Sharing names with the temple, instead of reserving the names.
I recently discovered that I reached the new 300 name limit for reserving names for temple work. However, it has never been my intention to reserve those names, but to share them with the temple. The program prematurely cuts me off from completing the share-with-the-temple process.
Can someone help me to do a step by step fix for this problem. I still have hundreds and hundreds of more spirits waiting for their work to be done. It’s a shame I am stymied at this point.
Thank you,
F Mullen
Answers
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Hi Frederick,
Hope you're having a great Sabbath :). Have you shared the 300 you currently have with the temple yet. The following states that "The Shared with the Temple tab has a separate count that does not apply toward your limit", so once you've shared the reservations you have with the temple you should be able to reserve more.
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The Temple Reservation policy is new to all of us and we will be learning together. Go to the last page of your Reservation List and select ordinances/names to Share with the Temple. Then work your way forward from there.
The link shared by KevinRobinson gives all of the information available at this time regarding the new reservation policy. You may want to pay special attention to the section titled: "After I reach the limit, how do I keep track of family names that I might want to reserve later? Information under the drop-down arrow says:
Use your Following list to bookmark ancestors whose ordinances you might want to reserve in the future. Add the Temple Reservation label to distinguish these names from others you follow for other purposes. See “How do I use the Following list in Family Tree to track ancestors who need temple ordinances?” (Note: You will need to sign in to your FamilySearch account to view the link.)"
We hope this helps
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It seems to me that you might be thinking that I am not sharing my names with the temple. But that’s exactly what I am trying to do.
I first click the blue request button. Then I will normally be able to progress to “share with temple “ However, I keep getting “! You may have up to 300 temple reservations. To ensure ordinances are completed in a timely manner, please complete, share, or unreserve them before requesting more.”
That’s my problem. It won’t let me share with the temple. I can’t possibly do even a quarter of the names in my lifetime.
I believe there is a logjam here.
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Seems the problem is that you go to the "blue request button" instead of going to names in your reserved list.
Follow CJ Tobler's advice by Going to the last page of your Reservation List and select ordinances/names to Share with the Temple. Then work your way forward from there.
We see that you have over 1000 names on your list already, so starting from the bottom of that list and working up, changing the reservations to be Shared with Temple, should do the trick
Refer to this Article to see names you have reserved printed or shared. It should help you then to make some changes:
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I am trying to share with temple for all of these names. I did what you asked me to to do, but the only option I have is to unshare with the temple.
I am thoroughly confused.
My motivation is to share with the temple. It appears that I had that set up correctly from the beginning.
I am completely confused. I will need to talk to someone on the phone. I don’t get this!
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If you wish to talk with someone, please call 1-866-406-1830.
Hope you get the answers you are seeking.
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Everything said so far has been nice, but I am still very upset with the 300 limit. I detailed on the feedback page the issues I am having in detail, but here are the basics. I have currently have nine (9) groups of people that I know who are doing baptisms for me. We/They have appointments on the 30th, the 10th, the 17th, two on the 18th and one on 22nd, for this next three weeks alone. That alone puts me over 300 names.
Before this new rule of 300, I was able to accommodate groups, but now I can't even get names to go on my own for other ordinances.
Effectively, I am blocked from doing ordinances or even from continuing to submit to the temple for others, which I have been able to do in the past. I have put in over 2,300 name in the last five months.
That leaves me with just a few options:
1. Kicking people off the list that I have researched, documented and placed on my reservation list.
2. I will not be able to facilitate youth groups, or friends who are looking for names. They are doing these as a favor to me, and going to the temple more often than they would otherwise.
3. These are names of people who I have identified and researched. They are people who I can feel watching me and encouraging me to do the work.
4. I can just give up, which is a serious inclination, because I am so frustrated.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Debra Rossi
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I have been pondering your concerns for a couple of days and I don't see that the new limits will restrict you at all. Here is a work flow for you that should work just fine:
- Trust that the First Presidency and the Temple Committee approved this new measure as a way to increase, not decrease, the completion of temple work.
- Move all your reservations to your shared-with-temple list.
- Two or three days before a planned temple baptismal session, prepare the cards as follows.
- Go to your shared-with-temple list.
- Open the filter panel and uncheck everything under Filter by Ordinance except Baptism and Confirmation.
- Under Sort click Sex
- Your list will then look like this:
- Check off the number of males and females you need. (You may need to do this one page at a time.)
- Click Unshare.
- On the next panel choose to unshare just baptisms and confirmations. (Then you will not need to move the other ordinances back to your shared-with-temple list later.)
- Go to My Reservations. This will now contain just the baptisms and confirmations for one (or two when you have two the same day) baptismal session.
- Click the checkbox at the top of the list and print everyone. (You will need to do this one full page at a time.)
