\u201cHaving the temple in Dallas is wonderful,\u201d Baird said. \u201cBut having the temple in Fort Worth will provide an opportunity for people to attend more frequently and to have it be a more peaceful and calm experience overall.\u201d<\/p>\n
About the Fort Worth Texas Temple<\/p>\n
Temples within the denomination, also called \u201chouse of the Lord,\u201d are considered places of holiness and peace separate from the preoccupations of the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Temples are not placed for regular Sunday worship but rather serve as the only place where ceremonies such as baptism and eternal marriage can be performed on behalf of those who have died \u2014 a practice that Latter-day Saints believe was followed in the New Testament but later lost, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<\/a> They are also a place where the highest sacraments of the faith take place, including marriages and the \u201csealing\u201d of families for eternity.\u00a0<\/p>\n The interior of Latter-day Saints temples consist of a number of rooms designed to accommodate certain functions such as marriages, baptisms and religious instructional sessions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Inside the temples, church members change into simple, modest white clothing before taking part in temple ceremonies. The white clothing symbolizes purity and equality before God, according to the church<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n A meetinghouse, or chapel, is a building where members gather for Sunday worship services, weekly activities or community events. A new meetinghouse is also being built in addition to the construction of the Fort Worth Texas Temple.<\/p>\n Anyone, regardless of religion, may enter a Latter-day Saints meetinghouse and attend services.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, because of the sacredness of temples as \u201chouses of the Lord,\u201d only members of the church who are in good standing are allowed to enter, according to the church<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Membership growth<\/p>\n The new temple comes as membership growth in Texas has been rapid in recent decades, growing from 132,000 Latter-day Saints in 1985 to just over 210,000 in 2000, according to the church<\/a>. Today, Texas is home to more than 378,000 members in nearly 750 congregations.<\/p>\n North Texas is home to about 100,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Temple Groundbreaking Committee.\u00a0Fort Worth has about 33,000 members and 30 meetinghouses, according to the Dallas Morning News<\/a>.<\/p>\n The groundbreaking for a new temple symbolized a new beginning \u201cand an invitation for all to come and partake of the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ,\u201d Elder Jose L. Alonso, member of the General Authority Seventies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said during the October 2023 groundbreaking.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThose who will build this beautiful temple of stone and mortar, and we as a community, can also build a kind of temple full of unity, love and understanding in our hearts,\u201d Alonso said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Construction milestones<\/p>\n Stone cladding panels are being fastened to the retaining walls that surround the temple grounds, according to a June 22 update<\/a> posted to the project\u2019s website. The new meetinghouse\u2019s parking lot is also being paved, sod has been laid, and soft landscaping is being established.<\/p>\n A gold domed cupola was set in place on the Fort Worth Texas Temple in late May, with its finial soon to follow. The construction milestone brings the temple to its full height.\u00a0<\/p>\n After the temple is built, it will be open to the public for tours \u2014 typically scheduled for a period of two weeks or more \u2014 before being dedicated for ordinance work.<\/p>\n It is Baird\u2019s hope, she says, that by visiting the temple people will understand \u201cwhat makes it feel like a special place\u201d and continue to enjoy the outdoor temple grounds after its dedication.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe exterior of the temple, we really hope, can be a place where as the community passes by to enjoy the grounds that they can feel that calm and that peace,\u201d Baird said. \u201cAnd that the temple becomes a beloved place for them as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Goss-LDSTempleUpdate-05.jpg\")
The crane provides a sense of scale at the Fort Worth Texas Temple on June 30, 2025, in Burleson. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Goss-LDSTempleUpdate-01.jpg\")
The exterior of the meetinghouse June 30, 2025, in Burleson. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Goss-LDSTempleUpdate-07.jpg\")
A welcome message is displayed on the meetinghouse June 30, 2025, in Burleson. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Goss-LDSTempleUpdate-06.jpg\")
The quatrefoil window is displayed on the facade of the Fort Worth Texas Temple on June 30, 2025, in Burleson. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
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