Announcement of the Rapid City South Dakota Temple
President Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced the Rapid City South Dakota Temple on April 6, 2025, during the Sunday afternoon session of April 2025 general conference.
“We are so excited. We have been praying for years in every meeting,” wrote Rapid City South Dakota Stake President M. Troy Nesbit to the Church News after the announcement. “We are so happy to have a temple near us and to be able to share this blessing with our community. Our reactions at the time of the announcement [were] first screams, then tears of joy.”
President Nesbit said having a temple in Rapid City will significantly reduce travel times and allow more members to serve in the temple more frequently. “The bus leaves the stake center at 3:30 in the morning. The bus is full and has been for years.”
Timeline of the Rapid City South Dakota Temple
The Rapid City South Dakota Temple was announced by President Nelson on April 6, 2025. Details about the temple’s groundbreaking have not yet been released.
Architecture and Design of the Rapid City South Dakota Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on Feb. 23, 2026, the Rapid City South Dakota Temple will be a single-story building of approximately 11,800 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 4.86-acre site at the northeast corner of Mount Rushmore Road and Moon Meadows Drive in Rapid City, South Dakota. An accompanying ancillary building is also planned for the grounds.