Tracking Stake Interviews: Temple Recommends, Melchizedek Priesthood, and Patriarchal Blessings
Stake-level interviews follow the same discipline as ward interviews: track the cadence, never the content. A stake presidency should know at a glance who is due for a temple recommend renewal, which brethren are being considered for the Melchizedek Priesthood, and who has requested a patriarchal blessing — without ever writing down what was said in any of those conversations. Only dates and labels are shared; the conversation itself stays private.
Dates and labels, never content
What's said in a temple recommend interview, a worthiness conversation, or a discussion about the Melchizedek Priesthood belongs in the interviewer's private memory — not in a shared system. The right granularity for a shared tool is the cadence: who, what category, when last, and when next. That's enough for a stake presidency to make sure nothing falls behind, and it keeps sacred conversations off the record.
The stake categories that matter
A stake tracks a different mix of interviews than a ward. Naming the categories clearly keeps the list honest and keeps members from being filed under something vague:
- Temple recommend — renewals and first recommends within the stake presidency's responsibility.
- Melchizedek Priesthood — brethren being prepared for or considered for ordination as elders or high priests.
- Patriarchal blessing — members who have requested a blessing and need an interview and recommend.
- Stake calling — candidates being considered or set apart for stake-level callings.
- Missionary — prospective and returning missionary interviews handled at the stake level.
- Other — anything that doesn't fit the categories above but still needs a cadence.
Computed status keeps the list honest
Nobody should be updating a 'status' column by hand. Status is a function of the last interview date and the cadence — overdue, due soon, or current. A computed status means the stake presidency is always working from a true picture, not last month's snapshot, and no renewal window quietly slips past.
Stake and ward lists stay separate
A stake's interview list never mixes with a ward's. Even though both use the same kind of tracker, a stake workspace keeps its own private list scoped to the stake, and each ward keeps its own. A stake president doesn't see a ward's interview cadences, and a bishop doesn't see the stake's. Each unit sees only what belongs to it.
Where the record lives
Tracking the cadence is not the same as keeping the record. The fact that a temple recommend interview happened — and the recommend itself — lives in Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR). A patriarchal blessing is recorded through the Church's own process, by the patriarch. Priesthood ordinations are entered in LCR. The stake workspace only answers one question: when is each interview due? Everything official lives where it has always lived.
Frequently asked questions
What interview categories does a stake track?
A stake workspace offers stake-appropriate categories: temple recommend, Melchizedek Priesthood, patriarchal blessing, stake calling, missionary, and other. They mirror the kinds of interviews a stake presidency is actually responsible for.
Can the same tool track both ward and stake interviews?
Yes, but they're kept completely separate. A ward's interview list and a stake's interview list never mix — each is private to its own workspace, scoped so the two can't bleed into each other.
Where does a patriarchal blessing record go?
With the Church's own process — the patriarch records the blessing, and the recommend is handled through official channels. The stake workspace only tracks the cadence of the interview, never the content or the blessing itself.
Does the stake store what was discussed in an interview?
No. Only dates and labels are tracked — name, category, cadence, and last interview date. The content of any interview stays in the interviewer's private memory, never in a shared workspace.