a curious thing with some members' email addresses

It might be totally unrelated to this matter, but I noticed a curious thing with some members' email addresses. We've helped some members create a church account. Many of those members did not have an email address so we created an email address for them just so we could create a church account for them. Those email addresses were included on their account settings page but not on their membership record in LCR. Since those members don't use email, we figured there was no need to add those "dummy" emails to their membership record in LCR. Anyway, I just noticed a few days ago, that those dummy email addresses (which again, were only included on their account settings page but not on their membership record in LCR) now appear on their membership record in LCR.

I also recently noticed that when we update a member's phone number and email address on their account setting screen, a text/email with a confirmation code is no longer sent to the member. I also noticed that updating a member's phone number and email address on their account settings page will also update their phone number and email address on their membership record in LCR. That never used to happen. I wonder if that's a bug or an actual change. I haven't looked into it yet, but I also wonder if updating a member's phone number and email address in LCR will also update their phone number and email address on their account setting screen. That would be a nice change. There have been instances where I've tried to help a member reset his/her church account password only to be unable to because their recovery phone number and email address were no longer valid. As a result, I've had to call Global Services to get their password reset, which can be inconvenient, especially with GS no longer taking calls on Sundays.

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Hilohi wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 11:21 pmI just noticed a few days ago, that those dummy email addresses (which again, were only included on their account settings page but not on their membership record in LCR) now appear on their membership record in LCR.

Changes made to contact information in the Church account will result in a corresponding change in the member record, the online Ward Directory and Map, and the mobile Member Tools app. Currently the reverse, changes in the member record, Ward Directory, and Member Tools, do not change the contact information in the Church account contact information. I am not certain as to exactly when this was implemented, but I noticed the changes in my Church account on 2 November, 2023. This was about the time of the ability to change contact information visibility settings were also implemented in the Church account.

Hilohi wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 11:21 pmI also recently noticed that when we update a member's phone number and email address on their account setting screen, a text/email with a confirmation code is no longer sent to the member.

There is another change in the Church account that may affect the receipt of email messages. Members should review the settings checked, or not checked, in the Personal / Subscriptions section. There is one, Local Leader Email, that affects messages from the Church email systems and local leaders. If that setting is checked then contacting the GSD may be necessary to see what they can come up with.

Reviewing the verbiage on account.churchofjesuschrist.org:

Contact Phone Number - This is your individual phone number found on your Church Membership Record.

Account Mobile Phone - Your mobile phone is used for Two-Step Verification, recovering your account if needed, and system notifications.

Email - Your email address is used for recovering your account if needed and system notifications. It is also shared with your membership record.

Looking at my own entry in CDOL, I find "Home Phone" and "Work Phone". While my home phone is the same as my Contact Phone Number, it's formatted differently. That along with the different labels makes me think the numbers currently in CDOL are not connected with the membership record. (Assuming my "contact" number is my "home" number is making a pretty big assumption. )

My Account Mobile Phone is not in CDOL.


My interpretation:
Contact Phone Number - this is one and the same as the one on the membership record.

Account Mobile Phone - Completely separate. Changing the membership record or CDOL isn't going to impact this.

Email - changing it in "accounts" will update the membership record, but the wording suggest the reverse may not be true.

Bottom line, it looks like the clerk's ability to update information to help reset an account is questionable at best. Even if it were possible, I'll note that it would be a security issue if the clerk could reset it for someone with finance rights.

The lack of notice when things are changed may be due to the fact that only contact information was changed, not anything pertaining to the account and recovery methods.

I'll go one more and note that FamilySearch accounts and Church accounts went their separate ways some time ago. Resetting a FS account isn't going to fix a church account.