Finding Lost Members List in LCR

[rsgardne]

On January 12, 2023, a Utah Area broadcast by the Membership and Statistical Records Division introduced a new report titled Finding Lost Members that has been added to Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR). It is not currently visible in Member Tools. This report lists the names of members who are assigned to the ward but their current location is not known. Clerks may move the records of lost ward members to this report by using the Move Records Out feature and checking he address not known box. These records continue to be assigned to the ward but will not appear on other reports and are not included in ward statistics such as the Quarterly Report. In addition, records of new members who were baptized within the last 10 years and then moved to the Address Unknown file at Church headquarters have been returned to the last-known ward and added to the Finding Lost Members report. Elders quorum and Relief Society presidencies have been asked to lead the effort to find these lost members. Other ward council members and missionaries may also assist. These efforts include using last-known phone numbers, email addresses, sending a letter using USPS's 'Return Service Requested', and social media channels, as part of the ward clerk's (8) step finding process. The results are reported to the ward clerk, who will move the membership record accordingly or to Address Unknown with the Bishop's approval. Procedures for Elders Quorum and Relief Society Presidencies are to access the report in LCR, click on the Reports menu and then select the Finding Lost Members report. The top of the report provides instruction and methods for finding members whose location is not known. The bottom of the report lists the names and last known contact information of the members whose current location is not known. A link for reference material is: https://utah.churchofjesuschrist.org/ja ... ang=eng-ut

[nthurston]

Currently, for all of the members on the Lost Members Report, the Last Known Address is blank. This will make it hard for us to complete all of the steps, such as contacting neighbors and the current occupant. Does anyone know how we can recover that address for members whose records were moved to that list?

[davesudweeks]

The ward clerk may be able to see more of the member's record information (and history) than the other members of the ward council. However, if you don't have a previous address (and no one in the ward remembers where they lived) then it is impossible to "contact the neighbors and current occupant." In those cases, I would mark those steps completed (given the the fact that the church did not provide enough information to actually accomplish the steps).

The steps to move records to address unknown have been in place for a number of years and I have found the full time missionaries to be a big help in accomplishing some of the steps (that include potentially contacting nonmembers when allowed by their Mission President). The "Finding Lost Members" report is a recent development but the steps wards are supposed to follow before moving records to "Address Unknown" are not new.

[jpjones~ogr]

Try clicking on a lost member's name. Dave's correct, as a clerk doing this takes me to a view with last known address. If members names don't appear or function as links, ask a clerk or bishopric member for detail as needed. I'm not sure if other unit leaders have such access, the Access Table doesn't list the lost members report yet.

[jdlessley]

Since it is the responsibility of the Elders Quorum presidency and the Relief Society presidency to direct the finding effort with possibly the help of the ward council I expect the members of the EQ and RS presidencies to see the same information available to the ward clerk.

[jonesrk]

Both the EQ and RS president have access to that same page with the address.

[davesudweeks]

Both the EQ and RS president have access to that same page with the address.

So it is reasonable to assume, then, that if the prior address is blank the ward council cannot have someone check with neighbors or current residents at the address (unless someone in the ward/branch remembers where they lived). Thus, it is also reasonable to assume that units should mark those tasks complete and move on to other things they can do to try to locate the lost members. We should do what we can do, and not "get wrapped around the axle" over what we cannot do because of missing information.

This also highlights why it is important to get this information when it is as fresh as possible - when I served as clerk, the ward council did not like the fact that I hounded them for details on move-outs as soon as I learned of it. Too many people learn of someone moving out of the ward and don't bother to pass any information along...