‘A long time coming’: Spanish Fork mayor speaks on new temple announcement

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — On Sunday, April 6, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced 15 new temples — including one in Spanish Fork, Utah.

The newly announced temple in Spanish Fork will be the religion’s 31st temple in the Beehive State. The city’s mayor, Mike Mendenhall, told ABC4.com that many residents “felt this was a long time coming.”

“We’re a city that was established by Mormon pioneers in 1851, and so probably ever since then, people in Spanish Fork have thought we should have a temple here,” Mendenhall said.

Mendenhall said that, for about a decade, the city has been planning to keep citizens within the city limits for goods, services, homes, and more. One of the benefits of doing so is reducing congestion on the interstate, the mayor said.

Mendenhall said he is excited that the Spanish Fork temple will be known around the world, and said he is “most excited for what it means for our local community.”

Spanish Fork is located between Provo and Payson — both cities which have at least one temple in the area. Mendenhall said those temples are often pretty busy.

“Some people have said, ‘Do we need another temple?'” Mendenhall said. “If you ask Latter-day Saints who are attending the temple if they can get a scheduled time at the temple just north of us or the temple just south of us, they will tell you it’s at least weeks out.”

Mendenhall said leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ did not consult him about the local demand for a temple in the city — “but they knew, and have followed through on helping the demand.”

“The demand to worship inside of a temple is as strong as ever in south Utah County,” Mendenhall said. “This will sit geographically in a perfect place where people are already coming to do a lot of commerce, they’re traveling to our city for a lot of different reasons.”

In the Church of Jesus Christ, temples differ from chapels, where members regularly meet. While members of the faith (and guests who aren’t members) can enter chapels for weekly services on Sundays, temples are considered “the most sacred places on earth” and are not completely open to the public, the church explains.

“They’ll be able to worship right here locally, inside the city,” Mendenhall said.

Since becoming the faith’s leader in 2018, the church says Nelson has announced a total of 200 new temples. Last year, Nelson announced 15 new temples in April 2024 and another 17 new temples in October 2024.

Jeff Hunter contributed to this report.