Prior: Part 11: Random But Important Thoughts on Calendaring
Since many of these positions are relatively new and unimplemented, most people are not aware of what they are. Today’s post should demystify it for you.
Calendar Administrators
Calendar administrators are responsible for the overall calendar system and have the power and authority to oversee and do everything.
However, they do not have to do everything, and that is the crucial point.
From the Church’s website:
Who Are Ward Calendar Administrators?
By having specific and focused digital calendar responsibilities, they can absolve top leadership of a tedious administrative task that others can do and free up their time for the duties only they can accomplish.
Email Communication Specialist
Formerly called Ward Website Administrator, the Church gave back a responsibility it had initially bestowed on the calling but then taken away: the ability to email members through the Church’s email system. This ability was restored when the calling was renamed Email Communication Specialist. This happened in June 2020.
You won’t find specific training and guidance for this calling anywhere on the Church’s website. Believe me, I’ve looked. All I can do is give you the benefit of my experience in the calling, since 2007, reading all the instructions and training over the years that have been available.
This is going to sound radical, but if the Church’s computer system gives you the tools and access to do something then you have to assume you have the power, authority, and responsibility to do it.
The Email Communication Specialist has the ability to “Send a Message” and email messages to members of the wards and groups within the wards.
I would also add that you have a responsibility to access the calendar to find out what is there.
I often quiz people on whether and how they use the Church’s calendar system. One person I talked to said they do occasionally, but “There’s never anything there.” I’m sympathetic.
Since many of these positions are relatively new and unimplemented, most people are not aware of what they are. Today’s post should demystify it for you.
Calendar Administrators
Calendar administrators are responsible for the overall calendar system and have the power and authority to oversee and do everything.
However, they do not have to do everything, and that is the crucial point.
From the Church’s website:
Who Are Ward Calendar Administrators?
- Bishoprics
- Ward executive secretaries
- Ward clerks and assistant clerks
- Ward website administrators (Email Communication Specialist)
- Other ward calendar administrators can be assigned by an existing ward calendar administrator, but this should be performed with care.
- Email Communication Specialists
- Ward Calendar Administrator assigned by an existing Ward Calendar Administrator
By having specific and focused digital calendar responsibilities, they can absolve top leadership of a tedious administrative task that others can do and free up their time for the duties only they can accomplish.
Email Communication Specialist
Formerly called Ward Website Administrator, the Church gave back a responsibility it had initially bestowed on the calling but then taken away: the ability to email members through the Church’s email system. This ability was restored when the calling was renamed Email Communication Specialist. This happened in June 2020.
You won’t find specific training and guidance for this calling anywhere on the Church’s website. Believe me, I’ve looked. All I can do is give you the benefit of my experience in the calling, since 2007, reading all the instructions and training over the years that have been available.
This is going to sound radical, but if the Church’s computer system gives you the tools and access to do something then you have to assume you have the power, authority, and responsibility to do it.
The Email Communication Specialist has the ability to “Send a Message” and email messages to members of the wards and groups within the wards.
And, he or she is a ward calendar administrator. So, if this is your calling, you have to figure out how best to administer the calendar while taking direction from your local leadership.
In a sense, you are empowered to figure out for yourself how best to perform these functions. This is not a small responsibility.
In a sense, you are empowered to figure out for yourself how best to perform these functions. This is not a small responsibility.
And, you need to remember that if you don’t do it, no one else can. The computer bestows computer privileges based on calling. If you don’t do it, it won’t get done.
How you construct emails can be helpful or hurtful. How you administer the calendar can be helpful or hurtful. Your tasks deserve some careful consideration.
By doing this blog series, I’m trying to help you. I’ve been doing and thinking about these issues for a long time.
Ward Calendar Administrator
Ward Calendar Administrators can be manually assigned, by anybody who is already a calendar administrator. The instructions indicate that this should only be done “with care.” Well, what does that mean? I’ll tell you what I think it means.
From the Help Center:
The Church really stresses that everything needs to be done through Regular/Standard callings and not Custom Callings. In one ward I was in, a local leader and I reviewed the list of Ward Website Administrators and found three individuals who had been manually added. None of them had been in the ward, for years.
This is bad. When you confine yourself to Regular/Standard callings and work within the system, computer privileges change hands naturally, appropriately, and effortlessly. This is best.
However, if you don’t have an Email Communication Specialist or simply want to have someone oversee the calendars, manually adding an administrator is desirable and easy. You just have to be conscientious and manually remove them when their time is over.
To add them, one of the default administrators simply clicks on the “gear icon” in the top right of the Calendar and selects “Administrators” and adds them to the list by name. They can be removed the same way, with one click.
Calendar Editors
Calendar Administrators can manage and administer all calendars. Calendar Editors generally only have jurisdiction over one calendar.
From the Help Center:
If you are in the Elders Quorum Presidency, you are a default calendar editor for the Elders Quorum calendar. That means all of you, not just one of you unless something untoward happens.
