In an article that we previously posted on the FamilySearch Consultant blog (Tracking Growth in Ward Temple Submitters), we discussed a report that lists the number of submitters who have submitted a name to the temple. We’ve received comments from several readers asking how we define what a submitter is.
A submitter is any Church member who is a registered FamilySearch.org user, is 12 years old or older, and does the following two things:
- Find—finds a name that is in FamilySearch Family Tree or adds a name that is verified, using genealogical sources, and that isn't a duplicate record
- Print—prints a Family Ordinance Request (FOR) form, which workers at the temple can use to scan and print temple cards
Or...
- Share—shares names with the temple, which means it goes to the temple inventory of names for temple patrons to complete the ordinances for that individual.
Many users contribute names to Family Tree and then reserve them, either so they can continue researching or to perform the temple work at a later time; reserving a name for temple work in Family Tree is NOT counted as a temple submission. Elder Richard G. Scott spoke about this in a recent General Conference, "We encourage those of you who have a large reservation of names to share them so that members of your extended family or ward and stake can help you in completing that work. You can do this by distributing temple cards to ward and stake members willing to help or by using the FamilySearch computer system to submit the names directly to the temple."
Therefore, counting the number of reserved names is not an accurate reflection of how many submitters a ward has because a name may stay on a reserved account for many years before any ordinance work is ever done.
How do I increase the number of submitters in my ward?
Monitoring the number of submitters in a ward isn’t a numbers game. Efforts to increase the number of submitters is done to help provide more members with the opportunity to personally experience the effects of the spirit of Elijah in turning their heart. As more people get involved in submitting a name for temple work, they will be blessed with the opportunity to experience what President Howard W. Hunter refers to as “both halves of the blessing.”
The more a person participates in the process of redeeming the dead the more significant the time in the temple becomes for them. To help provide the blessing of being a submitter to more people, consider the following.
- After you have submitted a name for temple work, consider teaching another family member or a ward member how to find and clear a name from their own family tree.
- If you have several names that are ready for temple work, clear one yourself and then send the Personal Identification number (PID) of a name to other family members. Encourage them to clear a name using the PID number to search for the person, then go to the temple to act as proxy for that person.
- Send someone else a link to a person’s detail page where they will begin the clearing process.
- If you have several names ready to reserve or already reserved for temple work, don’t reserve them all under your name. Instead, reserve some in your name and then share the rest with other family members.
The direction we have received is to increase the blessings each member receives through greater participation in temple and family history efforts. These blessings can continue to grow if we also focus on motivating and teaching other family members, ward members, and friends about the steps to becoming a submitter.
