Handbook 1 Online Access - Assistant Ward/Branch Clerks

I have been called as an Assistant Clerk. I find it frustrating and confusing why I have access to my duties and details on records and finances from the office copy of Handbook 1 in the clerk's office but cannot access it online as an assistant, yet the Ward Clerk can. Is there any other position in the ward/branch where one has no online access to their own calling description?

GreenwoodKL wrote:I have been called as an Assistant Clerk. I find it frustrating and confusing why I have access to my duties and details on records and finances from the office copy of Handbook 1 in the clerk's office but cannot access it online as an assistant, yet the Ward Clerk can. Is there any other position in the ward/branch where one has no online access to their own calling description?

Those who have online access are those who are given physical Handbooks; that seems to be the simple rule that is followed in granting online access. At the stake level, the patriarch would be an example of someone whose duties are in Handbook 1, but does not have a physical Handbook or online access. But especially for assistant clerks assigned to finances, it does seem that access to Handbook 1 would be very helpful.

GreenwoodKL wrote:I have been called as an Assistant Clerk. I find it frustrating and confusing why I have access to my duties and details on records and finances from the office copy of Handbook 1 in the clerk's office but cannot access it online as an assistant, yet the Ward Clerk can.

The next time you get access to Handbook 1, you might check the part on who does have access. IIRC, at best, the assistant clerk falls into a gray area. As such, there may not be any inconsistency.

RussellHltn wrote:The next time you get access to Handbook 1, you might check the part on who does have access. IIRC, at best, the assistant clerk falls into a gray area. As such, there may not be any inconsistency.

The ward/branch clerk gets one "file copy." This is distinctly different from all other callings, where the handbook is distributed to them personally. Instead, the ward/branch clerk is supposed to keep it in a secure place. If the ward clerk has access to the online version, I think it stands to reason that assistant clerks, who should also have access to the "secure place" should also have access to the online version. If the ward clerk is looked at more as a steward of the file, then it doesn't make sense for him to have access to the online version. Since he does, it seems that assistant clerks ought to have access. That may happen sometime in the future (as with the store.lds.org admin login, it used to not be available to assistant clerks but now is), but it isn't the case now.

allenjpl wrote:I think it stands to reason that assistant clerks, who should also have access to the "secure place" should also have access to the online version.

While assistant clerks need access to a secure place to do their calling, can you find anything that says it's the same secure place as the one for storing the office copy of the Handbook? If not, then your line of reasoning falls apart.

GreenwoodKL wrote:I have been called as an Assistant Clerk. I find it frustrating and confusing why I have access to my duties and details on records and finances from the office copy of Handbook 1 in the clerk's office but cannot access it online as an assistant, yet the Ward Clerk can. Is there any other position in the ward/branch where one has no online access to their own calling description?

I'm not at all involved in the development or deployment of the online leadership tools, but here's my understanding from my perspective as a user (experiencing the online tools as a counsellor in a stake presidency). To answer your quest simply, most callings still do not have access to the online leadership resources, except for Handbook 2 which is generally available on lds.org, whether you are an in a leadership calling or not.

As for the protected leadership tools (which includes Handbook 1), each calling has a different online experience which includes different levels of data being presented. A stake president, bishop and clerk, for instance, have visibility to a host of confidential information not available to even counsellors. So a profile for each calling specifying which data needs to be presented must be created on the back-end - and, I assume, in priority order of those callings to whom this data is of most value ecclesiastically. Stake presidency counsellors, for example, received access to limited leadership tools several months after they were made available to stake presidents and bishops.

Alongside profile creation is the development of the tools themselves. Many of the tools that I see are still in development, but there are even more tools that stake presidents, bishops and clerks are being asked to use - that carry out some critical functions - that are still being refined. Again, from a completely outsider perspective, I would expect the priority for the developers would be first on developing these key tools for key leaders (i.e. bishops and stake presidents), and then expanding access beyond that initial audience. Keep in mind also that the worldwide Church has a host of IT priorities of which the online leadership tools represent only a small segment; and that much of the IT development work is done by volunteers who have other priorities of their own.

So in summary, I understand your frustration but my advice would be to be patient and make full use of the file copy that is available. The full suite of calling-relevant tools (including, I imagine, Handbook 1) will be available eventually. I hope this helps.

Since this thread was started access to handbook 1 for ward clerks has apparently been granted. At least I can view and peruse its contents.

In case anyone else has struggled with searching book 1's content, today I learned that my (ward clerk) access rights exclude the ability to have the web site search tool report matching results in the book. Apparently that ability is reserved for Bishops and Stake Presidents.

Just an FYI. Hope y'all are having a great day.

jpjonesxyz wrote:Since this thread was started access to handbook 1 for ward clerks has apparently been granted.

The ward clerk has been granted access from the beginning. It is the assistant clerks that is the issue of conversation of this thread.

jpjonesxyz wrote:In case anyone else has struggled with searching book 1's content, today I learned that my (ward clerk) access rights exclude the ability to have the web site search tool report matching results in the book. Apparently that ability is reserved for Bishops and Stake Presidents.

The web site search finds results in Handbook 1 for me (as long as I'm logged in). I'm a ward clerk. The only problem I have with the handbook search is that when you click on the link it takes you to the beginning of the section rather than where the search result is. But as far as I know that's how it works for everyone.

I'm the ward Exec. Sec. and seem to have lost access in the last year or so. Seems odd. Should that be the case?

You might want to make sure your calling is correctly entered as a standard position (not custom).