Glossary

A

Active

Participating on a regular basis, such as attending meetings, observing the principles of the gospel, and accepting Church callings; Under current Church policy, those who attend meetings at least once a month.

AD - Active Directory

Active Directory is an implementation of LDAP directory services by Microsoft for use in Windows environments. AD (also known as EAD) stores information and settings relating to an organization in a central, organized, accessible database.

AF - Ancestral File

A database containing family history information contributed by members of the Church and others from 1979 to 1999. The file contains millions of names linked in family groups and pedigrees. Ancestral File data may be accessed on FamilySearch.org.

Agent Bishop

The Bishop responsible for a meetinghouse when that building has multiple wards.

AJAX - Asynchronous JavaScript and XML

AJAX is a Web development technique for creating interactive Web applications. It exchanges small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes, so that the entire Web page does not have to be reloaded each time the user makes a change.

API - Application Programming Interface

An application programming interface (API) is a source code interface that a computer library provides to support requests to be made of it by a computer program.

Wikipedia Definition

Area

A geographical administrative region of many stakes and missions, usually including hundreds of thousands of members. Areas often cover many nations and are presided over by either a General Authority or an Area Authority Seventy.

Area Presidency

A Presidency of general or regional leaders who preside over an area of the Church.

Area President

A general or regional leader, a General Authority or Area Authority Seventy, who presides over an area of the Church.

ASA

Church-managed Cisco ASA 5505 firewall used for meetinghouse Internet connections.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standard definition employing characters that can be read without conversion.

ASE - Application Service Engineer

ASP - Active Server Pages

ASP is Microsoft's server-side script engine for dynamically-generated Web pages. Programming ASP Web sites is made easier by various built-in objects.

Wikipedia Definition

Auxiliary Organizations

Organizations in a ward that do not include the priesthood quorums. These organizations include the Relief Society, Primary, Young Women, Young Men, and Sunday School.

B

B2B - Business-to-Business

Business-to-business (or B2B for short) is a marketing strategy that involves the transaction of goods or services between businesses (as opposed to relations between businesses and other groups, such as consumers or public administration).

Wikipedia Definition

B2C - Business-to-Consumer

B2C (also business-to-customer) describes activities of commercial organization serving the end consumer with products and services.

Wikipedia Definition

B2E - Business-to-Employee

B2E uses an intrabusiness network that allows companies to provide products and services to their employees. Typically, companies use B2E networks to automate employee-related corporate business.

Wikipedia Definition

Baptism

The initial saving ordinance performed on those who have joined the Church or who have reached the age of eight, characterized by immersing the person completely in water. Baptisms therefore need to be recorded on Membership records.

BI - Business Intelligence

BI is a broad category of applications and technologies for gathering, providing access to, and anlyzing data for the purpose of helping enterprise users make better business decisions.

Wikipedia Definition

Bishop

A priesthood leader responsible for the spiritual and temporal welfare of a ward. Bishops preside over most ward functions and activities, interview members of their wards for worthiness, call members of their ward to callings within the ward and oversee efforts to provide for ward members unable to provide for themselves.

Block Schedule

A schedule of Sunday meetings that takes place in a three-hour period. The block schedule contains the sacrament meeting and Melchizedek Priesthood, Aaronic Priesthood, Relief Society, Young Women, Primary, and Sunday school meetings. See Handbook 2: Administering the Church, section 18 for timing and sequence of meetings.

Blog - Web Log

A blog is a Web site where entries are made in journal style and displayed in reverse chronological order.

Wikipedia Definition

BO - BusinessObjects

Enterprise software that is used for business intelligence.

Born in the Covenant (BIC)

A child who is born in the covenant does not have to be sealed to the parents. A child whose parents were sealed to one another in the temple before the child was born is BIC. A child born after the mother's sealing to her husband is canceled is not BIC. A child born after one of the parents is excommunicated is not BIC.

Branch

The smallest organized unit of the Church. A congregation not large enough to be made into a ward, or not in an area with enough members to make a stake.

