The ward/stake quarterly report has always been a tool to help ward and stake priesthood leaders get a more complete picture of critical activities in their wards. This report now has two new pieces of useful information that will be of interest to family history consultants. The two new pieces of information are:
- Adults and youth who have submitted ancestor names for temple ordinances.
- Converts age 12 and older who have submitted ancestor names for temple ordinances.
The term "submitter" is defined as anyone 12 years old or older who prints a Family Ordinance Request (FOR). Simply reserving a name for temple work in Family Tree is not counted as a temple submission. Nor are individual temple cards printed counted as submissions. This report does not show the number of names cleared for temple work, it only shows how many members have submitted 1 or more names.
Members and leaders do not have to report their submission activities to their ward or stake leaders. The information found on the quarterly report is automatically gathered at Church Headquarters.
Bishops can share this family history information with the ward council and use it to help evaluate how family history efforts are doing in the ward. Quorum and auxiliary leaders and the ward mission leader can then use that information to decide how best to encourage ward members to be involved in family history and temple work.
This new temple submission information provided in the ward quarterly report can be used to:
- Evaluate the effectiveness of temple and family history efforts in the ward.
- Set goals for member involvement.
- Evaluate the needs of family history consultants.
- Determine how family history consultants can serve as a resource to the bishop and the high priests group leader.
- Decide how family history work can be used to fellowship less-active members and new converts.
Under the direction the bishop, family history consultants may be invited to meet with him and the high priests group leader to discuss how this new information could be used to improve member participation in family history and temple work.
