The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has officially announced the dedication date for the Knoxville Tennessee Temple, marking a significant milestone for regional church members as the state prepares to welcome its third temple. According to a Sept. 14 news release published on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the Knoxville Tennessee Temple will be dedicated on Sunday, March 7, 2027, by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as reported by Church News.
The upcoming dedication follows a comprehensive public open house scheduled to run from Wednesday, Jan. 27, through Saturday, Feb. 13, 2027, excluding Sundays. Organizers have set a dedicated media day for Jan. 25, 2027, followed by invited-guest tours on Jan. 26, 2027. Church leadership confirmed that both the open house timeline and the final dedicatory services will provide broad access, with the dedication broadcast to all units within the designated temple district.
This announcement solidifies a timeline that began with a presidential church announcement and progressed through regional construction milestones. The upcoming facility will join two existing operating temples in the state: the Memphis Tennessee Temple, dedicated in April 2000, and the Nashville Tennessee Temple, which followed a month later in May 2000, according to Church News.
History of the Knoxville Temple and Tennessee Membership
The journey toward the Knoxville Tennessee Temple began on April 3, 2022, when then-Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the project during the April 2022 general conference as one of 17 temples. Groundbreaking ceremonies took place less than two years later on Jan. 27, 2024, presided over by Elder Shayne M. Bowen, who served at the time as a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America Southeast Area presidency.
During the 2024 groundbreaking rites, Elder Bowen remarked, “God is bringing His work to His people so that we can enter in and worship in the holy temple, receive the saving ordinances that will allow us to return home and live in His presence as families forever. There’s nothing better than that.”
Tennessee’s Latter-day Saint community has deep historical roots in the region, tracing back to 1834 when early missionaries first arrived in the southeastern state. Today, Tennessee is home to approximately 62,000 church members distributed across more than 120 wards and branches, who will soon have shorter travel times for sacred worship once the Knoxville facility opens its doors in early 2027.
Comparative Timeline with the Smithfield Utah Temple
Alongside the Knoxville announcement, the First Presidency also released the dedication schedule for the Smithfield Utah Temple. That facility is slated for dedication on Sunday, April 18, 2027, by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, following a public open house running from Thursday, Feb. 25, through Saturday, March 27, 2027.
While Tennessee counts roughly 62,000 members and three total temples (operating and upcoming), Utah represents a vastly different demographic density, housing more than 2.2 million members across nearly 5,400 wards and branches. The Beehive State currently maintains 32 temples either operating, under construction, announced, or undergoing renovation.
Church officials noted that both the Knoxville and Smithfield projects underscore a broader, ongoing expansion of temple construction globally under the direction of the First Presidency. Members in the Knoxville district are now preparing for the upcoming media tours and open-house windows ahead of Elder Bednar’s arrival in March 2027. We invite our readers to share their thoughts and local perspectives on this announcement in the comments below.
