New System for Temple Recommends?

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barkeraj
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New System for Temple Recommends?

#1

Post by barkeraj »

Saw this article in the November 2021 Liahoha for New System for Temple Recommends which in its entirety says
Beginning October 25, 2021, leaders in selected stakes will issue temple recommends—except recommends for living ordinances—using Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR) to print the recommends. Priesthood leaders may apply a digital signature to these recommends, or they may sign the recommend as is currently done.

Using digital signatures is the most secure method for issuing temple recommends, and where possible, digital signatures should be used. Church leaders expect that by December 13, 2021, all Church units will be using LCR.

In addition, the design of the recommend that unendowed members use to participate in proxy baptisms and confirmations has been updated. The designation “limited-use temple recommend” will no longer be used.

Members who were issued an older-style recommend may continue to use that recommend until it expires.
I'm curious if anyone has more info about how it will work? How do you enter a digital signature? If it is digital, how does it go from ward to stake? Does "using Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR) to print the recommends" (emphasis mine) mean at the stake level we have to print a recommend after the interview similar to how the youth recommends are done for the ward? If so, it seems like this will be a huge waste of paper to print 20-30 recommends each week (one per page using a small portion of the page), where having it available in the Tools app would save trees, not be losable, and be more convenient. It would be odd to go to an even more paper intensive process in this day and age.
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Re: New System for Temple Recommends?

#2

Post by russellhltn »

barkeraj wrote: Sun Nov 21, 2021 8:33 am How do you enter a digital signature?
Most digital signature systems I've seen require you to press a button on the app/website and re-enter your password. In some cases, I've seen where a image of a signature is applied to the document.

Anything requiring hardware is going to create a number of problems.

What I'm curious about is if the recommend itself will become digital. I have mixed feelings about that. It's either going to slow down check-in, or make it too easy to forge/copy. However, on re-reading, it appears it will still be printed (for now).

My concern is that temple interviews will now be held in the clerk's office to have quick access to the printer.
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barkeraj
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Re: New System for Temple Recommends?

#3

Post by barkeraj »

> It's either going to slow down check-in, or make it too easy to forge/copy

I'd disagree with both of those. Stadiums, airlines, most anyone who uses tickets have digital options that they wouldn't have done if it was slower or easier to forge. A paper recommend is just as easy if not easier to forge as you can copy/photo one in a wallet without any pin/face/thumb restricted access and print it out to scan the barcode as I doubt the people at the front desk are trained to look for printing artifacts or anything (especially as they will now officially be printed).

> My concern is that temple interviews will now be held in the clerk's office to have quick access to the printer.

We have 3 presidents going at once so while I don't see the interviews happening in the actual clerks office, I don't see how it doesn't become chaos of trying to manage people awaiting interviews, having presidents needing to log in and find a member to digitally sign something, then printing those out and getting them to the right people. The interview experience would seem to slow as a result :(

Thus my wondering if anyone here is in that Oct 25 group to shed light on the reality.
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Re: New System for Temple Recommends?

#4

Post by sbradshaw »

barkeraj wrote: Sun Nov 21, 2021 8:33 am… it seems like this will be a huge waste of paper to print 20-30 recommends each week (one per page using a small portion of the page) …
If you have a straight-edge cutter, you could chop off the paper under the recommend and feed the same (shortened) page into the printer for the next recommend.
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Re: New System for Temple Recommends?

#5

Post by garystroble »

Our ward/stake has 2 bulletins regarding new temple recommend procedures for both regular recommends for endowed members and recommends for proxy baptisms and confirmations for unendowed members this morning, but both bulletins will not open on the church web page, just says please try again later. When downloaded, they will not open either.
Last edited by garystroble on Mon Nov 22, 2021 11:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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barkeraj
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Re: New System for Temple Recommends?

#6

Post by barkeraj »

garystroble wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 11:19 am Our ward/stake has 2 bulletins on new temple recommend procedures for both regular recommends and limited use ones this morning, but both bulletins will not open on the church web page, just says please try again later. When downloaded, they will not open either.
Same. Tried over and over on multiple machines :(
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Re: New System for Temple Recommends?

#7

Post by garystroble »

Apparently the PDF's were not checked to see if they worked before they were uploaded. Or they became corrupted somehow.
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Re: New System for Temple Recommends?

#8

Post by garystroble »

I see one of them is working now.
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barkeraj
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Re: New System for Temple Recommends?

#9

Post by barkeraj »

The PDFs have some fluff and eventually link to this page https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/hel ... s?lang=eng

I'd say this is a big step backwards and I don't see the real benefit. It creates more work for Stake Presidents to have to look people up for each interview, more work for clerks to look up and print out, wastes paper (even with the page re-use suggested above) and gives no advantage to the member other than being able to print it again if they loose it on the way home, but not after one day.

What am I missing here that is the advantage or reason to change things up?
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Re: New System for Temple Recommends?

#10

Post by garystroble »

barkeraj wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 12:03 pm The PDFs have some fluff and eventually link to this page https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/hel ... s?lang=eng

I'd say this is a big step backwards and I don't see the real benefit. It creates more work for Stake Presidents to have to look people up for each interview, more work for clerks to look up and print out, wastes paper (even with the page re-use suggested above) and gives no advantage to the member other than being able to print it again if they loose it on the way home, but not after one day.

What am I missing here that is the advantage or reason to change things up?
Am suspecting someone is trying to tighten up security on the recommends somehow, but this system does not seem to get there in my opinion. Perhaps there is another step coming later which will reach that goal. Meanwhile, starting this during tithing settlement and the holiday season is going to be interesting at best.
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