The church is encouraging the public to tour the new Fort Worth Texas Temple in November. After the temple is dedicated Jan. 10, only members of the church in good standing are allowed inside.
“Regardless of your faith tradition, we hope you will come take a tour and share a few minutes with us,” Elder Brandon Ellison, who oversees the greater Fort Worth region, said in a news release.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, said that following the dedication, members of the public are still invited to tour the temple’s grounds.
A temple serves a difference purpose than a meetinghouse, where congregations worship on Sundays and participate in activities throughout the week. Temples are believed to be the most sacred places on earth, according to the church. Instruction, marriages and baptisms are held in temples.
“Each temple is considered a house of the Lord, where Jesus Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through sacred ordinances that unite families eternally,” the church said in a news release.
According to the church, about a quarter of Texas’ 400,000 members live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. There is currently only one operating temple in the region located in North Dallas, although another is under construction in Fairview.
The church says membership in North Texas has quadrupled since the Dallas Texas Temple was dedicated in 1984. Temples are also located in Houston, San Antonio, Lubbock and McAllen, the church said.
“We have members who are driving two, sometimes three hours to get to the Dallas temple,” Janae Baird, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Texas Temple, said.
Baird said the church wants non-members to see the beauty of the temple and learn more about what makes it a sacred place for the church.
The Fort Worth Texas Temple was announced in 2021 and construction began in 2023.
The temple is located in Burleson at 1851 Greenridge Drive. Free public tours will run from Nov. 5 to Nov. 21, excluding Sundays.