Branch Clerk

A priesthood leader responsible for the administrative functions of a branch; generally managing the membership and financial records of a branch.

Branch President

The priesthood holder called and set apart to lead a branch.

Bulletin

(a k a Ward Bulletin or Sacrament Meeting Program) The printed listing of planned prayers, talks and other sacrament meeting elements passed out at the beginning of each Sacrament Meeting in most LDS congregations.

C

CAB

Church Administration Building

Calling

An office or assignment in the Church; An invitation to accept an office or assignment in the Church.

CCN - Church Communications Network

The Church's global network.

CDOL

Church Directory of Organizations and Leaders

CES - Church Educational System

The Church Educational System (CES) serves as the umbrella for all education programs of the Church, including Church-owned universities and colleges, institutes of religion, and seminary programs worldwide.

CFAR

Obsolete. See CUBS.

CHI

Obsolete. See Handbook.

CHQ

Church Headquarters

Church Handbook of Instructions

Obsolete. See Handbook.

Clerk

A priesthood holder responsible for tracking financial and membership information and maintaining the associated records.

Clerk's Office

The room in an LDS meetinghouse or stake center that is used by the Clerks. The room where a unit's financial and membership transactions are made and the associated records are kept.

COB

Church Office Building

Confirmation

An ordinance performed after baptism whereby a person becomes a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This ordinance is performed under the direction of the bishop. One or more Melchizedek Priesthood holders place their hands on the person’s head and confirm them as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and use the wording “Receive the Holy Ghost.” May also pronounce a blessing as inspired by the Holy Ghost. Confirmation for eight-year-old members of record is performed at the baptism. Confirmation for converts is performed at a sacrament meeting on a Sunday following the baptism.

Consolidated Financial Statement

Monthly summary for the stake of all units' financial activity.

Convert

An individual nine years of age or older who is baptized and confirmed a member of the Church, or an eight-year-old whose parents are not members or are being baptized at the same time. Individuals under the age of eighteen must have the permission of both parents before being baptized.

COTS - Commercial Off-the-Shelf

COTS is a term for software or hardware products that are ready-made and available for sale, lease, or license to the general public. They are often used as alternatives to in-house development projects.

Wikipedia Definition

Court

Obsolete. See Disciplinary Council

CRM - Customer Relationship Management

CRM is a broad term that covers concepts used by companies to manage their relationships with customers, including the capture, storage, and analysis of customer information.

Wikipedia Definition

CUBS - Church Unit Banking Services

Introduced in 2010, a worldwide back office system used by administrative offices for financial record-keeping. Over time, all regions will transition from CFAR or LURBS to CUBS.

CUFS

Church Unit Financial Statement (Bank Statement) This has been replaced by the Unit Financial Statement.

D

Disciplinary Council

A council of local leaders and other priesthood holders held to review the inappropriate behavior of a Church member and to decide on appropriate consequences. Councils may also be reconvened after a period of time to see if a member has repented sufficiently to be restored to full fellowship. See chapter 6 of Handbook 1: Stake Presidents and Bishops for details.

District

A district is a smaller version of a stake, organized as the parent unit of branches instead of wards. A district may be organized when there are enough branches in an area to allow easy communication and convenient travel to district meetings. A district president presides over the district and reports to the mission presidency.

District Clerk

Person responsible for all clerical activities in a district.

District President

The district president presides over the district and is assisted by two counselors. The district president reports to and receives direction from the mission president.

DIZ - Development Integration Zone

E

EAD - Enterprise Active Directory

Active Directory is an implementation of LDAP directory services by Microsoft for use in Windows environments (also known as AD) stores information and settings relating to an organization in a central, organized, accessible database.

Wikipedia Definition

EFD - Exploration Findings Document

This document is used to identify possible solutions for a specific project.

Elders Quorum

A quorum in the Church is a combination of a class, a fraternity of brethren, and a service organization. An elders quorum is a group of brethren in a ward consisting of up to 96 elders. After this number is reached, the quorum may be divided under direction of the stake president.

Elders Quorum President

The elders quorum in a ward is presided over by an elders quorum president and two counselors.

