Temple and Family History Leader

[Roy]

My bishop thinks that my organizational skills and administrative skills would be great for a new calling as the Temple and Family History Leader.

This is a fairly new calling within the last year or so. In wards were this calling is left unfilled the responsibilities are to be shouldered by the EQP and RSP. The duties are not super clear. I would hold regular (quarterly) meetings with the Family History Consultants. I would sometimes attend leadership /ward council/ bishopric type meetings when invited. I would help others and provide opportunities for them to help meet ward/stake/and personal goals on the subject of family history and temple work. It seems to be similar to the ward mission leader but for temple and FH work.

The calling does not require a TR. The calling does seem to require the MP.

One concern that I have now is leaving DW in our current calling as Boy's Activity Days Co-Leaders. Bishop said that it would be possible for DW to come with me as a FH consultant. In all but name she would function as Co-leader, because she is the more organized and conscientious half of the couple.

Has anyone had any experience or familiarity with this calling? What sorts of challenges do you think I might encounter as a non-TR holding member?

[DarkJedi]

My experience is not firsthand. A female friend of ours holds the calling. She oversees/encourages family history and temple work and helps encourage the consultants. We have a family history center in our building which she also oversees. She "reports" to a counselor in the EQ and sometimes is invited to ward council. I think the EQC holds the actual calling of leader, but she in reality does all the work. There's also a bishop's counselor assigned to oversee. I don't recall her title (maybe it's family history center director?). She's an "all in" family history person, but we have known her for many years and she always puts 100% into her callings. Since I'm not all that into either family history or temple work it's not a calling I'd jump at, but to each their own.

Knowing you as I do and with things you have shared, I am left to wonder of this is a ploy to get you a "testimony" of family history/temple work and grow your desire to go to the temple so much that you will start paying tithing. (I did read your other post, all Jedi mind tricks - they only work on the weak minded and you are clearly not weak minded.)

[Minyan Man]

I had this position about two years ago & loved it. I love working on the computer, discovering new history about my family and
teaching one on one or small groups. (I never liked teaching big groups.) There is very little orthodox lessons or principles to teach.
It is, for the most part, practical information about "FamilySearch". There were a couple of times where I went to the temple with
the youth & friends to do baptisms & confirmations. In a way, I wish I could of done it with my own children when they were
young.

I also like the idea that we are all related on some level. I found out that my DW & I are 9th cousins. My suggestion is: try it out.

[SamBee]

The workload is not bad. However, I would be prepared for constant demands about raising participation. This can be done, just to a limited degree.

[Roy]

Thank you for the perspectives.

Knowing you as I do and with things you have shared, I am left to wonder of this is a ploy to get you a "testimony" of family history/temple work and grow your desire to go to the temple so much that you will start paying tithing. (I did read your other post, all Jedi mind tricks - they only work on the weak minded and you are clearly not weak minded.)

I did wonder about this. The calling was first presented as something that would require me to have a TR but then after I declined to become a full tithe payer it was decided that a TR was not technically required. I am also struggling with the feeling that the efforts that DW and I have put into Boy's activity days (and cub scouts before that) are not viewed by ward leadership as particularly important. I suppose, upon reflection, my feeling reveals in part my own bias against the importance of temple and family history work. I have a hard time understanding why it makes sense to remove us from a calling that we have successfully done for years working with the youth and instead place us in a calling that our ward has never had before working with temple and family history efforts. I suppose no calling lasts forever. Still, it seems like a rather unceremonious way to end it.

The workload is not bad. However, I would be prepared for constant demands about raising participation. This can be done, just to a limited degree.

I also like the idea that we are all related on some level. I found out that my DW & I are 9th cousins. My suggestion is: try it out.

I do feel that it will not be an overly time consuming calling and I do have at least some interest in learning about my family history AND I feel that I can be a decent spokesman. I plan to tell bishop that I can do it provided that DW and I can work together.

[AmyJ]

I am also struggling with the feeling that the efforts that DW and I have put into Boy's activity days (and cub scouts before that) are not viewed by ward leadership as particularly important. I suppose, upon reflection, my feeling reveals in part my own bias against the importance of temple and family history work. I have a hard time understanding why it makes sense to remove us from a calling that we have successfully done for years working with the youth and instead place us in a calling that our ward has never had before working with temple and family history efforts. I suppose no calling lasts forever. Still, it seems like a rather unceremonious way to end it.

The cynic in me suggests that the leadership may think things will change on your end if you have a more visible calling. But maybe they just want to shake things up a bit.

I do feel that it will not be an overly time consuming calling and I do have at least some interest in learning about my family history AND I feel that I can be a decent spokesman. I plan to tell bishop that I can do it provided that DW and I can work together.

Go you!