The Foundation of a Great Work

The Independence, Missouri Temple Site; The Historical Marker Database

Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants, for the Come Follow Me lesson  June 16-22 Doctrine and Covenants 64-66

We are told in Doctrine and Covenants 64:30-33, The Lord of Hosts  “…hath set you to provide for his saints in these last days, that they may obtain an inheritance in the land of Zion. And behold, I, the Lord, declare unto you, and my words are sure and shall not fail, that they shall obtain it. But all things must come to pass in their time. Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.”

This revelation was given September 11, 1831. By year-end, membership in the Church of Christ, which would become The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was listed as 680. One temple site had been dedicated by Joseph Smith in Independence, Missouri, on August 3, 1831. The Independence Temple was/is to be one of twenty-four temples comprising the center of the “New Jerusalem” or “City of Zion”. Another Temple site was dedicated in Far West, Missouri on July 4, 1838, by Brigham Young, and he dedicated a third Temple site in October the same year at Spring Hill in Adam-ondi-Ahman. Only days later, the Saints were ordered to leave Missouri on pain of death. None of those three temples has yet been constructed.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not own the actual Temple Lot for the Independence Temple. On December 19, 1831, 63.27 acres for the temple site were purchased by Edward Partridge. Today, 2.5 acres, including the actual area enclosed by the Temple-lot cornerstones, are owned by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns 20 acres of the original 63.27-acre parcel, and the Community of Christ owns the remaining approximately 41 acres. On the other hand, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns a considerable amount of land in Far West, Missouri, including the Far West Temple Site and surrounding areas; as well as around 3,000 acres at the Adam-ondi-Ahman, including that Temple site.

The Kansas City Missouri Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was dedicated on May 6, 2012 by President Thomas S. Monson. It is in the northern suburbs of Kansas City, 13.6 miles northwest of the Independence Temple site. The problem today with the Far West and Adam-ondi-Ahman Temple sites is not Church ownership, but the remoteness of the locations. Far West is four miles northwest of Kingston, which is a small town, with population of around only 290 people. It is 53.5 miles northeast of Kansas City, which already has a Temple. The Adam-ondi-Ahman Temple site is some 80 miles north of Kansas City. It is 3 miles southeast of Jameson, a village in Daviess County, Missouri, with a population of only 73 in the 2020 census. Even if Temples were built today at those Temple sites, there are no Church members close enough to take advantage of Temples there.

In between the dedication of the Independence Temple site (1831) and the Far West and Adam-ondi-Ahman Temple sites (1838), the Kirtland Temple site was dedicated and the Temple was built and dedicated March 27, 1836 by Joseph Smith. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now owns the temple, but does not use it for Temple ordinances. The incomplete Nauvoo Temple was dedicated May 1-3, 1846 by Orson Hyde, was used for Temple ordinances, but was abandoned shortly after. The new Nauvoo Temple was dedicated June 27, 2002, by President Gordon B. Hinckley.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now has Temples scattered across the globe. The Syracuse, Utah Temple, the 206th Temple, was dedicated June 8th 2025 by our 100-year-old President Russell M. Nelson. At least five additional Temples are scheduled for dedication yet this year. Fifty-five more Temples are under construction, and twenty-one more have been announced. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a current total membership of 17,509,781, as of the end of 2024.

Most of the 680 Church members at the end of 1831, were “…not weary in well-doing, for [they were]…laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.”

Trent Dee Stephens, PhD

trentdeestephens.com

stephenstrent7@gmail.com