Tech Forum

If a missionary returns home, and the ward is showing a negative balance on that account because the parents skip some of the payments. Does the Bishop have the right to meet with the parents and set up a payment plan for the negative balance until it's paid in full? or should he be encouraging the parents to donate to the ward missionary fund to help with other full time missionaries in the ward.
I know that in Handbook 1 it states that if a potential missionary is willing, able and worthy to go but the parents does not have the money to support that missionary and neither the ward, the bishop cannot stop that person from serving a mission.

fisiinaua wrote:Does the Bishop have the right to meet with the parents

"Right" seems kinda strong. I would think that's one of his options.

fisiinaua wrote: and set up a payment plan for the negative balance until it's paid in full? or should he be encouraging the parents to donate to the ward missionary fund to help with other full time missionaries in the ward.

Other than semantics, I'm not sure as it matters. That negative balance will not go away. Sooner or later a transfer will need to be done to zero it out. Does it make a difference if the parents contribute directly to the sub-account, or to the ward account (where it will either get transferred or replace what was transferred)?

He might want to council with the stake presidency on the issue. But I think some of this will land back on his head for letting it go too long.

fisiinaua wrote:Does the Bishop have the right to meet with the parents and set up a payment plan for the negative balance until it's paid in full?

Certainly the bishop can ask the parents to continue to contribute to meet any obligation they committed to when the missionary left. But, of course, they have their agency and there is no legal obligation so if they do not pay everything then the account will eventually need to be cleared using other funds donated to the ward missionary fund as russellhltn says.

fisiinaua wrote:or should he be encouraging the parents to donate to the ward missionary fund to help with other full time missionaries in the ward.

I wouldn't do that. As long as they continue to contribute I would credit those payments to the missionary until the account is no longer negative. It tracks what they have paid better. If they stop paying and the account is still negative then it would need to be cleared as mentioned above.

Technically (as I understand things), the ward is responsible for the missionary's financial support. Anyone can say they are going to donate money into the ward account but, whether or not they do, it's taken from the ward account. That's why you can't change which ward is responsible just because the parents move to a new ward or the responsibility was assigned to a student ward at some point. The Bishops have to agree to the change in responsibility. And it's important for the concept of charitable donations that the ward and not the family has this responsibility (again, as I understand these things).

So I would say that the Bishop should speak with the family and assess their needs and their abilities. If they can commit to "reimbursing" the ward then let that happen. In the meantime, if it were up to me I'd just transfer money into the individual missionary's sub-category from the plain "ward mission fund" and effectively close the subcategory sooner rather than later.