Is a temple recommend required to participate in a baby blessing?

[Stargazer]

3 hours ago, ksfisher said:

Handbook 2 20.1.1

Participation in Ordinances and Blessings

Only brethren who hold the necessary priesthood and are worthy may perform an ordinance or blessing or stand in the circle.

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-church/priesthood-ordinances-and-blessings?lang=eng

 

Nothing is mentioned in the handbook about how one would demonstrate that one is worthy to stand in the circle and that one holds the appropriate priesthood.  Other than the person acting as voice I've never seen anyone ask the other brethren for recommends. 

Last year, my wife and I attended fast meeting at a ward where I was known, but not a member. It happened that a friend's granddaughter was being blessed, and he asked me to stand in the circle. The bishop didn't say a word about it.  I had my TR in hand, but nobody asked to see it.  I think this bishop is taking things a bit too strictly.

[cinepro]

True story. A few years ago there were guys in Utah who would go to random wards and "Blessing Crash" baby blessings.  So maybe the "recommend" idea isn't a bad one.  You never know who might show up.

 

[Duncan]

32 minutes ago, cinepro said:

True story. A few years ago there were guys in Utah who would go to random wards and "Blessing Crash" baby blessings.  So maybe the "recommend" idea isn't a bad one.  You never know who might show up.

 

don't these people have lives?! I well remember serving in Glendora, CA sitting in sacrament mtg with my mission comp. and literally 30 guys were there to bless a baby, they spent like 15 minutes trying to configure who was going stand where, it was RIDICULOUS

[CA Steve]

Maybe my ward is different and my experience is only anecdotal, but I am sure that one or more participants in all the blessings I have been part of or seen, did not have a temple recommend, in fact it is not unusual for a female to join in too.

 

Edited February 1, 2018 by CA Steve

[Nevo]

38 minutes ago, cinepro said:

True story. A few years ago there were guys in Utah who would go to random wards and "Blessing Crash" baby blessings.  So maybe the "recommend" idea isn't a bad one.  You never know who might show up.

You sure they weren't the Three Nephites?

[Thinking]

59 minutes ago, cinepro said:

True story. A few years ago there were guys in Utah who would go to random wards and "Blessing Crash" baby blessings.  So maybe the "recommend" idea isn't a bad one.  You never know who might show up.

Were their initials OW and VV?

[Anijen]

6 hours ago, Jeanne said:

Oh....they let my husband stand in the circle when blessings were done by grandfathers...ugh...I love some leniency given when fathers can participate.  Wishing Moms could be there too.

This has been my experience as well (not the moms, but dads). I have seen fathers in the circle who had no priesthood be in the circle and the guy giving the name and blessing, who held the Melchizedek Priesthood said "I" instead of "we." Someone asked about it in ward counsel the next week and the Bishop said because he is the father he had the right to be in a circle for any fathers blessing including naming the child. He said he could not perform the ordinance but had constructive authority (being the literal father) he could stand in the circle. I did not argue that point, it was new to me. The same Bishop said; a Father (even a non-member) has a right and duty to lay his hands on the head of a child and by authority of him being the father could give a "Fathers blessing." Obviously this is different from a priesthood blessing, up to that point I never saw a father without the priesthood stand in the circle before.

[Anijen]

5 hours ago, ksfisher said:

Handbook 2 20.1.1

Participation in Ordinances and Blessings

Only brethren who hold the necessary priesthood and are worthy may perform an ordinance or blessing or stand in the circle.

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-church/priesthood-ordinances-and-blessings?lang=eng

 

Nothing is mentioned in the handbook about how one would demonstrate that one is worthy to stand in the circle and that one holds the appropriate priesthood.  Other than the person acting as voice I've never seen anyone ask the other brethren for recommends. 

I  know this is the correct way, but Like I said in my previous post I have been to a ward where the father was allowed to stand in. Weird that the Bishop didnt know this rule, or perhaps he let it slide (I doubt it).

