Need some advice here.

Bishop says my "name removal" will go faster if I send the letter to him first. He says this way we won't have to wait for SLC to kick down a letter to him if I sent it directly to SLC first.

Thoughts?

Give him a copy of the letter, but make sure that you send a copy to SLC (might not hurt to get both notarized - pay a bit extra to get the confirmation when the turds at the COB get the letter)

Send it to SLC with a copy to the bishop. That way he can get started on it, but SLC will provide oversight. You want that oversight because if your bishop drags his feet on doing the paperwork, SLC will process your resignation in 60 days from receipt regardless.

Yep, I'd send to both.

Can I get away with this via email? Anyone know the most up-to-date email address for SLC?

The bishop doesn't need to sit on it knowing SL also has a copy. I don't understand why he'd say that would slow it up. This bish might be prompt but many are not and they don't move on resignations until SL receives notice and reminds them.

A couple of notes:

1st, e-mail instructions to resign are on the main page, with the current e-mail address for the business office that handles resignations, lots of good info there: http://www.exmormon.org/remove.htm

2nd, and most important, your resignation is immediate once and authorized member of the church receives your request to no longer be a member. This means as far as YOU are concerned, there is no greater length of time if you send it to the bishop or church headquarters. Once they receive your request you are legally done and out. They no longer hold any sway over you, it is illegal for them to try an excommunicate you after they receive your request. They don't even have to acknowledge your request. You are done. Everything else is busy work FOR THEM. It makes them feel important if they have to jump through all kinds of hoops when someone leaves. Let them make a big deal over it, you don't have to.

3rd, all the above said, they can't resist getting one last love bomb in. And some argue that they are just trying to validate that you are you you claim to be and that you really mean to have resigned. I say bull, it's busy work to make them feel important. So, due to the busy work, they will mail you a "No really, don't go... We miss your tithing!" letter... a couple of weeks later you'll get a "OK, fine, I guess you mean it. You're out on our paperwork". Why they get the local Bishop involved is anyones guess, it's thought that it gives someone local the chance to stop in and make you feel bad for wanting to be free of them, it can also be that it's an opportunity to both make the bishop feel bad for losing one of his flock and to give him something to do. None of that matters! You are out from the moment that they receive the paperwork.

When I resigned, I sent copies to both church headquarters and the local bishop (whom I had never met) and let them know that I had contacted the other and to please process as quickly as possible. If your bishop gives you any flack, there is an 800 number that you can call at church headquarters (see the link above) letting them know that the bishop is not following church protocol and that you want your paperwork processed asap.

Anyway, congratulations! It is nice getting that final letter in the mail saying that you are officially out from their prospective.

It's quite the opposite. Most bishops will sit on it and then try to win you back and never pass your request upward. The only sure way is to go straight to Confidential Records in SLC. You can, and probably should, CC your bishop and SP.

Besides, most resignations seem to be going quite quickly these days. Mine took 5 1/2 months.

Don't believe bishops. They are there to serve the church and not you. Chances are good that he might take care of it, but it's more likely that he will drag his feet for as long as possible. In fact, years from now you are very likely to discover that you are still a member.

Also, depending on what kind of a guy he is, it might be best to leave him entirely out of the loop. If you send him a cc'd copy he could try to bugger up the works by implying that there is a disciplinary issue involved because you disobeyed his counsel. The result will be the same, just with more drama.

There's lots of good advice already given, but myself, I'd leave him out of it. Remember-the church is just a volunteer outfit with no tangible benefits, except for words and handshakes that are the results of your performance. Choose whatever course you prefer, but obeying the bishop is to validate his position.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

This immediately pinged memories of "Sure, we can do that - just don't tell mom"

I wouldn't be surprised if he was planning to tell you that you were good to go - but never mention anything to "corporate".

a) to keep his numbers up
b) to save you from yourself

If you are confident your Bishop will process it immediately, then that probably would be the fastest way. Corporate HQ will simply forward your request to your Bishop for final approval anyway, so you might as well start with him.

However, like other posters have suggested, send a resignation letter to both sides, just in case one or the other is slow.

If you don't see any confirmation in a month or two, then it got hung up somewhere and call HQ to finish the job or threaten them with legal action. They will then do it pronto.

Email the bishop - a simple letter, short and to the point.
Give him the pertinent info: name, birth date.
Indicate you have resigned your membership as of the date of the email.That is all the info they need. You can email SLC also just to keep on top of the process and request confirmation.

They don't care why you left, it's just administrative. They may ask a lot of questions however, once the email is received, you are no longer a member and under no obligation to tell them anything. (Unless you want to, of course.)

Makes me wonder if the number of resignations taking place within a ward/stake is tracked. The higher the percent, the more critism the bishop's performance receives from the stake/area authority level.

When we resigned we mailed our resignation to the bishop and CC'd the stake president. We received a letter a week later from the stake president telling us the matter would be handled by the bishop and a letter from the bishop telling us our request was being processed. A few months later we received our confirmation letter from church headquarters. It was really quite painless.

Your bishop is 100% correct. (But this is only true for your bishop.)

If you submit your resignation through the bishop and he actually follows the process you could have your final letter within 2-3 weeks.

However, it is a good idea to submit it to Salt Lake as well in case the bishop doesn't follow procedure and tries to save you instead of following the process. Where your bishop has already indicated he will expedite it it should be sufficient. Make sure to remind him to waive the 30 day waiting period.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2013 02:10PM by The Oncoming Storm - bc.

I sent it to the local bish who sat on it for a long time. This was before I knew of the official process. After several years I checked to see if my name was off the list and it wasn't. A new bish was in charge and he handled it quickly and with little fuss. Go the extra mile to make sure it happens the right way.

Send an email to both, stating your resignation is effective immediately. Give it three weeks, if you get no response in way of a formal letter saying your name has been removed, then email them again, and refer to your prior email. You'll get the letter of confirmation almost immediately.