Tech Forum

Our ward has begun issuing Limited Use Recommends for a period of 6 months or 1 year to the youth. Is anyone aware of a way in MLS to track the expiration dates of these recommends for youth at the ward level? Or is spreadsheet going to be our best option at this point?

jandrus12 wrote:Our ward has begun issuing Limited Use Recommends for a period of 6 months or 1 year to the youth. Is anyone aware of a way in MLS to track the expiration dates of these recommends for youth at the ward level? Or is spreadsheet going to be our best option at this point?

The capabilities built into MLS for tracking recommend expiration only apply to endowed adults, so that wouldn't work for limited use recommends.

But if you want to track this in MLS, you could create a Custom Field for the purpose, and then generate reports using a Custom Report.

Limited Use Recommends are not activated through MLS or scanned at the temple. Spreadsheet is probably your best option. There is nothing in the Temple Recommends area of MLS that will track these dates for you.

jandrus12 wrote:Our ward has begun issuing Limited Use Recommends for a period of 6 months or 1 year to the youth. Is anyone aware of a way in MLS to track the expiration dates of these recommends for youth at the ward level? Or is spreadsheet going to be our best option at this point?

You may wish to refer to Book 1 of the CHI. I do not have it with me here, but IIRC, Limited Use Recommends are one-time use for youth 12-18, but may be issued and expire after one year for unendowed adults.

Unless something has changed . . . I did not get the memo.

And honestly, as I bishop, I would interview a youth every time before taking/sending them to the temple. But that's just my personal policy.

lajackson wrote:You may wish to refer to Book 1 of the CHI. I do not have it with me here, but IIRC, Limited Use Recommends are one-time use for youth 12-18, but may be issued and expire after one year for unendowed adults.

not quite accurate - limited use recommends for 12-18yr old youth are valid for up to one year - as long as there is only one name on it. If there are two or more names, the recommend is a one-time use only, and will be retained by baptistry staff.

I'm not a bishopric member, but I have experience with my own children having limited use temple recommends valid for one year.

It's my understanding that the limited use recommend for youth are only valid for baptisms/confirmations (obviously) and only if participating with a group or with a parent. Also, if it is at the local temple only the bishop's sign is required if at a different temple, the stake presidency sign is also required.

Good catch. Thanks for the update.

Having checked the CHI, members ages 12 through 20 are normally listed as a group on a limited-use recommend, which is used for only one visit to the temple.

Members ages 12 through 20 may be issued individual limited-use recommends if they are frequently baptized and confirmed for the dead. (Children in the same family may be listed on one recommend if their parents take them.)

Unendowed members who are 21 or older receive individual limited-use recommends only to perform baptisms and confirmations for the dead.

Things have changed since I last needed to pay specific attention to this part of the handbook.

Greggo wrote:I'm not a bishopric member, but I have experience with my own children having limited use temple recommends valid for one year.

It's my understanding that the limited use recommend for youth are only valid for baptisms/confirmations (obviously) and only if participating with a group or with a parent. Also, if it is at the local temple only the bishop's sign is required if at a different temple, the stake presidency sign is also required.

My children have had their own limited use recommends for about the last 9 years now. They have been issued for one year at a time. They have been signed by a member of the bishopric, but not the stake presidency. (That must have changed somewhere between my YSA years & my children becoming youth.) They have been used both within and outside our temple district without a problem.

The only problem we've had with this is getting some bishops to read their handbook because they were unaware of this provision for youth & YSAs. However, producing the recommend to be replaced did the trick!

scion wrote:The only problem we've had with this is getting some bishops to read their handbook because they were unaware of this provision for youth & YSAs.

I was aware of the provision for the YSAs (and other unendowed adults). But, I had not read the details on how the youth might qualify under certain circumstances.

The First Presidency did tell us to study the CHI regularly. I should have. [grin]

scion wrote:My children have had their own limited use recommends for about the last 9 years now. They have been issued for one year at a time. They have been signed by a member of the bishopric, but not the stake presidency. (That must have changed somewhere between my YSA years & my children becoming youth.) They have been used both within and outside our temple district without a problem.

We were told by the stake pres'y that it is really up to the individual temple presidents. Some require the stake pres'y sign if outside their district - others do not. To be on the safe side, we got the the stake pres'y sign.