Home Teaching List on LDS.org

Just a suggestion/request: One of the most frequent questions in Bishopric meeting is "Who's the Home Teacher/Visiting Teacher?" It would be nice if those lists were part of the Clerk's Reports.

Currently the problem is that that data is only in the local MLS. There isn't a copy of it at CHQ yet to show on the Clerk Resources.

Is Home/Visiting Teaching data planned to be pushed upstream to Church Headquarters in the near future?

I personally think it would be a very useful feature for members to be able to access information about their own home teaching route and who their home teacher is. It would provide, among things, less reason for members to not be more diligent in their obligations, more accountability, and better/quicker information to members (instead of having to get in touch with someone and wait for things to happen). A potential addition might be the ability for members to submit their home teaching report online. Either way, I think this would be greatly beneficial.

Are there currently any plans for such a feature to be implemented? If so, is development currently underway?

faazshift wrote:Is Home/Visiting Teaching data planned to be pushed upstream to Church Headquarters in the near future?
...
Are there currently any plans for such a feature to be implemented? If so, is development currently underway?

This has been discussed many, many times on this forum. It's clear that some development work is underway by Church developers. It's also clear that for any web application to display or manage HT/VT data, that data will have to be pushed to CHQ servers. But there have been no announcements of specific features or schedule, so no one can answer your "near future" question.

aebrown wrote:This has been discussed many, many times on this forum. It's clear that some development work is underway by Church developers. It's also clear that for any web application to display or manage HT/VT data, that data will have to be pushed to CHQ servers.

I'm not sure that last part is clear, although it obviously would be desirable. As I recall, when this was proposed as a live community project a few years ago the overriding structural decision driving that project -- made at CHQ -- was that there would be no integration of data between MLS and the web-based reporting. Local units choosing to use the proposed online system would have to eschew MLS tracking of HT/VT, and vice versa. The rationale was that the back-end infrastructure work to accomplish MLS integration was too expensive. I would hope that the recent announcement of an internal project means this decision was reconsidered, but I have seen no news yet to justify this hope.

RossEvans wrote:I'm not sure that last part is clear, although it obviously would be desirable. As I recall, when this was proposed as a live community project a few years ago the overriding structural decision driving that project -- made at CHQ -- was that there would be no integration of data between MLS and the web-based reporting. Local units choosing to use the proposed online system would have to eschew MLS tracking of HT/VT, and vice versa. The rationale was that the back-end infrastructure work to accomplish MLS integration was too expensive. I would hope that the recent announcement of an internal project means this decision was reconsidered, but I have seen no news yet to justify this hope.

Thanks for the clarification. I should have simply said "for any web application to display or manage HT/VT data, that data will have to reside on CHQ servers." That conclusion is inescapable, but you're right that it's not necessarily a requirement that MLS data be pushed to CHQ servers. However, I certainly share your hope that MLS and the online HT/VT system will be integrated. That's been the pattern with all other online systems that have been released recently, and the benefits of doing the same for HT/VT are obvious.

Another thing that would be most helpful on a stake level would be to have the home teaching and visiting teaching statistics available on LDS.org. I find that report in MLS most helpful in trying to help track home teaching and visiting teaching in our stake. But, I have to go to the stake center to access the report. It would be very handy to have that report available on LDS.org under Leader & Clerk Tools. As a stake executive secretary, one of my duties in our stake is to track home teaching for the stake president. Looks like there is some difficulty in moving items such as this from the MLS database to the LDS.org database. Hope that work is being done to make this type of thing more possible in the future.

There is something impacting the ability to have HT/VT online from a logistics standpoint or an approval standpoint. There was a large community effort that was absorbed by the Church officially, and then all went quiet. It is good to be aware that while the work to get it done is not simple, neither is it so complex that it wouldn't be done by now if it weren't either being held up, or many other priorites have been placed before it. The local level is where HT and VT should matter most, that is where we're talking about people and individuals, once it gets beyond the ward/branch level, we're really looking at numbers, and in HT we all know that those numbers can mean many things. Wards/Branches have different activity rates, different sizes, varrying amounts Teachers vs Teachees.... The complexity involved with knowing whether a ward/branch is 'doing' their home teaching is substantial. In our Stake, the Stake President reviews HT/VT concerns with the Bishops/Branch Presidents in monthly PPI's, but in the Presidency we use the Quarterly report as a snapshot to see how a ward is trending. When used in combination with the online Key Indicators graphing, going back 4 years, you can see trends pretty well.

