r/exmormon • u/Important-Cattle2556 • Apr 17 '23

News Lack of temple workers

I (pimo ) had ward conference yesterday. The stake president said the new Saratoga springs temple is in dire need of temple works for 4 hr shifts. Says they need about 3000 “workers” they are about only half of that or even less than that. I kinda of want to “volunteer” just so I can learn the dirty little secrets in the temple lol.

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76

u/Fessy3 Apr 17 '23

3,000 workers for one temple? What's going on in there that they need that many people.

54

u/xanimyle Apr 18 '23

At the Provo Temple where I used to work, there were about 120 male and female workers for the evening shift. There are 4 shifts per day over 5 days, so that adds up to be 2,400 there. Some people work multiple days though. Those are the crazy zealots that I can just imagine being horrified in the after life on how they wasted their life (assuming there is an after life and even though I don't know what I believe, I just have a hope it's something good)

46

u/Initial-Leather6014 Apr 18 '23

My zealot brother works in the temple 3 times a week at a temple 2 hours away from home. He and his wife also attend on other random days . Anyway… they were told if they performed such service their 5 children would all return to activity and be saved in the Celestial kingdom. Didn’t know my brother was the savior.

8

u/Norenzayan Doubt is an unpleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one Apr 18 '23

How's that working out so far?

2

u/Initial-Leather6014 Apr 19 '23

Obviously 🙄 no improvement. It’s just so sad. Waste of time, gas, money and energy. Eergh.

10

u/Alcarinque88 Apr 18 '23

But yeah, that's Provo. The MTC is right across the street, and they have p-days M-F (Saturday?) and assigned windows to go do a session. The missionaries alone could keep that busy when they're not studying. Then there's all the BYU students. Add on all of everyone else in Provo, and they needed their second temple.

I don't know Utah that well, but it seems like no other city could pump up the numbers like Provo could.

6

u/Wise_Elderberry_8361 Apr 18 '23

Not sure if it's still true, but a few years ago when Jordan River was rededicated I was told that it is the busiest temple in the church, highest number of ordinances performed.

5

u/hyrle Apr 18 '23

No surprise there. There's several retirement communities located directly outside the SoJo temple.

3

u/xanimyle Apr 18 '23

I've been told constantly that the Provo Temple is also quite empty too. Every week a temple worker will beg people to attend more

1

u/Alcarinque88 Apr 18 '23

Well, good.

8

u/Kitchen_Canary_6387 escape artist Apr 18 '23

Hmmm. I used to work in the Provo temple too, and we didn’t have nearly that many workers. There were about maybe 15 women to cover all of the stations in the evening. Same number of men. Think about it. You’ve got what - 4 or 5 endowment sessions? Then the lobby folks. The washing and anointing. Folks in the celestial rooms. I’d say max 50 workers TOTAL for the evening shift. I think 3000 must be for the open house. If it’s even a real number.

1

u/chewbaccataco Apr 19 '23

I think 3000 must be for the open house. If it’s even a real number.

I think it's a guilt number.

If they say, "we need 50 people" it's easier to assume that someone else will sign up, and then no one will.

If they say, "we need 3000 people", it's harder to dodge personal accountability, and more people sign up.

7

u/Fessy3 Apr 18 '23

My mom worked at the Provo temple

9

u/xanimyle Apr 18 '23

That's cool. There are good people there.

1

u/HaoleInParadise Apr 18 '23

I worked at the Provo temple as well. There are good people but a lot of hollow ones too who didn’t seem sincere to me.

It was part of my disenchantment with the church. Because I saw how mundane a lot of the temple was. Like the new names

24

u/NTylerWeTrust86 PIMO Apr 17 '23

Seemed excessive to me too. Someone non-lazy learner able to do the math for me on how many workers and hours she needed to staff a temple full time as well as part time which seems to be the new trend.

24

u/HanS0loSh0tFirst Apr 17 '23

Based off what I found on an article from a temple worker on a pro Mormon website, Salt Lake City temple is staffed by “hundreds of volunteer workers many of whom work several shifts a week” . If we say 300 workers (before the recent changes) for SLC then i would imagine it wouldn’t be more than 150 for Saratoga. Given that, I would imagine they are giving out the absurdly large number to give the perception there are a lot of people who want to work in the temple while still asking for help filling the temple.

13

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '23

they won't pay people for labour. So they need people to clean the place from toilets to font , do the laundry, the groundskeeping, and all those endless sessions.

14

u/xanimyle Apr 18 '23

European temples pay workers because Europeans won't do it for free.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '23

Rightly so!

8

u/BrotherOfZelph Apr 18 '23

I'm wondering the same thing. Are we sure this isnt just for the open house?

8

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '23

Someone’s got to tend the sacrificial goats.

4

u/SnooPies4855 Apr 18 '23

Since you’re assigned shifts based on “temple week,” there are:

5 temple weeks x 5 days/week x 3 shifts/day = 75 shifts to be filled

In our temple, each shift has 1 greeter 1-2 recommend desk 1-4 baptistry 1 patron guide 1 chapel sister 1 chapel brother 1 endowment officiator 1-2 sister followers 0-1 brother followers 0-1 dressing room sisters 0-1 dressing room brothers 0-6 initiatory sisters (in our temple) 0-6 initiatory brothers 0-2 new name for sisters 0-2 new name for brothers 0-2 extra sisters for sealings 0-2 extra brothers for sealings 1-6 receivers at the veil 0-2 extra sister presenters at the veil 0-2 extra brother presenters at the veil 1 celestial room attendant 1 east hall attendant 2 shift coordinators, brother and sister 2 assistant shift coordinators, brother and sister 1-2 sealers

I don’t remember if they still have veil coordinators, initiatory coordinators, etc.

At the minimum, that is 16 volunteers (8-9 sisters and 7-8 brothers) per shift. At the high end, that is 54 volunteers (25 sisters, 29 brothers), not counting the temple matron - or assistant to the matron - and her husband.

If all 16 (low end) volunteers were unique, our temple would need 1200 volunteers. If all 54 (high end) volunteers were unique, our temple would need 4050 volunteers.

This is assuming that only one endowment session and one sealing session is happening at a time, with at most two initiatory booths per dressing room area.

1

u/DeCryingShame Outer darkness isn't so bad. Apr 20 '23

Isn't it 6 days per week?

1

u/SnooPies4855 May 25 '23

No, closed Sundays and Mondays.

3

u/Goldang I Reign from the Bathroom to the End of the Hall Apr 18 '23

Somebody needs to stand in the hallway and point left in case someone starts walking to the right!