Using this procedure, your personal reservation list will only contain ordinances that will be completed within the next two to three days and will automatically be completely empty again as soon as the temple finishes recording a baptismal session, ready for you to prepare for the next session when you get close to it.
The worst that will happen is that you might find that a few of the names you reserved and put on your shared-with-temple list will be completed via Ordinances Ready by someone who is actually related to them before you have a chance to give them to youth or others in your ward who are not.
You can use the same procedure for other types of temple sessions. Unfortunately, the Perform Next filter does not function on the shared-with-temple list so if you and a few friends were going to, say, an endowment session, you would want to set the Filter by Ordinance so everything is chosen up to and including endowment so you can see who is actually ready for that before choosing and unsharing them.
By the way, it is great that you can encourage youth and friends to get to the temple so often to help with your family. It would be even greater if you taught and encouraged them to use Ordinances Ready to get the ordinance work done for their own families.
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If you go to your reservation page and look at the top left corner, exactly what do you see on that part of the page?
The first line, My Reservations shows the number of your personal reservations you have kept for yourself. This is the number that has to be under 300 to reserve more names since only you can print and have these ordinances completed. Sharing with a Family Group does not reduce that number.
The second line shows the number of your personal reservations that you have shared with the temple. This number has no limit. They are still your reservations and you can pull them back to your My Reservations list at any time to complete them yourself. (Until the time they are printed by a temple or taken as a 90-day reservation by one of your 1st to 10th cousins.) This list is unlimited because any and all of your extended family and patrons who come to a temple without a name of their own have access to this list to help you complete the ordinance work. Your extended family accesses the list via Ordinances Ready and the temple accesses it just by printing sheets of names.
If your only options with any name is to Unshare, that can only mean that your My Reservation number is zero and your Shared number is whatever it might be and you are in great shape and need do nothing more other than unshare a few of the names and take them to the temple yourself as you are able.
If this is still confusing, then take a screen shot like the one above, not blocking out the numbers, so we can discuss exactly what you may or may not need to do, if you are comfortable doing so.
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I don't have a printer. Before I go, I have to go to a Family History Center, somewhere like Kinko's, or a friend's. I also have the group baptisms I keep talking about. I think I understand what you are talking about, but there are some that I want to do directly, or have a cousin, niece or nephew do. Most of the many I have turned in are cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. There are few of the direct line on the Richards, Rich or Maughan lines. I cherish those and want to do them. I have kept them in my reservations. When you add the baptisms, I am over the limit. I guess it boils down to I would rather keep them than continue to do the work I had been doing.
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As a refinement of what I would suggest doing as outlined above, for anyone who would like to try that way of staying organized, I would offer the further refinement:
- Create a family group that may be just yourself.
- Move to the family group all the reservations for which you personally want to complete the ordinances.
- When going to the temple personally, pull back a name from the family group and print that name.
This will create three lists:
My Family Group list of the 100 or so individuals whose ordinances I am personally going to take care of over the next one or two years or give to a close relative to complete. These would be direct line ancestors back two or three generations, maybe four at the most. These count towards my 300 line limit
My Reservations list of the 50 or so names I have printed out for the ward temple trip trip this week. These count towards my 300 line limit.
My Shared list of the thousands of other names I have completely researched, sourced, documented, established family relationships, and otherwise vetted for temple work and with whom I have a common ancestor so that I am authorized to reserve their names. These names stay on my Shared list so that closer relatives than I am can use Ordinances Ready to find and do their ordinances. I'll pull back just enough names for one ward temple trip at a time. This list is unlimited and does not count towards my 300 lines.
This leaves a buffer of about 150 names on the My Reservations list so that I can complete the research on a family group, reserve the names, then immediately move the names to My Shared list.
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Hello @frederickmullen
Thank you for posting here in the community. If you have reserved names that have been previously shared with the temple you will not be able to share those ordinances with the temple again. If you do have ordinances that have been previously share with the temple they will look like the picture below.
You probably received them through ordinances ready. When you see a green temple with a clock you will know that the ordinance has been previously shared with the temple you can reserve the name and you have 90 days to complete the ordinance. Since it is already shared with the temple you can not share it again. If you wish to share more names with the temple you will need to unreserve those names that are already shared with the temple.
We hope that this information will prove helpful to you and wish you continued success in your family history efforts.
Wjroth
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I would like to report a couple of Issues.
- The "Perform Next" button does not seem to work correctly inside a Family Group. It filters out all of the rows instead of showing those who need a specific ordinance. This is different in than in the My Reservations List.
- If you exceed the 300 limit, then you can no longer reserve ordinances and share them with the Temple. Is this intentional or is it a bug?
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Hello @Kent Jaffa
Thank you for posting your question here in the community.
