New Quarterly Report for 2014

[terra100]

QUESTION: I've been told via my regional family history and temple advisors that there is another statistic that the Church is tracking that is not #9. Does anyone here know if that statistic is only accessible by bishops (and higher)? The stat is something like "members who have submitted a temple name in the last 12 months." This stat only counts members ONCE within that 12 month period for a temple submit, even if they submitted multiple ordinances.

The result would be sort of a dot plot graph of how many members during a year at least did something with submissions.

As a family history consultant, I can only access the #9 through my husband's Elder Quorum President LCR. I do not see any other stats at his level for family history and temple work other than #9. I have been told is this "other stat" (not #9) is what the Church is tracking for us to reach 10%, the goal for our ward. I wish this other stat were put on the regular LCR. Why hide it?

[drepouille]

I can assure you that bishops and stake presidents see exactly the same line items on the quarterly report as other members of the ward council can see. There is no hidden statistic that only bishops and stake presidents can see.
Do you routinely login to lds.org using your husband's username and password? Or did you just ask him to show you the quarterly report?

[terra100]

My stake high councilor says there is a key-indicator-by-month in the reports that gives us a sort of "number of members who have submitted a temple name in the last 12 months."

If we take just #9, this last quarter we were at 3%. But my stake high councilor says we are at 6.6% with the other "hidden stat." He says he confirmed it with our regional family history and temple advisors.

If there is a stat that is only seen at the stake level and higher, then we'd just like to know why? And also that would make us reliant on above-the-ward levels to regularly communicate that stat with us.

[drepouille]

The Key Indicators report shows:
- Sacrament meeting attendance percentage
- Home teaching percentage
- Endowed adults with temple recommend percentage
- Young Men priesthood attendance percentage
- Young Women attendance percentage
- Melchizedek Priesthood attendance percentage
- Relief Society attendance percentage
- Visiting teaching percentage
- Men holding the Melchizedek Priesthood percentage

The Unit Statistics report does not address temple submissions at all.

[drepouille]

If there is a stat that is only seen at the stake level and higher, then we'd just like to know why? And also that would make us reliant on above-the-ward levels to regularly communicate that stat with us.

I can only tell you that the stake president cannot see the annual statistic that you are asking about. I don't know what data is available at the regional or area levels.

[terra100]

I called the regional temple history and family advisors (who used to live in our ward) and asked them. They confirmed the stat but said they were not authorized to speak to me further to ask my stat questions ... that I had to go through my stake high councilor. So, I circled back with my stake high councilor and pressed him for a definition of the stat and how it was obtained. He said it was in key indicators and didn't understand why we couldn't see it at the ward level.

The difference is that we hover at 3-4% with the #9 quarterly report number. But with this hidden stat, we jump to 6.6% because it calculates any member (just once) who submitted during the last 12 months. Obviously we'll get to the goal of 10% faster with the hidden stat. The #9 stat is more about sustained efforts.

If we're reliant on the regional level to let us know this hidden stat, then I'll just ask my stake high councilor for new numbers every quarter -- it will be his job to contact the regional people. But, wish that number were in the LCR at the ward level since we're held accountable for it.

[aebrown]

QUESTION: I've been told via my regional family history and temple advisors that there is another statistic that the Church is tracking that is not #9. Does anyone here know if that statistic is only accessible by bishops (and higher)? The stat is something like "members who have submitted a temple name in the last 12 months." This stat only counts members ONCE within that 12 month period for a temple submit, even if they submitted multiple ordinances.

The result would be sort of a dot plot graph of how many members during a year at least did something with submissions.

There are three different reports that people are discussing here, and the overlap and differences are causing some confusion. Let me clarify:

• The Quarterly Report is available to ward and stake leaders on LCR. It includes the item #9, "Adults and youth who submitted ancestor names for temple ordinances". Since it is a quarterly report, it is natural that it would report on the number of members submitting during the reporting quarter. FamilySearch and ICS (essentially the IT department for the Church) share data so that FamilySearch can connect its users to membership records via LDS Account, and FamilySearch can share submission data back to ICS for the quarterly report.
• Also on LCR, there is a Key Indicators report. That report has nothing to do with the topic at hand, since it has no data about temple submissions. I mention it only because people have been confused because of the similarity of its name to the next item I will discuss.
• FamilySearch generates a monthly report called the Family History Key Indicator Report. This report is generated for each ward and for each stake in the Church (and for some other units as well). It is this report that actually has the number of submitters in the ward/stake for the last 12 months. This report is not available on LCR. I don't know exactly who has access to it, but I do know that Area Family History Advisors have access, and at least some of them distribute the report to priesthood leaders (but I'm sure that others don't). Also, employees of FamilySearch have access. I'm sure there are others, but I know that stake presidents and bishops have no direct access, except as others may make that report available to them.

