A New Paradigm for the FamilySearch Family Tree

The FamilySearch Family Tree is undergoing a paradigm shift that is a new way of looking at participation by individuals. The shift was initiated by the implementation of the Ordinances Ready app that was introduced back in 2018. The major part of the fairly new Ordinances Ready program is the emphasis on individuals, including now some 11-year-olds, obtaining their own ordinances for attending the Temple. There are several reasons for such a program. First and foremost, Ordinances Ready is designed to increase member patron activity in the Temples while working away on the backlog of previously submitted names which are involved in a major backlog for some categories.

But another major side benefit from this emphasis is the fact that temple activity is increasing in those Church units where the leaders have emphasized temple work using the Ordinances Ready app. The app allows people who are genealogical research challenged to find their own family names and take those names to the Temples. If the members using the app care to do so, they can see exactly how they may be related to the person whose name is supplied by the program.

For those who are doing primary research and finding family names for Temple ordinances, the new app removes any pressure to build a huge list of reserved names. In fact, it has been discussed that FamilySearch may limit the number of names that any one individual can reserve. Another benefit of the Ordinances Ready app is that young users can print off their own Temple names for trips to the Temple and their own name shows up as the patron. Presently, if I supply names to my grandchildren, my name appears on the printed Temple ordinance card. With Ordinances Ready, the younger family members can now print their own cards with their own names as the patron.

Are there any side benefits of the new system for those of us who have been adding names to the FamilySearch Family Tree for a very long time? The benefits to those doing research on their family lines benefit in a number of ways from the program. We no longer need to feel obligated to build a huge list of reserved names simply to supply family members with names for the Temples. Those of us who realize the benefits of the program also realize that there is no point in building a huge list of reserved names, any names we find by doing research more than those that we can readily take to the Temples ourselves should be released to the general pool of Temple names. Right now, there is a huge backlog of temple names in some gender and ordinance categories that have already been shared with the Temples and are waiting to be done. Ordinances Ready will help to chip away at that backlog. Realizing this is happening, I have been trimming down my own Temple list by doing the ordinances or sharing them with the Temples or simply allowing the Green Temple Icons to remain in the Family Tree for others including those using the Ordinances Ready app to find.

Now that I have had some experience with the Ordinances Ready app, I am seeing the possibility of some side benefits that may or may not have been intended by those who designed and implemented the program. For many years now,  promotion of researching and adding names to the FamilySearch Family Tree has tried to be as inclusive as possible. Frankly, this emphasis on universally working with entries in the FamilySearch Family Tree is self-defeating. One side result of the emphasis is that many people feel the need to work on adding names to the Family Tree without adequate knowledge about genealogical research and rather than adding appropriately identified new people to the Family Tree, they spend their time creating duplicate entries and making other errors. It is a laudable goal to try to make a family tree that can be developed by universal involvement, but the reality of genealogical research is that it is extremely difficult and in many cases, changes are inappropriately made by those who are not sufficiently sophisticated and knowledgeable to work with the entries.

This fact should not be taken as an elitist view of the FamilySearch Family Tree. Genealogy is not simple and despite simplified programs promoted in the past, it ceases to be simple once you get back more than one or two generations. There are multiple ways for people to become involved in family history that does not involve doing genealogical research in original records. Programs such as Ordinances Ready solve some major issues with the present huge backlog of names. People who participate with Ordinances Ready can feel like they are making a difference. Meanwhile, let those of us who want to learn about genealogical research, do our job. It seems apparent that we can produce more names than the rest of the Church can do.

In addition, there should be an emphasis on those who do not have their first four generations in the Family Tree. Much of that can be added from memory or family records. It is time to let us do our job and help those who are just beginning but genealogical research is not something that can be universally done by everyone and never has been.