Elder ordination on record - parents don't remember it

One of the ward clerks in my stake was going over membership records with a family, and they said their 18-year-old son, who has an Elder ordination on his record, is in fact still a Priest. The record says he was ordained an Elder right after turning 18 (really 17 - the record is a year off on his birth date, something I'm already pursuing.)

Is there a way to remove the ordination, or do we have to wait until he is ordained for real and then correct it?

jwtaber wrote:Is there a way to remove the ordination, or do we have to wait until he is ordained for real and then correct it?

If he is not an elder, the ordination should be removed. But I would be very careful before doing that.

Your local priesthood leaders may wish to confer with the priesthood leaders who would have overseen the ordination on the date recorded on the membership record. The leaders at the time of the ordination may be able to shed some light on the situation, or know if an error may have been made.

And fixing the date of birth should also have a high priority, although it is hard to imagine how this might have been wrong for 18 years. Will changing to the correct birth date cause problems with ordinances such as baptism, etc.? I think I would want to see the birth certificate before I made that change.

To remove the ordination you would probably send a special request through MLS, if that is the decision that is made.

Changing the birth date: I've already given copies of his (and his sister's) membership records and birth certificates to the stake president so he can write a letter to Salt Lake to fix the birth dates (and ratify ordinances, if necessary - it's a long story). A special request wasn't taking at the ward level. (I'm stake membership clerk here.)

The "ordination": The folks who would have put it on the record are in Liberia, where the family moved from a year or so ago. It's the stake president's turn to email me, so when he responds I'll bring this part of the puzzle up with him.

It appears you have the situation well in hand and are on the right track toward resolution. I hope it does not take too long, but I can see it will not be very short, either. [grin]