Procedures
After the First Presidency has given approval for a ward to be discontinued and the stake presidency has announced and implemented the change, ward and stake clerks should follow the instructions below. Please make sure these tasks are completed within seven days of the implemented change(s).
Ward Clerk:
- Move membership records as soon as possible to the appropriate ward(s) using the Move Records after Boundary Realignment tool in LCR.
- Dispose of temple recommend books.
- Give all printed and electronic financial documents to the stake clerk. This includes any backup removable storage devices and drives. The stake should keep the records for the time required by administrative policy and local laws.
- Shred any printed membership records.
- Destroy unused checks. (Note: Any unused budget balances will automatically be transferred to the stake. The unit should not write checks to transfer funds to the stake.)
- Missionary charges should be transferred to the receiving unit. The clerk transferring the charges should include the missionary’s full name, the new ward to be charged, and the effective date of the change.
Stake Clerk:
- Ask the stake president to determine whether a final financial audit is necessary. This usually depends on the quantity of financial data available for the audit period.
- If a financial audit is needed, the audit may be performed immediately using a paper audit form, or the audit may be performed at the end of the current audit period using the Local Unit Financial Auditing System (LUFAS). Completed paper audit forms, if used, should be sent to the assistant area auditor.
- If a financial audit is not needed, the stake audit committee chairman should notify the assistant area auditor of the discontinued unit to have the unit removed from LUFAS.
- Notify wards of the budget allocation changes.
- After all of the ward and stake clerk tasks above have been completed, send an email to the Global Service Center (oiservices@ldschurch.org) to inform them that the unit has been discontinued. Include the unit name and number and the date the unit was discontinued.
Stake Technology Specialist:
- Erase all information from the hard drive of the computer (see clerksupport.lds.org for free software and instructions), and follow the computer transfer and disposal guidelines to reuse the computer for a new ward in your stake. These guidelines are available from Church headquarters or the assigned administrative office. If there are no new wards in the stake, return the computer to the facilities management group.