Ward Mission App (more than a digital area book)

Hello Technet,

I see that this has been done before (topherreynoso), but I'm also extremely excited to post here and have a powerful and interesting tool to share. I've developed a prototype app for ward missions. I've used this extensively over the past couple of years and have found it to be extremely useful. It is now an intrinsic part of my stewardship and has demonstrated value in missionary coordination meetings and ward councils.

Some prominent features:

• Store and recall information related to those we teach
• Observe teaching trends with reports and graphs
• Collaborate with other ward missionaries – security managed on a user/ward level
• Mobile responsive – able to call or find directions via phone
• Able to store and print membership progress records
• Manage tasks, return & report on assignments
• Search and filter by name, focus 5, etc.

It is more than a digital area book and I have several ideas to evolve this app further and have a strong vision on how to progress its efficacy and UI. However I wanted to check the temperature here before taking next steps. Its underlying platform could benefit from leveraging the LDS ecosystem and it's clear that this belongs in the LDSTech toolset and not a standalone app.

I recently looked into LDSTech further and see that there are other development efforts (Vineyard? LDSTech contributions?). If there's interest then perhaps this could make its way into there, or with permission I would like to pilot it with any interested individuals.

I recognize this is disruptive technology and it also makes use of a church copyrighted form – for this reason I have not published the URL. If there is an issue or a church request to take this down via proper authority or not launch then I will of course respect that. I've already counseled with appropriate priesthood – my bishop high council member over missionary work and have receive a thumbs up to announce and post here. If there is an issue with the copyrighted form then I can always remove the copyrighted material and simply have the app print an overlay for existing printed forms.

My goals in this:

• Hasten the work
• Get a tool out there for ward missions to use. Either loop into LDS toolset or gain permission to maintain/pilot on my own.
• Gain permission to use the new/returning member progress record form (copyrighted)
• Enjoy some personal satisfaction of producing something to a v1 completion.
• Gain experience in creating/supporting a public-facing tool.

I'm posting here to start a positive discussion and hope I may be put in touch with someone to make next steps with. Screenshots below with demo information (not real contacts).

View from general dashboard/contact list
Teaching record
Activity in teaching record
Task list
Generated new and returning member progress record
Weekly report
Image from mobile device

I see that topherreynolds had a similar concept and it seemed to be received relatively well. If nobody objects, I will procure a domain with SSL and launch.

It looks like a helpful tool. The Church doesn't have a lot of policies for third-party apps, but here are a few that come to mind:

• Have a statement to make it clear it's not an official Church app (Handbook 2, 21.1.22).
• The Church logo should not be used (Handbook 2, 21.1.10).
• Membership data should never be stored on cloud services (Meetinghouse Technology Policy, 4.9.4).
• Third-party apps may not use LDS Account login (statements by Church employees on LDSTech forum and wiki).

If you are able to work around these policies, then go for it! However, the most common issue that third-party apps run into is storing or syncing membership data on internet-based services not operated by the Church. The Church is very protective of members' information for legal and privacy reasons.

I am not sure what the process is for starting a new LDSTech project, but it will need to be sponsored by and overseen by a Church employee. Maybe someone else can shed some light on this. The LDS Tools app already exists and there is also an Area Book app for missionaries in use – in the end something like this would best be tied into one of those.

sbradshaw wrote:I am not sure what the process is for starting a new LDSTech project, but it will need to be sponsored by and overseen by a Church employee. Maybe someone else can shed some light on this.

The page hasn't been updated in a couple years but this wiki page is the most recent statement about that that I know of.

Thank you both. As eblood66 mentioned, the wiki page is pretty old and I'm not seeing any contact info regarding it.

The elephant in the room is the membership data. The app is designed for anybody the ward mission teaches, which is a mix of investigators and members. I've tried to minimize info entered and generalize where possible, but name/address/phone is not approximate. I however do not have have plans for any bulk import tools and most contact info in my experience has been learned in the field. My push-back would be that Topher's app was similar, even included importing, yet was greenlit by church ICS. However some time has passed so it is worth a revisit before publishing a URL. Thank you for informing me.