The reservation limit is a recent addition to FamilySearch to enable more Here is a link to article about the reservation limit.
A new limit of 300 reservations enables you to more easily manage your reservation list. It also allows Church members to more easily find family names and other temple opportunities. Additionally, it helps those beyond the veil receive ordinances in a more timely manner.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/reservation-limit
The filter is not functioning correctly. We will send this a team to investigate and resolve the issue.
We hope that this information will prove helpful to you and wish you continued success in your family history efforts.
Wjroth
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Could you get yourself a printer? By what you've said, it sounds like convenient access to a printer might help.
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WJRoth
Thank you for sending the group filter issue to the team to work on.
Can you please comment on my second issue that you cannot submit shared temple ordinances once you exceed the 300 limit?
Is this an intended block?
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There was a link to the Article from the help center on the reservation limit in the previous post. It is a new policy. We will include the link for the article again. You will need to be signed in to FamilySearch in order to read it.
Here are some links to some blog articles on the subject.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/reservation-limit
We hope that this information will prove helpful to you and wish you continued success in your family history efforts.
Wjroth
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Wjroth
I read your first link to the knowledge article. It states the only way you will be able to share a name with the temple if you exceed the 300 limit is to remove people from your personal reservations or family group by sharing these ordinances with the Temple. With your list below 300, then you can then share names with the temple. Alternatively, you can add people to FS and come back later when your list decreases below 300. Then you can share ordinances with the temple.
If the goal is to get the ordinances done, then the process does not do this. It discourages researcher from finding people, sourcing them and then sharing their ordinances with the temple.
Rather than expedite ordinance completion, it slows the process down. If you add people to FSFT who need ordinances, then these people have to just wait longer until another person discovers them of FSFT and submits their ordinances.
It sounds like it is more important to make ordinances available for others to possibly find rather than expedite their ordinances.
Is this the permanent implementation of the new policy or will the process be fixed so you can share ordinances with the temple when you exceed the limit?
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The current process is that reserved names are first placed on our personal reservation lists then they can be moved to our shared with the temple list. So in order to reserve names, our personal list needs to have fewer than 300 names. This is an intended block.
So, for example, if you have 450 names on your personal lists (My Reservations + Shared to Group), then move at least 200 names to your shared with temple list, where you still have full control over them until they are completed, leaving you 250 on your personal list, giving a nice buffer to be able to reserve a group of names then move them to your shared with temple list which has no restriction on length.
The apparent goal of getting names off of My Reservations and onto Shared-With-Temple will expedite getting ordinances completed because they become available to a wide pool of people that can complete them rather than just the single person that reserved them initially. There is absolutely no reason that it should slow down research because they can be moved to a person's Shared-With-Temple list just as fast as they are found.
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Gordon is right. If you have names on reservations list that have been previously shared with the temple, they cannot be shaped with the temple or any one else again. They look like this;
If you do have some of these you can clean those by unreserving the names. If your goal is share with the temple, you do not want to reserve any ordinance that has a green temple with a clock, they can not be shared again. They are the ordinances that have been shared with the temple previously. They look like the picture below.
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This policy seems to defeat the purpose of a Family Group. If you have a large Family Group and have shared 300 names with your Family Group, you can no longer share newly researched ordinances with the Temple because of the limit.
This intended policy will have the consequence that researchers will not add their findings with FSFT until their limit gets below 300. I have already heard of researchers that will do this. Alternatively, researchers may add to FSFT, however the ordinances will not be able to be shared with their ordinance will be left to the possibility that someone else may stumble on them. Of course a researcher could share ordinances from my reservations to make room for newer ordinances to be added or shared with the temple, however sharing with the temple will take longer for these ordinances to be done than if they were left in the Family Group.
None of the above alternatives will expedite ordinance completion and this policy discourages researchers.
Was this policy developed by FS or the Temple Department?
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I am not talking about ordinances that have been previously shared with the Temple. My concern is about the inability to share newly researched ordinances with the temple without having to fuss with your (My Reservations + Family Group) ordinances.
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My sentiments exactly Kent.
Thank you!
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One other point. Has FS and the Temple Department realized that the grandfather policy is a mirage? If you want to keep your grandfathered names, you can no longer add people to FS and share the newly found ordinances with the Temple. The only way you can share new ordinances with the temple if you are grandfathered is to un grandfather some of the ordinance you have previously reserved if you over the 300 limit.
Why not just go with the already established two year limit and be patient until the COVID delay is over?
Do you want to discourage serious researchers that are really doing a great job finding and sourcing extended family?
Perhaps the new limit should be changed so your reservation list is the same number of rows you have on your shared temple list.
Besides it takes longer than two years for the shared temple ordinances to be done.