According to the informal comments in the following blog from Feb 2012, being able to enter/edit home teaching data on lds.org is "in work... coming this year... hurrying as fast as prudently possible":
http://tech.lds.org/blog/452-adding-mls ... -to-ldsorg

While I applaud your delight at the news, let me quote the last post in that blog entry

# Tom Johnson 2012-06-19 15:16
No one knows the exact time, but I'm willing to bet that you'll see more relevant features (such as HT/VT) within a year. The financial component probably won't be in place for a couple of years. These are conservative estimates.

Notice the use of the terms conservative estimates. The initial release of this solution also included the coming soon messaging, and it didn't happen, there have been other obvious priorities (you can see them in under the Tools menu and in the beta forum area) placed ahead of making this data available and accessible outside of the Bishopric + Admin staff.

The complexities of moving a distributed database to a centralized database is also difficult. If you code something, and run into a snag, often that snag then needs to be logged as a change request to the MLS system, even a small fix can take a while due to release schedules of both apps. However, MLS was updated in 2009 11 times (Jan, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug, Oct, Nov(2), Dec(3), 2010 7 times (Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug, Oct, Nov, Dec) and in 2011 6 times (Feb, Jun, Jul (2), Sep, Nov) and in 2012 1 time (Jun).. I think this shows that the release is not really an issue, if a quick change is needed it can get implemented.

I do know of what I speak, I work for an Enterprise that hosts VERY LARGE data in single client instances, as technology has improved, we've started to move pieces of that solution from single client instances to multi-tenant repositories. This is very much like what is involved with migrating data from local MLS installs to online access. Many of us are in the field, we understand the complexities, and we are also the strongest advocates of these solutions. I start to evangelize these solutions, and look pretty foolish when results are so slow in coming, IF, I can't provide a reasonable explanation.

I understand that there are schedule slips due to issues that come up during testing. No problem. I do understand that it makes for a more stable product if they are careful in laying the foundation. I think people understand that. And I don't think it makes you look foolish that is doesn't happen immediately. The comment topics in that blog comment thread was almost exclusively on HT/VT. A later comment from that bSign indicates that releases of this HT/VT functionality might be available as early as the end of this year, which all MLS functionality supported by a target date of Jan 2014 (which of course can change):

&quot wrote:

&quot wrote:Any idea on when this will be accessible?

The goal is to have all MLS membership and related functionality moved over to LDS.org by January 2014. This year we are establishing some foundational work; but toward the end of this year and into the next we will regularly release new content.

By the way, they already have part of the integration of the LDS.org and local MLS databases already, as can be seen under Clerk Resources in the reports available under the Organizations tab at LDS.org. And you can enter some membership data changes (e.g. address/phone/email) under the Membership tab > Member List. So they aren't necessarily starting from scratch on integrating LDS.org with MLS databases. Looking forward to it, but without unrealistic expectations of a perfectly forecast release date.

genman wrote:By the way, they already have part of the integration of the LDS.org and local MLS databases already, as can be seen under Clerk Resources in the reports available under the Organizations tab at LDS.org. And you can enter some membership data changes (e.g. address/phone/email) under the Membership tab > Member List. So they aren't necessarily starting from scratch on integrating LDS.org with MLS databases. Looking forward to it, but without unrealistic expectations of a perfectly forecast release date.

MLS has been in sync with LDS.org for a decade, if you're talking about membership records -- the tools on LDS.org use membership information obtained from web services that get data from the central membership database. And in the last few years, information on callings has been synchronized with CDOL, a database that was already in place but which has been enhanced to store more local calling information.

But as far as I know, there's no suitable existing CHQ database suitable for holding HT/VT data. So it's a bigger challenge than those other two cases where an existing database could be used. However, I certainly agree that it's clear that the Church is making progress towards moving more and more of this information to places where it can be accessed and even modified online, which is a good thing.

genman wrote:By the way, they already have part of the integration of the LDS.org and local MLS databases already, as can be seen under Clerk Resources in the reports available under the Organizations tab at LDS.org.

All the data currently available on LDS.org/Clerk Resources is data that resides in church databases/servers.

genman wrote:And you can enter some membership data changes (e.g. address/phone/email) under the Membership tab > Member List. So they aren't necessarily starting from scratch on integrating LDS.org with MLS databases.

All membership data, including contact information, is maintained in the CMIS (Church Membership Information System) database. Calling and unit information for LDS.org applications is provided by CDOL (Church Directory of Organizations and Leaders). Any changes that are made online that back-flow to MLS are synchronizations between the Church databases and MLS.

