Name Removal

I was discussing with the Bishop how to handle the records of children who have turned 18 yrs. old but were never baptized or confirmed. We both agreed that their names could be removed from the church records; however, we were unable to find anything in the Handbook of Instructions that speaks specifically to those circumstances.

Are we correct in our opinions, and where is the authority for that action found?

You are correct in saying that the record of a person who has never been baptized can be canceled when that person turns 18 years old. Before that, MLS will not allow it. However, you must have permission from the stake president before cancelling the record. The MLS Help for the Cancel Member Record Screen says:

"If you are going to cancel a member record because the person is at least 18 years old and has not been baptized, you must receive permission from the stake president first."

Thank you for the insight. Do you have a reference that states the authority for removing the membership record of an 18 yr. old? I couldn't find anything in the Handbook of Instructions that talks about it.

Try HELP in MLS. Membership Policies > Members of Record.

Once upon a time, there was a separate manual that spelled all that out (I seem to remember a sticker "1986" on the front.) But all that seems to be rolled into MLS help now.

It is as stated in MLS. Compare that with handbook 1 (2006), pages 145-146.

lblair wrote:Do you have a reference that states the authority for removing the membership record of an 18 yr. old?

CHI 146 says that the bishop keeps the membership record until the person is 18. At that time, if the person chooses not to be baptized despite being given every opportunity, the bishop, with written permission from the stake president, cancels the membership record.

This does not apply to unbaptized members who are considered not accountable. Their records are not canceled.

Good info.