Mormon family organizations (i.e., family organizations or associations) are entities created by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to accomplish the basic purposes of family life as understood within the church, in order to establish and strengthen family unity and identity across multiple generations.
Importance
As the basic unit of society, the family is also the fundamental organization within the LDS Church.[1]LDS Church members tend to be very family-oriented, and have strong connections across generations and with extended family, often through regular family reunions.[2] For LDS Church members a knowledge and appreciation of one's lineage and heritage is closely connected to the sacred ordinances conducted in LDS temples.
In its most general sense, the term "family organization" as used within the church refers to the fundamental concept of eternal family structure encompassed by the Plan of Salvation.[3] More specifically, "family organization" refers to organizations created to provide structure and direction in meeting immediate and long-term family objectives and purposes. In connection therewith, LDS Church leaders have regularly taught the importance of establishing and supporting family organizations.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
During the 20th century as part of the church's semi-annual General Conferences, a "Priesthood Genealogy Seminar" was conducted by LDS Church leaders in which the importance of family organizations was frequently emphasized.[19] "[E]stablishing and maintaining family organizations for the immediate and extended family"[20] has been expressly listed as an appropriate way to observe the importance of the Sabbath day in General Conference addresses and other church publications.[21][22]
Purpose and organization
In 1978 the church asked all families to organize themselves at three levels: as "immediate" families, "grandparent," and "ancestral."[23] Individual or immediate families are regularly encouraged to hold weekly Family Home Evening and participate in family councils. More formal family organizations consist of the descendants of a common ancestor. The purposes of such family organizations may include coordinating family efforts in promoting welfare, education, conducting family history research, holding reunions, compiling family newsletters and publications, and other family-related LDS practices.[24][25] Commemorating family heritage and legacy is another typical purpose and activity for family organizations.[26][27][28][29] In September 2016, LDS Ancestral Families Association (LDSAFA) was established as a "free registration, publication and support consortium for LDS Ancestral Family Organizations (AFOs)."[30]
Influence
Formally constituted family organizations figure prominently among descendants of some Mormon pioneers and other early converts to the LDS Church.[23] The longevity of and degree of organization found among many Mormon ancestral family organizations is noteworthy. For example, the Jared Pratt Family Organization was founded in 1881, making it one of the oldest family organizations in the United States in continuous existence.[31][32]
In 1971 the Internal Revenue Service of the United States issued a Revenue Ruling determining that non-profit family organizations that are expressly "formed to compile genealogical research data on its family members in order to perform religious ordinances in accordance with the precepts of the religious denomination to which family members belong" are exempt under Section 501(c)(3).[33][34]
Given their extensive documentation of lineages connecting many thousands of living individuals to a single common ancestor, their relatively larger extended family size (attributable in part to the early Mormon practice of plural marriage), relatively larger immediate family size, religious emphasis on "clean" or healthy living, and relative longevity, the genealogical data maintained by many Mormon ancestral family organizations have also been instrumental in medical research of genetic disorders.[35] The University of Utah has made unique contributions to the study of genetics due in part to long-term genealogy efforts of the LDS Church, which has allowed researchers to trace genetic disorders through several generations. The relative homogeneity of Utah's population also makes it an ideal laboratory for studies of population genetics.[36] The university is home to the Genetic Science Learning Center, a resource which educates the public about genetics through its website.[37]
There are several large Mormon ancestral family organizations, notable for their longevity, quality or degree of organization, or connection to well-known deceased or currently living persons.[9] A non-exhaustive list appears below.
LDS Ancestral Family Organizations (alphabetized by male progenitor surname)
^"Building Unity through Family History", Ensign, September 2001, Contributions include receiving our temple endowments, being sealed as couples and as families, researching family history data and stories of previous generations, submitting names for temple work, attending the temple as regularly as possible, teaching children and other family members about temple and family history work, participating in family organizations, and compiling personal and family histories.
^Monson, Thomas S. (February 1994), "The Key of Faith", Ensign, Several years ago, prior to my call as a General Authority, it was my good fortune to respond to a call to serve as a member of the Priesthood Genealogy Committee and to have the privilege of visiting stakes and missions, speaking to the membership of the Church relative to this sacred subject... Out of the series of conferences we held then, one of the great measures of good was the development of family organizations.
^Brough, Monte J. (Dec 1994), "Everyone's Blessing", Ensign, Many of those opportunities are described in A Member's Guide to Temple and Family History Work, including: serving in family record extraction; serving in the temple, a family history center, or as a family history worker; participating in family organizations; keeping a personal journal; and preparing family histories (see p. 6).
^Kimball, Spencer W. (November 1974), "Ocean Currents and Family Influences", Ensign, It is important for us ... to cultivate in our own family a sense that we belong together eternally. We ought to encourage our children to know their relatives. We need to talk of them, make effort to correspond with them, visit them, join family organizations, etc.
^Todd, Jay M. (May 1977), "News of the Church: Report of the Seminar for Regional Representatives", Ensign, Another 'important development contemplated' is for genealogical and temple work 'to be recorded in family files,' and for 'a family organization registry' so that the Saints may 'know whether other branches of the family' are doing work, and 'thus eliminate wasteful duplication.'
^One outcome of such emphasis was the development of a filmstrip, Turning the Hearts of the Children, for usage at "family organization meetings." See "Keeping Pace", Ensign, January 1979
^"News of the Church: Policies and Announcements", Ensign, February 1989, 'Because the new schedule will give families time together on Sundays, parents should plan activities for the Sabbath that will spiritually strengthen the family.' Suggestions included were gospel discussion and instruction, writing personal and family journals, holding family councils, family organization efforts, personal interviews between parents and children, writing to relatives and missionaries, family history work, visiting relatives and those who may be ill or lonely, missionary work, reading stories to children, and singing Church hymns together.
^IRS Rev. Rul. 71-580 The Revenue Ruling noted that "[a]s part of the discipline of the Church, the members are encouraged to create family groups to study the genealogy of the family back to Adam and Eve. This is part of a broader program of the Church, apparent in its doctrine to record the names of all deceased persons and to perform baptism and other temple ordinances upon them."
^Sussingham, Robin; Stephanie Watson; Jennifer Logan (2006). "Utah: A Gold Mine for Genetic Research". Features: Genetic Science Learning Center. University of Utah. Archived from the original on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2006-03-09.
Bennett, Archibald F. (1960) [1951], A Guide for Genealogical Research (2nd ed.), Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, OCLC20467434
Widtsoe, John A. (1939), Priesthood and Church Government in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, OCLC20467434
