Tech Forum

Our stake is currently trying to come up with a way to use electronic forms to submit callings to the stake, then mark various stages of completion. (Stake Presidency approval, HC approval, etc.) Then have assigned HC fill in the remainder (interviewed, sustained, set apart, etc.) Right now we do this with paper copies, but we always end up with about 10 of them when it is all said and done, and it can be a pain to see them to completion. It would be great if something like this could be incorporated into lds.org. Submit the callings to the Stake online by the bishop or clerk (similar to DC report). Then be able to check off steps (similar to missionary recommendation system), then mark as complete. Give Bishoprics and Stake Auxiliary Presidents rights to submit callings. Stake Presidencies, and High Councilors rights to view and checkoff steps for submitted callings. Maybe something like this is already in the works, or has been discussed before, but I think it would be a great idea. Especially with WIFI becoming available in all units in the future.

I second this request, and would include the same for the ward level. The amount of duplicate work being performed in every stake with their own system would warrant strong consideration for a project, either for the church, or the community.

Ditto. As a Stake Executive Secretary, this is my major headache. I'd love a Church-developed and supported system to address this issue.

Sigh...

Then there will be one more piece of duplicate work I'll have to do (both at the church and at home) for my calling since internet acess will likely not happen anytime soon here. Let's get worldwide (or at least region-wide) WIFI access up before we task ward leadership with another project they cannot complete with the resources available at the church.

Our Stake uses a 3X5 card with all the information and signatures on it. One document, easy to carry, easy to record, easy to turn in, no WIFI access required. We produced one similar for the ward level.

davesudweeks wrote:Sigh...

Then there will be one more piece of duplicate work I'll have to do (both at the church and at home) for my calling since internet acess will likely not happen anytime soon here. Let's get worldwide (or at least region-wide) WIFI access up before we task ward leadership with another project they cannot complete with the resources available at the church.

Our Stake uses a 3X5 card with all the information and signatures on it. One document, easy to carry, easy to record, easy to turn in, no WIFI access required. We produced one similar for the ward level.

My guess would be that if something were developed it would not be mandatory, but would be a tool that stakes could choose to use. If you chose not to use it then you would just enter the calling into MLS when they were sustained.

Moderator note: Discussion of when units will be getting WiFi has been spun off into a new thread When are units getting WiFi?

I would also like a church provided calling action form. Our stake has been using home grown paper forms with varying degrees of success. We are currently trying to develop on electronic version but lack the skills and licenses to software to do what we would really like.

Our stake president would like the form to resemble the one used when recommending a new bishop. It asks many key questions about the individuals worthiness and family status. These types of questions should be considered by the bishop and stake president prior to extending a calling. In general the stake president may not be very familiar with the individual being recommended, so he would like to see that type of data on the recommendation form.

But much of that data is confidential, so certain portions of the recommend form should not be printed or passed on to a high councilor assigned to complete the action.

What we envision is something like this:
1) The bishop fills out an electronic form with worthiness and family status questions included. He provides sufficient detail for the stake president to understand the situation.
2) The bishop electronically submits the form to the stake president (or stake clerk).
3) The stake president reviews the form and takes action as necessary.
4) The stake president submits (or prints) a filtered version of the form to the assigned high councilor. The filtered version contains information necessary for completing the call, sustaining, and setting apart as well as tracking information - but it does not contain the confidential background information.

I know our stake has a system that they use. I am ward clerk, so I don't have access to it. However, my bishop is always talking about submitting a recommendation for a calling online and checking to see where in the process the calling is. I will have to email our stake clerk and find out about the system.

I think I suggested this a while ago to be a form that you can print out via MLS, but ofcourse it would be nice via the website too.

splassle wrote:I think I suggested this a while ago to be a form that you can print out via MLS, but ofcourse it would be nice via the website too.

I agree with this and I have been toying with the idea of writing one for my stake. All parts of the system are available through MLS and even through the web. If there is a database on the back end, it would be very easy to write PHP code to be able to get the data, display it and allow the person to be recommended for specific callings. I can see the high councilors having access so that they can approve or disapprove the recommendation and ways to track where in the process they sit. Also it would be nice to have an email sent to the high council to remind them that there are pending actions for them.

I would love to help with a project like this, because I like working with databases and I have done PHP coding on my own website. Please let us know where this stands and what we can do to help with the process.