Full Time Missionaries Scheduling Building

We have given building access to the full time missionaries in our new area (the new Gilbert, Arizona Mission).

We have very thorough use of the LDS.org calendar for scheduling of ALL use of buildings.

I would like to give the Mission Office the ability to schedule our buildings for use by the full time missionaries or any other building needs they may have.

Anyone done this yet? I don't think I can make an out of unit member a building scheduler. I think we can do that in MLS, but not in calendar location settings.

heyring wrote:I don't think I can make an out of unit member a building scheduler.

A Building Scheduler can not properly schedule buildings. It's also too powerful - it would allow the missionaries to move/disrupt any event to make room for their activity.

I believe most anyone in the stake can be set up with a calendar that can properly schedule any building. In our stake, that's the job of the Stake High Councilor handling missionary work.

If the mission office wants access, the best way to do that would be to add the mission to the list of units for that building. But in my stake's system, I don't see our mission listed. In that case it would be up to them to send a feature request up the chain of command to get it done.

A building scheduler should be able to set "restrictions" for whatever location they are listed for.
Agreed, this may not be the best approach.
Being a High Councilor myself, I don't want to put another thing on our HC over Missionary work's list.
Having the Mission Office staff responsible for scheduling, forces the missionaries to disclose what they are using the building for.
I will check into the ability to add the mission to units using locations.

heyring wrote:A building scheduler should be able to set "restrictions" for whatever location they are listed for.

Which any other building scheduler can override leading to an apparent double-booking. We went through that way too many times in this forum.

The only safe way to schedule a room is with an event. But to do that the person doing the scheduling must have access to a calendar.

At this point I suspect that getting the mission access is at least months away - if it's done at all. So I'd suggest a "Plan B" until that day arrives. Which probably means putting this on someone's work list.

I don't think the mission office could effectively schedule when missionaries will be at buildings in all the different areas – I suspect the missionaries will plan their own times when they will be at the church... Most likely they would coordinate with the ward mission leader if they need to put something on the calendar.

Isn't coordinating locally the aim and goal of the new program? Seems better than having the mission office do it.

sbradshaw wrote:Most likely they would coordinate with the ward mission leader if they need to put something on the calendar.

I was thinking along the same lines of using the ward mission leader to schedule the building. But the missionaries also have non-ward meetings, such as district and zone meetings. Is it going to be a burden on the WML to have to enter all these things in the calendar just to book resources in the meeting? Any they aren't necessarily "ward" meetings, so ward members might not want to see them.

mevans wrote:I was thinking along the same lines of using the ward mission leader to schedule the building. But the missionaries also have non-ward meetings, such as district and zone meetings. Is it going to be a burden on the WML to have to enter all these things in the calendar just to book resources in the meeting? Any they aren't necessarily "ward" meetings, so ward members might not want to see them.

Most wards end up with a calendar that can be used for events such as family reunions, wedding receptions, etc., that are not ward events but need to book the building. The WML could be given editing rights to that calendar in order to put district or zone meetings there.

I do agree that working through the WML is a good idea. Other wards may just have the missionaries work through a clerk or website administrator; that could certainly work as well.

mevans wrote:I was thinking along the same lines of using the ward mission leader to schedule the building. But the missionaries also have non-ward meetings, such as district and zone meetings. Is it going to be a burden on the WML to have to enter all these things in the calendar just to book resources in the meeting?

I don't see where it would be so many meetings as to make a big burden on the WML. On the other hand isn't supporting the missionaries part of the WML responsibilities.

mevans wrote:Any they aren't necessarily "ward" meetings, so ward members might not want to see them.

All that would need done it to create a separate calendar layer for the missionaries then only those who subscribe to that calendar layer would see it.

Currently there is no way for people not in a ward to schedule a building. So Currently If the Mission wants to Use a ward house someone in the ward will need to schedule it for them.

jeffevannelson wrote:Currently there is no way for people not in a ward to schedule a building.

To be more accurate the members of a stake can schedule a location (building). Additionally members of a unit in another stake can schedule a location if that unit is added to the system by the hosting stake administrators. For the purpose of this discussion a mission cannot be added as a unit sharing a location and missionaries serving in the area are not members of the host stake.

I have found that it is always best to have the missionaries schedule the building through their ward mission leader. That way I know that HE is aware of what is going on and can ensure that things go smoothly, no matter what the missionaries have in mind. For the mission to schedule the building, I encourage them to use the High Counselman in the agent stake the building is located in. Sometimes there hasn't been someone assigned on the High Counsel so I (as the building coordinator) have put it on a "Private Events" calendar for the mission.