Baptism and Confirmation Record

[drepouille]

I wonder if the missionaries in my area are using an obsolete Baptism and Confirmation Record? The form they showed me asks for the names of the persons performing those ordinances, but it does not ask for the MRN or birthdates of those persons. Since missionaries are often asked to perform these ordinances for converts, it is not possible to properly identify the missionaries on the form. None of the membership records recently created by the mission office include the names of those who performed the baptism and confirmation. Since we have had a rapid-fire turnover of missionaries in my ward over the past few transfers, I can no longer record the full identities of the missionaries who performed these ordinances.

Perhaps I need to call the mission office and discuss this with the office staff?

[eblood66]

I don't think there is a new Baptism and Confirmation Record. The one that prints from MLS doesn't have that information either.

Unless something changed when some baptisms started to be recorded in LCR, the information about who performed a baptism isn't retained once a record has moved to another unit. So I don't think it's possible for a record coming from the mission office to include who performed the baptism and confirmation. Looking at our records, our most recent convert baptism doesn't have that information. So I don't think the mission can do much about that.

And there isn't much point of adding it since it will just get lost again when the record moves.

However, if you need to print a baptism certificate it can be more of a problem since LCR requires a birthdate or MRN to include the name on the certificate. You can print the certificate in LCR without that information. It adjusts the wording on the certificate appropriately. Or you can print the certificate in MLS which lets you print it with just a name.

And I suppose you could ask the mission office to tell missionaries to include the birth date by the name when filling out the form.

[wertdl]

Perhaps I need to call the mission office and discuss this with the office staff?

I would strongly suggest you do so, especially since they initiate the creation of a convert's membership record via Convert Data Entry (CDE).

[drepouille]

The mission office tells me that Convert Data Entry (CDE) does not ask for the names, MRNs, or birthdates of the persons performing the baptism and confirmation.

That is really unfortunate. I am still in contact with the two missionaries who knocked on my door in 1977!

[russellhltn]

The mission office tells me that Convert Data Entry (CDE) does not ask for the names, MRNs, or birthdates of the persons performing the baptism and confirmation.

As far as I'm aware, the church doesn't record the "by who" for ordinances other than priesthood ordinations. It hasn't always been that way, but it came about in the "great simplification" sometime in the 80s/early 90s. That was the same time the mag-strip temple recommends went away. With the church no longer recording who was the proxy, the need for the mag strip system disappeared.

MLS has those blanks, so you can print the certificate. (I don't know why it's still on the certificate.) I'm not sure why LCR would require a MRN or Bithdate, unless it's not really required and just there to make it easier to pull up the correct name.

[jonesrk]

As far as I'm aware, the church doesn't record the "by who" for ordinances other than priesthood ordinations.

It is recorded now for baptisms and confirmations (I only tested it via LCR non-production).

[russellhltn]

It is recorded now for baptisms and confirmations (I only tested it via LCR non-production).

MLS would record it - but it wasn't recorded in the backend, so it was lost when the record was transferred to a new unit. So are you saying the church has gone back to holding it in the member's record?

[jonesrk]

It is recorded now for baptisms and confirmations (I only tested it via LCR non-production).

MLS would record it - but it wasn't recorded in the backend, so it was lost when the record was transferred to a new unit. So are you saying the church has gone back to holding it in the member's record?

Yes

[eblood66]

It is recorded now for baptisms and confirmations (I only tested it via LCR non-production).

MLS would record it - but it wasn't recorded in the backend, so it was lost when the record was transferred to a new unit. So are you saying the church has gone back to holding it in the member's record?

Yes

But I'm pretty sure CDE and MLS still don't transfer that information so any baptisms recorded there (which include any baptism which requires a new record) won't have that information (unless it's added in LCR afterwards).

[drepouille]

Now that I know all this, I will pay particular attention to convert baptisms and new convert membership records in the future.