Missing Priesthood Ordination

I have a brother in our ward that was Baptized in 2004. He was made an elder and he went through the temple with his wife. He then went inactive for a couple years. He has now been reactivated for about a year. In MLS his records still show that he is a priest. However, it also shows that he is endowed. He does not remember who ordained him to the office of an Elder or when it happened.

I talked to the Stake Clerk who found records showing that his name was presented and sustained in Stake Conference, but they also have no record of the date he was ordained or who ordained him. I've searched through all our records, and can only find his priest ordination paper work.

After a year of searching, I've exhausted every avenue I can think of to find out who ordained him and when. What offical proceedures need to be done to get his records straight?

Call SLC for confirmation, but given that no paperwork or witnesses can be found, it's quite possible you'll have to re-ordain him.

I believe handbook 1 has some pretty specific instructions on what is to be done in these situations.

If the stake shows record that he was sustained, then that should at least narrow it down to a given year. 2004 was only 4 years ago, surely you can track down the bishop (unless he has died). Surely someone that was in the ward at that time remembers something.

You will want to look at page 31 of handbook 1 for further instructions.

A high councilor or other stake representative should also have been at the ordination. The two witnesses method is best, otherwise the ordination will have to be redone and then the stake president will have to write to the First Presidency to request that the temple ordinances be ratified.

A stake clerk has to work very diligently to see that Melchizedek Priesthood ordinations are recorded. With the new barcoded temple recommends there is another reminder. The stake cannot activate the temple recommend of a brother whose ordination is not on his membership record.

I have worked in the clerk's offive for 30 years, and getting the MP Priesthood Ordination information from the Stake to enter it on the Brothers record is the most difficult task I have. I just got a certificate (April '08) for a brother that was ordained a High Priest in Nov of 06.

It is just the reverse here. We get the information to the ward, but cannot get the clerk to enter it into the computer until the stake does a membership audit and stands there while they do it.

We allow our stake representatives to go the clerk's office after the ordination and ask the clerk to enter the ordination right then.

I finally was able to track down two witnesses to the priesthood ordination. I went through each of the steps listed in the hand book. They wrote testimonies that were signed in the presence of one of the Bishopric that said that the brother was ordained by a specific person in 2004.

MLS however won't let me enter just the year of the ordination. Is there a way to make it accept just the year when entering the ordination.

DaleFranc wrote:MLS however won't let me enter just the year of the ordination. Is there a way to make it accept just the year when entering the ordination.

No. You will have to enlist the support of the Membership Department. I would start with an MLS membership message to CHQ. Give them the name, date of birth, and record number of the member, along with the ordination information (Elder, 2004). In the message state that the exact date of ordination is not known, and that MLS will not allow you to record it. Ask them to please do it for you.

DaleFranc wrote:MLS however won't let me enter just the year of the ordination. Is there a way to make it accept just the year when entering the ordination.

You might also try using the Special Request feature under Membership > Records > Special Requests as an alternative to an MLS message.

jbh001 wrote:You might also try using the Special Request feature under Membership > Records > Special Requests as an alternative to an MLS message.

Yes. A much better idea.

If you go through the panels instead of the top menu, go to these Panels (links):

Membership Records (More) >
View and Update (More) >
Other Record Changes (Special Requests).

There is one other slim possablity. because it was a pre MLS ordination while the stake lost the paper work it may have been fowarded to salt lake. Have they trequested the line of authority for this brother.
a call to 1-800-453-3860 ext 2-3500
or email lineofauthority@ldschurch.org
Would tell them if it was recorded there but not added to his record. if it was it would give you all the information needed to correct the record.

Almost all Priesthood Ordinations are done on either the Sunday they were sustained, or the Sunday after. If you just look at old calendars, and more extensively question the person who was ordained, you can usually pinpoint the ordination date.

mkjhanse wrote:Almost all Priesthood Ordinations are done on either the Sunday they were sustained, or the Sunday after. If you just look at old calendars, and more extensively question the person who was ordained, you can usually pinpoint the ordination date.

Technically, the Church Handbook says you need to verify ordinations before recording them into MLS with the witnesses that were present or by some legal document, like the Ordination Certificate that can be printed from MLS.

Can I look my ordination

Hi, where do I find the instruction concerning the two witnesses and also about the stake president having to write a letter if witnesses can not be found?

Handbook 1:16.1.10.1 outlines the procedure.