During the October 2021 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson reminded members that as part of the ongoing Restoration, the methods associated with the Lord’s work can change as “inspired direction comes to those who preside at a given time.”
In a recent update, personal temple reservation lists were given a limit of 300 reservations. This update encourages members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with large lists to share the names they cannot complete in a timely manner so the necessary ordinances can be performed. Read the full announcement.
The questions and answers below explain how this change helps Latter-day Saints work together in gathering Israel, how your reservation list may be affected, how to share family names with others, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
A new limit of 300 reservations enables you to more easily manage your reservation list. It also allows Church members to more easily find family names and other temple opportunities. Additionally, it will help those beyond the veil receive ordinances in a more timely manner.
President Russell M. Nelson and other modern prophets have emphasized the importance of the hastening of the Lord’s work to gather Israel in these latter days. We have a sacred obligation to provide vicarious ordinances for our own ancestors, and as a worldwide Church and members of one large human family, we can help each other fulfill this sacred obligation when the task becomes too great for us to do alone.
Tip: If you have too many temple opportunities to complete on your own any time soon, you can share family names from your reservation list with close family members and friends or with a family group. Sharing them with the temple can also allow family members and members of the Church around the world to easily find these names using Ordinances Ready and the Family Tree.
Once your reservation list is below the limit, you can unshare a reservation you have previously shared with the temple and complete it yourself. You cannot unshare ordinances that have been completed or printed, but you will be able to unshare other, incomplete ordinances.
Note: Baptism, confirmation, initiatory, endowment, and sealing to parents for the same individual are grouped together on one row and count as one reservation. The ordinance of sealing to spouse is shown in its own reservation row and counts as another.
Family members and others going to the temple will then be able to help perform the ordinances. A family name that is shared with the temple can be unshared at any time, as long as your reservation list is below the limit and the ordinance has not been printed or completed. (Note: You will need to sign in to your FamilySearch account to view the link.)
- Reservations for temple ordinances will not expire while temples are at phases 1–3.
- An expiration date less than 90 days in the future will be extended to 90 days. Once temples reopen at phase 4, the person holding the reservation will have 90 days to complete the ordinance.
- An expiration date that is scheduled more than 90 days in the future will be automatically rescheduled, day by day, until temples reopen at phase 4. This means that if a particular reservation expires in 100 days, the 100-day period won’t begin until temples reopen at phase 4.
If you try to reserve an ordinance after reaching the limit, you will be notified that you have reached the limit.
Note: When a family name you have shared with the temple is completed, you will get a notification in your FamilySearch Notifications.
Shared names that remain uncompleted can be retrieved as soon as you have more room in your reservation list. If a shared reservation includes ordinances that have been printed or completed, those ordinances cannot be unshared. (Note: You will need to sign in to your FamilySearch account to view the link.)
- How do I share my family names with family and friends by email?
- How do I share family names through FamilySearch messaging?
- How do I share a family name with the temple?
- How do I share ordinances with a family group?
Family names shared with the temple may also be found by your relatives through Ordinances Ready. If the count of reservations on your reservation list drops below the limit, you can easily retrieve shared names from the temple inventory that have not been completed or printed. (Note: You will need to sign in to your FamilySearch account to view the link.)
With the new Ordinances Ready feature, family members and Church members around the world can more easily find and complete names that have been shared with the temple. With more temples being built around the world, more members are also able to participate in doing ordinance work for the deceased.
Consider sharing family names with your relatives using the new family group feature instead. In a family group, relatives can print the card when they are ready to visit the temple. While names shared with a family group count toward your limit, you maintain the advantage of being able to see the ordinances on your list and who printed them. You can track progress online and receive notifications as ordinances are completed.
If you do not know relatives who can participate in a family group, you can either share names with the temple or share names directly with another user by email.
Note: The sealing to spouse ordinance for an individual is included on a separate row from other ordinances and is always counted on its own. All other ordinances for an individual are combined in one reservation row. A reservation for one person that includes all ordinances would count as 2 reservations.
If a recipient’s list is full, the names remain on your list. You can then share the reservation with the temple or a family group so that other family members and members of the Church around the world can find the reservation using Ordinances Ready.