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@Gordon Collett Thank you so very much for this most informative lesson on temple reservations. I will be forever grateful to you.
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@Kent Jaffa and @frederickmullen
We understand that members may dislike the new temple policy that places a limit on the number of ordinances that a single individual can reserve. Please bear in mind that temple policies are enacted by the Temple Department under the direction of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency after careful and prayerful consideration. FamilySearch Support is not involved in the temple policy making process and we are not in direct communication with the Temple Department.
We are sorry for your frustration. Changes are often frustrating
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You are welcome Gordon.
WJRoth - How can we give input to the Temple Department?
I am also a temple worker. We are constantly being trained to go out of our way and beyond the call of duty to enhance the patron experience, however some feel like the recent Temple Department policies have detracted from the patron experience.
Not letting patrons keep their cards was a distraction. Their is no way for patrons to prove an ordinance was completed without them. They say this new policy would reduce errors, but now they let the cards stack up and then they rush to do as many as can be done during the 2 hr shift. Further, Patrons liked having the cards. Patrons would drive from Utah County to SL County just so they could keep their cards when this policy was first enacted in Utah County.
Now they are not allow patrons to share new researched ordinances with the Temple, unless they ungrandfather their grandfathered ordinances. They say this will speed up the time to get the ordinances done, but faithful researchers must now slow down the ordinances for their family because they can no longer share with the temple if they are above the 300 row limit. You just enter the fully researched persons into FS and hope someone else will discover these people.
Further, you now need to print four to five cards for a person to get their ordinances done. Sure this can be done, but it is an annoyance.
It appears that the process has become more important than the experience. Yes, there are work arounds, but why the hassle.
thank you for discussing this with me. I suppose you are not paid enough to have to put up with complaints.
Kent
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Kent
So well put ...
I really wish, those in "Authority", would take note of such; especially, from those at the 'Coalface' ..
[ ie. the 'Grass Roots' ... the "Workers" ... those who have to be the Public 'Face' ... each and everyday ... ]
Brett
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Some one needs to really consider and address the issues that Kent Jaffa has so carefully outlined. His concerns reflect those of many of us. This is not about opposing any policy directive from the Temple Department. This is about understanding what is working and what is an impediment and adjusting the policy as needed. Making changes when needed is a truly in accordance to the principles of inspiration and is how the Lord has always guided the church.
First, understand fully what the patrons are saying about the impact this is having on those that are diligent in conducting research.
And second, continuing to emphasize the work arounds comes across as being too rigid and not open for improvement.
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Some of us, who have spent a lifetime researching, indexing, running family history centers, cataloging microfiche, preparing images for viewing from microfilm for FamilySearch, teaching classes in family history on Sundays, and taking research classes at BYU at our own expense to teach ourselves and others how to do Family History are heart-broken at the moment. I feel like those who are considered the Wilford Woodruffs of "Redeem the Dead" have been told, "You have been playing the same note on the Gospel Piano Keyboard too long...go do something else in the Church." Would you tell the most productive and successful Missionaries in the Church to "go do something else, because the way you have been converting people to the Gospel is not the path forward right now...go home and do something else?" Some members wait all their lives to have the time to do Family History and Temple Work, but by the time they retire from their jobs they have disabilities or lack the funds that disqualify them from serving missions, lacking a spouse to serve with them at the temple, in Primary, or any another calling. Some of us can barely afford our internet connection, much less a cell phone. What are we to do? We have already annoyed our friends and family to help us for years to get involved in family history, and most do not want to. It is great to give all the upcoming generation all the opportunities to learn how to do family history and teach others how to do it--but, there is just a long learning curve for them to figure out what all the drop-down boxes from each tab does and, which one they really need at the moment. And when you can no longer reserve a name to turn over to the temple to do, it is hard to enthusiastically teach other people how to do so, until they get to the 300 limit and have to stop. Yes, I could share all my sealings with the temple to do for me and get my Reservation list under 300, but since I hear that the temples are 15 years behind on the shared sealings they already need to do, why would I subject my ancestors to the wait, when I can go the next day after their endowment gets done, which I shared with the temple, to complete their sealings? I have no problem with obedience, but I do have a problem with blind obedience. The Lord always promises us a blessing for obedience--a reason for why we are asked to do something. I get that we are trying to get more relatives to get involved, so they can be blessed with the joy of family history work. I get that new members need ancestors to do, so we have the 110 year policy to help cover that. I am just not feeling the joy personally, because the Middle C on my piano is missing this holiday season, and all the Christmas Carols do not sound so good. Thank heavens Christ is at the helm, who seeks to make the Gospel simple. Hopefully Joseph Smith is standing next to him repeating over and over again, "I teach correct principles, and the people govern themselves."
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