I don't have any e-mail for church ICS but it looks like there's a phone number (801-446-4614). I'll contact them and see if I can find further clarity in context to the previous app or an opportunity for integration into the ecosystem.

Other features I'd like to include:

Dinner scheduling/volunteering
Splits/member-assisted teaching scheduling/volunteering

I've heard for quite some time now about missionaries using tablets and it would be interesting to learn whether my efforts are duplicated or could be complementary to this. Our mission has not adopted this yet. Is anyone aware of a rollout schedule? Are things still in test?

I think it's beyond test, but some mission presidents vetoed it for their mission.

terreview wrote:I've heard for quite some time now about missionaries using tablets and it would be interesting to learn whether my efforts are duplicated or could be complementary to this. Our mission has not adopted this yet. Is anyone aware of a rollout schedule? Are things still in test?

It is being implemented slowly on a mission by mission basis as coordinated with the mission president. Part of the process in our mission included training by a general authority to the missionaries.

I am so happy to hear that an app like this is in the works!
I have spent countless hours scouring through the App Store and have spent probably upwards of $100 on various apps the look like they'll get me at least close to where I want to be.

I understand that this is a major undertaking and would be happy to help in any way you may need. I don't have any experience with writing code but I have been a graphic designer for a little over 7 years so if my abilities can help this get off the ground any faster then just let me know.

I would also love to beta test the app if that's at all possible. I was helping test the Ward Plan app for a while but I believe the developers put that on the back burner for a while.

Again, thanks so much for your hard work and let me know if/when I can help out.

Briggs2326 wrote:I am so happy to hear that an app like this is in the works!

It has been deployed for some time now. Some areas may still not have it while it is being rolled out.

Briggs2326 wrote:I understand that this is a major undertaking and would be happy to help in any way you may need.

The app is entirely an in-house project.

Briggs2326 wrote:I would also love to beta test the app if that's at all possible.

The app has already been released. Only missionaries have access to the app.

Is the app that you're referring to different than the prototype described in the original post? If not, then things seem to have changed quite a bit in the last few months.

Briggs2326 wrote:Is the app that you're referring to different than the prototype described in the original post? If not, then things seem to have changed quite a bit in the last few months.

Yes, it is. It is more like an area book for the missionaries, but it does allow the missionary input to their app to sync with LDS.org so that members of ward councils can view/review the status of progressing missionary families and best know how to help them.

I'm still in the stone age ... no smart phone. However see the value in this missionary information. If the data is syned with lds.org, where on desktop, lds.org can the information be found?

ritterrf wrote:I'm still in the stone age ... no smart phone. However see the value in this missionary information. If the data is syned with lds.org, where on desktop, lds.org can the information be found?

If you are a member of a ward council, go to Leader and Clerk Resources at LDS.org and click on Other. In the drop down box, look in the right column under Missionary and select the Progress Record link.

Sorry for the late reply here. I wanted to give an update on this. I’ve done the following:

I’ve spoken with my bishop, my high councilman over missionary work, and the stake president. All have responded positively about this app.

I’ve tried getting in contact with church HQ twice – the best I’ve gotten is being routed through tech support. I can’t seem to get past level 1 tech support where I haven’t received any official response. I’ve left my contact info but nobody has called me back.

Based on Topher’s positive response and the positive responses I’ve received so far on my project, my plan is to move forward and launch Saturday Sep 12. I’ll keep the site up for at least a year and gage usage to see if this app is useful to ward missions. I’ll provide contact info on the site and also periodically check on this forum; in the event that any church leadership wishes for me to take it down then I’ll honor it. I’ll document on this thread that way any other devs with potential projects like this can see success/hurdles. Will post the link here soon.

lajackson wrote:If you are a member of a ward council, go to Leader and Clerk Resources at LDS.org and click on Other. In the drop down box, look in the right column under Missionary and select the Progress Record link.

