Mustard Seeds: Original Ideas from LDS Family History Stewards who Bloomed in Stony Ground, 1989-2000

When a stake president or bishop calls a full roster of family history personnel, requires regular reports of them, and provides the training and resources they need to magnify their callings, these family history stewards consequently succeed, helping members provide thousands of temple ordinances for their kindred dead.⁽¹⁾ Sadly, bishops and stake presidents who support their family history stewards in these four ways are more the exception than the rule, and most unsupported stewards consequently fail to help many members save their dead. Like seeds sown in stony ground, these stewards bloom early on, then wilt because they have no root. Occasionally, though, an unsupported steward beats the odds and blossoms like a mustard seed, driving members to perform temple ordinances for thousands. Because the lessons in this lonely steward's official training manual are predicated on the existence of priesthood support he does not receive, he looks beyond the manuals for ideas. Guided by the spirit of Elijah, he creates new, original ways to help members pursue temple work for their kindred dead.

These specific, original ideas are worth studying because they can be used elsewhere, benefitting family history stewards in other wards and stakes lacking full priesthood support. The historical conditions which necessitate the creation of these original ideas are worth studying, too, for such case studies may teach bishops and stake presidents how the absence of each support type may prevent their congregation from saving their dead. While the reader may ask why, after reading the history of a steward who succeeded in spite of the absence of this or that support type, a bishop or stake president would decide to provide such support to his own family history stewards, it is important to remember that the stewards who succeeded in these studies are the exception, not the rule, and that most stewards perform poorly without support.

The mission of these historical case studies, then, is twofold. First, they should give new ideas to family history stewards. Second, they should convince bishops and stake presidents that, should they support their family history stewards and hold them accountable, they can reap a great harvest.

All studies need limits, and this one is no exception. Since the church runs over 3,000 Family History Centers™ worldwide, a geographical limitation seems reasonable at first glance. Naturally, the challenges faced by family history programs vary according to their location. For instance, a stake Family History Center™ in Australia whose members are spread over a hundred mile radius faces far greater staffing problems than do those located in Mormon-dense areas like Salt Lake City. However, while challenges differ, the original ideas designed to overcome them are universally useful. For instance, ideas employed to draw members long distances to staff meetings in a Mormon-sparse area also work in drawing less-active staff to nearby meetings in a Mormon-dense area. Therefore, it seems less important to limit these case studies to a geographical locus than to select them according to the value and usefulness of the ideas they raise. These studies, then, will treat family history programs worldwide.

While it seems wise not to limit the geographical locus of these histories, it would be folly not to limit them chronologically. Technology has radically changed the way genealogists research, and this, in turn, has greatly altered the way family history stewards help members. Therefore, these case studies will look backward only to 1989, the year when the church first distributed its FamilySearch® databases on CD-ROM.⁽²⁾

Studies like these cannot be made in a vacuum, so a survey of available sources is vital. To be able to delineate between programs and ideas that originate from church manuals versus those which are designed by family history stewards, the researcher must know the church manuals well. These detail the individual callings, the lines of priesthood authority, the duties, the training materials, and the equipment the church allots each ward or stake to accomplish temple work for the dead. Since they yield background material rather than adding to the case histories that will make up this study, they will not be treated here, but each of them is summarized in the bibliography.⁽³⁾

Church manuals serve as one type of background, and histories serve as another. Unfortunately, no study like this one has ever been published. The church's Research and Information Division of the Correlation Department is currently conducting a study on what makes a successful stake family history program, but a preliminary interview with J. D. Glenn, who leads the study, indicates that its findings show that stakes successful in temple work for their dead are the ones who follow the structure prescribed in church manuals. Glenn's research, then, may well result in a case study of the success that certain stakes and wards achieved by following church manuals. This study, by contrast, is about family history stewards who succeeded despite their priesthood leaders' failure to follow church manuals.

Even if the two studies' findings overlap, however, a second item makes this paper necessary. When the church's Correlation Department researches a topic, the findings are sealed to the public. Glenn himself formally requested permission to use the study's findings as a base for his doctoral dissertation, and was denied. Unfortunately, the Correlation Department's study will not be made available to the public as a teaching tool. Since a historical case study could teach stake presidents, bishops, and family history stewards how to help their congregations save their dead, the importance of this publicly-accessible paper seems clear.

