Recording Melchizedek Priesthood ordinations

The ward clerk is responsible for maintaining accurate membership records for the members in his ward, but he must work with the stake president and stake clerk to make sure Melchizedek Priesthood ordinations are recorded and ordination certificates are distributed without delay.

With the release of MLS 3.3, stake clerks can record Melchizedek Priesthood ordinations, but stake leaders should decide:

• whether to incorporate this into their process for recording Melchizedek Priesthood ordinations, and
• how to ensure that ward clerks are informed when a stake clerk records an ordination.

Melchizedek Priesthood ordination process (recommended)

Step	Explanation	Location of Documentation
Candidate Recommended	To recommend a candidate, the bishop interviews the candidate, completes a Melchizedek Priesthood Ordination Record (available in MLS) and submits it to the stake.	Ward to stake
Candidate Interviewed	The stake president (or one his counselors) interviews the candidate to determine his worthiness. The interviewer then signs the form, certifying worthiness.	Stake
Candidate Sustained	The candidate’s name is presented to the high council for approval, then to a general session of stake conference or a stake general priesthood meeting for a sustaining vote. (If time is of the essence, the ordination may be sustained in the sacrament meeting of the candidate's ward, and then ratified in the next general stake meeting as described above.)	Stake
Ordination Performed	An assigned stake officer (a high councilor or a member of the stake presidency) brings the ordination record to the ordination. On the Melchizedek Priesthood Ordination Record, the stake officer enters the name, priesthood office, and membership record number of the person who performed the ordination.	Stake
Ordination Recorded	As soon as possible, the stake clerk records the ordination in MLS and transmits the information to the Church administrative office.	Stake
Certificate Created	The stake clerk creates an ordination certificate.	Stake
Certificate Signed	The stake president and the assigned stake officer who attended the ordination sign the ordination certificate and return it to the ward clerk (or a stake officer may deliver it directly to the newly ordained member).	Stake to ward
Certificate Delivered	The ward clerk delivers the certificate to the ward member.	Ward to individual
Ordination Verified	The ward clerk verifies that the ordination actually appears correctly on the member's membership record.	Ward

Stake procedure for recording ordinations

1. On the MLS menu bar, click Membership. Click Individual Record. Select the person who was ordained from the list and click OK.
2. On the left side of the screen, click Ordinances.
3. In the Priesthood Ordinations area, click Add Ordination.
4. Using information from the Melchizedek Priesthood Ordination Record, select the priesthood office the member was ordained to. Enter the date the ordination occurred.
5. If the person who performed the ordinance is a member of the stake, click the magnifying glass icon and choose his name from a list. If not, enter the information. Click Save.
6. Click Close.
7. As soon as possible, perform a Send/Receive Changes.

Tracking ordinations

The stake clerk (or someone else at the stake level) should make sure that the process is completed. There is no official tracking process, but some options might include:

• Maintain a spreadsheet that lists each candidate's name. Keep a record of the essential steps of the process, ending with verification that the ordination appears on the membership record.
• In Stake MLS, enter the Melchizedek Priesthood ordination record and save the form. Once the ordination is recorded on the member's record, delete the saved form.

More information

For additional information, please review the information on the Melchizedek Priesthood ordination record (available in MLS) and section 16.7 of Handbook 1: Stake Presidents and Bishops [2010].