Tech Forum Archive

Which callings can access MLS data online

16 postsstarted by carljokl 5,263 viewsoriginal topic

carljokl
Member
#1
I hope this is a simple question but I am having trouble searching through the forums to find out if it has already been answered.

I know that clerks can access quite a lot of MLS functionality online. Which other callings presently are able to access MLS functionality such as detailed ward lists and member records online?

I get chased a lot by ward leaders to give them up to date ward lists. I London people are constantly moving in and out so the ward list and member records are changing all the time. I would rather not get too bogged down in sending out updated ward lists if I can try and get as many leaders to have access to the ward list directly. I am already trying to make sure all the key leaders have an MLS account for the computer but fear that on Sunday the computer is likely to be hogged by the clerks and bishopric and those with other computers will struggle to get any time on it.

If presently only the bishopric and clerks have access then at least I know and will try and make the best of it.
There are no problems, only solutions.
aebrown
Community Administrator
#2
Only certain callings have access to Leader and Clerk Resources, and the particular features people with those callings can use varies by calling. The reliable way to determine who has access and what they can do is to have someone with access sign in to Leader and Clerk Resources, and then go the "Access Table" which is located under the "Other" menu item.

At the ward level, the only callings with any access are currently:
  • Bishopric
  • Executive Secretary
  • Ward Clerk
  • Assistant clerks (excluding financial clerk)
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
carljokl
Member
#3
Are there any plans to add access to any other types of callings? I know it has been a problem for years that access to the MLS computer tends to be a bottleneck.
There are no problems, only solutions.
Gary_Miller
Senior Member
#4
carljokl wrote:access to the MLS computer tends to be a bottleneck.
You can decrease the Sunday bottleneck by being proactive. As a clerk you know what reports most leaders are asking for and when they need them, so all you need to do is make a list of who needs what report and when, then print the report for them during the week when your at the church. This way you don't have leaders tracking you down for a report that seems to be needed right now. If your not careful you could be stuck in the clerks office during Sunday meetings doing things that could be done during the week at your lesser.
carljokl
Member
#5
I see your point. Unfortunately Whitechapel Ward is not that predictable. We don't have our own place too meet anymore (The Church has been looking for a suitable place for the past 3 years). Presently we share a building with another ward in a location quite a way outside of our ward boundaries. It can be time consuming to get out to the building during the week but I am likely to just have to deal with that.

As regards having things ready. Tasks come in to me in a fairly ad-hock manner that can be hard to plan ahead. Some things that need to be done require information from people who are only around on Sunday. Granted I could just call them but people can be busy and hard to get hold of in London.

Regarding the prospect of spending Sunday chained to my desk in the clerks office, it is too late for that. Granted, not yesterday but the Sunday before I actually made it to the priesthood lesson for the first time in many months.
There are no problems, only solutions.
Gary_Miller
Senior Member
#6
carljokl wrote:I see your point. Unfortunately Whitechapel Ward is not that predictable. We don't have our own place too meet anymore (The Church has been looking for a suitable place for the past 3 years). Presently we share a building with another ward in a location quite a way outside of our ward boundaries.
Since most buildings have more than one ward assigned to meet there it is not unusual to meet in a building that is not within ones ward boundaries. I know wards where the average member has to travel 10 miles or more to the meeting house. I'm sure there are others who travel allot further
carljokl wrote: It can be time consuming to get out to the building during the week but I am likely to just have to deal with that.
I find it best to pick a day and time of the week in which to go to the church and take care of clerk business, just as you would do if you had a calling like YM leader. You will find you can accomplish a whole lot more doing it this way as there is usually no one else around to cause distractions.
carljokl wrote:As regards having things ready. Tasks come in to me in a fairly ad-hock manner that can be hard to plan ahead.

As a clerk I have yet to find very many things that need to be accomplished in a urgent manner. Most things are important but don't need to be accomplished right now. I you set time aside during the week you will find that those items that seem urgent are not really urgent. You will also start to find that many things can be done from home, specifically when it come to reports.
carljokl wrote:Some things that need to be done require information from people who are only around on Sunday.
Yes this is true. But I find a phone call or e-mail during the week takes care of most of this, although there are times when face to face is the best way.
carljokl wrote:Granted I could just call them but people can be busy and hard to get hold of in London.
London is no different than any-other place in the world.
carljokl wrote:Regarding the prospect of spending Sunday chained to my desk in the clerks office, it is too late for that. Granted, not yesterday but the Sunday before I actually made it to the priesthood lesson for the first time in many months.
I find the best way to get away form this is to stay away from the clerks office after Sacrament meeting and just go to class.
russellhltn
Community Administrator
#7
carljokl wrote:As regards having things ready. Tasks come in to me in a fairly ad-hock manner that can be hard to plan ahead. Some things that need to be done require information from people who are only around on Sunday.
Like what kinds of tasks? I would guess that if you got everyone a updated list/reports by the first Sunday of each month, that would take care of many requests.
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carljokl
Member
#8
Things have started to get better but it has been very busy with Tithing Settlement. There have been times when I have tried going to class only to end up getting called out of the class because the Bishopric need something. For example the Bishop has typically been asking for a donation statement and a membership record summary together to use in the tithing settlement interview. The interviews have sometimes been last minute arrangements which I did not know about in advance. It does not take so long to print out this information but typically it seems once I am in the office then a flood of other requests come.