I tried to print the blank Progress Record PDF three days ago. However, I could never get the orientation to come out correctly on the printer. It looks like the printer driver for my ancient hp LaserJet 1300 can't handle it, since it prints fine at my office. I tried rotating the image in Adobe Reader, but it still didn't print correctly.

A bit later than originally scheduled as I was dotting the i's and crossing the t's on migration.

Site is up! Link here:

https://www.leadamission.org

Design is a bit spartan but I'm focusing on functionality and mobile friendliness before investing a ton into graphic design.

I'm really excited to launch and see if this is useful.

I'm curious about some of the functions like "Lead a Mission remembers the last time households were contacted, taught, or given service. " How is that done without entering or uploading membership information?

russellhltn wrote:I'm curious about some of the functions like "Lead a Mission remembers the last time households were contacted, taught, or given service. " How is that done without entering or uploading membership information?

Thanks for responding. That is an excellent question and for this reason I've been trying to contact the right people to discuss.

Info in the app is for all people taught (mostly non-member in my mission). Nothing is synced with lds.org. Manual entry/copy-paste can occur. Fields in the app that directly correlate to membership info is minimalized to basic contact info (name/phone/address). This was definitely a flag I noticed but further research showed a precedent where there didn't seem to be a problem in this thread:

https://tech.lds.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=17149

Again I recognize this could be disruptive and I'm very receptive to feedback from both community and proper authority. I think the community will benefit from having the conversation regardless of outcome (Is there demand for this? Should functionality be rolled into LDS.org? Is this a bad idea and needs to be scrapped? Is it fine as a standalone app for now? Are there additional features that should be added? Would there be support/permission to use the a progress record form? etc.)

terreview wrote:further research showed a precedent where there didn't seem to be a problem in this thread:

There's been some updates since that thread. The Meetinghouse Technology Policy says,

4.9.3 The use of MLS data and membership information in third party software is prohibited, whether obtained from within or outside of a meetinghouse.

4.9.4 The use of cloud-based services for storing and/or backing up MLS or any membership related data is prohibited.

terreview wrote:I think the community will benefit from having the conversation regardless of outcome (Is there demand for this? Should functionality be rolled into LDS.org? Is this a bad idea and needs to be scrapped? Is it fine as a standalone app for now? Are there additional features that should be added? Would there be support/permission to use the a progress record form? etc.)

Gathering information is fine, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. The church is run by the Priesthood, not by user demand. The developer pool is rather small and they already have a list of projects and are going though it in the priority determined by the Priesthood department. There really is no promise that the ideas you come up with will align with the church's requirements.

Off the top of my head, I can't think any independent effort that has worked out long-term. There doesn't seem to be any interest in community development outside of the official community projects.

russellhltn wrote:The church is run by the Priesthood, not by user demand. The developer pool is rather small and they already have a list of projects and are going though it in the priority determined by the Priesthood department. There really is no promise that the ideas you come up with will align with the church's requirements.

I'm really glad you stated that. It's good to hear that Priesthood authority is directly connected with direction and prioritization of dev. I've been looking for a clear thumbs up/thumbs down and that's an excellent source to receive guidance after personal revelation has taken its course. You are an admin on this board - if you are in contact with any higher authorities then please do let them know. My local authorities have been aware of the project but I don't think it's been escalated past that. I'm not getting any hopes up but I do know this has been immensely valuable for my own work and after much prayer I felt the right thing to do was present it. I look forward to hearing from Priesthood authority and gaining clarity.

Is there a process for proposing an application to the Church for consideration to try to get approval for syncing with membership data?
I'm also interested in assisting with development of projects, and since the Church decided to move from MLS to lds.org (and also sync familysearch.org with Ancestry.com), I'm sure that they must have a process for integrating with (or acquiring) third-party applications.
Does anyone know anything about this? Or perhaps know what direction they might point me in?

devinbost wrote:Is there a process for proposing an application to the Church for consideration to try to get approval for syncing with membership data?

