Is there a way to create records for unbaptized children over 8?

[ryanmercer]

I was called to be ward clerk yesterday, the guy I'm replacing hasn't been on top of things. Before I was even set apart I was given a list of children that aren't attached to their parent's records, nearly all of which are over 8. After reaching out to all of the parents to start collecting info. When I went in today to start the process so I could print the forms to get them signed by the parents I discovered I, apparently, can not create records for children over 8 that have not been baptized unless the bishop has found them unaccountable.

Looking at old posts on here it appears there used to be a way to create 'non member' records, however, in LCR I only see "create record" now with no way to select 'non-member' as per much older threads. Is there a way to do this in 2021?

[ryanmercer]

Huzah, I found it on my own.

I navigated to the head of household, add child, no to being a member.

[russellhltn]

I navigated to the head of household, add child, no to being a member.

All that does is add the child to the father's "genealogy". You'll quickly find that the child doesn't appear in the directory or on any class roles.

I don't think there is any solution short of baptizing them.

[ryanmercer]

Ah, well then. Hrmph!

[russellhltn]

You can call support and see if there's a way to have it input on their end. However, you'd have to get a signed form from the parents to make it happen. And given that the children aren't baptized, I'm suspecting getting a signed from won't be as easy as catching them next Sunday.

[B_Seegmiller]

There used to be a way in MLS. There is an adult child (not accountable due to a childhood accident) who wasn’t showing up in the directories, and essentially unknown the quorums or auxiliaries or the bishopric. This also meant he would never be able to receive a temple recommend when his parents would be sealed, along with his siblings. Fortunately I was able to talk with someone in the membership department who could tell me how to do it in MLS, and it worked. With the advent and development of LCR, MLS has had its wings clipped considerably. I’d been the stake clerk at the time, and this family had been on my mind for some years. Now, the bishopric, EQ, and RS can now see him in the directory and know that this very real individual exists.

I can understand why a bishop’s sign-off on the accountability would be important, but unfortunately the then-current bishop was a strange bird who got weird with anything he didn’t know about, nor understood. He would also forbid me from talking to the ward clerk, which made things awkward, but the clerk understood how his calling was made, and who it was received from.

[russellhltn]

There used to be a way in MLS. There is an adult child (not accountable due to a childhood accident) who wasn’t showing up in the directories, and essentially unknown the quorums or auxiliaries or the bishopric.

"Not Accountable" is a completely different situation. OP is trying to play catch-up after a slacker. I don't think there's anything he can do short of seeing if support can help him out.

[B_Seegmiller]

A slow grind, indeed.

[BrianEdwards]

I think the OP situation is analogous to an adult who is baptized, but only some (or none) of their 8+ year old children are baptized. Those who aren't baptized can/should be added to the household, but won't show up on class roles. The important role of a clerk in this case is to help organization leaders realize who is out there that the standard reports won't list, so they are included in outreach (if appropriate and desired, etc).

This situation may have occurred because of internal oversight (nobody noticed or took action), or possibly was purposeful (parents were aware but chose not to take action). But once this point is reached, looks like that's all you can do.

[jeol]

My situation is for Parents who adopted a child who is over 8. She comes to classes and activities but is unbaptized. She will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. I'll reach out to church records.