coloradotechie wrote:So, what would be the right way to do this? The HP Group Leader could help manage/coordinate a ward temple trip, but what about a stake temple trip?
The High Councilor for Temple & Family History work would be the logical choice to manage a stake run temple trip.
Before planning a temple trip, whether it is for a ward or a stake, the temple should be contacted to work out how they would like to handle a large group. Some temples will make block reservations. Others require that all reservations be done individually. Our temple has done a combination of the two. They will make block reservations until a certain date and then the remaining vacancies are opened to all patrons. People not showing for group events has soured the temple presidency for this method of supporting a group event. They now prefer individual reservations.
coloradotechie wrote:I ask because of the seeming logistical problem: if everyone in the stake shows up for the last few sessions of the day, then there won't be enough seats in the sessions.
Advance reservations is the best way to handle large organization temple trips.
coloradotechie wrote:By creating a site and asking people to "sign-up" for sessions (or other ordinances), the site database could track how many people signed up for a particular session and show about how many more available spots there are.
This methodology presumes the signup site for a stake or ward is tied into the temple reservation system. At this time I have not heard of this happening. In fact our temple only accepts reservations by calling in ahead or in advance in person. There is no internet connected system for patron signup.
coloradotechie wrote:Stake members could then see, "Oh, the last 4 sessions of the day are really full, I should probably go in the morning". By providing a real-time information, it would help stake members make more informed decisions about what time to attend.
This is done by calling the temple directly and in advance.
coloradotechie wrote:How would you do this and also comply with the December 2004 letter about authorized web sites?
This requires at a minimum area authority approval. For a single event this is highly unlikely. The most effective method of managing a large event is to have a single point of contact. For a ward event a member of the High Priest Group is the best first choice. For a stake event the most logical is the High Councilor for Temple and Family History work with points of contact in each ward's High Priest Group.
Adding in an online temple signup into a group trip may overly complicate the management. Not being tied into the temple reservation system adds to the complexity of the endeavor.
