"We found that credibility and integrity are only built one relationship after another over the course of time." Bennett said that when he told officials in Salt Lake City that they would have to be painfully open about every aspect of the project if it were to succeed, there was some initial concern, but ultimately the church "answered every question" in painstaking detail.

Some feared Latter-day Saints would flock to the area in such great numbers they would ultimately take over the town and throw Shakespeare out of the schools, replacing his classics "with the Book of Mormon as required reading."

Despite the near hysteria exhibited by some, President Hinckley's decision to move forward with construction of the temple as it was designed, including the planned spire, was "absolutely critical" to the church's ultimate success in court, which allowed the spire to be built.

A lower court judge had ruled the spire was not "necessary" to the function of the building. The decision was ultimately overturned by the state Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a federal appeal by opponents.

As the church continued to respond with detailed information on every logistical aspect of the project, former opponents, including some town officials, fire and police officials and contracted professionals, became supportive.

Heavy media coverage, including editorial cartoons poking fun at the irony of opponents' worries, got people talking. One such cartoon showed a NASA space shuttle impaled on the temple spire with the caption, "Houston, we have a problem." Another showed a headless Angel Moroni, cut down to size in order to accommodate residents' ire over the height of the spire.

Bennett said he hopes the lessons learned will have some bearing on how public relations on such projects are handled in the future, and on how Latter-day Saints present their beliefs.

In other sessions, presenters examined topics as diverse as church founder Joseph Smith's doctrinal developments over time, and 19th century Mormon encounters with the paranormal. The conference has drawn nearly 600 participants to the mountains near Smith's birthplace in Sharon, Vt., as the LDS Church celebrates his 200th birthday.

The MHA also presented its annual awards on Friday night, honoring historian Dan Vogel with its "best biography" award for his 744-page "Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet," published by Signature Books.

According to a press release, the award "raised eyebrows among some of the conservative MHA members due to Vogel's interpretation of Joseph Smith as more human than normally portrayed, someone who drew partly from his own personal experiences in crafting the Book of Mormon."