Elder McKay Explains Why the Church Purchased the Kirtland Temple

Some may wonder why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would ever spend significant money on anything other than humanitarian aid. For example, why would the Church spend US$192.5 million to purchase the Kirtland Temple and other properties, documents and artifacts, as it did earlier this year?

To those people, the Church’s Historian and Recorder Elder Kyle S. McKay points to a specific date and place in the past: April 3, 1836, in Kirtland, Ohio. On that day, Jesus Christ gave significant priesthood keys to Joseph Smith.

Speaking to attendees at the annual 2024 Mormon History Association conference held this year near Kirtland on Thursday, June 13, 2024, Elder McKay said it is essential to understand the concepts of priesthood and priesthood keys. If one comprehends these, he said, one can better “appreciate the significance of what was restored” to the earth on that day in 1836.