I sent in my letter of resignation two weeks ago. I received this letter in my mailbox today:

Dear Sister ____ (never like being called Sister lastname),

I have been asked to acknowledge your recent letter in which you request that your name be removed from the membership records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I have also been asked to inform you that the Church considers such a request to be an ecclesiastical matter that must be handled by local priesthood leaders before being processed by Church employees. Therefore, your letter and copy of this reply are being sent to President _____ of the ____ Stake. He will have Bishop ____ of the ____ Ward contact you concerning the fulfillment of your request.

In view of the eternal consequences of such an action, the Brethren urge you to reconsider your request and to prayerfully consider the enclosed statement of the First Presidency.

Sincerely,
Confidential Records

Enclosure (An Invitation) ....to come back. When hell freezes over!

What do I do next? I'm not a lifelong member - only a couple of years, but I thought the process would be easier. I already sent the guy an email, but I didn't get a response. Does that mean I have to put up a stance on this issue?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2012 12:19PM by missmarymac.

No worries. We've all been through the same process.

What this means is that your resignation was sent on to the local priesthood leaders to handle. They will either:

1. Just process your resignation, in which case you'll get a confirmation letter in the mail in a few weeks

Or

2. Call you, stop by, or send over one of the minions to your door to ensure that you are who you say you are, and that you did, indeed, send the email asking for resignation. Almost all the time, it's handled with a quick "yes that is me and yes I do want to resign", they say thank you and that's that.

Nothing to be concerned about. If neither 1 or 2 happen, let us know.

In either case, you are OUT!! Congratulations.

It is just their way of making people jump through their hoops, as if they are "allowing" you to resign. It is just stupid, but it must make them feel like they are in charge. hehe

I had no idea who my bishop even was as I moved to a new place months before resigning. So, when this bishop sent me his letter stating that he was so disappointed that I wanted my name off the records but that he would "allow" it, it just cracked me up. Then weeks went by with no final letter. I made a phone call to Greg Dodge, got his voice mail and left him a message. What do you know, I had my final letter in 2 days.

Again, it is just their little power play. You are out. Let them do their little dance.

But don't you just LOVE the four-color glossy brochure? Do they really think that pictures of those creepy old white men would make anyone change her mind?

Actually, I had considered framing my two "Dodge" letters, the "bishop" letter and the brochure and hanging them in pride of place like Mormons hang pictures of profits and temples, but I don't have enough TBMs coming to visit to make it a worthwhile statement. And heaven knows, I don't want to have to look at them.

Contratulations on your decision to move on!

Jan...OMG...opening it up only to see those three men. I didn't even read it - ripped it in two like all junkmail and in the trash it went.

Oh good!...I can handle that! Thanks. I have never been so adamant against anything in my life - well, except to divorce my now ex-husband but that's another forum. :).

It sounds like you are right on track.

The typical next step is that your bishop will contact you and ask to meet with you. What will happen depends completely on the bishop.

If you refuse to meet with your bishop your membership removal will still go through.

If you meet with your bishop it will go through more quickly - especially if you ask for the 30 day waiting period to be waived.