Depending on where you are in the world, Church services right now might look different than what you’re used to. If you’re attending in person, you might see a ward technology specialist setting up a camera to broadcast the meeting to those unable to attend in-person. And if you’re attending remotely, you might be wondering if anyone recognizes that you’re there.
A February 10 notice from the Finance and Records Department of the Church gives guidelines for how wards and stakes should record attendance of both people attending in person and remotely.
“Due to COVID-19, the Church has implemented guidelines for gathering members safely at stake conferences, sacrament meetings, and class and quorum meetings. These guidelines vary throughout the world, based on local conditions, and include both in-person and virtual attendance,” the notice reads. The notice then provides guidelines for recording attendance as a temporary solution until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
For sacrament meetings and stake conference, the notice recommends two options for recording attendance:
- Estimate attendance based on the number of connections and the average number of people per household (using unit statistics or a detailed counting of a meeting to establish a baseline).
- Ask members attending remotely to report the number of attendees in their household.
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For class and quorum meeting attendance, a new feature in Member Tools and Leader and Clerk Resources allows leaders to record attendance by name.
Learn more details about these options at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. You may have to login with your Church account to view the notice.