Grand Rapids Michigan Temple

Announcement of the Grand Rapids Michigan Temple

President Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced the Grand Rapids Michigan Temple on Oct. 2, 2022, during the Sunday afternoon session of October 2022 general conference. A house of the Lord for this Midwestern city was among 18 announced worldwide by the Church President — and the second for Michigan, with an operating temple in Detroit.

For Havelah Allen of the Grand Rapids Michigan Stake, the sweetest sound was hearing children and youth pray for a temple. “I really hope that they understand that the Lord heard them,” Allen said in response to the announcement of a house of the Lord for Grand Rapids.

“We have been praying and fasting as a stake to prepare ourselves for a temple in western Michigan,” she related. “We just started crying when it was announced.”

Perhaps the most poignant reaction to the announcement of the Grand Rapids Michigan Temple was on Twitter. On her social media feed, Carrie McIntyre posted a photograph of a man kneeling with his head bowed on what is perhaps the banks of Lake Michigan — some 33 miles from the temple site as the crow flies.

McIntyre wrote: “Our area has been working and praying for a temple. Some of you already know how much it means to my family, with two special-needs kids and no temple closer than three hours away. Lots of sobbing in West Michigan today. Thank You, Lord.”

Timeline of the Grand Rapids Michigan Temple

October

02

2022

Announced

Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Oct. 2, 2022, during October 2022 general conference. It was one of 18 temples worldwide announced at the conference — and the second for Michigan.

The Grand Rapids Michigan Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 2, 2022. The Church released a site location on Nov. 7, 2022, for a house of the Lord at 2400 Forest Hill Ave. in Grand Rapids. Details about the temple’s groundbreaking have not yet been released.

Architecture and Design of the Grand Rapids Michigan Temple

According to site plans released by the Church on Nov. 7, 2022, the Grand Rapids Michigan Temple will be a single-story building of approximately 20,000 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 10.5-acre site at 2400 Forest Hill Ave. Architectural renderings show the temple as a gray structure with a multilevel tower and domed cupola above the center.