Tech Forum

I'm sure this has been brought up before, but it would be real nice if they would modify the LDS.org Leader resources to include Elders, High Priests, and Relief Society the ability to enter home teaching/visiting teaching visits from home. It takes time to have to keep going over with the Secretary, or find time when the computer isn't being used on a Sunday, to enter HT and VT visits. That functionality would be nice.

Just passing along a nice future enhancement.

This is a great idea. It has been suggested a few times before, but certainly is in high demand. What isn't so certain is if anyone in a position to prioritize this suggestion is regularly reading the tech forums. Certainly new ideas are generated here and employees at the church see and often respond to them, but this one has come up many times and so probably has been raised internally multiple times. It might be worthwhile though to ask your stake president to take it up with the area presidency. If there are enough people requesting this through the priesthood channels that make this kind of decision, it might indicate to the Priesthood Department that this is an idea whose time has come.

Note that the RKATS article About Clerk Resources (not everyone can see this article) says "Other quorum and auxiliary leaders may receive access to Clerk Resources in the future."

So expanding access is certainly on the list of possible improvements.

benjamincarleski wrote:It might be worthwhile though to ask your stake president to take it up with the area presidency. If there are enough people requesting this through the priesthood channels that make this kind of decision, it might indicate to the Priesthood Department that this is an idea whose time has come.

I'm starting to think that this explanation is only meant to dissuade us.... Otherwise, wouldn't there be an easy way for Stake Presidents to submit these items in some kind of online form, then once it reached a threshold a Priesthood leader could have a quick video/phone conference with a selected number of SP and then either decide to include it or pass on it, then publish that information for ALL to see. just sayin... could be as easy as that if it were part of the actual plan.

tellerman wrote:I'm sure this has been brought up before, but it would be real nice if they would modify the LDS.org Leader resources to include Elders, High Priests, and Relief Society the ability to enter home teaching/visiting teaching visits from home.

This is one of the most requested features. I believe, in time, it will come. However, it is not as simple as just modifying Leader resources. HT/VT information is not sent from MLS to Church headquarters. The only place it appears is on the administrative computer in the clerks office.

MLS would have to be rewritten to transmit the database. The Church databases would have to be created to store and maintain the information. Processes would have to be written to keep the two aligned. This would be no small project.

Not impossible, of course, but the resources have not yet been allocated for this massive a change right now. Will they? Only the Priesthood Department knows the answer to that question.

Perhaps it would be easier to take out the "requirement" to use the MLS Ht/VT data base and leave it up to each ward to come up with their own system of keeping track. And instead of the quarterly report getting the percentages automatically from MLS, the clerk could enter it manually 4 times a year.

The ward could then choose to use the MLS system if they want or use a home based spread sheet or even a loose leaf binder if they choose.

johnshaw wrote:I'm starting to think that this explanation is only meant to dissuade us....

Not at all, or at least not from me. I simply think that this is a feature that has received quite a bit of coverage on these forums now. If something was going to change from it being brought up here, it would have already happened. I think we should consider other ways to convey to the general leadership of the church how broadly these enhancements are wanted and are being asked for, above other features that might currently be higher on the priority list.

That isn't to say we shouldn't bring up, or discuss suggestions and improvements and changes here, just that if something is getting a lot of repeated attention here for multiple years, perhaps it is time to try a different tack.

benjamincarleski wrote:perhaps it is time to try a different tack.

You mean like having the sisters write to the General Relief Society Presidency?
(Once they get VT, it should be easy to add HT.)

In our Stake we use a "3rd Party" program called "Return and Report". It's a program that let's HT/VT report their contacts electronically.
Check it out at returnandreport.org
Very well done and very useful for tracking HT

benjamincarleski wrote:Not at all, or at least not from me. I simply think that this is a feature that has received quite a bit of coverage on these forums now. If something was going to change from it being brought up here, it would have already happened. I think we should consider other ways to convey to the general leadership of the church how broadly these enhancements are wanted and are being asked for, above other features that might currently be higher on the priority list.

The general leadership of the church is aware that this is important to the local leadership.