Stake CSM Specialist

Instructions in the Help section at csm.ldschurch.org talk about a Stake CSM Specialist, but there is no such Standard Calling in LCR for that position, at least that I can find. I also can't find what positions have access to that site, but am hoping a Stake CSM Specialist might.

Anybody know where I can find out where an access list might be located?

jeromer7 wrote:Instructions in the Help section at csm.ldschurch.org talk about a Stake CSM Specialist,

Where are you reading this? In the FAQ, I'm seeing:

What happens after my Recommendation for Church-Service Missionary form is completed?
...
United States and Canada: Send to the CSM group coordinators for your stake. Your stake leaders can find this information in the Church Directory of Organizations and Leaders (CDOL).

Notice the use of the word "for" the stake, not "in" the stake. So this is not a stake calling, but a calling elsewhere that coordinates the CSM work for the stake.

When I open CDOL, under Associated Organizations, I see "Church-Service Support Provided by ". And in my case it's someone several stakes away, but still fairly local to my area.

jeromer7 wrote:Instructions in the Help section at csm.ldschurch.org talk about a Stake CSM Specialist, but there is no such Standard Calling in LCR for that position, at least that I can find. I also can't find what positions have access to that site, but am hoping a Stake CSM Specialist might.

The CSM Specialist is a person who works with the Area Seventy to coordinate the Church-service Missionary program in his Coordinating Council area of responsibility. If your stake has called a member to work with the CSM program in your stake, it will be a Custom Calling.

Priesthood leaders and clerks have access to the csm site.

russellhltn wrote:

jeromer7 wrote:Instructions in the Help section at csm.ldschurch.org talk about a Stake CSM Specialist,

Where are you reading this?

The “Help” link on CSM site takes you to page titled “CSM Resources”. There are two of the pdf files referenced below that address “CSM specialists” by context referring to the stake, and one that specifically references “Stake CSM specialist”. I did not look through the other references.

1. “CSM Coordination guidance – Priesthood” starting bottom of page 5 is guidance for “local CSM group coordinators” (ours is in St Louis). Reference “b” on page 6: “Train and orient stake leaders and their CSM Specialists.”

2. “CSM Coordination Guidance – Coordinators”
- page 3, 2nd bullet under #4: “May delegate some administrative tasks to others, such as their CSM specialists or their executive secretaries.”
- page 12, “3.b.”: CSM group coordinators “Train and orient stake leaders and their CSM Specialists.” [emphasis added]
- page 16, 2nd bullet under “Other Helpful Notes and Suggestions”: “Stake CSM specialists and operations managers should consult…”

jeromer7 wrote:The “Help” link on CSM site takes you to page titled “CSM Resources”. There are two of the pdf files referenced below that address “CSM specialists” by context referring to the stake, and one that specifically references “Stake CSM specialist”. I did not look through the other references.

1. “CSM Coordination guidance – Priesthood” starting bottom of page 5 is guidance for “local CSM group coordinators” (ours is in St Louis). Reference “b” on page 6: “Train and orient stake leaders and their CSM Specialists.”

2. “CSM Coordination Guidance – Coordinators”
- page 3, 2nd bullet under #4: “May delegate some administrative tasks to others, such as their CSM specialists or their executive secretaries.”
- page 12, “3.b.”: CSM group coordinators “Train and orient stake leaders and their CSM Specialists.” [emphasis added]
- page 16, 2nd bullet under “Other Helpful Notes and Suggestions”: “Stake CSM specialists and operations managers should consult…”

I did not have it quite right. There have been some changes for 2016.

The Stake CSM specialist is a counselor, high councilor, executive secretary or stake clerk. See CSM Coordination Guidance - Priesthood, page 5, Item 1. Each of these brethren will have access to the csm site. The reference on page 6 has the CSM Group Coordinators training and orienting the stake leaders (the stake presidents assigned to the operation) and their CSM Specialists (one of the four brethren mentioned).

The references in CSM Coordination Guidance - Coordinators refer to those same individuals. "Stake leaders" means stake presidents. "And their CSM Specialists" refers to one of the four brethren assigned to assist the stake president with that function.

The purpose of all of this is to flow the needs for Church-Service Missionaries to the stakes from a single source by assignment. The stake president, with the help of his counselor, high councilor, executive secretary, or clerk (the "stake CSM specialist"), then makes sure the the number of Church-Service Missionaries are called to support the needs of the operations of the Church that stake helps to support.

The stake president has to make the calls anyway, and the "stake CSM specialist" helps him coordinate to see that all the assignments to his stake for CSMs have someone called to fill them.

I emailed the Local CSM Coordinator and got this response: "Once the CSM specialist is assigned and we are notified, then we have the ability to give them access to the CSM system and then they are included in all the reports and emails generated by Salt Lake. In the CSM system when we give access to members of a stake in the CSM system, we pull up a specific stake and it lists the stake presidency, members of the high council, the secretaries, and clerks by name and calling. We cannot modify or add to that list; all we can do is check a box by their name. Unless they are on that list we cannot give them access the CSM system."

Since our goal is to have an Assistant Stake Executive Secretary take on the additional assignment of Stake CSM Specialist, the above appears to answer how I can get him access to the CSM system. So now we know.

jeromer7 wrote:"Once the CSM specialist is assigned and we are notified,

Sounds clunky. Perhaps that's just a stop-gap until the calling is added and the necessary system changes are done. At least we can hope.

jeromer7 wrote:Since our goal is to have an Assistant Stake Executive Secretary take on the additional assignment of Stake CSM Specialist, the above appears to answer how I can get him access to the CSM system. So now we know.

You might check and see if he has access now. Much to my surprise, I have access as a STS.

russellhltn wrote:You might check and see if he has access now. Much to my surprise, I have access as a STS.

Well, the response did say "clerks" so you would show up on the list as an Asst Stk Clerk. We are in the process of releasing and calling a new Asst Exec Scty which precipitated the discussion of having the new one take on CSM monitoring. The Exec Scty has been doing it up to now and the presidency is wanting to shift the assignment.

As soon as the new one is sustained and entered in LCR, I'll be emailing the Local CSM Coordinators (husband and wife) to let them do their magic.

The instructions at csm.ldschurch.org no longer specify that the Stake CSM Specialist is a priesthood leader or even male. They say: "We suggest that you assign a counselor, high councilor, executive secretary, or stake clerk or call another designated member or couple to be the CSM specialist(s) or CSM primary contact(s) for your stake. Under your direction, he or she will work with your CSM group coordinators during the coordination process and work with Church operation managers to fulfill assignments."

This doesn't make the process of getting "csm.ldschurch.org" access for the Stake CSM Specialists any clearer.