Church Member Records

[BlackMormon]

Greetings.
My kid was physically assaulted in the chapel by 2 older boys many years ago and there was a dispute between me, the SP, the Bishop and the Counselor for not siding with the victim,(They were all friends and neighbors with the bullies and their parents), My son did not to cause the assault. The boys were jealous over a girl that was paying attention to my son and not to them. Long story... that caused all my family to leave the Church, except me. I have a strong suspicious that those 3 stoogies (incompetent leaders, IMO) did something to my Church record, because everytime I have asked a Bishop to transfer it to a new Ward, I noticed that the Bishop acts differently towards me. Either I am paranoid or they annotated something on my Church record. Maybe, prone to arguing or violence (which I didn't do), disrespectful to leaders, or something odd. I would like to SEE if my suspicion is justified.

So I went to A.I. and asked a question about Church annotations. Here's what it says:

Yes, a bishop or stake president can annotate a member's church record. Annotations are not publicly visible, but they are accessible to other bishops and stake presidents who may have contact with the member in the future. Annotations can be used to record a variety of information, including:

* Church discipline actions, such as excommunication or suspension from temple privileges
* Concerning behavior, such as arguments about doctrine or casual attendance
* Medical conditions or other special needs
* Information that may be helpful to the member's new bishop, such as their strengths and weaknesses

Annotations are not intended to be used to punish members or to create a permanent record of their mistakes. Rather, they are meant to help bishops and stake presidents protect church members and others from harm, and to provide the best possible care and support to all members of the congregation.

To answer your specific questions:

* Yes, your church membership record does allow for annotations.
* Yes, a bishop or stake president could put a mark on your record to alert the next bishop of something they felt was amiss about you, even if it was not to the level of excommunication.
* Yes, there is the equivalent of "notes" that they can code. For example, they could note that you are not very active, prone to arguments about doctrine, do not have a temple recommend, or have casual attendance.
* It is true that church membership records are technically owned by the church and not by the member. This is because the church has a responsibility to protect its members and others from harm. However, members do have the right to access their own records and to request that annotations be corrected or removed. (HOW???)

[nibbler]

It might not have been an annotation. When a member transfers to a ward the bishop is instructed to contact the member's prior bishop to get all the dirt on them.

From the current handbook in section 33.6:

Sometimes a member has not lived in the same ward continuously for at least one year. In that case, the bishop or an assigned counselor contacts the prior bishop before conducting an interview to issue a temple recommend or to recommend ordination to a Melchizedek Priesthood office. The purpose of this contact is to ask if there are any worthiness matters to be considered. If a counselor learns that there is confidential information, he ends the conversation. He informs his bishop to contact the prior bishop before conducting the interview.

Good for potentially protecting children from predators that ward hop but in practice it's more of a way to ensure gossip follows a member around and there's a reduced opportunity to start with a clean slate when moving wards.

[Hagoth]

However, members do have the right to access their own records and to request that annotations be corrected or removed. (HOW???)

I don't know if AI is right about that one, but if so maybe it's like Gordon Hinkley's comments on 60 Minutes (or Larry King?), when he said the church's financial records are not secret, just that they are only accessible to the people who pay tithing.

I wouldn't be shocked if you have an annotation.

[Mayan_Elephant]

However, members do have the right to access their own records and to request that annotations be corrected or removed. (HOW???)

I don't know if AI is right about that one, but if so maybe it's like Gordon Hinkley's comments on 60 Minutes (or Larry King?), when he said the church's financial records are not secret, just that they are only accessible to the people who pay tithing.

I wouldn't be shocked if you have an annotation.

My guess, based on the settlements with the BSoA/LDS church, that some records have been retrieved by lawyers. I don't think the average effort would produce a result.

[Red Ryder]

Find a ward clerk on exmo Reddit and have your records transferred to their ward. Then they can provide you a copy.

[wtfluff]

Find a ward clerk on exmo Reddit and have your records transferred to their ward. Then they can provide you a copy.

Do ward clerks have access to the ENTIRE record, or is there some sort of section (annotation) that only bishops and wagyu presidents and "above" have?

Asking for someone who formerly had some access to MLS, but knew nothing about annotations at the time, nor how one would access said annotations. (*)

[blazerb]

Find a ward clerk on exmo Reddit and have your records transferred to their ward. Then they can provide you a copy.

Do ward clerks have access to the ENTIRE record, or is there some sort of section (annotation) that only bishops and wagyu presidents and "above" have?

Asking for someone who formerly had some access to MLS, but knew nothing about annotations at the time, nor how one would access said annotations. (*)

I never saw anything very scandalous on records as a ward clerk, but I could see the whole record.

[Mayan_Elephant]

Find a ward clerk on exmo Reddit and have your records transferred to their ward. Then they can provide you a copy.

Do ward clerks have access to the ENTIRE record, or is there some sort of section (annotation) that only bishops and wagyu presidents and "above" have?

Asking for someone who formerly had some access to MLS, but knew nothing about annotations at the time, nor how one would access said annotations. (*)

I never saw anything very scandalous on records as a ward clerk, but I could see the whole record.

I never saw anything interesting on that crap UI of that crap database. I processed many excommunications and we submitted all the data on paper way back then.

[blazerb]

I never saw anything interesting on that crap UI of that crap database. I processed many excommunications and we submitted all the data on paper way back then.

I never had to process any membership actions. There was one time when the missionaries started teaching a person they told me was a member. When I requested the record, I was alerted that the bishop had to call Salt Lake about their records. Turns out they had been excommunicated.

[Bonfire]

Getting profiled is so annoying, on the same level as stalking. Online records or communication ruin privacy or rather our sacred personal journey.

In the same way that computers allow people to track investments or finances, people with access to your information can get others to fight against you spiritually as well as economically.

A big issue I have had in the church is when leaders or members gather together to "help" others rather than allowing members to grow organically. It's stalking. It's annoying.