, he directs religion reporting, co-hosts the award-winning “Mormon Land” podcast and writes the Mormon Land newsletter.