LINDON, Utah — The invitation for individuals to tour a new house of the Lord is an invitation to draw closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ, noted Elder Jorge T. Becerra, a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the Church’s Utah Area presidency, while welcoming media representatives on Monday, March 9, for the first official tour of the new Lindon Utah Temple.
Monday’s media tour marks the beginning of the open-house period when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites all to visit this sacred house of the Lord prior to its dedication.
Touring a house of the Lord is an opportunity for individuals “to deepen their love for the Savior,” Elder Becerra told the Church News. “Because the Savior is in our temples. That’s why He is a prominent feature in our temples — both in art and in feeling. We’re inviting people to draw closer to the Savior, to come to know Him as their Redeemer and to love Him maybe a little bit more.”
Flanked by the twin spires and white stone walls of the newly constructed temple, Elder Becerra and his wife, Sister Debbie S. Becerra, as well as Elder James R. Rasband, a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Mary Rasband, spoke to media representatives about the symbolism, significance and blessings of temples, both to Latter-day Saints as well as to communities.
Elder Rasband called the beginning of the open house — which will run from Thursday, March 12, through Saturday, April 11, excluding Saturday, April 4, and Sundays — “really joyful.”
“We truly hope this temple will stand as a beacon of light and hope here at the foot of the beautiful, beautiful Mount Timpanogos,” he said.
Why build a temple in Lindon?
The Lindon Utah Temple stands roughly 6 miles south of the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple and about 7 miles north of the Orem Utah Temple, at the foot of the snowcapped Wasatch Mountains.
Despite proximity to several temples — it will be one of seven in Utah County and the 25th in Utah — the Lindon temple will be a “tremendous blessing” to local Latter-day Saints, said Elder Rasband, enabling Church members to make temple attendance part of their regular worship, not just an occasional occurrence.
Isabella “Bella” Bezzant, a high school student in nearby Pleasant Grove, Utah, noted the closest temples are often crowded with youth. “Right now, to get an appointment, you have to go do baptisms at 4 a.m.,” Bezzant said.
Local resident Dana Daly added, “It’ll be nice just to kind of alleviate some of that pressure.”
The Lindon temple is one of seven in the world that will have two baptistries, which, said Elder Rasband, “just shows how much our youth want to be in the temple.” The two baptistries will provide Latter-day Saint youth opportunities to regularly have a worship experience, he commented.
Elder Becerra said he hopes local Latter-day Saints will see the new house of the Lord as both an indication of God’s love as well as a responsibility. “We call [God] our Father in Heaven. This is a Father reaching out to His children and inviting them to come to Him,” Elder Becerra said of the new temple.
Elder Becerra also quoted Doctrine and Covenants 127:4, where the Lord speaks to the Saints working on the construction of the Nauvoo Temple: “Let your diligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts.”
Hopefully, at the completion of each new temple within the Church, regardless of where it’s located, Latter-day Saints will “redouble” their efforts to gather Israel, to seek after “the one” and to worship there more often, said Elder Becerra.
Physical and spiritual beauty
The three-story, more-than-80,000-square-foot edifice will be the Church’s 216th when it’s dedicated on Sunday, May 3.
In offering a few facts about the newest house of the Lord, Elder Rasband noted that its decor reflects the linden tree and flower, for which the city of Lindon is named.
Besides the linden tree being found on the grounds, depictions of it and its fragrant, yellow-white blooms are woven into the carpets and upholstery, carved into furniture, paneling and eaves, and etched in the towering art glass in soft shades of pink and green accented by blues and golds.
“Every temple is constructed to the highest standard, because we believe that we are constructing the house of the Lord and building it to Him,” Elder Rasband explained.
And yet, much more than its physical beauty, Elder Rasband said, he was excited for guests of the open house to learn more about how temples fit into Latter-day Saints’ religious doctrine. “For us, the temple is a place where we learn about God’s love for each of His children and His extraordinary mercy for us.”
Tours of the temple will run from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. through April 11. Reservations are not necessary.
Lindon Utah Temple
Address: 800 E. Center St., Lindon, Utah 84042
Announced: Oct. 4, 2020, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: April 23, 2022, presided over by Elder Kevin W. Pearson, a General Authority Seventy
Public open house: March 12 through April 11, 2026, excluding Sundays
To be dedicated: May 3, 2026
Property size: 12.63 acres
Building size: 83,140 square feet
Building height: 224 feet above ground level
