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
Why has a reservation limit been put in place?
In a letter written 8 October 2012, the First Presidency encouraged those with large numbers of reserved family names to “release these names in a timely manner so the necessary ordinances can be performed.” Many of our deceased family members are awaiting the opportunity to receive the blessings of vicarious ordinances, and many members are serving in temples around the world to help with this work.
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.
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.
What counts toward the reservation limit?
Each row on your reservation list is counted once, even when the row represents multiple ordinances. When viewing your reservation list, you will be able to see a number count in the left sidebar, next to the text, that says “My Reservations.”
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.
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.
What happens if my reservation list is already over the limit?
If your list already has more than the allowed number of reservations when the new update is put in place, none of your family names will be automatically released. They will all remain on your list until their expiration date. When the reservation expires, the ordinances will be shared with the temple but will also be available in the Family Tree and through Ordinances Ready for relatives to find and reserve.
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.)
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.)
Will my ordinance reservations expire during the COVID-19 outbreak?
FamilySearch has suspended expiration dates until temples fully reopen at phase 4. The reservation limit is enforced now. However, reservations will not begin expiring until temples fully reopen:
- 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.
How will I know if my reservation list reaches the limit?
To look at your reservation list, log in to FamilySearch.org, and in the main navigation, click Temple. In the tabs to the left, the My Reservations option shows how many reservations you have. When this number reaches 300, you have reached your limit. (Note: The Shared with the Temple tab has a separate count that does not apply toward your limit.)
If you try to reserve an ordinance after reaching the limit, you will be notified that you have reached the limit.
If you try to reserve an ordinance after reaching the limit, you will be notified that you have reached the limit.
What happens when I reach the reservation limit?
When you reach the limit, you will not be able to reserve additional family names. To make room on your list, you can share existing reservations with the temple. Once shared with the temple, your relatives and other Church members who are visiting temples around the world will be able to find the family names using Ordinances Ready and can help you complete the ordinances.
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.)
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 family names with others or with the temple?
These articles can help you learn how to share temple ordinance reservations:
- 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?
Does sharing family names with the temple count toward my limit?
When you share a family name with the temple, the reservation will not be counted toward your limit, and it will not expire.
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.)
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.)
Does sharing names with a family group count toward my limit?
When you share a family name with a family group, the reservation does count toward your limit, and normal expiration dates will apply after temples fully reopen at phase 4.
How does sharing family names with a relative or another Church member count toward my limit?
When you share family names with relatives or friends, either by email or FamilySearch messaging, they receive an email or FamilySearch message that shows the names and needed ordinances. If they accept the reservations, the reservations are transferred to their reservation list. At this point, the reservation no longer appears on your list, and it no longer counts toward your limit. (Note: You will need to sign in to your FamilySearch account to view the links above.)
If I share family names with the temple, will they take a long time to be completed?
How long it takes to complete ordinances shared with the temple depends on the number of ordinances that other people have shared with the temple, as well as the number of people attending the temple who need a family name card.
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.
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.
I prefer to share printed family name cards with family members. Can I get an exception to the reservation limit?
The reservation limit applies for all users.
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.
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.
If I’ve shared the reservations for certain ordinances for an ancestor but kept others, how will the ordinances I have kept count toward the limit?
Each row on your reservation list is counted once, even when it includes multiple ordinances, and even if you have shared part of that reservation with others so they can help you complete certain of those ordinances.
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.
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.
What happens if I share a family name with others by email or messaging, but it exceeds a recipient’s limit?
Each person’s reservation list has the same limit. When you share family names through email or FamilySearch messaging, recipients can accept the names if their list has space.
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.
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.
If I use another program to reserve ordinances, is there still a limit?
Programs that work with FamilySearch to help members reserve family names (such as RootsMagic, MyHeritage, and Ancestry) work with the FamilySearch Family Tree and have the same limit.
After I reach the limit, how to do I keep track of family names that I might want to reserve later?
Use your Following list to bookmark ancestors whose ordinances you might want to reserve in the future. Add the Temple Reservation label to distinguish these names from others you follow for other purposes. See “How do I use the Following list in Family Tree to track ancestors who need temple ordinances?” (Note: You will need to sign in to your FamilySearch account to view the link.)
Why is the temple keeping my family name card after I complete an ordinance for an ancestor?
Leaving family name cards at the temple allows temple workers to ensure that ordinance work is not duplicated and that ordinances are recorded accurately. This practice also helps prevent the spread of germs and eliminates the waiting time after your temple visit.
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