About a year ago I made a post talking about how many people "work" at the Rexburg temple. Over the weekend I had chance to dig a little deeper and clarify some of the numbers and how they break down.

The number I heard mentioned was 2.200 people. Papa Ken added some perspective from one of his contacts involved with - I think was the LA or Vegas temple and pointed out that no way is the church paying that many people to work at the temple and 500 to 700 volunteers would be an absolute max.

Well, he was spot on about the paid positions but way under on the volunteer spots - at least for the Rexburg temple. Paid positions include the recorder, a secretary of some kind, some laundry/custodial heads and that's about it. Everything else is staffed by volunteers and that number is huge. 2.200 was again quoted but when another person confirmed it, they said the actual number is closer to 2,300 now.

What do they do? Well there are 3 shifts per day and at any time the shift includes about 70 ordinance workers, some in the baptistery, some in washings and annointings so maybe 100 total per shift.

Trying to make the math work, 100 x 3 = 300 per day for the three shifts. 300 X 5 for the 5 days a week the temple is open = only 1500 total. I assume some temple work assignments are less frequent than one per week and there could be a huge list of substitutes available to fill in as needed or something. I still think the whole thing is a gigantic waste of time and effort and have to assume that calling people to work in the temple is simply part of the Cult Retention Program. Keep em too busy to think......

Don't you count the patrons?

That might have been to much to ask for though. My relationship with the source of this information has been strained for about 10 years now. It's cordial and functional but not exactly warm.

But to answer you question, no. the 2200/2300 is just then number of people who actually have acallings/assignments at the temple.

The conversation went further. It sounds like the Idaho Falls temple is going to be closed for a year and a half or so. The expectation is the Rexburg temple will have to absorb all that traffic and maybe some of the workers as well.

Don't forget about all the "set apart" veil workers.

On that note why do you have to "set apart" in each temple to be a veil worker... 1 time should be sufficient for all temples.

I was a veil worker in LA in the '60s, playing the part of Elohim. I was not set apart.A supervisor just asked if I wanted to do it. I supervised for the first half dozen patron and then a card was put in a book. Each time I was at the temple I just picked up the card and presented it to the veil supervisor.

My mom was almost a temple worker, a volunteer, as a calling. I am not saying which to protect privacy. The temple is open 5 days from 5am to 8pm. She would have been expected to work one day every week in one of two shifts. One shift opens and one shift closes. She says that some seniors do missions as temple workers. Those people do 1 of those shifts for each day the temple is open, so 5 shifts a week. She says that some of those "senior missionaries" live near the temple and don't move for their mission experience.
So a calling as a temple worker might be just one day a week, which would increase the total number of people needed to fill all the shifts.

My dad was a temple worker for a decade or so.

He worked one day a week - Fridays. I think that's the norm, working more than one day a week would be an exception.

I know of one smaller temple has about 1600 volunteer workers. Most work one day a week, but there are those who work 2 or 3 days a week. There are 3 shifts throughout the day.

It makes me wonder how the European temples function, given the lower membership numbers. Perhaps they are only open a few days a week?

Do temples have cafeterias anymore? Don't forget the cafeteria workers for those that do have them.

I think the European temples would be like the Birmingham Alabama temple. Only open by appointment or maybe one day a week. That parking lot was almost always empty.