52 Churches in 52 Weeks Branches into 52 Temples in 52 Weeks

[InCognitus]

I was wondering how this would turn out....  The "52 Churches in 52 Weeks" guy says in 2026 he is going to be creating a new channel for "52 Temples in 52 Weeks".

He also talks about a church history site tour.

[Calm]

Never heard of him, what’s his thing? 
 

I asked Chat how many operating temples there are in Utah and a half day’s drive.  It came up with 53, so not that big of an effort if he’s not going for a major tour, but over weekends.

[InCognitus]

38 minutes ago, Calm said:

Never heard of him, what’s his thing? 

He (David Boice) was a generic Protestant guy that started a YouTube channel during COVID (I see one of the first videos he posted was on November 7, 2020) about visiting a new church every week, hence the name "52 churches in 52 weeks".

His channel blurb says, "52 Churches in 52 Weeks is a weekly spiritual series that worships at different churches throughout the United States.  The project aims to exemplify love, understanding, and bridge the gap between different Christ-focused religious affiliations."

He posted a video each week with his thoughts about each of his church visits.

I didn't really follow all of his videos, but I found it interesting that he was drawn back to visit Latter-day Saint ward services more than once.  As soon as I saw that pattern emerge, I figured there was a reason for him returning to LDS wards more than once.  And then in the spring of 2024 he converted and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

38 minutes ago, Calm said:

I asked Chat how many operating temples there are in Utah and a half day’s drive.  It came up with 53, so not that big of an effort if he’s not going for a major tour, but over weekends.

He says he doesn't want to limit himself to temples in Utah.

Edited January 12 by InCognitus

[Calm]

44 minutes ago, InCognitus said:

As soon as I saw that pattern emerge, I figured there was a reason for him returning to LDS wards more than once.  And then in the spring of 2024 he converted and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Interesting…

”He says he doesn't want to limit himself to temples in Utah.”

There’s only 22 operating in Utah anyway.

But he may make enough money off his videos that he can cover travel costs….at least he can deduct them as a business expense.  Otherwise could be a financial strain to try and squeeze them into a year.

Edited January 12 by Calm

[ZealouslyStriving]

18 minutes ago, Calm said:

Interesting…

”He says he doesn't want to limit himself to temples in Utah.”

There’s only 22 operating in Utah anyway.

But he may make enough money off his videos that he can cover travel costs….at least he can deduct them as a business expense.  Otherwise could be a financial strain to try and squeeze them into a year.

Whatever he does for a real job (I forget what it is) gives him the resources to travel on weekends.

[Okrahomer]

2 hours ago, ZealouslyStriving said:

Whatever he does for a real job (I forget what it is) gives him the resources to travel on weekends.

I believe he said (fairly recently) that he is an accountant.

[Kenngo1969]

9 hours ago, Okrahomer said:

I believe he said (fairly recently) that he is an accountant.

That'll do it!  

[Nofear]

His story is interesting. If I recall correctly he did an earlier 52 churches in 52 weeks in the 2010s. He just wasn't sure what was the right church/denomination for him to associate most strongly with. The Church was not in that first list. He did it again and this time the Church was (and a few Mormon variants). He was respectful and open-minded as he visited various congregations with the intent to look for the positives in each. But, the Church won out. Between missionary discussions and red cardinals he was converted. I think he's single and even tried some LDS YSA/YA activities. Anyway, I've only watched snippets of a very few of his videos. He seems very much like a rather decent fellow.

[JVW]

I'd watch his videos but the fact that the title of this thread aptly summarized an 11 minute video says something.

[InCognitus]

23 hours ago, Nofear said:

His story is interesting. If I recall correctly he did an earlier 52 churches in 52 weeks in the 2010s. He just wasn't sure what was the right church/denomination for him to associate most strongly with. The Church was not in that first list. He did it again and this time the Church was (and a few Mormon variants). He was respectful and open-minded as he visited various congregations with the intent to look for the positives in each. But, the Church won out. Between missionary discussions and red cardinals he was converted. I think he's single and even tried some LDS YSA/YA activities. Anyway, I've only watched snippets of a very few of his videos. He seems very much like a rather decent fellow.

That's my take on it too.  I watched a few of his videos here and there, at first because I was interested in how he described his experiences at the different denominations, but when I saw him being drawn back to LDS ward meetings I could see a change.  The 52 temples addition is a logical progression of his life experience and an interesting way of expressing it to others.