Ask any Latter-day Saint, and they’ll tell you that CTR stands for Choose the Right.  Even a 5 year old child knows that.  The children attend a CTR class on Sundays and may be wearing a CTR ring to remember “Choose the Right”.

But CTR can have other meanings.  The list is too long to include here, but one alternative has gained favor: Current Temple Recommend.  Adult members in good standing receive a temple recommend to enter the temple.

It is unclear who first thought of CTR standing for Current Temple Recommend; but several Church leaders have used it in addresses.

The first recorded use of the term was in January 1999(*1).  Elder Thomas A. Holt, is quoted as saying, “While the acronym CTR means Choose the Right to Primary children, perhaps for adults it can also mean Current Temple Recommend“.

In September 2008(*2), Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf expressed a similar sentiment. “CTR means Choose the Right, but can also have another meaning: Current Temple Recommend “.

More recently, Elder William R. Walker, on June 2, 2015,  said, “I love the expression of Elder Russell M. Nelson, of the Quorum of the Twelve, who said that for our children CTR is a reminder to Choose the Right, but for us adults, it should be a reminder of Current Temple Recommend.”

Both work well.  And having a Current Temple Recommend is one result of Choosing the Right.

*1   An Area Authority Seventy, speaking at the groundbreaking of the Bismarck North Dakota Temple.

*2   Multi-stake Conference conducted at the Marriott Center BYU

*3   Emeritus Member, First Quorum of the Seventy, speaking at the BYU-Idaho Devotional