The best you can do is sign up for a project. They are extremely skittish about allowing data in other applications. Even basic downloads have been disappearing. If you're not on an approved project, it's not going to happen. Generally, projects are done by what the leaders say they need, not proposals from the community.

devinbost wrote:Is there a process for proposing an application to the Church for consideration to try to get approval for syncing with membership data?
I'm also interested in assisting with development of projects, and since the Church decided to move from MLS to lds.org (and also sync familysearch.org with Ancestry.com), I'm sure that they must have a process for integrating with (or acquiring) third-party applications.
Does anyone know anything about this? Or perhaps know what direction they might point me in?

FamilySearch certainly has a process for integrating with third-party applications. But that's all related to genealogical data, not membership data (except to the extent that membership data of deceased people is fed into Family Tree, or that membership data for living persons feeds into private data, but that's not at all what you're talking about).

I've seen no evidence at all that the Church has any interest in doing so with membership data. Because it isn't something there's any interest in, there is no process and no department to contact that we could point you to.

I signed up for your program but I am getting an SMTP error. You might want to check your ports.

Thanks - my hosting server changed their mail server so that was it. I've resolved now. My apologies for the late reply.

Are there any plans to make an offline/ app version? It's a really great tool but I'm uncomfortable with having information on investigators and such stored on someone else's website. Especially given there's not even a way to contact you listed on the website. Nothing personal, just interested in protecting the privacy of people I teach. Far as I know, there's nothing else like this tool. It's really useful and well made. It'd be a shame to not be able to use it.

Thanks for the response Mark, much appreciated. I have no plans to make an offline version as the backend design is designed around an online/multiplatform persistent experience.

It’s been nearly a year since launch so I wanted to report back. My plan was to gauge usage and continue development if there was further interest and clarity. Unfortunately this was not the case. A combination of lack of community interest, lukewarm responses, and limited usage is a clear case to cease development and hosting on it.

I firmly believe transparency is important here as more information helps everybody. I stated earlier that the community would benefit regardless of the outcome. I still believe that holds true.

After one year of operation, I have 17 users; 16 of which appear to be test accounts, and one is the new WML in my ward who references legacy data but admittedly does not update it. As a workaround he will receive an export of his ward’s data. I will shut down the service on September 12.

As mentioned earlier, I contacted three sources to find approval/clarity. My experience:

-Lukewarm / no official response from direct church phone & e-mail channels
-Lukewarm response on this forum thread / hesitation with regards to meetinghouse policy
-Positive response from local leadership but no desire/bandwidth to champion further.

For any future developers in the ward mission records space, I would recommend against independent development. An independently developed app in this realm is viewed as a risk and will not gain traction. As mentioned in this thread and the community, official church projects are the way to make contributions – if one is not in line with your needs, then develop with the expectation that the project will likely remain local.

I appreciate the conversation on this over the past year. While disappointing on a personal level, I’m glad this conversation and info is at least available for future developers, and I have still gained some positive takeaways for other dev.

Interesting timing. I just saw a LDS Tools update that gives leaders the ability to view the digital address book.

russellhltn wrote:Interesting timing. I just saw a LDS Tools update that gives leaders the ability to view the digital address book.

To clarify, this feature is only available to ward leaders in areas where missionaries are using iPads with the Area Book app. And there's no editing in LDS Tools. But it's a step in the direction of making area book information more accessible.

terreview - I'd like to learn more about your experience. Could we chat via email or phone?

terreview, I am having a hard time finding this. Looks like the site is down. Any direction?

https://www.leadamission.org

palarkin wrote:terreview, I am having a hard time finding this. Looks like the site is down. Any direction?

As you can see in this post from terreview on 31 August 2016, he said he would "shut down the service on September 12." And it's pretty clear that he did indeed shut it down. He does a good job of explaining his reasons in the post I linked to.

Thanks, aebrown. Not sure how I missed that.