By the time the Kirtland Temple was dedicated in 1836, it was too small to hold all the Latter-day Saints who wanted to attend its dedication. As the Church grew, so did the numbers of Saints who had to attend meetings outdoors. President James E. Faust (1920–2007), who served as my stake president when I was a young man and as a mentor when I was called as a General Authority in 2007, made this observation regarding the Church’s second temple:
“Before the Nauvoo Temple was completed in 1846 the Saints would meet outside, often near the temple, to hear Joseph and the other Church leaders speak. Sometimes thousands attended those meetings”—sometimes even in inclement weather.
“As [Elder] George A. Smith observed in his humorous way, ‘In the days of the Prophet Joseph … [the Church] flourished best out of doors.’”
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