Great blessings come from providing temple ordinances for our kindred dead. What follows are important updates to some of the tools, resources, and processes being developed to hasten this important, eternal work.

We hope these adjustments will make it simpler and easier for Church members to participate in family history and temple service, as well as share the joy that comes from serving ancestors. Watch this post for continued updates to temple ordinance reservations.

Update: August 20, 2020—Updates to Temple List Filter

Based on helpful feedback for the temple list filter, FamilySearch has created two new filter options and a filter count. These updates will allow you to see better which ordinances can be worked on next and how many of your reservations are included under each filter.

New Filter Options

The new Waiting option helps you see just those ordinances that are on hold until prior ordinances have been completed. You can use the Perform Next option to see which ordinances are available for you to take to the temple now. This option filters out those ordinances that need a prior ordinance.

Tip: The Perform Next option works well with other filter options. For example, if you want to print a list of endowments for your next temple trip, you can click Perform Next (under the View section of the filter) and Endowment (under Filter by Ordinance) to see a list of endowment ordinances ready to be taken to the temple.

With this update, the Printed and Not Printed options also filter ordinances that require prior ordinances. When you view all ordinances, ordinances that are waiting will automatically sort to the bottom of the list.

Filter Count

When you visit the Temple lists page and use any of the filter options, a count of how many reservations apply to that option now appears next to the word “Filter.”

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Update: August 20, 2020—New Symbol for Temple Icons with 90-Day Expiration

When you visit FamilySearch and see a green temple icon with a small clock on it, the ordinance reservation you are looking at was previously shared with the temple and has a 90-day expiration date. FamilySearch added these small icons to distinguish between reservations that expire within 90 days and those that expire within 2 years.

When reserving ordinances, you can choose all the available 90-day reservations for an ancestor, all the available 2-year reservations, or both. For example, if all an ancestor’s ordinances have been shared with the temple except for the sealing ordinances, you can now reserve just the sealing ordinances, if desired.

This update will help users more easily share ordinances with the temple and know when they have ordinances that were previously shared with the temple. As you share ordinances, please remember to be respectful of family members and reserve or share ordinances only for your own relations. (For more information on who you can do temple work for, read the First Presidency message “Names Submitted for Temple Ordinances.”)

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Update: June 11, 2020—Help Others on Temple Pages

Recently, the Temple menu on FamilySearch.org was updated with a simpler design, and the Help Others menu option was removed to make it easier for users to navigate the different temple list options.

Before:

After:

Although the menu option for helping others is no longer shown, you can still help others on the temple page. Additionally, the green indicator that shows who you are helping will always display on the temple pages when you are helping others.

To help others on the temple page, you can log in using the Planner. Click Help and then Helper Resources. Alternatively, if you select Help Others from any other page on FamilySearch, you will remain as a helper when you visit the Temple pages.

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Update: June 11, 2020—Request Shared Names Using the Family Tree or Ordinances Ready

In addition to the Ordinances Ready feature, ordinance reservations that have been shared with the temple can now be requested through the FamilySearch Family Tree.

When you share a family name with the temple, the shared name is made available to temple patrons who do not have their own family names and also to family members who wish to request the shared name.

Using the Family Tree to Request a Shared Name

In the Family Tree, you can request available ordinances by going to a relative’s profile page and clicking Ordinances. If that relative’s ordinances have been shared with the temple, you will see a message like this one:

From here, you can click Request to reserve the available ordinance. Ordinance reservations that were shared with the temple previously have a 90-day expiration date. After 90 days, uncompleted reservations return to the shared temple inventory.

Using Ordinances Ready to Request a Shared Name

The Ordinances Ready feature searches the Family Tree and the temple reservation list for you to find a short list of names for your next temple trip. It can help you find ordinances that have been shared with the temple as well as available family names. Try Ordinances Ready here, or read more about it.

By sharing names with the temple, you can help your relatives receive their ordinances in a timely manner. Learn more about shared names here.

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Update: June 11, 2020—Simplified Temple Reservation Lists

The Temple menu on FamilySearch.org is being updated. With this update, you can more easily see the ordinances you have reserved and those you have shared with others or with the temple.

With this update, when you go to FamilySearch.org and click Temple, a new menu shows on the left side of the screen.

If you click My Reservations in the menu, you will see a complete list of ordinance reservations that are under your name.

To see the reservations you have shared with the temple, click Shared.

The filter option at the top of both reservation lists allows you to filter the list in various ways. The filters allow you to easily see which reservations have been printed and which remain unprinted. You can also filter by the type of ordinance.

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Update: June 11, 2020—Fewer Temple Icon Colors

The colors for temple icons in the Family Tree have been simplified to make it easier for people to identify family names and reserve ordinances in the Family Tree. Instead of 9 colors to show the status of a reservation, 4 colors will now be used.

As shown in the example below, a grey icon indicates that a reservation has been completed, while a blue icon indicates that it is in progress. Green icons show that a reservation can be requested, and orange indicates that an ordinance cannot be requested at this time.

Additional information about a reservation, such as whether it has been printed, shared with the temple, and so on, shows as text next to the icon.

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Update: July 29, 2019—Ordinances Ready: A Convenient Way to Find Ordinance Reservations

Ordinances Ready is an automated service that searches FamilySearch.org and the temple reservation list to identify ancestors needing temple ordinances. For more information about Ordinances Ready, see this recent blog post.

This service is now available on FamilySearch.org as well as in the Family Tree mobile app. This availability means that you can find temple ordinances using your own computer, phone, or other devices when you are planning to go to the temple.

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Update: July 29, 2019—Expiration of Ordinance Reservations

When temple reservations expire, they are automatically shared with the temple and made available to other relatives through Family Tree and Ordinances Ready. A few changes to how expiration dates work are explained below.

Expiration Dates

In general, ordinance reservations expire two years from the reservation date.

from the reservation date. Ordinance reservations you share with someone expire two years from the original reservation date.

Ordinance reservations expire after 90 days if they were retrieved from the temple reservation list by Ordinances Ready. (Learn more about Ordinances Ready and how it searches for ordinances.)

if they were retrieved from the temple reservation list by Ordinances Ready. (Learn more about Ordinances Ready and how it searches for ordinances.) When you reserve multiple ordinances for the same ancestor, the ordinance reservation will be extended for one year if at least one ordinance is completed before the expiration date.

Expiration Notifications

Your reservation list now shows an expiration date. Patrons will be notified of expiring reservations through the FamilySearch messaging system and eventually through email notifications (if an email address has been added).

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Ordinance reservations require a date for at least one of the vital events of the person’s life (such as a birth, death, or marriage).

Family Tree uses these dates—exact or estimated—to determine whether 110 years have passed since the person’s birth. (Learn more about the 110-year rule and whom you can reserve ordinances for.)

Your reservation list may not print cards for ordinance reservations with a missing date. Click here for help with estimating dates and entering them into FamilySearch Family Tree.

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Update: July 29, 2019—Easier Ways to Print Ordinance Reservation Cards

You can now use your phone in the temple office to print ordinance reservation cards using a QR code or ID number found in the Family Tree app.

Cell phones and electronic devices will be allowed in the temple office so temple workers can assist you. All the temple worker needs is the QR code or ID number for your reservation. For help finding the QR code on a phone, computer, or mobile device, follow the instructions in this article.

Please remember to turn off your cell phone after visiting the temple office and to use electronic devices respectfully in the temple.

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