Data collection ideas during COVID-19

Our Area President has asked that we report on the structure of assignment for the sacrament opportunities as well as the number of families and individuals that receive that ordinance during this time of home-centered sacrament meetings. I am looking for a less wordy and onerous template for ward clerks/executive secretaries to compile each week to be sent to me (stake clerk). Often, I create forms that are cumbersome and then streamline them as time goes by. I am really hoping that someone smarter than me has already done so.....

I would think the structure of the form would depend on what methods have been authorized in your area. We have been told nothing about it in our ward other than the ward council is discussing a path forward. Whereas my daughter in another ward in our stake reported to me yesterday that they received notice from their bishop to do their own sacrament service twice per month if they have a worthy priesthood holder in the home.

davesudweeks wrote:Whereas my daughter in another ward in our stake reported to me yesterday that they received notice from their bishop to do their own sacrament service twice per month if they have a worthy priesthood holder in the home.

Same here. I'd imagine that the sisters are being taken care of via the Ministering brothers - at least initially.

Note that the First Presidency mentioned "once a month". Since Ministering is once a month, that seems like a good fit.

Our Stake President pointed out that it says "at least once a month" and took that to mean not just "once a month". Interesting how the same instruction can be applied differently based on how the Spirit moves the key holder.

thobus wrote:Our Stake President pointed out that it says "at least once a month"

True, that is a minimum. And looking over the section on Ministering, the word "month" doesn't even appear. I must have carried that over from the old HT/VT program.

But it would surprise me that the answer is a whole new program rather than using what's already in place and "patching" as needed.

Leaders are still trying to grapple with the new reality. I have heard everything ranging from bishops authorizing homes with sufficient priesthood authority to administer the sacrament in their families weekly to a stake president determining that there will be no sacrament in homes in his stake at all until after general conference next month. I am glad I do not live in that stake. But that stake president does hold the priesthood keys in his stake.

The most common instruction I have heard has been that those who minister to families without sufficient priesthood authority should provide the sacrament to them monthly. Most often elders quorum presidents have been asked to assign other priesthood holders to provide the ordinance as needed. And I have heard every combination in between.

Some bishops responded and sent assignments by Thursday. One stake and its bishops were at Young Women camp all week and did not know until Saturday evening when they returned that they were not going to hold sacrament meetings the next day. One bishop used Send a Message to let his ward know there would be no sacrament meeting, and since then there has been zero communication. One day our bishop was making assignments for Sunday sacrament meeting because stake conference had been postponed and the next day all meetings went away.

A bishop could easily ask his elders quorum president to keep track (or have his secretary do it) of those families who have received the sacrament. I would concentrate on getting the sacrament ordinance into the home more than the reporting, but the numbers could be easily tracked on a list of ward families similar to the list the elders quorum secretary uses to take attendance in quorum meetings. Most of us live in such a connected world today that texts and emails should be flowing.

I would keep any kind of tracking system very simple.