Endowment

Instruction received in the temple pertaining to the purposes and plans of the Lord in creating and peopling the earth and in exalting his children in the life to come.

Equalized Contribution

Refers to the support from the General Missionary Fund that results in each missionary serving from a specific country contributing the same amount irrespective of where in the world they serve.

ERC

Employment Resource Center

ERS - Employment Resource Services

EUP - End-User Productivity

F

Family History Center

A Family History Center is a branch facility of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It contains staff to help patrons identify their ancestors through the use of computer programs and microfilms and microfiche that may be ordered from the Family History Library.

Fast Offering

Fast offerings are funds freely given monthly by members of the Church to help the needy. As a general guideline members fast for two meals and contribute the cash equivalent of the cost of the two meals to the Church. The use of fast offerings is at the discretion of the bishop under the direction of the stake president.

FCH - Family and Church History Department

FHC

Family History Center

FHL - Family History Library

Financial Clerk

Person responsible for financial matters in the unit.

FIR - Facility Issue Reporting

The FIR system provides LDS Church leaders, building representatives, and facilities management groups the ability to report and review facility issues electronically. It uses a web interface to streamline reporting, viewing, and resolving of facility issues.

FIS

Old DOS-based local unit financial software that is no longer used. See MLS for current software.

FM Group

Facilities Management Group

FWIW - For What It's Worth

G

General Handbook of Instructions

Obsolete. See Handbook.

Geo code

A code used to group members into geographic areas, usually to analyze how a unit might be divided.

GHI

General Handbook of Instructions. Obsolete. See Handbook.

GIDS - Global Identity Services

Project to create LDS Sign-in.

GIS - Geographic Information System

A geographic information system (GIS) is a system for capturing, storing, analyzing, and managing data and associated attributes which are spatially referenced to the earth.

Wikipedia Definition

GSC - Global Service Center

The GSC enables Directors of Temporal Affairs and Managing Directors to focus on their most important work by providing efficient transaction processing. They make gospel teachings, resources, and services directly and globally accessible in a self-service, scalable, affordable way. They help with questions and problems related to things such as IT support, Distribution Services, and clerk and leader issues.

GSD - Global Service Desk

Former name for the Global Service Center (GSC).

H

Handbook

The policy manual for administering the Church, consisting of two volumes: Handbook 1: Bishops and Stake Presidents and Handbook 2: Administering the Church.

High Priests Group

The stake president presides over the stake quorum of high priests, made up of all the high priests in the stake. The quorum is divided at the ward level into individual high priests groups.

High Priests Group Leader

The high priest group in a ward is presided over by a high priest group leader and two assistants. Under the bishopric’s direction, the high priests group leader coordinates temple and family history work in the ward.

Historical Specialist

Clerk responsible for preparing the annual historical reports.

Home Teacher

Home teachers are priesthood brethren who are assigned families at the ward level to visit monthly, to help and to strengthen. They are assigned by priesthood leaders.

Home Teaching

Home teaching is the responsibility of all Melchizedek Priesthood holders and of those who are teachers and priests in the Aaronic Priesthood. As part of their responsibility to watch over the members of the Church, home teachers visit their assigned families at least once each month to teach and strengthen them.

I

ICS - Information and Communications Systems Department

IGI - International Genealogical Index

A list of names of deceased persons for whom temple ordinances have been performed. The most current version is available on the FamilySearch Web site.

IMOS - Internet Mission Office System

Inactive

A term not officially used in the Church any more. See Less Active.

Inactivity

Individual Ordinance Summary

A form that contains most of the information on a Membership Record that can appropriately be given to a member.

Investigator

IOS

Individual Ordinance Summary

IP - Internet Protocol

An Internet protocol is a unique address that devices use to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network utilizing the Internet protocol standard (IP).

Wikipedia Definition

IROP - Internal Record Of Purchase

A document used to record internal Church purchase transactions. The most common IROP transactions for Church units are those made at LDS Distribution Services online through the LDS Store, in person, or by telephone. Unit IROPs are transmitted electronically through MLS.

