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Sunday was the 195th anniversary of the first official worship service of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as pointed out by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
That’s just one of the ways to look back at the 195th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here is another look, by the numbers:
- 17,509,781 million Latter-day Saints, as of Dec. 31.
- 308,682 convert baptisms in 2024.
- 98,397* Conference Center attendees this weekend, including overflow.
- 1,604 mentions of Jesus Christ during October general conference.
- 382 temples in various stages of planning, construction and operation, after Sunday’s announcement.
- 200 temples announced by President Russell M. Nelson during his presidency.
- 15 temples announced Sunday by President Nelson.
- 115 conference talks given by President Nelson, beginning in 1968.
- 78 new Area Seventies.
- 57 released Area Seventies.
- 16 new General Authority Seventies.
- 5 released General Authority Seventies.
- 13 hymns sung by the Tabernacle Choir on Sunday morning (Music and the Spoken Word and the morning session).
- 1 Young Men General Presidency called.
- 1 Young Men General Presidency released.
* Note: The 98,397 in attendance at general conference includes those who watched conference from the overflow in the Tabernacle on Temple Square.
The attendance in the Conference Center for the five sessions was 94,965, the largest number for a conference since before the COVID-19 pandemic. After pandemic restrictions were lifted, church and Salt Lake City officials limited attendance for safety concerns related to the construction work for the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple.
The church’s Temple Square events services manager, Chris Stepan, said Saturday that the difference this weekend was palpable.
“There’s an energy, there’s an excitement. It’s good to have a full building,” Stepan said.
Another person who couldn’t believe her eyes was Sister Maddy Allen, a Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square missionary from Caledonia, Mississippi.
“There are so many more people than last April,” she said.
Sister Allen and the other missionaries spent conference weekend welcoming people to the Conference Center, giving them directions and, she said, “helping people feel loved and wanted here. It’s a good assignment to have.”
“It’s so cool to see how many people want to come and learn about Jesus Christ,” she said. “It’s amazing to see their faith and dedication and desire to learn.”
My recent stories
- President Nelson invites church members to increase their capacity for charity and virtue (April 6)
- Our live update blog of conference (April 6)
- Saturday conference wrap-up: At a time of unrest, Christ can bring healing, Latter-day Saints told (April 5)
- Latter-day Saint membership passed 17.5 million in 2024, according to a new church statistical report (April 5)
- Here’s how many times Latter-day Saint leaders mention Jesus Christ at general conference (April 4)
- 78 new Area Seventies sustained during April general conference leadership session (April 3)