While this topic has no collection of secondary sources to guide it, primary sources abound, and are easily traced through four Internet e-mail lists. The first is FHCNET, a list treating items pertinent to directors and staff of Family History Centers™. The second is FHCTECH, which concerns computers and record-access issues within church Family History Centers™. The third is the ELIJAH list, which focuses on the spiritual side of genealogy, including temple work. Finally comes the LDS-WARD-CONSULTANT list, which, as its name implies, advises ward consultants how to magnify their callings. Collectively, these mail lists have sparked thousands of posts from those who want to build the church's family history program.⁽⁴⁾ Since these posts are written by high councilmen, high priests' group leaders, stake and ward family history consultants, and Family History Center™ directors and staff, they are golden, first-hand accounts of family history programs church-wide.

While these mail list posts are valuable in finding the stories that need telling, they are also biased. Stewards who write these posts care deeply about establishing family history and temple work, and their views of what support their priesthood leaders have given them are flavored differently than the accounts of the leaders themselves. Therefore, multiple views from each stake or ward will be sought to get a truthful view of each case history.

The value, limitations, sources, biases, and methodology of this study, then, should add up to an instructive read for bishops, stake presidents, and family history stewards interested in helping their congregations do temple work for their kindred dead. The author, who is himself a family history steward, feels privileged that, in the process of researching and writing these histories, he will be blessed by the whisperings Elijah has breathed in many ears.

Notes

1. Certain church terms merit definitions here. First, LDS is an abbreviation of Latter-day Saint, and is a term used to describe items related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon Church, as it is often called. A ward is the basic unit of the church. It consists of a single congregation, and is led by a bishop. Four wards may meet in a single meeting house, or church building. Several wards make up a stake, which is led by a stake president, who has two assistants -- his first and second counselors. Finally, an FHC is an LDS Family History Center™. Usually located in meeting houses, these centers contain genealogical books, microfilms, microfiche, and CD-ROMs. From these centers, many of the microform records found at the Family History Library™ can be ordered for use in the center. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, The Family History Library™ (FHL) houses the world's largest collection of genealogical records.

2. James B. Allen, Jessie L. Embry, and Kahlile B. Mehr, Hearts Turned to the Fathers: A History of the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1894-1994 (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Studies, 1995), 330. Although FamilySearch was distributed in 1989 to certain major Family History Centers, it was not announced until the next year in conference, so there is some question as to whether 1990 may have been the first year of wide distribution.

3. The author has become familiar with family history related church manuals while serving since 1997 as a stake Family History Center™ director, ward family history consultant, Elders' Quorum family history and temple committee leader, and de facto stake family history consultant.

4. Although these mail lists are archived, figures on the number of messages they contain are currently unavailable. The search engine that serves the archives has reached its architectural limit, and cannot fully count or search the archives' contents.

Works Referenced

A two-category bibliographical division of primary and secondary sources works well for papers which use secondary sources. Since this paper uses only one secondary source, however, and since the following sources treat such a variety of subjects, a more detailed bibliographical structure is used here. This bibliography classifies sources by subject, then alphabetically by author.

Background: History, Regulations, and Studies of the Family History Department

Allen, James B., Jessie L. Embry, and Kahlile B. Mehr. Hearts Turned to the Fathers: A History of the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1894-1994. (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Studies, 1995). An excellent, church-sponsored history covering all aspects of the Family History Department's development. It treats the society's major players and conflicts; financial and personnel hurdles, curriculum challenges and solutions; the evolution of family history and temple doctrine; the motives behind and development of records like the Temple Index Bureau; the development of microfilming techniques; the ongoing quest for permission to microfilm various records worldwide; duplication, simplification, and decentralization of the society's records; and the rise of software and hardware solutions to automate the records. The book was created as a reference work for the society, and is, therefore, a well-cited account of all the major events which affected its development. It is worth noting, however, that this work, written by church employees, is naturally less critical of modern players and decisions than historical ones. 392 pp.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Administrative Guide for Family History Centers. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2000). Created for local priesthood leaders to better understand their role in the administration of family history and temple operations, this pamphlet summarizes the establishment, services, priesthood support, staffing, equipment, finances, and access of Family History Centers. 4 pp.

------. Endowed from On High: Temple Preparation Seminar (Teacher's Manual). (Salt Lake City, Utah: The author, 1995). This guide motivates and prepares new members for the temple experience. 34 pp.