J

JSMB - Joseph Smith Memorial Building

K

KB - KnowledgeBase

A database of articles that help individuals resolve issues.

L

Less Active

Participating in Church on an irregular basis, which may vary from coming to a few things a year to never coming at all. Members who attend meetings less than once a month are considered less active.

Line of Authority

The chain of ordinations for a priesthood holder showing who ordained him to his current office, who ordained the ordainer, and so on back to Jesus Christ.

LUAAT

Local Unit Area Auditor Trainer

LUBA

Local Unit Budget Allowance

LURBS

Local Unit Receipting, Reporting, and Banking System - A back office system used by administrative offices for financial record-keeping outside of North America. It provides various reports for local units, including a monthly financial report.

LUS

Local Unit Support Group - Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, provides support for priesthood leaders in Canada and the United States.

LUWS - Local Unit Web Site

Also called the "Classic Ward and Stake Website," these sites were retired at the end of 2012 and replaced by various tools on LDS.org.

M

Member

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a person eight years old or older who has been baptized and confirmed a member of the Church.

Membership

The state of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as evidenced by records kept at Church headquarters and in the local unit's MLS. Records are also created for children of members of the Church who are under eight years old; however, these children are not considered members until eight years old, when they are baptized and confirmed.

Membership Clerk

Person responsible for maintaining membership records on the members of a unit.

Membership Record

MIS

Old DOS-based local unit membership software. See MLS for current software.

MLS - Member and Leader Services (membership and financial software)

MLS software is for use by unit leaders, clerks, auxiliary and quorum leaders, and secretaries at both the ward and stake levels. MLS is designed to make Church record-keeping easier and more efficient.

MRN

Membership Record Number

MSR

Membership and Statistical Records Department - the Church department that is commonly known to clerks as the administrative office.

N

NQI

Non-quality item - a financial transaction that is not complete after 2 months.

NOB - North Office Building

The building that is directly north of the Church Office Building and was previously called the Data Center.

O

Office

A position in the priesthood (such as priest, elder, and high priest) that has attached to it certain duties, responsibilities, and rights.

Ordinance

A ceremony performed by the priesthood for a specific purpose. Examples are baptism/confirmation, ordination to the priesthood, and temple sealings. Some are saving ordinances and must be received by members in order to be saved, such as baptism/confirmation. Others may not necessarily be saving ordinances, such as a child blessing.

Ordination

The bestowal of the priesthood and/or a priesthood office. For example, when a male member is ordained to the office of elder, he receives the Melchizedek Priesthood and is ordained to the office of elder within the Melchizedek Priesthood. Later in life, if he is ordained to the office of high priest, he does not receive the Melchizedek Priesthood again, but is ordained to the office of high priest within the Melchizedek Priesthood. Both examples are considered ordinations.

P

PAF - Personal Ancestral File

A Church-produced computer software program that enables people to compile and organize their genealogy on their personal computers. PAF can help members identify ancestors and prepare their names for temple work.

Patriarch

Patriarch is an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood, and not a calling. A patriarch is recommended by the stake president, sustained in stake conference or stake priesthood meeting, and ordained by the First Presidency or one of the Twelve Apostles or (with written permission from the Twelve) the stake president. Patriarchs give personal blessings to members of the stake (see Patriarchal Blessing).

Patriarchal Blessing

A blessing given to a member by the patriarch of his or her stake. After the member obtains a recommendation from the bishop, he or she is given a blessing in which the patriarch may give the member's lineage, list weaknesses and strengths, pronounce advice from the Lord concerning the member's future, and any other direction or guidance.

PC - Personal Computer

PDD - Project Definition Document

PEC

Priesthood Executive Committee

PEF

Perpetual Education Fund

Perpetual Education Fund

Personal Priesthood Interview

Obsolete. See Priesthood Interview

Physical Facilities Representative

A local priesthood holder responsible for the physical status of a meetinghouse.

PI

Priesthood Interview

PIX

Church-managed Cisco PIX firewall used primarily for FHC Internet connections.