With tithing settlement done with, things are starting to get calmer and I am managing to get more on top of things. I could just get into a routine of sending out the ward lists electronically on a weekly basis. I just also think that in general I would like the leaders to be able to get the information they need themselves without needing to go through me at all.
There are no problems, only solutions.
jirp
Member
#9
Can't everyone in the ward who has a church login print their ward list by going to lds.org and directory? I know I could from home before I was made clerk. Maybe this isn't available in other parts of the world? As ward clerk I can see more of the list since some people will have set their privacy to leadership only but the ward list of those without tight privacy standards should be available to everyone in the ward with addresses and phone numbers.
aebrown
Community Administrator
#10
jirp wrote:Can't everyone in the ward who has a church login print their ward list by going to lds.org and directory? I know I could from home before I was made clerk. Maybe this isn't available in other parts of the world?
This topic is about access to Leader and Clerk Resources, which has much more data than just what is available to everyone using the Directory on LDS.org.

But to answer your question, yes, everyone with an LDS Account who is a member can print their ward list from the Directory. However, in many parts of the world, the privacy settings default to Private, and only those members who specifically opt in by changing their privacy settings to Ward or Stake visibility will be visible to the general membership of the ward. In those places, the ward list printed from the Directory tends to have so few people that it is of limited usefulness.
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
heblemm
New Member
#11
Why are financial clerks excluded from access to clerk resources? I realize that as a financial clerk my primary responsibility is financial, but I frequently assist in membership as well. For example, I had to do the quarterly report last month as our ward clerk was out from surgery. If the church really is transitioning to have all MLS functions online, this will be a hindrance to financial clerks being able to assist in other areas when needed. The same would go for membership clerks needing access to the financial side when needed.
aebrown
Community Administrator
#12
heblemm wrote:Why are financial clerks excluded from access to clerk resources? I realize that as a financial clerk my primary responsibility is financial, but I frequently assist in membership as well. For example, I had to do the quarterly report last month as our ward clerk was out from surgery. If the church really is transitioning to have all MLS functions online, this will be a hindrance to financial clerks being able to assist in other areas when needed. The same would go for membership clerks needing access to the financial side when needed.
If your bishop wants you to perform functions other than financial, then you need to have the standard calling of "Ward Assistant Clerk". That could be instead of, or in addition to, your current calling.
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
russellhltn
Community Administrator
#13
heblemm wrote:Why are financial clerks excluded from access to clerk resources?
First off, none of the decision-makers are here on the forum, so we don't know for sure. But we can tell you that there are currently no financial functions on-line. So there is no need for a financial-only person to get into the clerk resources.

I think a broader answer is to prevent "too many cooks in the kitchen" syndrome. You don't want too many people to have rights to membership information/functions.

Since you are doing things outside of the financial area, I'd suggest you discuss with the stake about being added as a just "Assistant Clerk" without the " - Financial". I believe that will allow you to have access to the tools. You can keep the "- Financial" calling so anyone looking for the Finance clerk will know who to call.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
scgallafent
Church Employee
#14
What aebrown and russellhltn said. The information on assistant clerk assignments is in Handbook 1, 13.4.3. All assistant clerks are not the same. The software allows you to make those distinctions and then handles permissions based on current policy. Note that there is a distinction in the handbook regarding clerks assigned to finances that does not apply to other assistant clerks.

I suggest you review that with your bishop, clarify assignments, and then the calling and permissions assigned in MLS should reflect the result. If you're assisting in areas other than finance, you're doing more than just "Ward Assistant Clerk--Finance." My assignment is "Ward Assistant Clerk--Membership." I don't have any finance rights in MLS and I don't have to stay late after church. :)
FlintCrump
New Member
#15
carljokl wrote:I hope this is a simple question but I am having trouble searching through the forums to find out if it has already been answered.

I know that clerks can access quite a lot of MLS functionality online. Which other callings presently are able to access MLS functionality such as detailed ward lists and member records online?

I get chased a lot by ward leaders to give them up to date ward lists. I London people are constantly moving in and out so the ward list and member records are changing all the time. I would rather not get too bogged down in sending out updated ward lists if I can try and get as many leaders to have access to the ward list directly. I am already trying to make sure all the key leaders have an MLS account for the computer but fear that on Sunday the computer is likely to be hogged by the clerks and bishopric and those with other computers will struggle to get any time on it.

If presently only the bishopric and clerks have access then at least I know and will try and make the best of it.
FlintCrump
New Member
#16
Sorry about that last post. I haven't used this system much. Below is what I meant to do:

I would rather not get too bogged down in sending out updated ward lists if I can try and get as many leaders to have access to the ward list directly.

IN RESPONSE: I would refer members and leaders to access the ward list on the smartphone app LDS Tools. It has helped relieve that issue.

Keep up the valiant work you are doing!