The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is on a worldwide building spree, with nearly 200 new temples planned in the coming years, from Zimbabwe and American Samoa to Cincinnati and Grand Junction.
After several years of construction, the new temple, located in a central location near downtown, is set to open. With sprawling landscaped grounds, the ornate church features a towering spire. Public reception, however, has been mixed.
For Ana Reitz, visiting a temple used to mean taking a bus trip — for four days. She grew up in the Amazon and converted at 14. She always loved these trips, despite the long journey. It meant hanging out with her church friends and buying street food along the way.
Finally arriving in São Paulo and seeing the tall, gleaming white temple always felt like a dream come true.
Now, with a new temple about to open just five minutes away from her home in Grand Junction, “It just feels like another dream come true,” she said.
The closest temple used to be nearly three hours away in tiny Monticello, Utah. For Reitz, every trip meant an entire day away from her husband, who has left the faith, and now-grown children, who don’t attend.
“But now I don't have to make that choice, so yay!” she said, smiling. She hopes to attend every week.
Even standing outside its locked gates, as a grounds crew tended to nearly seven acres of lawn, cacti and bushes, made Reitz feel closer to God.
“Having a place where you can care about the spiritual and celestial things, it's really helpful,” she said.
The church is rebranding — and expanding. The current president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said he had a divine revelation from God that the church be called by its full name, not Mormon. And he’s focused on bringing more temples to members.
For another woman in Grand Junction, the new temple would have felt like a blessing years ago. But now, "It represents a lot of the bad parts of the religion in my mind,” said Lynne, who preferred only using her middle name.
Lynne is an apostate, someone who’s left the church. She left the religion with her husband and three kids in 2020 when they were living in another state. Moving to Grand Junction meant a fresh start.
When she drives past the new temple, “it’s definitely painful,” she said.
She thinks that’s especially true as a woman. For Lynne, who was raised in the church, going to the temple felt like another requirement in a long list of tasks, from reading scripture to saying prayers to endless housework, while always putting her husband and children first.
“Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice. That is what defines Mormon women,” she said.
The church places a high importance on gender roles, with men as the head of the household. For Lynne, it felt oppressive.
Women in the faith “will say yes to everything and bend over backwards and do what they want last of all. Ask a Mormon woman what kind of pizza she likes,” Lynne said, with a bit of a chuckle. “She doesn't know!”
Five years after she left the faith, she can now confidently say her favorite is: olives and mushrooms with extra cheese.
Unlike a typical church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints only admits members in “good standing,” which requires tithing — or giving — 10 percent of their income.
That money is a big sticking point for Lynne, especially after the federal government fined the church $5 million in 2023 for obscuring $100 billion in investments.
The church argued that it was mainly a paperwork error, and issued a statement saying they "regretted the mistake.” Paige Storheim, a church spokesperson, said the new temples are meant to meet members where they’re at, and that their opulence is intentional — it’s meant to honor God.
“The church is really trying to expand its reach by allowing temples to be built closer — so we don't have to travel over three hours,” she said.
According to the church, there are about 150,000 followers in Colorado. This will be its third temple. Grand Junction is midway between Denver and Salt Lake City, the church’s home. A fourth has been announced in Colorado Springs.
A mom of five, Storheim said it’s vital to have a temple close by, even if other locals outside the religion don’t agree.
“I know that there's resistance to it. And some people don't feel the way I do about the temple and about our church, and that's okay,” she said.
She acknowledged that the religion is controversial. Many think that it’s exclusionary and restrictive. Followers see themselves as Christians, but only half of Americans see them that way, according to a 2012 report by the Pew Research Center.
In Grand Junction, some residents are skeptical about the new temple, built in a prominent spot on a main road on the way to the airport. They’ve complained on social media about the all-night lighting and the potential increased traffic.
Then there’s the fact that once the temple is dedicated next month, the general public won’t be allowed to set foot inside. What happens in the temple is not secret, Storheim said, but it is sacred.
“I don't think that the Lord Jesus Christ or God, Heavenly Father, feels like he wants to be exclusive to people,” she said. “And yet there are certain standards I think that we live by.”
She emphasized that locals will get a chance to tour the building. Temples typically hold an open house before they’re dedicated, and everyone is invited: believers, non-believers and those still figuring out what they believe, including Hannah Watts.
“Yeah, I already have tickets,” she said, with a laugh, sitting by one of her favorite shaded spots by the Colorado River.
She was born and raised in the church. And while she hasn’t left, her feelings about the religion are complicated. Five years ago, she was still very active in the church, following the rules and going to services weekly.
But as she reached her late 20s and early 30s, she felt like “the sidewalk ended,” and there wasn’t a place for her in traditional church life.
“When you're an adult, you're supposed to get married and have kids and then everything is fine: happily ever after, it's over,” she said. But at 31, she hasn’t gotten married yet. “I just didn't feel like it was right, ever.”
She still believes in many of the basic tenets of the religion and appreciates its strong community. But she calls herself “a cafeteria Mormon,” picking and choosing which rules to follow.
“I just felt like there was a big gap in between what was expected and what was the reality of me and the world that I live in and my body,” she said.
Still, she hopes people in her town come to accept the new temple.
“What it really represents is people trying to find peace in the world,” Watts said.
She likes knowing it’s there, if and when she decides to return fully to church life.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will host open houses, which include a tour of the Grand Junction temple, Sept. 11-27, with the exception of Sundays.
