DW & I along with our 4 children resigned in Feb 2006 from LD$ Inc. This past week my MIL called DW and stated that during her annual tithing settlement/review of membership record stuff, she noticed that DW membership information (not sure what that meant) has "reappeared" after not being on there for the past several years! Note: My DW has never told her parents that we resigned.

Why would any membership stuff "appear" on the record if it was off for a few years? I have heard that when you resign they NEVER really remove your name, but I am wondering why it would be gone for a few years and then back on again?

I'd be on the phone to Greg Dodge tomorrow.

That is really creepy.

;o)

That's interesting.

I hope that's not the case; having my name removed from others' records is a big reason for doing it.

Could be a new directive; could just be a programming flaw. Despite all the efforts we go through for ordinances, it's really just data in a data base that matters.

If true, I'd bet that if exmos complained loudly enough, it would be changed (or fixed).

Is is possible he was just working off an old printout?

That's why begging the LDS Church for permission to leave is ridiculous. They cannot hold you, and you have no control over what they do with their records.

At the time of my exit, I and my family were very active and it was a huge shock. I chose to formally resign so that I made a statement about how serious I was. For example, a few years ago I was visiting with one of the few LD$ friends I had left. He was really bothered that I resigned instead of just quietly leaving. I reminded him of our time as bishopric members (we were counselors together) and how we would pester inactives who were on the records. In fact we would say, "I will continue to visit you as long as you are on my HT list etc...". That is why I did it my way. I really don't give a $hit if a number appears ANYWHERE, I only know that NO ONE attempts to come and see me EVER! My reason for the post was inquiring rather than worry or fear. I have been out for too long to really give a rats A$$.

Adam

But axledc is right. You can check-out anytime you want, but you can never leave.

Timothy

Not true axel. There is legal precedent for resigning from a church and permanently removing your name from the records. Somebody else will have to provide the case name. Don't feel like googling.

Adam, your family and ours resigned at the same time - you know that our exits were parallel. One of the HUGE reasons I didn't want to resign is because I knew DH's membership record number would be dropped from the family information on his parents tithing settlement slip. Since they are leadership-types in the church, I was certain they would know the significance of XXXXXXXXXXXXX next to his name in the column with all his siblings and their actual membership numbers.

That would have been a nightmare for all involved.

For that very specific reason - my husband did not actually resign (I did along with all of the children). He is still technically on the rolls of the church, although he has not attended in 5 years.

There is NO WAY IN HELL that membership number should have popped back up next to your wife's name (especially since it's been missing for years!) unless she has gone behind your back and been re-baptized. ;o)

Again, I would call Greg Dodge in Membership Records at COB asap. (SusieQ always comes up with the phone number). If I were your wife, I'd be fuming mad that the church was trying to "make" me a member again. You and your family went through a lot of anguish and effort to get out.

Good luck.

;o)

In you sub line you mention DW's "member number" reappearing. In the body of the post, it sounds like you don't know what was on the record in question other than her name. Was there a member number? Was there a baptismal date listed?

So even within your own post, there is at best ambiguous information. I suspect that the communication from DW's parents is even more uncertain. You're taking their word on issues about which they are highly emotional, and about which church officials give them very little information. That is an excellent recipe for them to misperceive information they get from LDS Inc.

So, there could be nothing here. I'd make a quick call to Greg Dodge and just double check that DW is out, and ask what the deal is.

I'm pretty sure "Revocation of Resignation" is an ordinance that is beyond the pale, even for LDS Inc. :) They are, however, capable of bureaucratic screw-ups.

and that was poorly communicated. The best I can sumise is that DW's name & membership number has reappeared on their list of children. I am not positive but that is my guess. her Mom just said that DW was not "listed" for a few years and this year it is back on. Again, just a guess and I am sorry for the ambiguous information.

Even when you are a grown adult, out on your own for decades, we still show up on our parents tithing settlement papers?

How's that?

I don't care if I'm on my parents paperwork, it just seems strange to be carrying around your grown adult children forever.

They probably sneak them back "in" just so they can count them and claim the crutch is still growing. This is why I haven't bothered to resign.

removes your membership name, number, etc.
I have maintained you can't really removed your membership for years, and this is just more proof that I am correct!!

Contact: Greg Dodge -- they accept email now.

Here is the Phone And Fax Number:
Member Records Division
801-240-2053 - Phone
801-240-1565 - Fax
1-800-453-3860 ext 22053 - Toll Free
Email:
dodgegw@ldschurch.org

and it's totally passive aggressive.

Maybe they create membership record #s for all immediate family members since my wife and I are still on the records.

A membership clerk can create a non member tracking record. This is often done when a child is named and blessed (child of record) and is not baptized by age 9. The record will disappear from the ward, and there is no way to track the child for purposes of hounding (primary, etc.). Or, there is a member whose spouse is not a member. The clerk can create a non member tracking record, including all info available. Again, this is used by the ward to track the member, such as for visiting teaching, etc.

Done it many times as a ward clerk.