Temple Planned for Otavalo Reflects Church Growth in Ecuador’s Andes

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to expand its presence in Ecuador, where steady membership growth over decades is reflected in both a newly planned temple in Otavalo and the recent creation of a new stake in the region.

The Otavalo temple was announced during a devotional on May 14, 2026, where local Latter-day Saints gathered to hear the news. The First Presidency statement was read by Elder Juan Pablo Villar of the South America Northwest Area Presidency.

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided at the devotional. He was joined by Elder S. Mark Palmer of the Presidency of the Seventy.

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“This is a reason for all of us to rejoice and express gratitude for such a significant blessing — one that will allow more frequent access to the ordinances, covenants and power that can only be found in the house of the Lord,” the First Presidency statement says.

This announcement continues the pattern established by the First Presidency in late 2025, in which new temples are announced on location by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or the Area Presidency. Since that time, new temples have been announced locally in Maine and Washington, USA.

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The Otavalo Temple brings the total number of temples — operating, under construction, or announced worldwide — to 385.

Latter-day Saints consider each temple a house of the Lord and the most sacred place of worship on earth. In a recent social media post, President Dallin H. Oaks taught that in the temple, “faithful men and women receive divine instruction, sacred responsibilities and spiritual power. It is in the temple that eternal covenants are made that bind us and our families to our Heavenly Father and to one another for eternity.”

Ecuador’s other temples are in Quito (2022) and Guayaquil (1999).

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been in Ecuador since 1965 — the year missionaries first brought the restored gospel to the South American nation. Church membership has grown steadily over the decades, with nearly 280,000 members today spread throughout 338 congregations.

Three months ago, 3,500 local Saints gathered in Otavalo for the creation of the country’s 45th stake (a collection of congregations), reflecting continued Church growth in the region. Elder Villar and Elder Sandino Román (also of the Area Presidency) spoke of the need for unity and promised that Church growth will continue as members follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Otavalo’s first stake was created in 1981. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Ecuador in 2022, declaring that the country’s Church growth was proof of the “power of the work of the people over the last five decades.”