What's the definition of "Household" in MLS?

I was set apart as Ward Clerk almost two weeks ago. No-one had been serving in this function for several weeks and the records I've "inherited" are rather inaccurate.

One issue is that several families have been listed as separate households when they ought to be together. One couple who got married in January, for example, are listed individually and it's very obvious that they should be combined into other households.

In less obvious cases, is there a standard policy to follow? What about people who live at the same address but are not related? I'd rather that individuals be combined as one household wherever possible and accurate - it just seems to make more sense like this, but perhaps I'm wrong.

In all but the most obvious cases I'm not clear on how to proceed in order to reflect the reality of the situation - would appreciate having some principles to follow as guidance with this.

hooson wrote:I was set apart as Ward Clerk almost two weeks ago. No-one had been serving in this function for several weeks and the records I've "inherited" are rather inaccurate.

One issue is that several families have been listed as separate households when they ought to be together. One couple who got married in January, for example, are listed individually and it's very obvious that they should be combined into other households.

In less obvious cases, is there a standard policy to follow? What about people who live at the same address but are not related? I'd rather that individuals be combined as one household wherever possible and accurate - it just seems to make more sense like this, but perhaps I'm wrong.

In all but the most obvious cases I'm not clear on how to proceed in order to reflect the reality of the situation - would appreciate having some principles to follow as guidance with this.

It's really up to the bishop to decide, but some things to consider would be:

• Home teaching is done on a household basis, and so that should be a major consideration on how people are grouped into households.
• Should a young single adult living at home have separate home teachers? If yes, then that YSA should be in a separate household.
• Clearly a married couple living in the same house should be in a single household.
• All minor children living in the home should be in the household.

The MLS Software manual says of "Head of Household" (on page A-6):

The head of a household should be the member to whom all the other household members are tied in the records. In MLS, the head of household is usually the husband or father, whether he is a member of the Church or not. In certain cases, the head of household may also be another member parent, a single member, or a member child whose parents are not members.

One footnote is that multiple households can have the same address (such as a YSA living with parents, or other adults sharing a home). But there is no proper way in MLS for one household to have multiple addresses in the same ward.

We had a couple that was separated and living at separate addresses within the ward. Someone (no one remembers who) thought it better not to record those as separate households, and tried entering the wife's address on Line 2 of the address field for the husband. The result was a mess, both administratively and spiritually. It would have been much better to have the household records reflect the actual living arrangements.

Also note that changing household definition in MLS does not affect the official marriage status for the member records.

Thanks for these replies.

It would appear, then, that Home Teaching would be a good way of determining whether or not to list them as separate households. If all are home taught together then list them together; if not, list them separately.

In one situation, for example, we have two (unrelated) sisters sharing an apartment. Although in some ways it might make sense for them to be listed as one household, in our ward these sisters have separate home teachers so in cases like this I'll list them separately.

hooson wrote:In one situation, for example, we have two (unrelated) sisters sharing an apartment. Although in some ways it might make sense for them to be listed as one household, in our ward these sisters have separate home teachers so in cases like this I'll list them separately.

Household usually refers to members of the same family. In the case of two unrelated sisters, I would keep them as separate households, even though they share the same address.

Another way to think of it is, if the family is going to move, whose records should be transferred with the head of household? The answer is usually the spouse and children. That, then, becomes the household.

There are exceptions relating to young single adults and whether or not they should be their own separate household. Another limitation is that if a person has ever been married, they cannot be part of the MLS household of their parents, even if they live at the same address.

lajackson wrote:There are exceptions relating to young single adults and whether or not they should be their own separate household.

That may be the only fuzzy area about households. The guide that some wards use is that a Single Member is part of the Household until they leave (college, mission, etc). After that, they are always their own household even if they later move back in with their parents. But that's only a suggestion. It's up to the Bishop as to how he wants to deal with them.

Alan_Brown wrote:The MLS Software manual says of "Head of Household" (on page A-6):

Quote:
The head of a household should be the member to whom all the other household members are tied in the records. In MLS, the head of household is usually the husband or father, whether he is a member of the Church or not. In certain cases, the head of household may also be another member parent, a single member, or a member child whose parents are not members.

Note, if a sister has a non-member spouse (with a non-member record) added to the household, MLS will not allow the sister to be the head of household (a policy to which I do not agree).

Greggo wrote:Note, if a sister has a non-member spouse (with a non-member record) added to the household, MLS will not allow the sister to be the head of household (a policy to which I do not agree).

Having the male member, whether a member of the Church or not, head of household follows the doctrine of the Church. In The Family: A Proclamation to the World, it says:

By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families...

MLS administratively reflects this doctrine.