Convert Baptismal records

We have a problem in our ward. When the missionaries Baptize a person the baptism record is not filled out or signed. We have tried and been unable to convince either the missionaries or the mission that that form needs to be filled out prior to baptism. It creates several problems when it is not filled out. The biggest is that it obviously cant be turned into the mission office for them to generate a membership record. with out a record we cant track them, ordain them to the priesthood, send them to the temple, assign home teachers, or give them callings. How do we get the missionaries to fill out the paper work?

Just for clarification, I believe the ward is responsible for creating the record if the child is 8 years old and a child of record. The missionaries do it if the person is a convert - 9 years or older.

For the short term, I believe you still have the option of gathering the information from the new member and entering it yourself.

I'm really surprised at that your having trouble with the mission. I thought their report numbers came in part from the number of records they created - so if they fail to create records, at some level their baptismal count is going to be low.

If the situation is as you claim, clearly correction needs to come down from on high. Have you talked to your stake clerk? He has the ear of the stake president who can communicate the issue to the Area Presidency. I would stress the importance of paper work - because if the paper work isn't done, the member may need to be re-baptized.

1historian wrote:We have a problem in our ward. When the missionaries Baptize a person the baptism record is not filled out or signed. We have tried and been unable to convince either the missionaries or the mission that that form needs to be filled out prior to baptism. It creates several problems when it is not filled out. The biggest is that it obviously cant be turned into the mission office for them to generate a membership record. with out a record we cant track them, ordain them to the priesthood, send them to the temple, assign home teachers, or give them callings. How do we get the missionaries to fill out the paper work?

I have had this problem with the missionaries in our ward as well. I have had the Bishop talk to them more then once. As far as I know the mission has to make the record, But if it's not done in a timely (30-60 days) manner the clerk can enter the information to make the record. My problem has gone deeper them that in some cases I have not even received the paperwork. Maybe someone can push for better oversight and training. If it is not recorded on earth it is not recorded in heaven!!!!!!!!

Yes these are convert baptisms. If they were our ward we would have the paper work. But i cant get the baptism paperwork from the missionaries because its not filled out and signed. so i don't have anything to create the record from. Which is the missions responsibility. this is a problem weve had a little over a year. since it wasn't signed is it valid? just a question. thanks for your help

As an update we have a new set of Elders serving in our ward. They baptized an investigator on the 19th, Confirmed him in Sacrament meeting. and were still filling out the form after church was over. Still have not received a copy of the record. They were missing Names, Dates, and signatures. What can we do? They have another baptism of a 8 year old child this weekend. Whose mother was baptized a month ago. they were lectured about the need to have the form filled out in PEC.

Have you contacted the Mission President of the mission you are located in?

You could be mean and tell them they are free to use the baptismal font WHEN they show you a completed baptismal form. But that is probably going a bit too far.

On the other hand, we hand a member and his wife move into our unit. Only the wife's records showed up even though he and his wife were supposedly baptized the same day. Further investigation revealed that the missionaries never turned in the paperwork for these baptisms, and the local unit created the records themselves, but somehow never got around to creating the husbands records. After months of repeated attempts of trying to communicate with the original unit, we are to the point of just rebaptizing this member to be done with the problem.

1historian wrote:... we have a new set of Elders serving in our ward. They baptized an investigator on the 19th, Confirmed him in Sacrament meeting.

Missionaries may baptize, but they need the bishop's permission to confirm. Our bishop told them if the form was not filled out before sacrament meeting there would be no confirmation. (To clarify, it is Ok for the missionary to perform the ordinance, but confirmations are under the direction of the bishop.)

1historian wrote:They have another baptism of a 8 year old child this weekend. Whose mother was baptized a month ago. they were lectured about the need to have the form filled out in PEC.

The missionaries will not have to worry about this baptism. It is not a convert baptism if the child is 8 years old and one of the parents is a member. It would have been a convert baptism if the child was baptized at the same time as the mother.

The bishop should be doing the interview and filling out the baptism and confirmation record. The ward creates the membership record in MLS.

Children are converts when neither parent is a member, or when the child is 9 years old or older.

I agree Our bishop has theatened to not proceed but he wont actually do it. And i tried to tell him that it was his place to do the baptism interview and i would create the paperwork. He said no he wanted the missionaries to do it. So we will see how it goes.

1historian wrote:Our bishop has threatened to not proceed but he won't actually do it.

And that is why he is the bishop. [grin]

I did the same thing when I was the bishop. Although one time I made the missionaries sit on the stand and fill out the paperwork during the meeting. They did not like that.

All of these posts are from 2007 and 2008. I thought there was a recommended procedure for the missionaries to follow that included introducing the baptism form in PEC prior to baptism. Aren't there any solutions relevant to 2011?

coletheelder wrote:All of these posts are from 2007 and 2008. I thought there was a recommended procedure for the missionaries to follow that included introducing the baptism form in PEC prior to baptism. Aren't there any solutions relevant to 2011?

The procedure essentially has not changed from the instructions provided in the previous CHI to the 2010 Handbook 1. See Handbook 1, 16.3.2, for the instructions pertaining to convert baptisms. You will note there is no requirement for the baptism form to be presented in PEC. This may be a local procedure. If it is a local procedure it would most likely be implemented by the mission president and not the bishop or stake president since the mission president holds the keys for baptizing and confirming converts.

Thanks for the CHI reference!

Our ward also had a problem with a baptism not being recorded properly (we could find no record of the baptism and the individual was not in MLS as a member.). I contacted Local Unit Support via MLS, and the reply was to locate two Melchezidek Preisthood holders who witnessed the baptism/confirmation and have them sign a paper stating that. I wrote up a simple document with the name of the person, the date of the baptism, the date of the confirmation, and who performed the ordinances. I then had the witnesses sign the paper. The paper was then filed away with all of our other recorded baptisms. Then, I created the member record.

When a convert is baptized, the mission creates a member record for the convert. What happens if the convert already has a record because she was blessed as a baby?

I am concerned that the mission will create a new record for her, and I'll have two records of the same person to deal with.

Thanks

pzells wrote:When a convert is baptized, the mission creates a member record for the convert. What happens if the convert already has a record because she was blessed as a baby?

I am concerned that the mission will create a new record for her, and I'll have two records of the same person to deal with.

Thanks

In many cases, the records will match up. But if they do not, you use MLS to cancel one of the duplicate records, probably the one without the baptism information.