Just one month ago, President Russell M. Nelson shared 20 new temples would be built in locations around the world. And on Saturday, May 1, President Nelson broke his tradition of announcing temples during general conference with the announcement of a temple in Ephraim, Utah.
Some may wonder how often temples are announced outside of general conference. Apart from the Ephraim temple, President Nelson has announced the other 69 new temples of his presidency during general conference.
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It’s been over a decade since a temple was announced outside of general conference. The Payson Utah Temple was announced by President Thomas S. Monson on January 25, 2010, and the Trujillo Peru Temple was announced in 2008 in a letter to Church leaders.
In 2019, a Church News article shared that less than half of the 201 temples at that time (operating, under construction, or announced) had been announced in general conference. The article breaks down how temple announcements changed through the years. In fact, it wasn’t until President Monson’s service, who announced 40 out of 45 temples during general conference, that announcing new temple locations in general conference became the norm instead of the exception.
Read more about how temple announcements have changed through the years at Church News.
Correction: This article originally stated the Trujillo Peru Temple was the last temple to be announced outside of conference. The article has been updated to state the Payson Utah Temple was the last temple to be announced outside of conference.
