The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released the location of the Birmingham England Temple. The temple will be built on a 2.7-acre site located at 185-187 Penns Lane, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England.
Plans call for a one-story temple of approximately 10,800 square feet, with patron housing and arrival facilities. Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the temple during the Church’s conference in April 2022. “Positive spiritual momentum increases as we worship in the temple and grow in our understanding of the magnificent breadth and depth of blessings we receive there,” the prophet said. “I plead with you to counter worldly ways by focusing on the eternal blessings of the temple. Your time there brings blessings for eternity,” he said, as 17 new temples, including the Birmingham England Temple, were announced.
The preaching of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ began in 1837 in Britain as missionaries, including two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, began teaching in Preston. During the nineteenth century, more than 52,000 converts emigrated from Britain to join the main body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States. By 1870, nearly half of Utah’s population consisted of British immigrants.
The three temples in the United Kingdom include the historic London England Temple (dedicated in 1958), the Preston England Temple (dedicated in 1998), and the Birmingham England Temple (announced in 2022). This Birmingham England Temple will be the third temple in operation in the United Kingdom, which is home to nearly 187,000 members in more than 315 congregations.
Detailed design plans for the temple are still in development. Further information, such as exterior renderings and groundbreaking dates, will be made public later. Project leaders continue to work with local officials on preliminary plans for the temple in preparation for construction activities.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consider temples to be the “house of the Lord” and the most sacred places of worship on the earth. Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses or chapels. All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses. The primary purpose of temples, however, is for faithful members of the Church to participate in sacred ceremonies such as marriages that unite families forever.