Out of Unit Baby Blessing Best Practices

[JoshuaSampson]

I understand this is an old thread, but adding the new Handbook language for reference. According to this, a membership record should be created after the blessing, not before.

18.6.3 Child Record Form and Blessing Certificate

Before a child is blessed, a clerk uses Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR) to prepare a Child Record Form. After the blessing, he creates the membership record in that system and prepares a Blessing Certificate. This certificate is signed by the bishop and given to the child’s parents or guardians.

The name on the membership record and certificate should match the birth certificate, civil birth registry, or current legal name.

18. Priesthood Ordinances and Blessings
General Handbook
Handbooks and Callings

[chriswoodut]

I understand this is an old thread, but adding the new Handbook language for reference. According to this, a membership record should be created after the blessing, not before.

18.6.3 Child Record Form and Blessing Certificate

Before a child is blessed, a clerk uses Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR) to prepare a Child Record Form. After the blessing, he creates the membership record in that system and prepares a Blessing Certificate. This certificate is signed by the bishop and given to the child’s parents or guardians.

The name on the membership record and certificate should match the birth certificate, civil birth registry, or current legal name.

18. Priesthood Ordinances and Blessings
General Handbook
Handbooks and Callings

I see what you are pointing out but it seems there are reasonable situations where a record is created for a child that was never blessed. I have done this. A blessing is not an ordinance and is not actually recorded in LCR (the blessing info is only recorded on the printed certificate, I don't think the info is saved). I have also created records before a blessing and then gone back and created the certificate after the blessing. Now that the form needs to be signed and uploaded, it is easier to just do it after the blessing.

[russellhltn]

A blessing is not an ordinance

I believe it's still an ordinance, just not a saving (required for salvation) ordinance. Therefore, not something that has to be tracked.

and is not actually recorded in LCR (the blessing info is only recorded on the printed certificate, I don't think the info is saved).

MLS would save it, but not transmit it when the record was moved, so it was lost. Based on past posts, I believe LCR does save it and it does stick when the record is moved (since LCR is now a central server). As far as I know, it's not part of the membership record, but in LCR.

But you are correct in that it has little practical use outside of printing the certificate.

[scgallafent]

A blessing is not a prerequisite for creating a membership record.

Unblessed children under 8 when (1) at least one parent or one grandparent is a member of the Church and (2) both parents give permission for a record to be created. This includes children of converts. (If one parent does not have legal custody of the child, the permission of the parent who has custody is sufficient.)

See General Handbook 33.6.2, emphasis mine.

[puhl]

38.2.1.3
Records of Ordinances
When a person receives a saving ordinance or a priesthood ordination, a clerk from the ward where the person’s membership record is held:

Obtains information about the ordinance or ordination.

Ensures that this information is recorded on the person’s membership record and on the certificate.

[sbradshaw]

... When a person receives a saving ordinance or a priesthood ordination ...

A baby blessing isn't a saving ordinance or a priesthood ordination, so I'm not sure if this applies in this case.

[russellhltn]

From General Handbook 18.6 provides guidance.
"Exceptions to the typical place of the child’s blessing must be approved by the bishop. Possible exceptions include ... blessings in another ward where the child’s grandparents or many family members live; and blessings in the home."

"Before a child is blessed, a clerk uses Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR) to prepare a Child Record Form. After the blessing, he creates the membership record in that system and prepares a Blessing Certificate. This certificate is signed by the bishop and given to the child’s parents or guardians."

In the case of a baby being blessed in another ward, the second quote isn't completely clear on which bishop or which clerk does this.

[chriswoodut]

From General Handbook 18.6 provides guidance.
"Exceptions to the typical place of the child’s blessing must be approved by the bishop. Possible exceptions include ... blessings in another ward where the child’s grandparents or many family members live; and blessings in the home."

"Before a child is blessed, a clerk uses Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR) to prepare a Child Record Form. After the blessing, he creates the membership record in that system and prepares a Blessing Certificate. This certificate is signed by the bishop and given to the child’s parents or guardians."

In the case of a baby being blessed in another ward, the second quote isn't completely clear on which bishop or which clerk does this.

This may already be mentioned in this thread.... If the ward were the child resides creates the certificate, the wording is slightly wrong if the child was blessed in another ward. It's a bit wonky. I had one parent really want our ward listed and I pushed back and had their ward clerk just do it on their end. Since then, I learned I can create the child's record, print the certificate, and then transfer the child's record to their actual ward and place the child in the proper household. In most cases, the child and parents go back to their home/ward before I can get a certificate printed and signed by the bishop. I'm sure when I then give that signed certificate to the grandparents that it rarely gets passed along to the child's parents.

I got frustrated once doing the reverse where I was waiting on the remote ward to create the record and push it to me -- the counselor had the form somewhere and the clerk was slow to track it down. It took at least a month to get them to do it and send me the record. I now prefer to create the record myself and not rely on others and let the certificate wording be a little off.

[dallingj]

18.6

Naming and Blessing Children
“Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:70).

Children are typically named and blessed during fast and testimony meeting in the ward where their parents reside. If the parents do not reside together, the ordinance is usually performed in the ward where the child will primarily live.

Exceptions to the typical place of the child’s blessing must be approved by the bishop. Possible exceptions include blessings not on fast Sunday, especially in wards with many new babies; blessings in another ward where the child’s grandparents or many family members live; and blessings in the home.

[russellhltn]

A blessing is not a saving ordnance. The biggest fallout from not resolving the missing blessing is the parents don't get a blessing certificate. As I recall, it's not on the actual membership record. For many years, MLS was quietly discard that information when the record changed wards. I understand that LCR retains it.

If the parents have a blessing certificate, then that can be used to record it.

The clerk can try and rectify it, but it's not in the same category as missing a baptism or ordination.

At this point, it seems the issue is that there's no record for the child. That does need to be fixed.