Members Without Callings List

Discussions around using and interfacing with the Church MLS program.
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CMiller-p40
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Members Without Callings List

#1

Post by CMiller-p40 »

I recently pulled the Members without callings list and noticed there is a column which is called "potential candidates" Most of the members had a check mark in this coulmn by their name however some do not. I believe I have figured out how to change this however, what is it used for?

THX
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mkmurray
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#2

Post by mkmurray »

CMiller wrote:I recently pulled the Members without callings list and noticed there is a column which is called "potential candidates" Most of the members had a check mark in this coulmn by their name however some do not. I believe I have figured out how to change this however, what is it used for?

THX
I'm pretty sure there is criteria that automatically clears that flag on a membership record (things like disciplinary actions). I'm not familiar if there is a way to manually clear or set that flag on a membership record.

In summary, if a member doesn't have the "Potential Candidate" flag set, then they are not available to receive a calling, even if they don't currently have a calling.
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aebrown
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#3

Post by aebrown »

mkmurray wrote:I'm pretty sure there is criteria that automatically clears that flag on a membership record (things like disciplinary actions). I'm not familiar if there is a way to manually clear or set that flag on a membership record.

That column is simply full of check boxes. You can easily manually check or uncheck any of those check boxes. I am not familiar with any automatic mechanism for that flag being cleared because of disciplinary actions. It's so easy to uncheck or check the box, that I doubt that this is automatically done, but I don't know for sure.

You can use the dropdown in the upper right corner of the Members Without Callings screen to change the display from "All" to "Potential Candidates", at which point all names with the check box cleared will be removed from the display.
mkmurray wrote:In summary, if a member doesn't have the "Potential Candidate" flag set, then they are not available to receive a calling, even if they don't currently have a calling.

The Potential Candidate flag only affects how the Members Without Callings list is displayed; it doesn't have any effect on whether they can be given a calling in any organization in MLS.
jdlessley
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#4

Post by jdlessley »

We have used the potential candidate flag to narrow the list produced by MLS for a calling consideration. I think that whether there is a check there or not is determined by the last time the report was used and any boxes checked or unchecked. I think that the first time the list is generated all members have a check in the box.
JD Lessley
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mkmurray
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#5

Post by mkmurray »

Alan_Brown wrote:That column is simply full of check boxes. You can easily manually check or uncheck any of those check boxes. I am not familiar with any automatic mechanism for that flag being cleared because of disciplinary actions. It's so easy to uncheck or check the box, that I doubt that this is automatically done, but I don't know for sure.
Interesting, I'm surprised I didn't think of that. Thanks for the clarification. I still assert the possibility that those flags could be automatically cleared under certain circumstances (as I don't know of anyone in our ward managing those flags, even though some are unchecked; guess I'll have to ask around). But I do understand your reasoning that it would be less effective to have those flags automatically cleared if it is so easy to override with a simple click (perhaps even accidental).
Alan_Brown wrote:The Potential Candidate flag only affects how the Members Without Callings list is displayed; it doesn't have any effect on whether they can be given a calling in any organization in MLS.
I didn't mean to imply that there was a restriction in the software, only that this is what the flag was to imply procedurally.
atticusewig
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Flags could clear by age

#6

Post by atticusewig »

If there is any automatic clearing of the
checkmarks, I think it would be done by
age of the member. I haven't looked at
the report lately, but there used to be an
option to list only people 12 years old or older.

It could be that anyone under 12 is now
unchecked as a potential calling holder.

I can confirm that in earlier versions of MLS
you could check and uncheck potentials easily.

- Atticus
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aebrown
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#7

Post by aebrown »

atticusewig wrote:If there is any automatic clearing of the checkmarks, I think it would be done by age of the member. I haven't looked at the report lately, but there used to be an option to list only people 12 years old or older.

It could be that anyone under 12 is now unchecked as a potential calling holder.
On the Members Without Callings screen, to the right of the dropdown in the upper right corner, there is an additional filtering mechanism. It is a blue link that by default is "Ages 12+". So children under 12 are not included in the list.

If you click on the link, you can change the minimum age, or specify a maximum age, or specify just males or just females. This gives you more options for filtering the list to show candidates for certain callings.

However, this filter has nothing to do with whether or not a person's checkbox is checked; it simply filters the entire list, without modifying any checkboxes one way or the other.
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#8

Post by russellhltn »

mkmurray wrote:I still assert the possibility that those flags could be automatically cleared under certain circumstances (as I don't know of anyone in our ward managing those flags, even though some are unchecked; guess I'll have to ask around).
Are you sure those aren't move-ins since the last time someone checked "cleaned up" the list?
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jbh001
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#9

Post by jbh001 »

CMiller wrote:I recently pulled the Members without callings list and noticed there is a column which is called "potential candidates" Most of the members had a check mark in this coulmn by their name however some do not. I believe I have figured out how to change this however, what is it used for?
We use it occasionally to advise organizations of those available for callings. For example, say that the Primary needs 5 new primary workers, but doesn't know where to start with recommendations. We would use this list in bishopric meeting it identify "potential candidates," then have the ward clerk mark the appropriate checkboxes, and then printout that filtered list and hand it to the Primary presidency. Then the Primary presidency follows up with their recommendations for filling the positions.

If I remember correctly, there are buttons at the bottom of that screen that let you Check All and Clear All checkmarks to make this easier.

Unfiltered, the report can sometimes be several pages long. Trimming down the list of potential candiates to 10 to 30 names make it much less overhelming to sift through.

Sometimes we would also handwrite in some names of those that would not show up on the list because they already have a calling, but that are available for the organization to consider and recommend nevertheless. For example, that could be a way of letting the Primary know that the 1st counselor in the YW presidency is not necessarily "off limits" simply because she already has a calling in YW.
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mkmurray
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#10

Post by mkmurray »

jbh001 wrote:We use it occasionally to advise organizations of those available for callings. For example, say that the Primary needs 5 new primary workers, but doesn't know where to start with recommendations. We would use this list in bishopric meeting it identify "potential candidates," then have the ward clerk mark the appropriate checkboxes, and then printout that filtered list and hand it to the Primary presidency. Then the Primary presidency follows up with their recommendations for filling the positions.

If I remember correctly, there are buttons at the bottom of that screen that let you Check All and Clear All checkmarks to make this easier.

Unfiltered, the report can sometimes be several pages long. Trimming down the list of potential candiates to 10 to 30 names make it much less overhelming to sift through.

Sometimes we would also handwrite in some names of those that would not show up on the list because they already have a calling, but that are available for the organization to consider and recommend nevertheless. For example, that could be a way of letting the Primary know that the 1st counselor in the YW presidency is not necessarily "off limits" simply because she already has a calling in YW.
Wow, I never thought of this. I imagine this is the original intention of the feature. It seems to be the ability to make a list of individuals that you are considering for a specific calling, and then be able to filter that printed list down to only those under consideration.

To me it would make more sense if the report started with all checkboxes cleared every time the report is loaded. Having some checked and some not confuses other MLS users that use the report after you. (Well, ok...it confuses me! :rolleyes:)
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