Mormon temple slated for Tacoma

TACOMA — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will build a temple in the Tacoma area, the Mormon church has announced.

Church president Russell Nelson made the announcement Sunday during the final session of the 2022 general conference in Salt Lake City. The Tacoma location is one of 18 that will be built in the coming years. Only Tacoma and four other locations in Sunday’s announcement are in the U.S.

The location and construction schedule for the Tacoma temple were not announced.

“The details have not been worked out, but I’m sure there’s a lot of speculation,” Tacoma-based church spokesperson Ronda Litzenberger said Monday. She called the announcement exciting and said details would be announced as soon as they are finalized.

A Mormon temple is used for sacred services and ceremonies, including the ordainment of priests. Only members of the Mormon church can enter temples. Temples differ from church meetinghouses, which are used for regular Sunday worship and community events.

Latter-day Saints temples are large buildings with dramatic architecture. There are a total of 168 Mormon temples around the world. Washington has three — in Bellevue, Spokane and Richland — with one more under construction in Moses Lake.

The Latter-Day Saints have 283,000 members in Washington. There are 52 congregations in Pierce County with an estimated 34,000 members.