What is a Temple?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been building temples since the 1830s. Latter-day Saint temples are considered houses of God, a place of holiness and peace separate from the preoccupations of the world. They provide a place where Church members make formal promises and commitments to God. They are also the place where the highest sacraments of the faith occur — the marriage of couples and the “sealing” of families for eternity.

Learn more about why Latter-day Saints build temples:

Families Can Be Forever

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that each human born on earth lived first as a spirit in heaven with God, our Heavenly Father. Each one of us comes to earth to be tested through the mortal experience. By following the principles of the gospel here on earth, each of us may return to the presence of God, where we will live eternally with our families.

The Latter-day Saint teaching that family relationships on earth continue after death is distinctive among Christian faiths. To last beyond mortality, marriages must take place in a temple. Couples who join the Church after they are already married may also have their marriages “sealed” in identical ceremonies, and their children may be sealed to them.

Thus, Latter-day Saint (sometimes called “Mormon”) temples are not places of regular Sunday or congregational worship. They are built specifically for these “eternal marriages” and other individual and family-centered ceremonies. For the promises of the temple to remain in effect, a husband and wife must love and be faithful to each other throughout their marriage and continue to follow a course of Christian service and commitment throughout their lives.

Raising of Angel Moroni

Temple Groundbreaking

Elder Paul H. Watkins, former Area Seventy, presided at a small groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, 18 June 2020, for the Feather River California Temple. Attendance was limited by COVID-19 guidelines. In his site dedicatory prayer, Elder Watkins prayed, "As the temple foundation is poured, and the walls are placed, and the roof is formed, let us all revitalize our foundational faith in apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ being our chief cornerstone." The site for the 38,000 sq ft temple will be shared by a new meetinghouse and distribution center.