There has been no indication in any capabilities that have been rolled out in Leader and Clerk Resources that there is any framework for accessing or pushing data that currently resides only on local MLS to LDS.org. That does not mean the capability is not being pursued.

jdlessley wrote:All the data currently available on LDS.org/Clerk Resources is data that resides in church databases/servers.... Any changes that are made online that back-flow to MLS are synchronizations between the Church databases and MLS... There has been no indication...that there is any framework for accessing or pushing data that currently resides only on local MLS to LDS.org. That does not mean the capability is not being pursued.

Yes, there will have to be a new Church database, such as a CHVT (Church Home and Visiting Teaching) database that is updateable either via MLS or via online, like the other two databases (CMIS and CDOL) are. A CHVT would be another instance of that pattern, with maybe just a slightly more complex relational database structure than the other two.

I'm glad that they are vigorously pursuing it and hope that they continue to.

From what I hear, there is A LOT of interest in it. Confining HT/VT organization/reporting to just the clerk's office computer is very inconvenient. When this is available, it will make things much more efficient for several ward organizations and will remove some bottlenecks on usage of the clerk's computer.

genman wrote: From what I hear, there is A LOT of interest in it. Confining HT/VT organization/reporting to just the clerk's office computer is very inconvenient. When this is available, it will make things much more efficient for several ward organizations and will remove some bottlenecks on usage of the clerk's computer.

Sure would make our PEC meetings quieter! No more shuffling papers to determine who home teaches whom, not to mention the decreased use of paper (read: church funds). In all seriousness, I think that having access to home and visiting teaching routes, companionships, and statistics, is the single most needed leadership tool on LDS.ORG. Having quick and easy access to that information would allow us to concentrate on more important things, namely the needs of our ward members, allowing us to minister, rather than administer.

faguirre wrote:I think that having access to home and visiting teaching routes, companionships, and statistics, is the single most needed leadership tool on LDS.ORG

I agree. From my perspective, implementing HT/VT view/edit at lds.org is hopefully one of the top priorities at this point.

I have been "Googling for hours" to find out if the Home/Visiting Teaching tool is actually coming.

As usual, there are lots of good wishes, and acknowledgement that it is needed. But I see nothing concrete on whether this is progressing anywhere (most posts are from 2012, informing us it is in development and coming soon).

Our stake is looking into creating our own, but we don't want to sink our resources into it if there is one on its way. Can anyone give an update on what is happening?

knealewj wrote:Our stake is looking into creating our own, but we don't want to sink our resources into it if there is one on its way. Can anyone give an update on what is happening?

Don't create your own. There are policy issues with storing member data on non-Church servers. The appropriate people are aware of the need. Beyond that, there's not much else I can give you right now.

knealewj wrote:(most posts are from 2012, informing us it is in development and coming soon)

It's in development. It's coming soon.

I know that's not particularly helpful, but rarely are we informed of the schedule for features until they are ready for beta.

knealewj wrote:Our stake is looking into creating our own, but we don't want to sink our resources into it if there is one on its way.

Even though the lack of a concrete schedule could tempt you to create your own, I'd recommend that you reconsider that. It's difficult to do that in a way that respects privacy laws and Church policy regarding websites, and you would have no way to hook into the actual reporting mechanisms used by MLS and quarterly reporting.

It's up to the Brethren. I suggest you have the stake president push the issue with the Area Authority.

I was called as the home teaching coordinator for our High Priest group. I was told I could keep track of companionships with something on LDS.org. However I find navigating LDS.org very difficult. Can anybody tell me where this is done at?

The standard callings of the High Priest Group Leadership, the High Priest Group Secretary, High Priest Group Assistant Secretary and High Priests Home Teaching District Supervisors have access to the home teaching on LCR. Your calling as a home teaching coordinator is a custom calling which has no access to Leader and Clerk Resources or home teaching. You would need to have one of the standard callings listed.

As per jdlessley, you need a "Standard Calling". Once this is corrected, you can go to lds.org and click on the sign in button in the top right corner. You use the same login account as you use for Family Search, LDS Store, LDS Tools, and so on. It then returns you to the lds.org page, but your name now appears where the Sign In button used to be. Click on your name, and you will see a menu with a tool called "Leader & Clerk Resources" (LCR). Within LCR you will find all the Home Teaching Tools. If you can't find it in there, then your calling does not allow that access.
Hope that helps!!