Administrator Changing Member Email

I searched but didn't find any discussion on this. As ward webmaster, I can edit lots of things, but not a member's email address. This is one of the most common requests I get. Although members can easily change their own email, getting there and doing it really isn't that easy for many of them (we have several older members).

It would really be nice to allow administrators the ability to change a member's email, perhaps by sending an email to the member having them click a link which verifies the change and makes it effective.

Currently ward clerks can change member emails. Do they need to give me access to MLS?

If this ability is already there, I'd love to be enlightened...

Read Gilgen
Bloomington 6th Ward
St George, UT

Email is probably considered to be part of the member's Membership Record. As such, it's under the purview of the clerks and permission to change it is unlikely to be given to web admins.

Such as change wouldn't be up to the developers - it would be have to be approved by the priesthood department.

[Moderator note: I moved this topic into the Directory forum section from Ideas & Suggestions, since the issue deals with the Directory]

rgilgen wrote:I searched but didn't find any discussion on this.

It has been discussed previously, but the search capability here is a bit limited. See, for example, this post and those that follow it.

rgilgen wrote:As ward webmaster, I can edit lots of things, but not a member's email address.

That's correct. Since the email address is part of the information on the membership record, changing it is considered to be an operation that requires clerk permissions.

rgilgen wrote:Currently ward clerks can change member emails. Do they need to give me access to MLS?

That would enable you to change member email addresses, but only if you were given "Edit Membership" permissions in MLS. That role is usually reserved for clerks, so it would be unusual for a website administrator. But it's your bishop's decision as to whether you should be given those permissions.

aebrown wrote:

rgilgen wrote:Currently ward clerks can change member emails. Do they need to give me access to MLS?

That would enable you to change member email addresses, but only if you were given "Edit Membership" permissions in MLS.

That would only give you the ability to change emails in MLS - not on the web.

I believe being made an assistant clerk would give you the web permissions you seek. But if you're not already a clerk, that would require the approval of the stake.

russellhltn wrote:That would only give you the ability to change emails in MLS - not on the web.

But since email addresses sync from MLS to the Directory on LDS.org, it would indeed provide a way to accomplish the desired end result of changing the email address that appears on the Directory, even if this particular technique would not be accomplished via the more convenient web interface.

Organizationally the MLS route would be simpler, since it would not require any stake approval. But if the bishop wants to recommend an assistant ward clerk calling, and the stake approves, that would solve the issue more directly.

aebrown wrote:Organizationally the MLS route would be simpler, since it would not require any stake approval.

True, but then that would mean finding time on a busy ward computer. Probably simpler to just forward the information to a clerk.

aebrown wrote:

rgilgen wrote:Currently ward clerks can change member emails. Do they need to give me access to MLS?

That would enable you to change member email addresses, but only if you were given "Edit Membership" permissions in MLS. That role is usually reserved for clerks, so it would be unusual for a website administrator. But it's your bishop's decision as to whether you should be given those permissions.

This would be out of line with the guidelines that only clerks and the bishop can view membership records. There is no way to give "Edit Membership" permissions with out being able to view/print membership records also.

OK... so how do we shoot a suggestion up the priesthood channels?

If a member changes information on the web, does that automatically update MLS records as well?

rgilgen wrote:OK... so how do we shoot a suggestion up the priesthood channels?

Through your stake president.

rgilgen wrote:If a member changes information on the web, does that automatically update MLS records as well?

Yes.

Thanks... I'll follow up that route.

rgilgen wrote:It would really be nice to allow administrators the ability to change a member's email, perhaps by sending an email to the member having them click a link which verifies the change and makes it effective.

Currently ward clerks can change member emails. Do they need to give me access to MLS?

I suggest talking with your bishop to see if he wants you to be able to do this. If so, he'll need to get you called as an assistant ward clerk. When I was called, my bishop specifically wanted me to focus on helping ward members use the online tools and they determined that I needed to be an assistant membership clerk to get the needed permissions. I have access to MLS, but I don't go there very often; another assistant membership clerk focuses on the MLS side of things with membership records, ordinances, etc.

How does a member change his own email address?

nathanzimmerman wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 10:38 am How does a member change his own email address?

The best way is to go to https://account.churchofjesuschrist.org/ as that will update the account recovery address as well. I'm not sure if changing it in other areas will do that.

russellhltn wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 10:54 am

nathanzimmerman wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 10:38 am How does a member change his own email address?

The best way is to go to https://account.churchofjesuschrist.org/ as that will update the account recovery address as well. I'm not sure if changing it in other areas will do that.

Changing it in other area's will not update that.

jonesrk wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2025 7:24 pm Changing it in other area's will not update that.

Agree. The only way to update the account recovery address is in "accounts".

What I'm not sure of is if updating recovery email will update it in other places. At one time there was verbiage that said it did.

russellhltn wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2025 7:47 pm

jonesrk wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2025 7:24 pm Changing it in other area's will not update that.

Agree. The only way to update the account recovery address is in "accounts".

What I'm not sure of is if updating recovery email will update it in other places. At one time there was verbiage that said it did.

Once you verify your email in Church Account it will be picked up by the membership system (as long as your Church Account is correctly connected to your membership)

jonesrk wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2025 8:24 pm Once you verify your email in Church Account it will be picked up by the membership system (as long as your Church Account is correctly connected to your membership)

Do you know if there are any plans within "Accounts" to enable members to request removal or otherwise remove their email address from the Church's email address blacklist?

viewtopic.php?t=45138

Sometimes email addresses are incorrectly added to blacklists and there needs to be a way to appeal the decision (which in all honestly was most likely an automated process not a human being) to block delivery of emails to an address.

I think a button that says "Revalidate Email" that utilizes the Amazon SES API to automatically remove the address from the suppression list would be great:

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ses/latest/ ... ual-delete

God Bless