------. Family History Center Operations Guide: United States and Canada. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 1998). This guide details Family History Centers, staff and hours, helping patrons, missionary efforts, equipment, publications and supplies, finances, donations, photocopying, and ordering microform records. It is by far the best official administrative guide available for family history operations. 66 pp.

------. A Guide to Research. 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City, Utah: The author, 1994). An excellent primer on genealogical research. 42 pp.

------. Melchizedek Priesthood Leadership Handbook. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1990). A guide to all responsibilities of Melchizedek priests, including a brief section on family history and temple work. 42 pp.

------. A Member's Guide to Temple and Family History Work: Ordinances and Covenants. (Salt Lake City, Utah: The author, 1993). This guide replaces Come unto Christ through Temple Ordinances and Covenants and Submitting Names for Temple Ordinances. It provides the doctrine behind temple ordinances, as well as an overview on how to do the work. 20 pp.

------. Providing Temple Ordinances for Our Ancestors: Guidelines for the Ward Family History Consultant. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1988). This guide contains the six discussions used by Ward Family History Consultants to motivate ward members to do family history and temple work. 14 pp.

------. Submitting Names for Temple Ordinances: Instructions for Family History Leaders. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1987). Although this guide was replaced by A Member's Guide to Temple and Family History Work, it contains an invaluable resource that its replacement omits; namely a question and answer section called "Additional Guidelines on Names Submission." This covers the answers to twenty four questions commonly asked about which ancestors can be cleared for temple ordinances. 14 pp.

------. Temple and Family History Leadership Handbook. (Salt Lake City, Utah: The author, 1992). This booklet covers the responsibilities of members, priesthood leaders, family history consultants, family record extractors, and missionaries, outlines the uses of LDS genealogical software, and touches on types of family history centers. 20 pp.

------. "Temple and Family History Work." In Prieshood and Auxiliary Leaders. Vol. 2 of Church Handbook of Instructions, 261-70. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 1998). A general guide to doctrine, members' responsibilities, temple and family history classes, local leadership, extraction, Family History Centers, computer programs, and missionary activity within a local unit's family history and temple program. 9 pp.

Glenn, J. D. Telephone interview by Michael T. Ritchey, 18 January 2000, Salt Lake City, Utah. Glenn's study for the Research and Information Division of the Correlation Department of the LDS church runs from November 1999 through March 2000. It is a study of what makes stake family history programs successful. Glenn says the findings are unsurprising: Local units which follow church manuals succeed in driving temple work for many deceased ancestors.

Glenn also says the information gleaned by the study is "proprietary," and not available for public use or publication. When he submitted a formal request to use the information for a doctoral dissertation, he was denied.

Budget

Singhal, Cheryl <Cheryl.Singhal@f422.n109.z1.fidonet.org>. "More Budget." E-Mail to Michael T. Ritchey <ritcheym@itsnet.com>. 23 September 1998. Singhal forwards ideas from four Family History Center staffers responding to the FHC director of a stake which budgets $25 for its FHC. The message contains wry thoughts on increasing the budget and obtaining more computers from Salt Lake.

Computers

Cox, Carl <ctcox@windo.missouri.org>. "Re: CD Vs Hard Disk." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 7 December 1998. Cox discusses running Ancestral File from a CD changer.

Klemetson, Rick <klem@autoauction1.com>. "Proposal Template Needed for Network Costs." 8 January 2000. Klemetson, who is fast becoming the most visible expert in establishing computer networks in FHCs in Utah, offers a mock-up document proposing to stake leaders that a network be established. It is simple, and includes cost feasibility.

Pratt, Will <prattw@nevada.edu>. "Re: Need LDS FamilySearch Program." E-Mail to Genealogy Computing list <GENCMP-L@rootsweb.com>. 5 December 1998. In response to a query by this author regarding the hard drive capacity needed to store the FamilySearch databases, Pratt's message says that they "just about [fill] a 5 gig hard drive at our local FHC." In fact, the databases are much larger than that. Directors' general lack of knowledge on the subject of networking FamilySearch databases, along with a growing desire for such efficient networks, sparked the creation of the FHCTECH e-mail newsgroup.

