See below (halfway down this article) for the update on President Nelson. He will not be in person at the Conference Center this October General Conference.

October 2023 General Conference is upon us again. It’s an amazing time to be taught by the spirit of God, to feel peace, and to hear true messages from the Lord’s anointed servants. We invite you to make general conference your top priority this weekend. Watch all 10 hours this weekend. It will uplift and strengthen you.

One of our favorite things to do is share some general conference predictions. Here are some topics and happenings that we can expect.

Temples

A new modular method of construction will allow the Church to build more temples more quickly. If reasons follows, the rate at which temples are announced could also increase – even more than it already has since President Nelson became the prophet in 2018.

In the past five years, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the construction of 133 new temples. That’s close to double the number in operation (159) in April 2018 when President Russell M. Nelson first announced new temples since become President of the Church.

I promise that increased time in the temple will bless your life in ways nothing else can. – Russell M. Nelson

So how many temples will be announced in October’s general conference? And where are some possible locations that are a top priority for temple construction? James Stokes keeps a running list of high priority temple site locations here on his website, so give that a gander.

Some of the locations that James mentioned that I found intriguing were:

• New Delhi India
• Berlin Germany
• Bora Bora Tahiti
• Augusta Maine
• Lehi Utah
• Spanish Fork Utah
• Milan Italy

As for the number of temples to be announced? Here is a poll that gauged the voice of the people on the matter, for what it’s worth. (not much 😊 ) It asked people for their predictions on how many temples would be announced in general conference.

As for my guess, I think somewhere in the 15-29 range would be consistent with the trend of President Nelson but would also allow for some hastening that the new method of temple construction allows.

Feel free to watch this video below that has a timeline of temples across the earth. It’s a little outdated but still fun to watch!

Topic of Talks

We recently celebrated the visit of the angel Moroni to Joseph Smith that occurred on September 21, 1823 – this year marking 200 years since that majestic event. It was then that Moroni revealed to Joseph Smith the existence of the gold plates that contained the record we now know as the Book of Mormon.

It would make sense that there be an emphasis on the Book of Mormon as another witness of Jesus Christ’s redeeming mission and also as the tool God gave us to help gather Israel. I would love to hear that message shared by Elder M. Russell Ballard.

David A. Bednar has also been posting some interesting videos on his social media accounts that take us into the life of an apostle and he’s focused heavily on repentance in the last few months. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear him talk on this paramount principle of repentance in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

He shared the following post recently:

Emphasized repeatedly in the scriptures is a consistent connectedness among the principle of repentance, the importance of sacred covenants and ordinances, the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost, and the glorious blessing of always retaining a remission of sins. How wonderful that the gospel of Jesus Christ provides second, and third, and fourth, and endless opportunities to retain a remission of our sins.

I can imagine that his general conference talk would be along similar lines as this post. The brethren are trying really hard, and doing a great job, of helping us understand that repentances is a gift, a joyous principle, and something that we can do every day.

Elder Holland

One of the biggest questions people have going into this general conference is, “Will Elder Holland be speaking?”

What we do know is that in early August he was hospitalized for observation and treatment of ongoing health complications. The Church Newsroom then released the following statement on September 10th:

After an extended hospital stay, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is now recuperating at home. Elder Holland and his children are very grateful for the many prayers offered on his behalf during this health challenge and time of sorrow following the passing of Sister Holland. As his health improves, he looks forward to resuming active service in his ministry.

Based on this information alone, I would say to prepare for general conference without the expectation that Elder Holland will be speaking. He has definitely been through a lot in the last few months and needs his health to continue to improve. He could definitely use our prayers on his behalf.

If we do get to hear him speak, I can only imagine the powerful sermon that will be given considering the intense physical and emotional trials that he has been battling over the last year.

(This article from KUTV released just hours after we published ours states that Elder Holland will be at home for General Conference.)

President Nelson

President Nelson was injured in a fall recently and won’t be there in person at General Conference. He shared the following update on Instagram:

Dear brothers, sisters and friends, we have the cherished opportunity this coming weekend to attend or watch our semiannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! General conference weekends are two of my favorite weekends of the year. How I love meeting in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City with all who gather there.

This weekend, however, I will be watching general conference through technology just as most of you will. Three weeks ago, I fell and injured the muscles in my lower back. This episode has reminded me of the reality that things sometimes change quickly in our lives. This photo of my counselors and me was taken at the celebration of my 99th birthday. Two days later, I fell.

Thankfully, my healing is progressing. But as my physician says, “We don’t have much data on how 99-year-olds recover from an injury like this one, so I am prescribing a slow, careful approach to healing so that you achieve a full recovery.” Having prescribed just such a course of action for many of my own patients years ago, I feel duty-bound to follow doctor’s orders.

I am still not able to sit in a chair for long periods of time. However, I am hoping to record my general conference message and look forward to participating in this marvelous October 2023 general conference through technology.

I pray that each of us, wherever we may be, will approach this sacred weekend with our hearts full of gratitude for the privilege of hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed by His servants. May this general conference be a time of joy and spiritual rejuvenation for you. I know that it will be for me!

We hope that President Nelson has a speedy recovery!

Perennial Conference Rumor Favorites

Here are some favorite general conference rumors / predictions the come every year and never seem to go away, and a few others that are making their debut this go-round. Many of these were found through an intense search on social media. So take them all with quite a few grains of salt. They are just fun guesses.

• The Kirtland Temple site will be purchased and turned into a historical site.
• A second quorum of twelve apostles will be announced, restoring the organization that existed when Christ called 12 apostles on the American continent after his resurrection.
• Options for 18, 30, and 36 month full-time missions will be announced.
• One of President Oak’s talks will be him just quoting the words of Joseph Smith.
• An official church edition of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Holy Bible will be released.
• The Independence Temple lot will be purchased.
• Church services will return to 3 hours.
• Boxing rings will be added in every cultural hall. (😊)
• The church’s name will be changed to just “The Church of Jesus Christ.”
• A restoration of the Jerusalem temple, bankrolled by the church, and gifted to all Abrahamic religions of the world to share equally.
• Some church houses may be authorized to become temporary temples to do baptisms for the dead.

What are your predictions? Feel free to leave them in the comments below and we might add them to this article.

Make General Conference Your Top Priority

I know we all grew up in different circumstances, but in my case, I grew up in a home where General Conference was the top priority. We lived back east and didn’t have cable television, so my mother would have us drive 15 minutes to the chapel where we could get the satellite feed. After each session, we would drive back home to get some food, and then turn right back around.

I would encourage you to make watching every session of General Conference your top priority. Elder Neil L. Anderson shared the following on social media:

With general conference approaching, I would like to share three suggestions to enhance your experience:

1. Be prayerful.
2. Don’t be casual about your attendance.
3. Record your impressions.

— Neil L. Andersen (@AndersenNeilL) March 27, 2022

How to Watch General Conference

If you would like to watch or listen to General Conference or invite someone to participate, you can click on this link > How to Watch or Listen to General Conference, copy the url/website address, and send it to a friend through email or text.