Tech Forum

I am the clerk in our branch, and we currently do not have any missionaries serving out of our branch.

I have a balance (not much, under $100) in Ward Missionary. I have spoken with our BP, and we'd like to just clear that out and put it in General Missionary. Is this doable online? I tried but the rules state I can only transfer WM funds within the Stake.

Pls advise.

I do not believe that it's allowed to transfer ward missionary funds to the general missionary fund. Certainly the systems do not allow normal transfers. I'd first check with the stake and see if they would like you to transfer it to the stake's ward missionary fund so that the stake can later transfer it to other units which may need help. Or they might want you to transfer it to another ward or branch in your stake that might have use for it. If not then I'd contact the global service center and ask how to send the surplus to Salt Lake (see item 2 in the very last section of Missionary Finances in the Help Center).

Our stake president is pretty active in watching the ward missionary funds and instructs wards to transfer funds to other wards regularly if they see a need. I think the first place for the OP to go with their question should be the stake clerk or stake president.

Handbook 1: 14.4.3 covers what should be done with unneeded missionary funds.

While not stated, I'd certainly offer the funds to the stake before sending them to church HQ.

See "Other missionary finance guidelines" here:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/hel ... y-finances

Thank you Brethren. I have kicked this up to our Stake Clerk for direction. I imagine we have several missionaries out from our stake that could use this money instead of it just sitting in our account doing nothing.

Thanks again for the help.

I was a very annoying stake clerk. Each month, when the CUBS financial statements were released, I calculated the maximum amount each unit could have in their ward missionary fund, and suggested an amount they should transfer to the stake's missionary fund. Our stake was repeatedly advised from on high that we should have no more than 90 days (at that time $400 x 3 months) for each serving missionary. I had to exempt those missionaries who had obviously paid ahead for their mission. We asked families to NOT pay ahead, because we had several missionaries return home early from their missions, and we could not refund their "donations" to the family.

drepouille wrote:I was a very annoying stake clerk. Each month, when the CUBS financial statements were released, I calculated the maximum amount each unit could have in their ward missionary fund, and suggested an amount they should transfer to the stake's missionary fund.

Our stake stays out of the middle of the transfer. The stake president sends an email to the bishop of the ward with excess and asks him to transfer a specific $ amount from their ward missionary fund to XX ward's ward missionary fund (anything posted to a specific missionary's sub-account is not considered). The bishop forwards the email to the clerk who makes it happen. We have been both the donor ward and recipient ward in times past.

1+ the suggestion to advise families of serving missionaries to donate over time rather than a lump sum (for the same reason).