Singhal, Cheryl <csinghal@CapAccess.org>. "Re: Question?" E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 4 January 1999. Connecting multiple computers to a single printer is a good way for a FHC to save money. Singhal tells how to connect two FHC computers to a single printer using a switchbox, and what to do if one computer's printouts monopolize the printer.

Donations

Apap, Donna <d_apap@hotmail.com>. "Re: Donations." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 8 December 1998. Apap mentions some of the great challenges a stake FHC meets when attempting to operate without any budget money from the stake. She speaks of several microfiche readers the FHC obtained from a local college for $3 apiece. Since her stake budgets no money for the FHC, it appears that stake members are burdened with these and all other FHC purchases.

Eslinger, Harriet <feslinger@techplus.com>. "Re: Donations: FHC Vs. Scouts and Young Women's." E-Mail to Michael T. Ritchey <ritcheym@itsnet.com>. 7 December 1998. Eslinger raises a great idea for FHCs whose priesthood supervisors and clerks block the sort of donations that church manuals say are feasible. In such a local unit, if a patron wants to donate to the FHC, he is shown a list of Family History Library microfilm and fiche which the director would like to order for the center to build its collection. The patron chooses a film or two which might serve his own needs as well as the needs of the center, and orders them on indefinite loan.

Eslinger notes the irony behind the relatively difficult time the FHC has with fund raising and donations, as compared with Boy Scouts. "When I talk to the FH Department about needs," she says, "I like to say that I will just have a bake sale. They just go crazy until I laugh and tell them that I know better and am just joking." She adds that, "In our ward, the Scouts are talking about a pie project.. I don't get it."

Sayers, Tom <TJSAY@aol.com>. "Re: Donations: FHC Vs. Scouts and Young Women's." E-Mail to Michael T. Ritchey <ritcheym@itsnet.com>. 7 December 1998. Sayers, a former Stake Financial Clerk, offers a short explanation of why and how Scouts and other auxiliaries can ask for donations in ways that FHCs cannot. More importantly, he raises -- perhaps unknowingly -- a very interesting idea. He says that there is "nothing to prohibit individuals (or groups) from donating a computer, new or used, to a FHC." Church manuals say computer parts cannot be donated, and that computers to be donated must meet certain specifications for approval. Combining these rules with Sayers' statement raises a fine solution for those who want to donate computer parts. What if they got together at a member's home, combined their parts to create a computer which met church specifications, and then donated it?

Welton, Kay <wv001@cvip.fresno.com>. "Re: Donations: FHC Vs. Scouts and Young Women's." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. Welton explains the tax code and its influence over the church's FHC donation policy.

Equipment

Norris, Carol <ClhNorris@aol.com>. "Delivery of Reader/Printer." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 5 November 1999. Norris, a FHC director, details the process by which her FHC's Canon reader/printer was replaced. First, Roadway delivered the machine in six boxes. Since nobody had contacted Norris about what to expect, and since she had waited two months for the old, broken reader/printer to be replaced with this new one, she unpacked it herself. A week later, Canon called to say they would send someone to install it. When the technician arrived, he removed some hidden packing from the machine, explaining that if the machine had been left on for any period of time, it would have been "fried." Finally, two weeks after the patrons began using the machine, Canon called to say they would send someone to demonstrate its use.

Provoncha, Fred V. <UncleFred@worldnet.att.net>. "Re: FHC Supplies." E-Mail to Michael T. Ritchey <ritcheym@itsnet.com>. 23 March 1999. Provoncha offers the formal name of a furniture catalog distributed to stake presidents and bishops which includes carts, shelves, etc. available to a FHC. It is the Purchasing Reference Guide for Office and Banquet Supplies, 1999.

Stovall, Wilda <hstovall@pinehurst.net>. "Re: Canon MP-90 and Minolta 603Z Reader-Printer Details." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 6 September 1999. Stovall notes the fragility of Canon MP-90 microfilm reader/printers. She mentions plastic pieces which are too easily broken from the cartridges, and says that, within four months, the return reel will need jury-rigging to keep it working properly. Staffers, she says, must be carefully trained in the machine's use, and the Canon installer should be questioned persistently about potential problems and how to detect them.

Library

Bennett, Dean L. <dlbennet@uswest.net>. "Re: Book Repairs - Help!" E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 24 December 1998. Bennett gives simple tips on repairing FHC books, and tells where to get further information.

