Initiating a new record - Blessing of Children

During the period of my past callings in the Bishopric and the clerk's office, it was the policy that a membership record was initiated on a child under 8 years old at the time the child received the ordinance of a Blessing and a name that they would be known by on the records of the Church.

I am now confused since it seems that a training module indicated a record is initiated upon notification of birth of a child to any member. It indicated no requirement of an official Blessing.

I see 2 areas in MLS addressing Blessing of Children. One simply prints a certificate and imports record data into the certificate (name, DOB,etc.). It requires manual input of any Blessing date to be inserted along with any name of the person giving the Blessing. There is no indication this information is saved in MLS and it seems only to be a template for printing a certificate. The other place (I am not near a MLS PC) is in the lower right hand corner of the opening MLS screen. I think it says something like "Record a Blessing..."

Can someone shed some light on this? Once I know the role, if any, that a Blessing has in initiating a membership record, I am sure it will raise a few more questions.

As always, thanks for the help.

Barry

Without digging, a blessing will create a record, but it's not required to create a record. Depending on the situation, if you wait for a blessing, you may be waiting awhile and let the child slip through the cracks.

Thanks Russell! I was not even sure a blessing would create the record.

If a blessing does not define a member of record, what are the guidelines for what does define one. In other words, when do I make a new child of record? If any totally inactive member that has not been to church since 8 years old has a child, should I initiate the creation of a membership record? What if only one of the two parents is a member?

Once a record is created, do they automatically drop off if not baptized by age 18 yrs or do I have to delete them?

Is there a reference I can refer to in order to explain this to the Assistant Clerk for membership?

Thanks

Barry

BarryHill wrote:If a blessing does not define a member of record, what are the guidelines for what does define one. In other words, when do I make a new child of record? If any totally inactive member that has not been to church since 8 years old has a child, should I initiate the creation of a membership record? What if only one of the two parents is a member?

Once a record is created, do they automatically drop off if not baptized by age 18 yrs or do I have to delete them?

Is there a reference I can refer to in order to explain this to the Assistant Clerk for membership?

There are several useful references:

• The Church Handbook of Instructions (2006), Book 1. The bishopric should have this and can share with you relevant sections.
• The MLS Help System. See the sections on Membership Policies, especially Member of Record.
• Online Recordkeeping Training (on lds.org under Serving in the Church, Melchizedek Priesthood, or also accessible via MLS).
• The Record Keeping FAQ (available from the MLS Help Menu, or with the Recordkeeping Training).
• MLS Membership Supplement (available on Local Unit Web Sites, under Record Keeping Information).

Generally, I find that the MLS help system has most of the information I need, although it's often a bit difficult to find.

BarryHill wrote:If a blessing does not define a member of record, what are the guidelines for what does define one. In other words, when do I make a new child of record? If any totally inactive member that has not been to church since 8 years old has a child, should I initiate the creation of a membership record? What if only one of the two parents is a member?

Once a record is created, do they automatically drop off if not baptized by age 18 yrs or do I have to delete them?

The MLS Help System gives the following answer (under the topic "Members of Record"), which I believe answers all your questions:

For statistical and reporting purposes, the following persons are members of record and should have a membership record:

1. Those who have been baptized and confirmed.
2. Those under age nine who have been blessed but not baptized.
3. Those who are not accountable (see Not Accountable).
4. Unblessed children under age eight when:
   • Two member parents request you create a record.
   • One member parent requests you create a record and the nonmember parent gives permission.

A person who is nine years or older who has a membership record but has not been baptized and confirmed is not considered a member of record. However, the bishop keeps the membership record until the person is 18. At that time if the person chooses not to be baptized despite being given every opportunity, the bishop, with written permission from the stake president, may cancel the membership record.

BarryHill wrote:Once a record is created, do they automatically drop off if not baptized by age 18 yrs or do I have to delete them?

My father has never been a member and a couple of years ago while looking at my membership record in MLS, I noticed he now had a membership number assigned to him. I'm not sure what triggered the event, he had no idea either. (He assured me he had not been baptized recently. )

My point is, having a "number" assigned to a non-LDS person (at any age) is apparently not out of the ordinary for MLS.

Alan,

Thanks so much. I have dealt with legal issues in my carrier, and Church Handbooks in my callings. Your answer was like water to a thirsty soul. :p

Mikerowaved wrote:My father has never been a member and a couple of years ago while looking at my membership record in MLS, I noticed he now had a membership number assigned to him. I'm not sure what triggered the event, he had no idea either. (He assured me he had not been baptized recently. )

My point is, having a "number" assigned to a non-LDS person (at any age) is apparently not out of the ordinary for MLS.

That "membership" number for non-members does not mean that they were baptized--I think that it was created to help track the parents/family members of church members when their records were created. It allows HQ to differentiate between a Joe Smith and Joe Smith that are in different families.

They used to be printed on the Individual Ordinance Summaries (IOS), but have since been taken off. You can only see the numbers if the membership record is printed.

The Membership Clerk and I were discussing whether Blessing Ordinance information (date of blessing and who performed the ordinance) are recorded in MLS. While he thought it was saved he could not find such information.

It seems to me that the actual information is left to the family to save and if a lost Blessing Certificate or journal entry is not kept, the information is lost.

Am I correct?

If so, members should be aware that they cannot depend on the MLS system to provide these details.

BarryHill wrote:The Membership Clerk and I were discussing whether Blessing Ordinance information (date of blessing and who performed the ordinance) are recorded in MLS.

You might be interested in this quote from another thread

smithgw wrote:The blessing information recorded when you use the "New Child of Record" or "Record Child Blessing" option only remains in MLS until the record is moved and then it disappears. It is only there to help the clerk create a certificate.