Full-Time Missionaries

[Skyhawk-p40]

But do we count them in attendance when counting sacrament attendance?

I believe the answer would be no, do not count them for sacrament meeting. Reason being: those missionaries are actually counted in whatever ward they are serving in as attendees. So, I would just stick with the other suggestions already mentioned.

[aebrown]

But do we count them in attendance when counting sacrament attendance? We went back and forth on this last year, and I never got a comfort level. We currently do NOT count them as present at Church, but I could justify it from either side.

It is very clear that you do NOT count missionaries when counting sacrament meeting attendance (I speak here, of course, of those members of your ward serving elsewhere, not missionaries who are serving in your area and happen to be attending your sacrament meeting).

From the MLS Help File under Review Quarterly Report:

Calculate the average sacrament meeting attendance by adding the number attending all sacrament meetings during the last month of the quarter and dividing by the number of meetings held. Count all persons attending sacrament meeting, including members, nonmembers, visitors, missionaries, and babies. Do not count any member not in attendance, such as members away from your ward and (a) serving missions, (b) on other Church assignments, or (c) attending other wards.

[jbh001]

But do we count them in attendance when counting sacrament attendance?

No. "The [sacrament meeting] attendance count is the number physically present in the meeting" (Church Handbook of Instructions 2006, book 1, page 143).

The instruction for counting attendance in other meetings is different because it includes exceptions (cf. Church Handbook of Instructions 1998, book 2, page 170, 207).

There are no exceptions for sacrament meeting; you are either physically present in the meeting or you are not.

[SmithGW]

You do not count missionaries serving from your ward as attending your sacrament meeting, any more than you count a high councilman from your ward who is speaking in another ward. There is a simple rule to follow:

If they are physically in your sacrament meeting, count them. If they are not, don't count them.

[lajackson]

As others have said, for sacrament meeting, count only the number of bodies present at the meeting.

For other meetings, a full-time missionary is present, accounted for, a full-tithe payer, home taught (usually with his family), and otherwise active.

[SmithGW]

Full-time missionaries serving from your ward should be counted as attending priesthood, but not as attending sacrament. For sacrament meeting, you count only the persons who are physically there.

[opee]

I can see on the Stake MLS (so I assume it is also on the Ward MLS), when you look at the Quarterly Report, there is a QUESTION MARK icon in the second field that will give you the SPECIFIC information needed for each line on the report. This is a nice feature when filling out the report so that a Clerk can clear the cobwebs each quarter when wondering how to count for Sacrament, or Priesthood, or...

[lajackson]

I can see on the Stake MLS . . . there is a QUESTION MARK icon

I think that is new with MLS 2.8 and it is a very nice feature. Whenever it started, it was added to the ward MLS, as well.

[jbh001]

Yes. It is on the ward version as well.

[fergie34-p40]

I found it to be a very great help. BTW it was added in 2.8.1 and makes it very clear how to get the counts.