YORBA LINDA, Calif. — President D. Todd Christofferson dedicated the Yorba Linda California Temple on Sunday, June 7, calling the new house of the Lord “a testament to the faith of many generations, with the promise of more faithful, covenant-keeping generations to come.”
Said the second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: “It’s a testament that the Lord has been doing His work here for many years and that He is now hastening His work.”
President Christofferson was accompanied at the dedication by his wife, Sister Kathy Christofferson. Joining him were three General Authority Seventies and each’s wife: Elder Steven R. Bangerter, executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Susan Bangerter; Elder I. Raymond Egbo, assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Comfort Egbo; and Elder Takashi Wada, president of the United States West Area of the Church, and his wife, Sister Naomi Wada.
This is the first temple dedication President Christofferson has presided over since he was named as second counselor in the First Presidency by President Dallin H. Oaks in October 2025.
In his April 2024 general conference address titled “Covenants and Responsibilities,” President Oaks said, “We have the testimonies of many pioneers that the power they received from being bound to Christ in their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple gave them the strength to make their epic journey and establish themselves in the West.”
At the temple on Sunday morning, President Christofferson observed: “Just as the temple is in the world and yet is a place apart, here each of us learns how to be in the world and yet not of the world. Gradually all that is impure or unworthy in our character is rooted out as we draw closer to the Lord in His house. Our very desires change over time. It is a conditioning for life in a holy, celestial realm.”
Just being in the temple will not in and of itself bring the blessings and transformation one desires, President Christofferson said. Instead, “we should examine our lives from time to time and ask ourselves, ‘Is there something unworthy I should put out of my life?’ Or on the other hand, ‘Is there a Christlike attribute I should more fully cultivate in myself?’”
“We can pray and ask God, ‘What lack I yet?’ and then act on the impressions that come to us,” President Christofferson said. He added that immortality and eternal life cannot be attained without the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“Christ redeems us from the Fall, and by His grace forgives and sanctifies us from sin on condition of repentance. We cannot keep our ‘second estate,’ that is, we cannot succeed in this mortal probation without the grace of Jesus Christ to forgive and sanctify us from sin. We need Him to make us holy. To obtain eternal life, we need ‘to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus’” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:79).
President Christofferson said that this temple and all latter-day temples “constitute our visible, tangible testimony of the living reality of the Redeemer, since without His Atonement and Resurrection, the temple would serve no purpose.”
He added: “I give you my sure witness that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and Savior of the world, the resurrected Lord, that He lives and that this is His Church, His house and His work.”
A significant milestone
The Yorba Linda California temple dedication “marks a milestone in the progress of the kingdom of God on the earth, and particularly in this part of His vineyard,” according to President Christofferson.
The history of the Church in Southern California began with the arrival of the Mormon Battalion in San Diego in late January 1847. Then in 1851, more than 400 Latter-day Saints established the San Bernardino colony under the direction of Church President Brigham Young.
From those early days, the Church has grown in California. Today, the state is home to more than 725,000 Church members in almost 1,100 wards and branches. This makes it the second U.S. state with the most Latter-day Saints, after Utah.
This temple was dedicated on the same day and at the same time as the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple’s dedication, with the Yorba Linda and Willamette Valley houses of the Lord becoming the Church’s 218th and 219th dedicated temples worldwide, respectively.
Including all those under construction or announced and in planning, the Church’s total count is 385 temples.
The open house
Joe and Gail Ham, who served as coordinators of the Yorba Linda temple open house and dedication committee, echoed President Christofferson’s words about transformation that comes through Jesus Christ when worshipping and serving in the temple.
“The temple provides a help that I could never possibly get anywhere else,” Joe Ham said.
Gail Ham said that in the temple, she’s learned more about “what’s possible” because of Jesus Christ.
“He cares about each one of us individually,” she said. “And it’s a way for us to say, ‘OK, I’m willing to improve more. I’m willing to commit more in my efforts to become more like Jesus Christ.’”
She said people who visited the temple during the open house could feel the Spirit of the Lord while touring the temple. One woman who is not a member of the Church told her that she felt close to Jesus Christ while sitting in the celestial room.
“And I said, ‘Wow, that’s exactly what our efforts are inside that temple, is to feel like we are tied to Him and helping Him in His work,’” Gail Ham said.
Joe Ham said he also witnessed people who stayed on the temple grounds after they toured the inside, pondering what they had seen and heard.
“That was the effect the Lord had — the Spirit of the Lord had — on people is they could not leave,” Joe Ham said.
Testifying of the Savior, Jesus Christ
Yorba Linda California Stake President Justin Dalton said he’s seen miracles in the area since the temple was announced.
“We’ve seen an increase in missionary work,” he said. “Just like the Church has experienced worldwide, we’ve seen the same within our immediate area. It’s been such a blessing to our stake. It’s given us a missionary mindset and truly a temple-going mindset throughout our stake.”
President Dalton said the area is full of faithful people with lots of different churches and religious affiliations.
“I’m excited for the impact the temple will have on the community as a whole,” he said. “I think that it’ll give us many more opportunities as people drive by and see this wonderful structure and admire the beauty of the outside to speak of the beauty of the ordinances that happen inside.”
President Dalton also said he’s grateful for the opportunity to testify to friends and neighbors that the temple is the house of the Lord.
“I hope that is what people in our community see,” he said. “We believe in the Savior and we worship Him. And if there was ever any question, the temple is a beacon of that truth.”
Anaheim California Stake President Scott Hicken and his wife, Darsi Hicken, volunteered and led several tours through the temple during the open house. One of those tours included one of Scott Hicken’s former high school teachers, who is Jewish. And that tour has led to further interfaith experiences.
“We’ve been invited to the local synagogue where they serve,” President Hicken said. “And you know what? We’re going to enjoy that thoroughly, being in their presence and in their holy place.”
Darsi Hicken said she saw the open house bring the community together.
“It’s brought a lot of joy to a lot of people,” she said.
President Hicken also said that just as the temple was built from the ground up and transformed into a beautiful, holy place, the local members of the Church have been changed into a more holy people by the temple in their midst.
“Statistically speaking, our stake has never seen higher numbers of more people that are endowed with a current recommend than we’re seeing today,” he said. “So that means that people have desires to be in the house of the Lord. And they’re coming back, and they’re meeting with their bishops. … And they’re gaining a recommend so that they are prepared.”
Brea California Stake President David Hatori said temple worship has impacted his family to find clarity through life’s challenges.
“As my wife and I worship in the temple, we are inspired to move forward and put our faith in Christ as we navigate the many issues that arise in our lives as parents and grandparents,” he said. “Our faith is stronger because of the love we feel in the temple.”
Yorba Linda California Temple
Address: 17130 Bastanchury Road, Yorba Linda, California 92886
Announced: April 4, 2021, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: June 18, 2022, presided over by Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy
Public open house: April 30 through May 23, 2026, excluding Sundays
Dedicated: June 7, 2026, by President D. Todd Christofferson
Property size: 5.46 acres
Building size: 30,872 square feet
Building height: 70 feet (including the spire)
