Regional and multi-stake callings in MLS

[st122354-p40]

A member of my stake is the regional public affairs director. She needs the access described below:

News Watch

Occasionally a public affairs issue or situation will arise that has Churchwide implications. When that happens, information and resources for handling the issue in your local area will be posted by the Public Affairs Department in the News Watch section of this site. To access News Watch, you will need an LDS Account user name and password and will need to be listed by your stake clerk in the Member and Leader System as the director of public affairs for your stake, multistake, or national public affairs council.


The problem is, I can't find any regional or multistake standard calling to link to her in MLS. All the callings are stake callings only. Anyone know how to get her listed in MLS for a regional calling?

Steve
Stake Clerk

[aebrown]

The problem is, I can't find any regional or multistake standard calling to link to her in MLS. All the callings are stake callings only. Anyone know how to get her listed in MLS for a regional calling?

Under Family History there are a couple of regional callings, but none that I can see at that level for Public Affairs. I wonder, though, if adding her as Stake Director of Public Affairs would get her the access she needs (even though it isn't the correct calling) on a temporary basis.

As for the correct calling, that seems like something you should report to Local Unit Support so that the developers can correct this oversight, or let you know if there is some other way to assign the regional calling to this person.

[drepouille]

My regional public affairs director of outreach just asked me (the stake clerk), "I was told that my stake clerk needed to enter me into the system to be able to get behind the firewall for my calling."

I told her we already have a stake public affairs director, and I didn't want to add a second one. I didn't know what standard calling I could use for her in MLS.

This is very similar to the folks who work in our Employment Resource Center. They asked me to add them as stake employment specialists, even though we already have a stake employment specialist. I told them I didn't want to confuse everyone in the stake by adding multiple stake employment specialists, but they insisted.

These regional callings are very confusing for us stake clerks. Our area authority seventy insists it is the stake clerk's job to create "standard" regional callings.

[russellhltn]

Our area authority seventy insists it is the stake clerk's job to create "standard" regional callings.

I think I'd be tempted to call Local Unit Support. If they say the stake clerk can't do that, ask them to email that information to the area seventy.

[drepouille]

Here is more information, but still nothing about regional public affairs callings in MLS.

Dear stake public affairs councils,

We are excited to announce an updated version of the publicaffairs.lds.org/ website! The new Public Affairs Network provides information and tools to help you better fulfill your calling. The new resources on the site include training modules, frequently asked questions, and a discussions section to enable worldwide collaboration among those with Public Affairs callings.

All of the content that was available on the old Public Affairs website is still available on the new site, but it has been moved behind a secure firewall. This content will now only be available to those with public affairs callings and their priesthood advisers. In order to get access to this site as a member of a stake public affairs council, you will need to work with your stake clerk to make sure you are listed in the Church's Member and Leader Services (MLS) system by your specific calling. For the sake of simplicity, we have limited the possible stake Public Affairs callings to the following:

· Stake Director of Public Affairs (calling #724)

· Stake Public Affairs Assistant (calling #1417)

· Stake Public Affairs Specialist (calling #726)

Specific callings such as a secretary, photographer, writer, etc. can all be assigned to the Specialist position. These same callings are also available at the district level.

Once you know you have been added to the MLS system, you may visit the site by going to http://publicaffairs.lds.org/ and signing in with your LDS account at the top of the screen.

[drepouille]

Apparently, this can only be done by the Area Director of Public Affairs, North America Central Area Public Affairs Office.

[russellhltn]

I was going to say, if a stake clerk could do it, I'd think it would be a process similar to the LUCR. I guess a email with the member's information to the area Public Affairs Director (found in CDOL) would be close. <grin>

[drepouille]

Here is more information, which provides more details as to how regional callings are created in the CDOL. Unfortunately, someone is assuming that stake clerks have the ability to add people to callings directly on the CDOL web site. Oh well.

In the email explaining that there is a new Public Affairs Website (publicaffairs.lds.org/) it discussed that the Directors of Coordinating Council Public Affairs Councils were being authorized by me, and all who have provided their information to me have been authorized for access behind a firewall for certain key information is located.

It also explained that all Stake Public Affairs Council members should work with their Stake Clerks to have their authorization put in the "Church Directory of Leaders" - CDOL, in order to get authorized.

The email did not give any information on certain other individuals who may be involved at the Coordinating Council or Stake levels, so here are a few others who may need access, and how they should receive it.

First, Area Seventy and Stake Presidents are already in CDOL and are therefore authorized.
Second, Stake President's Counselors who are the Stake Priesthood Adviser to Public Affairs will need to be entered in CDOL by the Stake Clerk.
Third, High Councilors are not generally approved for Public Affairs work, unless they are the Stake DPA, or there is another compelling reason, in which case they may be entered by the Stake Clerk.
Fourth, all members of the Coordinating Council PA Council must send me the required information below, and I will enter them. ( have already entered all CC DPAs who have sent me their information.)

The information required for entry into CDOL / Access to the Website is:
1. Full name, 2. name the person desires to be called in PA work, 3. home address, 4. Mailing addrss if different from home address, 5.desired phone number to be used for PA work, 6. Church Membership Record Number (can be found on your Church Record or your Temple Recommend), 7. The date you were called into your PA assignment.

Do not send this information to everyone on this list, only send it to me - see above, or have the Stake DPA give it to the Stake Clerk for entry locally - see above.

Obviously it is the duty of the CC DPA or the Stake DPA to add and DELETE names from CDOL as people are called and released. Within a day or two after a persons name is entered by me or the Stake Clerk, they should be authorized for access behind the firewall to the PA Website - where the Training and other important items are located.

NOTE: It is possible that some persons may have been authorized already by your Stake Clerk. It is probably worth checking before starting the process above.

Also, note that new PA Email addresses are being given when a person is signed up to CDOL. We will need to begin to use those shortly.