Out of Unit Limitations

[daneastman42]

So I have a weird 1 in a million situation. My father-in-law was teaching English in China and serving as Branch President. He was sent back to the USA during the pandemic and has been here for over a year and is awaiting news to return. Even though the branch in China is non existent because most of the people have left, the District President doesn't want to release him, as they need a Branch President for organizational purposes.

Anyways, we have called him to help out in the Elders Quorum here, but we don't have his records. I figure we just never make it official on the church records or we do a Out of Unit Member. I'm curious if we do the latter, will it automatically release him as a BP? Same scenario for my Mother-in-law.

[russellhltn]

Moving his records would release him. I don't think adding him as a out-of-unit member would change anything.

If you don't make him an out-of-unit member, he'll never have access to anything on-line with your ward.

[daneastman42]

I just don't want to give him a calling here and then have it remove the one in China

[jdlessley]

An out-of-unit record and calling has no affect on the member's record or callings in the unit in which the membership record resides.

The one negative of an out-of-unit record is that you cannot make any official ministering assignment within the system for the member.

[sbradshaw]

The above is correct in my experience – creating an out-of-unit membership record and assigning a calling to that record in the USA ward won't affect his "real" record and his calling in the branch in China. He will still be recorded as the branch president there.

Here's the relevant General Handbook section on out-of-unit member records:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... e_number68

There are a lot of callings that anyone could fill (even a non-member!), but the one thing that comes to mind is that if the calling has specific requirements in the Handbook, like temple worthiness, I would be hesitant in extending the calling without coordinating with the district leaders in China, since the stewardship for ordinances and worthiness interviews is through the ward/branch where his actual records are. Maybe you already have coordinated with them, or maybe the calling doesn't have any special qualifications.

[russellhltn]

This is does raise an interesting question - since he's been here for "over a year", his temple recommend is going to expire pretty soon. Normally, only the unit with the real record can issue a new one. However, I do have to wonder how that works for mission presidents or temple presidents since they could also be the same situation and physically far from their home ward.

Also, given the shift in political climate, he might want to take a hard look at the likelihood of him returning anytime soon.

[jonesrk]

If I remember correctly if you are going to be in a unit for more than 3 months you are supposed to move your records anyway. it seems like the right thing to do is to move his records. (see Handbook 33.6.4)

Again if I remember correctly within CDOL it won't release him as branch president when you move his records. It will just put him on a list that may get the District President contacted to see what they are going to do about replacing him.

[stephenwhitmer]

If you move his record, it will release him as Branch President. If you add him as an out-of-unit member, he will retain his calling as Branch President where his actual record resides.

[jonesrk]

If you move his record, it will release him as Branch President. If you add him as an out-of-unit member, he will retain his calling as Branch President where his actual record resides.

CDOL releases most positions when records move out but there are a few that it doesn't auto-release. Branch President is one of them that it skips.

[2dwilsons]

We have a missionary couple who would like access to our stake directory and were instructed to contact me to have them added. As a stake clerk, I receive an "access denied" when I follow the out of unit members and callings link from the help center LCR procedures. What do I need to do?