PLT

Priesthood Leadership Travel

PPI

Personal Priesthood Interview. Obsolete. See Priesthood Interview

Presiding Bishop

A General Authority of the Church. The Presiding Bishop and his counselors serve under the direction of the First Presidency to administer the temporal affairs of the Church.

PRF - Pedigree Resource File

A file of lineage-linked data submitted by both members and nonmembers through the FamilySearch Web site. The master index is available online and the entire file is available on CD. The Pedigree Resource File is the successor to the Ancestral File.

Priesthood Executive Committee

Priesthood Interview

A private stewardship meeting between a priesthood leader and a person who reports to him

Q

Quarterly Report

A report of member attendance and other key statistics submitted by wards to the stake and the Church each quarter

R

Recommend

Record

Record Keeping

REFIS

Relief Society

The women's organization of the Church, organized by Joseph Smith in 1842, dedicated to "the exercise of all benevolent purposes." The Relief Society provides Sunday gospel instruction, other Relief Society meetings, visiting teaching, and welfare and compassionate service opportunities.

RS

Relief Society

RSS - Really Simple Syndication

RSS is a Web-feed format that is used to publish frequently updated digital content to consumers who use RSS aggregators to notify them of updates.

Wikipedia Definition

S

SAV - Symantec Anti-Virus

An anti-virus software formerly used on Church-owned computers, such as those used in stakes and wards. All computers should now have the Sophos anti-virus software.

SA - Single Adult

A single member above the age of 30. See also YSA.

SDK - Software Development Kit

SDK is typically a set of development tools that allows a software engineer to create applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, and more.

Wikipedia Definition

SEO - Search Engine Optimization

SERP - Search Engine Results Page

Set Apart

SFS

Obsolete. See Consolidated Financial Statement.

SOAP - Simple Object Access Protocol

A protocol for exchanging XML-based messages over a computer network, normally using HTTP.

Wikipedia Definition

Sophos Anti-Virus

An anti-virus software currently used on Church-owned computers, such as those used in stakes and wards.

SORT

An internal conference hosted by ICS for technical Church employees.

SRD - Solutions Requirement Document

The SRD is used to identify the business requirements and business case for a proposed technology project.

SSH - Secure Shell

SSH is a communication system that uses public-key cryptography to establish a secure connection between remote computers.

Wikipedia Definition

Stake

Stake Clerk

Person responsible for all clerical activities in a stake.

Stake President

The stake president presides over the stake and is assisted by two counselors. The stake president reports to and receives direction from the presidency of the Seventy or from the Area President.

Stake Technology Specialist

Person responsible for the technology assets of the stake and each ward in the stake.

Statistical Clerk

Person responsible for collecting and preparing the Quarterly Report.

T

TEM - Tivoli Endpoint Manager

Replaced LANDesk as the official software CHQ uses to centrally manage and secure the global fleet of Church-owned computers. TEM will install and utilize the BES Client service.

Temple

Temple Ordinances

Temple Recommend

Temporal

Tithing

Tithing Settlement

U

Unit

A congregation or other function in the Church that is responsible for its budget. Wards, Stakes, Branches, Districts, Family History Centers, etc., are all examples of Units.

Unit Financial Statement

the Unit Financial Statement has replaced the old Church Unit Financial Statement.

V

Visiting Teacher

Visiting Teaching

VoIP - Voice Over Internet Protocol

The technology that allows voice communication (such as telephone) over a network instead of through traditional phone lines. The Church has deployed VoIP in several locations indlucing BYU, the North Office Building, the Triad Center, and Ghana.

Wikipedia Definition

VPN - Virtual Private Network

VPN is a private communications network often used within a company, or by several companies or organization, to communication confidentially over a publicly accessible network.

Wikipedia Definition

W

Ward

Ward Budget

Ward Clerk

Person responsible for all clerical activities in a ward.

Ward Council

Ward Welfare Committee

Welfare

Welfare Services

Y

YM - Young Men

Single male members between the ages of 12-18.

YSA - Young Single Adult

A single member between the ages of 18-30. See also SA.

YW - Young Women

Single female members between the ages of 12-18.