As a family history consultant, I can only access the #9 through my husband's Elder Quorum President LCR. I do not see any other stats at his level for family history and temple work other than #9. I have been told is this "other stat" (not #9) is what the Church is tracking for us to reach 10%, the goal for our ward. I wish this other stat were put on the regular LCR. Why hide it?

I don't think it's accurate to say that either the quarterly number or the annual number "is what the Church is tracking for us"; both numbers are being tracked, but any particular goals set within a ward or stake are simply local goals. It is just as reasonable to set goals based on quarterly numbers as it is to use annual numbers. A ward or stake just needs to be clear on which metric they choose for their goals.

I hope I've made clear that no one is hiding anything, but because of differences in distribution, it may be more difficult to gain access to the Family History Key Indicators Report. However, I'm confident that any stake president who made a specific request of his Area Family History Advisors would be able to obtain the report -- he just has to ask.

[terra100]

aebrown, thank you so much for your breakdown of info. Very helpful. I appreciate your time.

TWO RECOMMENDATIONS:
1) RESOLVE "SECONDARY" STAT ISSUE: I would like to suggest that these area-level-only family history / temple stats be also available to the wards and stakes as another line item in the quarterly report. Or, alternatively, I would ask that Area Family History Advisors (or whomever they report to) are not making goals for their members based on stats that wards and stakes cannot see or track ... except by stumbling upon them and making requests. Either solution would work.

2) MAKE FAMILYSEARCH STATS AVAILABLE: A second recommendation is that the FamilySearch monthly reports be made available to ward and stake leaders and also the Family History Consultants that serve in those wards and stakes. Family History Consultants have such a huge part in seeing and understanding the progress of their stewardship, not just HPGL's and other Priesthood leadership. In my case, although the ideal is that the HPGL and Bishop would drive family history and temple work in my ward, that is not the case (and this is not uncommon). My role as Family History Consultant is huge in scope with measuring progress, teaching, helping, motivating ... the list is long. Any easier access to info to carry out my calling is helpful, especially if my work is going to be measured by a regional or area Church goal.

Thank you again for all your outlining of the stats.

[aebrown]

TWO RECOMMENDATIONS:

This is simply a community forum. So it's quite unlikely that anyone who is a decision maker will read your recommendations here. If you would like your suggestions to be heard, you would need to use the official LDS.org feedback link (found at the bottom of most pages on LDS.org) to make your suggestion regarding quarterly reports.

1) RESOLVE "SECONDARY" STAT ISSUE: I would like to suggest that these area-level-only family history / temple stats be also available to the wards and stakes as another line item in the quarterly report. Or, alternatively, I would ask that Area Family History Advisors (or whomever they report to) are not making goals for their members based on stats that wards and stakes cannot see or track ... except by stumbling upon them and making requests. Either solution would work.

First of all, although you're welcome to make this suggestion, I find it highly unlikely that an annual statistic would be added to the Quarterly Report -- it would be confusing to report on two different time periods in a single report like that.

Second, I really don't think that Area Family History Advisors are making goals for members, wards, or stakes. They are simply advisors who help to train and communicate with priesthood leaders and people with family history callings in their assigned area. I would think it's much more likely that your goals is coming from your stake president or bishop.

Your concern about having goals based on reported values that are difficult to obtain is certainly valid. I'd recommend that you find out who set this goal that you mentioned, then clarify exactly what metric it is to be measured against. It could well be that there is some confusion about which metric is to be used. It's also possible that the Family History Key Indicators Report is being received within your stake or ward, in which case you would just need to find out who could better distribute it. There are multiple possibilities you might discover.

2) MAKE FAMILYSEARCH STATS AVAILABLE: A second recommendation is that the FamilySearch monthly reports be made available to ward and stake leaders and also the Family History Consultants that serve in those wards and stakes. Family History Consultants have such a huge part in seeing and understanding the progress of their stewardship, not just HPGL's and other Priesthood leadership. In my case, although the ideal is that the HPGL and Bishop would drive family history and temple work in my ward, that is not the case (and this is not uncommon). My role as Family History Consultant is huge in scope with measuring progress, teaching, helping, motivating ... the list is long. Any easier access to info to carry out my calling is helpful, especially if my work is going to be measured by a regional or area Church goal.

If that report would be helpful to you (and I believe it would), then I would repeat what I said earlier: the stake president can almost certainly obtain this report, because the Area Family History Advisors have access, and in my experience they are very responsive to specific requests by a stake president. So you could work through your leadership channels within your stake (probably involving the high councilor over FH work) to see if your stake can be a regular recipient of this report.

[terra100]

Thanks, aebrown.

I have put in a feedback request at lds.org. And I have also submitted a request at FamilySearch.

At the end of 3rd quarter, I will contact my stake high councilor and have him put in a request for an Area stat update.