Castillo, Laurie <lcastillo@itsnet.com>. "Re: New Reply -- VERY Different Answer to SC Film/Fiche." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 24 February 1999. Castillo notes that before staffers at the BYU FHC order a film from Salt Lake, they check the fiche that lists restricted films.

Cherie [no surname given] <CandJ1971@aol.com>. "Storage of New CD's in FHC." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 13 January 1999. Cherie mentions that, to keep new CDs from getting stolen, her FHC checks them out. Icons are put on each computer for each CD; when the patron clicks the icon, a prompt appears to insert the CD, and the patron then asks the FHC staff for the CD.

Roth, Marie <rothfm@dnet.net>. "Unidentified Subject! [Film Filing]." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 21 Mar 1999. Roth raises a film-filing and bookkeeping idea which simplifies the task of determining when each film must be returned to Salt Lake. A seasoned FHC director of sixteen years, she adds that "I wish SL [Salt Lake] didn't leave us to each 'reinvent' the wheel."

Ziegler, Dolly <dsz@bcpl.net>. "Re: Numbering FHC Books." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 10 June 1999. Ziegler argues reasons for using the Family History Library Catalog numbering system to classify FHC books, and adds advice on how to label books' spines using white acrylic paint and a fine-point, felt-tip marker.

Organization/Volunteer Projects

Kristie [no surname given] <Teamresrch@aol.com>. "A List of All of Our FHC Forms." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 20 August 1999. This FHC has designed at least two ways to prompt patrons to join organizations and volunteer projects. First, an application to volunteer is prominently displayed. Second, bulletin boards draw patrons to family history associations, organizations, and record indexing projects.

Lewis, Richard F. <lewisemail@earthlink.net>. "Increasing Temple Submissions." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 3 February 1999. Lewis details several fine ideas which his stake has used to send over 200,000 ordinances to the temple. They involve volunteers typing and processing PAF and TempleReady files originating from printed and handwritten family history records gathered from ward members; the disks of non-members who are asked if they would like to submit to Ancestral File and the IGI/temple; and book-form genealogies loaned by members to home-bound volunteers so the data can be submitted. Were this idea combined with the ward temple-card distribution idea Penny Seacord raises in her 22 October 1999 FHCNET post, how powerful and visible the ward's family history and temple activity would be!

Lundy, Trudy <tlundy@theofficenet.com>. "Re: Ward HP Group Leader Coordinating Names." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 23 October 1999. Lundy responds to the idea of having Elders' Quorum and High Priests transferring temple cards between genealogists and temple goers on Sunday. She says it is simpler to remove the middle man, and reasons that it is better for the High Priests Group Leader to keep a list of genealogists and temple goers willing to help them, and simply refer them to each other. Note: the problem with this technique is that it is not highly visible to the ward. A more visible approach might serve better to 1) prove to the bishop that family history work raises temple attendance, 2) motivate those without temple recommends to get their recommends so they can help in the work, and 3) motivate members to identify their kindred dead so they, too, can receive the saving ordinances.

McGonigal, Lyn <lmcgonigal@home.com>. "Stake Family History Seminars." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 10 October 1999. McGonigal, a FHC director and three-time veteran of stake family history conferences, provides an excellent planning and idea guide for these functions.

Neff, Alice <neff@vii.com>. "Re: Open House." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 18 Jan 1999. Neff summarizes her four-stake Family History Center's open house. The public was invited to bring their pedigrees; 65 families displayed family history items; the city historical society and Daughters of the Utah pioneers brought a display; 500 people attended, and many found relatives there.

Seacord, Penny <plseacord@olg.com>. "Ward HP Group Leader Coordinating Names." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 22 October 1999. Seacord offers a highly-visible idea for using a ward's family history work to spur its temple work. On the fourth Sunday of each month, cards are distributed by the high priests, who record which card goes to which member. This list is passed on to the elders quorum, who gather the cards the next month as the high priests distribute another set. Each card is reported on once a month. "If a person didn't get to the temple in the month," Seacord says, "s/he can keep the card for another month, but it's like renewing a library book." Announcements are made during the "off weeks" to remind members to bring the cards on the fourth Sunday. Note: One asset of this approach is that it makes the effectiveness of the family history program extremely visible to the bishop, and makes family history and temple work inseparable in his eyes, as it is meant to be.