In one of my wards, a local leader and I determined that the Relief Society President could not edit the Relief Society calendar and the Elders Quorum President could not edit the Elders Quorum calendar.
We are still mystified as to why. Since the Church’s system automatically creates the calendars and gives them access, someone(s) manually deleted them at some point. We quickly reinstated their access.
Being a calendar editor for a specific calendar only gives you access to that calendar, not any of the others. A leader can request someone be made a calendar editor for a particular calendar.
How you construct emails can be helpful or hurtful. How you administer the calendar can be helpful or hurtful. Your tasks deserve some careful consideration.
By doing this blog series, I’m trying to help you. I’ve been doing and thinking about these issues for a long time.
Ward Calendar Administrator
Ward Calendar Administrators can be manually assigned, by anybody who is already a calendar administrator. The instructions indicate that this should only be done “with care.” Well, what does that mean? I’ll tell you what I think it means.
From the Help Center:
Managing Ward Administrators
Warning: Manually adding or removing administrators should be a rare occurrence.
Default administrators are administrators by virtue of their particular callings and cannot be removed. Normally, retaining the default list of callings is appropriate. There may be an occasion when you want to add an administrator, such as adding a member to oversee the ward calendars. In this case they are normally added by name. They must also be deleted when they are released. Do not add ward administrators so they can edit all ward calendars. Instead, give those individuals editor rights to the ward calendars.
The Church really stresses that everything needs to be done through Regular/Standard callings and not Custom Callings. In one ward I was in, a local leader and I reviewed the list of Ward Website Administrators and found three individuals who had been manually added. None of them had been in the ward, for years.
This is bad. When you confine yourself to Regular/Standard callings and work within the system, computer privileges change hands naturally, appropriately, and effortlessly. This is best.
However, if you don’t have an Email Communication Specialist or simply want to have someone oversee the calendars, manually adding an administrator is desirable and easy. You just have to be conscientious and manually remove them when their time is over.
To add them, one of the default administrators simply clicks on the “gear icon” in the top right of the Calendar and selects “Administrators” and adds them to the list by name. They can be removed the same way, with one click.
Calendar Editors
Calendar Administrators can manage and administer all calendars. Calendar Editors generally only have jurisdiction over one calendar.
From the Help Center:
Calendar editors place items on their calendars by creating events. Creating an event with a specified Church location will reserve the specified building and rooms for the event. You do not need to contact a building scheduler to do this for you.
If you are in the Elders Quorum Presidency, you are a default calendar editor for the Elders Quorum calendar. That means all of you, not just one of you unless something untoward happens.
In one of my wards, a local leader and I determined that the Relief Society President could not edit the Relief Society calendar and the Elders Quorum President could not edit the Elders Quorum calendar.
We are still mystified as to why. Since the Church’s system automatically creates the calendars and gives them access, someone(s) manually deleted them at some point. We quickly reinstated their access.
Being a calendar editor for a specific calendar only gives you access to that calendar, not any of the others. A leader can request someone be made a calendar editor for a particular calendar.
For example, a Young Women leader may want a young woman in the ward to enter and edit events. This is easily done. Just ask an administrator to add their name. In fact, it is so easy, it is better done by the Email Communication Specialist or a manually added Ward Website Administrator. Top leadership doesn’t need to be bothered with this. At most, ask a clerk to do it.
Members
Yes, you! You have responsibilities under the calendar system. From the Help Center:
Members
Yes, you! You have responsibilities under the calendar system. From the Help Center:
All members. They select the calendars to be shown in the main calendar area to suit their personal needs.
I would also add that you have a responsibility to access the calendar to find out what is there.
I often quiz people on whether and how they use the Church’s calendar system. One person I talked to said they do occasionally, but “There’s never anything there.” I’m sympathetic.
I’m also out to resolve that problem.
Next: Part 13: Put on Your Training Pants and Let’s Get Started
Assignment for Top Leaders: If you don't have an Email Communication Specialist, call one. Consider whether a manually added Ward Website Administrator would make sense for your unit. Get them assigned, trained, and support them!
Next: Part 13: Put on Your Training Pants and Let’s Get Started
Assignment for Top Leaders: If you don't have an Email Communication Specialist, call one. Consider whether a manually added Ward Website Administrator would make sense for your unit. Get them assigned, trained, and support them!
Assignment for Other Leaders: Determine if you are a Calendar Editor and resolve to get your calendar up to speed. Start learning how to enter events and how things work.
Hint: Look in the top left-hand corner of the Calendar page and click on "Add Event". If you can do it, you are a Calendar Editor! The form will prompt you for what calendar you want the event on. The drop-down list will tell you what calendar(s) you are an editor for.
Assignment for Members: If you don't have any other calendar responsibilities or access, lobby your leaders to get the requisite callings made and the calendar up to snuff. Let them know you want the calendar current!
Assignment for Members: If you don't have any other calendar responsibilities or access, lobby your leaders to get the requisite callings made and the calendar up to snuff. Let them know you want the calendar current!
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