Getting Organized

Discuss basic duties of stake and ward clerks, including where to begin.
davesudweeks
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#11

Post by davesudweeks »

I will have to check. I recall reading that if the recommend is expired more than one month then the bishop has to do the interview, but I don't remember where I saw it. Maybe it is only local policy (and maybe my recollections are skewed), but this is the same policy we were instructed to follow when I served as Bishop in Tennessee and as Branch President in North Carolina.
davesudweeks
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Location: Washington, USA

#12

Post by davesudweeks »

Just to report back - I could not find any requirement in the Temple Recommend books or the Handbooks to support my earlier information that Bishopric Counselors cannot conduct Temple Recommend interviews after 1 month expiration. Funny, our Bishopric members have served in multiple Bishoprics and/or Branch Presidencies in North Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Nevada. ALL of us recall instruction that is not supported in the official instructions. Thanks for pointing it out, Alan.

Now, back to the regularly scheduled thread...
russellhltn
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#13

Post by russellhltn »

I have a vague recollection that Bishops are to do "new" recommends but counselors can do "renewals". That quickly raises the question how long does a recommend have to be expired before it's to be considered "new"?

But policies do change, and not all changes are obvious. This one could have flown under the radar until now.
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allenjpl
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#14

Post by allenjpl »

RussellHltn wrote:I have a vague recollection that Bishops are to do "new" recommends but counselors can do "renewals". That quickly raises the question how long does a recommend have to be expired before it's to be considered "new"?

But policies do change, and not all changes are obvious. This one could have flown under the radar until now.

Looking at section 3.3.3 of Book 1, it appears that the Bishop only needs to personally interview the member in three cases. Two of them involve a living ordinance, and the third case is when the member has lived in the unit less than one year. It seems that in all other cases, and, in an emergency, even the three cases mentioned, the Bishop can authorize his counselors to interview and issue the recommend.
davesudweeks
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Location: Washington, USA

#15

Post by davesudweeks »

Similar wording is also in the Temple Recommend book. Either way, we discuss the names in Bishopric meeting before the Counselors go check with the members about renewing their recommend. That way the Bishop can prevent an awkward situation he may be aware about that no-one else is. It's cool that they can address a wider pool than we have been.
lajackson
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#16

Post by lajackson »

davesudweeks wrote:Just to report back - I could not find any requirement in the Temple Recommend books or the Handbooks to support my earlier information that Bishopric Counselors cannot conduct Temple Recommend interviews after 1 month expiration. Funny, our Bishopric members have served in multiple Bishoprics and/or Branch Presidencies in North Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Nevada. ALL of us recall instruction that is not supported in the official instructions. Thanks for pointing it out, Alan.

Now, back to the regularly scheduled thread...

Counselors interview as authorized by the bishop. The bishop may have set that guideline. We have an informal guideline in our stake that, if the recommend has been expired more that three months or so, the stake president usually wants to do the interview. It allows him to determine why the recommend was not kept current and to provide some counsel to the member in that regard.

This, however, is a local, personal guideline in our stake and does not apply anywhere else.

As a clerk, keeping the bishopric apprised of the temple recommend situation according to their desires will best help the bishop and his counselors in blessing the lives of the members.
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