Temple Worship

The last time no new temples were announced during general conference

President Dallin H. Oaks, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, opens the Sunday morning session of 195th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025.
President Dallin H. Oaks, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, opens the Sunday morning session of 195th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025.
Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

During the last session of the October 2025 general conference, President Dallin H. Oaks spoke about the sacred importance of families and temples.

While new temples have been announced during every general conference session for the last seven years, President Oaks shared that “with the large number of temples now in the very earliest phases of planning and construction, it is appropriate that we slow down the announcement of new temples.” He said this decision to announce no new temples was made with the approval of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Here’s a quick look back at temple announcements during general conference and what President Oaks said.

The Last Time There Were No New Temple Announcements

The most recent occurrence of no new temple announcements before this conference was October 2017.

President Thomas S. Monson did not attend conference that fall due to age-related health limitations. Previously, the 90-year-old Church President had announced five new temples at the April 2017 general conference.

Following President Monson’s death, President Russell M. Nelson was set apart as the 17th Church President on January 14, 2018, and sustained at the beginning of the April 2018 general conference. He announced a total of 200 temples during his tenure:

  • April 2018: 7
  • October 2018: 12
  • April 2019: 8
  • October 2019: 8
  • April 2020: 8
  • October 2020: 6
  • April 2021: 20
    • May 2021: 1 (President Nelson announced one new temple—the Ephraim Utah Temple—outside of a conference session.)
  • October 2021: 13
  • April 2022: 17
  • October 2022: 18
  • April 2023: 15
  • October 2023: 20
  • April 2024: 15
  • October 2024: 17
  • April 2025: 15

During the October 2025 general conference, President Oaks reflected on President Nelson’s historic temple announcements, sharing, “He loved to announce new temples at the conclusion of each general conference, and we all rejoiced with him.”

What President Oaks Said About the Future of New Temples

President Oaks explained that the Church will “now move forward in providing the ordinances of the temple to members of the Church throughout the world, including when and where to announce the construction of new temples.”

“The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints centers on the family,” he taught. “Essential to our doctrine on the family is the temple. The ordinances received there enable us to return as eternal families to the presence of our Heavenly Father.”

Earlier during the conference, President Oaks shared that this is the first time in about 75 years that a Church President had died a few days before general conference. The reorganization of the First Presidency is not expected to take place until sometime after President Nelson’s funeral, which was held on Tuesday, October 7.

Learn more about the October 2025 general conference at Church Newsroom.

Remember what resonated

Studying conference talks has never been easier than with these best-selling General Conference Journal Editions. Now for the October 2025 general conference, this study resource includes every talk from the conference with plenty of space to record all your gospel insights.

The journals will begin shipping in November. Reserve your copy at deseretbook.com.

More articles for you:
Uplifting quotes from each October 2025 general conference session
Touching quotes from President Nelson’s funeral service
▶ What it was like to be in President Nelson’s home ward

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