Sweet, Donn <dsweet1@rochester.rr.com>. "RE: Paper for the First Presidency: What Makes a Stake Successful in Fh/Temple Work?" E-Mail to Michael T. Ritchey <ritcheym@acceleratedgenealogy.com>. 17 January 2000. This stake designed a Find, Mind, and Bind program to increase family history and temple work. Details are offered to interested parties.

Patron Access

Nowlin, Richard <nowlin@flash.net>. "Re: Organizing LDS Publications/Forms." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 11 April 1999. One way to increase patron access to church publications like state research outlines is to make sure they are well stocked. To do this, a system is needed. Nowlin's idea is to put two stickers on the tab of each hanging file folder used to store publications -- one listing the price, and the other listing minimum on-hand number and maximum number to order. Alternately, the order numbers could be placed on the order form, leaving only the price sticker to crowd the hanging file tab.

Kristie [no surname given] <Teamresrch@aol.com>. "A List of All of Our FHC Forms." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 20 August 1999. This FHC increases patron access by providing bulletin boards and handouts. The bulletin boards describe new records in the FHC, list specialists who lend advice on research of particular localities and ethnicities, and allow patrons a way to exchange records and look-ups. The first handout, a list of area FHCs and their records specialties helps members find a local repository which has the records they want. The second handout helps rookies understand the contents of the first records they will use at the FHC. This handout includes (top front) the FHC address, phone, and hours; (bottom front) the FamilySearch main menu; and (back) explanations of each FamilySearch menu item.

Priesthood Support

Ruof, Janet <janta@earthlink.net>. "FHC." E-Mail to Michael T. Ritchey <ritcheym@itsnet.com>. 1 February 1999. Ruof says, "We FINALLY have priesthood support. Has taken 3 Stake Presidencies, but we finally have more than 'lip service'." When leadership catches the spirit the membership follows."

Reporting/Accountability

Nowlin, Dick <nowlin@flash.net>. "Re: Tracking TempleReady Output." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 28 January 1999. Nowlin says that in order to track statistics of how many temple names are processed in his FHC, photocopies are made of all TempleReady printouts.

Sisler, Jonnie <barjs@cybernet1.com>. "Calling Persons to Staff FHC." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 7 January 2000. If a bishop turns down repeated suggestions for members to be called to a ward FHC, Sisler recommends tracking for a time how many baptisms are being processed through TempleReady, showing these statistics to the bishop, and asking him how the FHC staff stacks up against the stake and full time missionaries in getting baptisms done.

Staff

Bush, Karen <vkbush@dcaccess.com>. "Have Pedigree Will Travel." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 8 October 1999. Bush tells of how she got a ward which lacked even a full Elder's Quorum presidency to call a ward family history consultant. The ward mission leader had called her, wanting her to supply names for temple ordinances which he and new ward members could use for a temple trip. This particular ward had no family history consultant. She got him to agree to a meeting with the stake high council advisor, the stake family history consultant, the bishop, and the high priest group leader. At the meeting, Bush showed the last twenty minutes of the December 1998 Family History Training Broadcast. Less than five minutes into the broadcast, the bishop and mission leader were discussing what couple they could call as ward family history consultants.

Crowley, Dawn <scion@usroots.com>. "Re: Provo South Stake FHC." E-Mail to Michael T. Ritchey <ritcheym@itsnet.com>. 3 November 1998. Crowley, the staff trainer of the Provo South Stake Family History Center from 1994-1996, raises an excellent idea: In 1998, she was called by the Westminster CO Stake as stake coordinator of family history conferences. She offers a guide on organizing a stake family history conference. She also details the difficulties of serving on a stake FHC board under the leadership of a FHC director and stake president who do not magnify their leadership of the stake family history program.

Sisler, Jonnie <barjs@cybernet1.com>. "Calling Persons to Staff FHC." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 7 January 2000. Sometimes, even short posts are dense with good information, and this post is one of them. Sisler states a general rule from church handbooks, namely that bishops cannot turn down a stake call for one of their members to man the stake FHC.

Sweet, Donn <dsweet1@rochester.rr.com>. "RE: Paper for the First Presidency: What Makes a Stake Successful in Fh/Temple Work?" E-Mail to Michael T. Ritchey <ritcheym@acceleratedgenealogy.com>. 17 January 2000. This eastern FHC loses many of its consultants and staffers when they are called to nearby branches. When this threatened to reduce the FHC's hours of operation, however, non-Mormon members of the local historical society joined the FHC staff to keep it open.

Training

[Fayette?], Maureen <fayetteprinting@mindspring.com>. "Staff Training Ideas." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 19 January 2000. Fayette mentions a good staff training method, namely a question and answer session. She posits research situations to her group, and they brainstorm the answers. This allows them to learn from each other, and nobody is put on the spot.

Johnson, Ileen <ileenj@sisna.com>. "First-Time Patrons / Collection Development." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 8 December 1998. Johnson notes that, when building their FHC's collection, directors should ask themselves if their staff and patrons know how to use the reference tools the FHC already has. She reminds FHCNET readers of the Microfiche Reference Collection, and wonders how many people really know how to use its records.

Jones, Alan <alanjones@access1.net>. "Computers Hooked up to TVs." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 11 September 1999. Jones details a $99 solution for a $4000 training problem. Although most stakes have projectors which will throw a video image toward a big screen, most of these are not computer-compatible. Thus, if a family history teacher wants to train large groups of members in the use of family history software, his local unit was traditionally forced to invest $4000 in a computer-compatible projector. In this e-mail list post, Jones tells of a $99 unit which will convert a computer's screen images to a TV or a non-computer-compatible projector.

Kristie [no surname given] <Teamresrch@aol.com>. "A List of All of Our FHC Forms." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 20 August 1999. To draw members' to their assigned trainers, the Beaverton FHC provides a phone directory of ward family history consultants. To train FHC staff, training binders are provided for the FHC director, assistant director, staff trainer, film specialist, technical supervisor, staff scheduler, patron tour specialist, machine repair specialist, and financial specialist. To train patrons, tables of contents are provided for several types of "new patron packets." These sheets note the purpose of the packet, the publications it should include, the order number for each publication, and the price. Packets are available for LDS members, new converts, and non-LDS patrons. Six-page orientation packets are also provided for stake missionaries.

Neff, Alice <neff@vii.com>. "RE: Paper for the First Presidency: What Makes a Stake Successful in Fh/Temple Work?" E-Mail to Michael T. Ritchey <ritcheym@acceleratedgenealogy.com>. 17 January 2000. The most important question that Neff raises is whether anyone trains the ward high priest group leader how to guide the ward family history consultant. This is an interesting issue, because the priesthood structure dictates that the bishop train him, but usually, the bishop himself is ignorant of the link between strong ward family history activity and temple activity.

Schaefer, Chris <CKSfamhis@aol.com>. "FHC Sample Manual Announcement." E-Mail to FHCNET e-mail list <FHCNET-L@rootsweb.com>. 8 March 1999. This message outlines the contents of an FHC administration and operations guide written by Schaefer when he was an FHC director. The guide covers policies and procedures, equipment and supplies, and patron services, and is located at the Director's Nest at <http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~fhcnet/>.

Sweet, Donn <dsweet1@rochester.rr.com>. "RE: Paper for the First Presidency: What Makes a Stake Successful in Fh/Temple Work?" E-Mail to Michael T. Ritchey <ritcheym@acceleratedgenealogy.com>. 17 January 2000. Sweet mentions the frustrations of the ward family history consultant using Sunday School as a training medium for ward members. The problem, she says, is erratic member attendance, and the fact that any one class missed can prevent members from learning what they must to do their family history work. A Sunday School family history class, she says, is "like ward choir practice, only out of sight."

Active ward family history consultants, says Sweet, find it prohibitively difficult to fulfill a second calling. Her stake clerk doubles as ward family history consultant, and therefore has no time for his family history calling. Two items are worth noting here: First, this ward meets in a building other than the stake center, meaning there would be no computers or film readers present on which to teach hands-on family history classes. The classes, then, would tend to be boring. Second, the ward family history consultant is largely inactive in this role: He has taught only one Sunday School course in two years, and does not train members one-on-one as church manuals advise. Perhaps if there were more classes taught and if members could have hands-on lessons even in this meeting house without a true family history center, Sunday School classes might succeed.

Unsurprisingly, the manuals' duties assigned to ward family history consultants seem very effective in this stake. The stake's family history consultants, who help patrons one-on-one, get many temple names processed.