[Jeanne]

37 minutes ago, Anijen said:

This has been my experience as well (not the moms, but dads). I have seen fathers in the circle who had no priesthood be in the circle and the guy giving the name and blessing, who held the Melchizedek Priesthood said "I" instead of "we." Someone asked about it in ward counsel the next week and the Bishop said because he is the father he had the right to be in a circle for any fathers blessing including naming the child. He said he could not perform the ordinance but had constructive authority (being the literal father) he could stand in the circle. I did not argue that point, it was new to me. The same Bishop said; a Father (even a non-member) has a right and duty to lay his hands on the head of a child and by authority of him being the father could give a "Fathers blessing." Obviously this is different from a priesthood blessing, up to that point I never saw a father without the priesthood stand in the circle before.

Well...like wow...my husband just held the Aarronic Priesthood..but it was so nice to have him in this circle..he was so proud.  But hey...if one can do all that you have listed above..a Mom should have no trouble.or at least one who has been through the Temple.

[HappyJackWagon]

As others have stated, the policy is clear that a man must hold and be worthy to participate in the ordinance. When coming from outside the ward the TR or Ordinance R are the ways to prove their readiness.

That said, in my experience it is rather rare for a bishop(ric) to check recommends at the time of the ordinance. It slows the flow of the meeting and can be embarrassing when everyone is standing at the front of the chapel. Sometimes, if all participants are at the church early enough, recommends can be checked then, but it seems participants are showing up right up to the moment of the blessing. More than anything, I think the bishop advises the need for worthiness and recommends to dissuade people who don't qualify from trying to participate.

 

[rongo]

2 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

As others have stated, the policy is clear that a man must hold and be worthy to participate in the ordinance. When coming from outside the ward the TR or Ordinance R are the ways to prove their readiness.

That said, in my experience it is rather rare for a bishop(ric) to check recommends at the time of the ordinance. It slows the flow of the meeting and can be embarrassing when everyone is standing at the front of the chapel. Sometimes, if all participants are at the church early enough, recommends can be checked then, but it seems participants are showing up right up to the moment of the blessing. More than anything, I think the bishop advises the need for worthiness and recommends to dissuade people who don't qualify from trying to participate.

Also, baby blessings, as a non-essential ordinance, aren't as important to "regulate" as essential ordinances. Yes, all in the circle should be MP holders, but it is pretty much left to the family to "self-police" this. Who would want non-MP holders in their family's circle? And, it would be a weird Mormon who would want to allow a non-MP holder in the family to be in the circle so that Uncle Rico can be part of the circle. I would venture to say that the likelihood of this happening is close to zero. 

More common would be MP holders who aren't worthy, but again, this wouldn't affect the validity of the ordinance. 

One cool experience I had was an extremely scary man came from SoCal to perform a baptism. He was heavily tattooed with gang tattoos (including all the way up his neck and on his face), and he was not a man I would want to run into in a dark alley. He had a sealed letter from his bishop, and the bishop included a note with the Recommend to Perform Ordinances. The note said that the man had just been baptized, and he did indeed hold the AP, in case there was any doubt or concern. He and his wife were both very rough looking and rough around the edges, but had been baptized and transformed. They had brought the convert into our ward into the Church, and had driven out to Arizona to baptize her. They both spoke, and their talks were *amazing* (not a typical LDS upbringing talk, but very sincere and touching).

I appreciated the note along with the recommend, because this guy looked very scary . . .  

[will227457]

24 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

As others have stated, the policy is clear that a man must hold and be worthy to participate in the ordinance. When coming from outside the ward the TR or Ordinance R are the ways to prove their readiness.

That said, in my experience it is rather rare for a bishop(ric) to check recommends at the time of the ordinance. It slows the flow of the meeting and can be embarrassing when everyone is standing at the front of the chapel. Sometimes, if all participants are at the church early enough, recommends can be checked then, but it seems participants are showing up right up to the moment of the blessing. More than anything, I think the bishop advises the need for worthiness and recommends to dissuade people who don't qualify from trying to participate.

 

Per HB2 those participating should me MP holders in good standing.  The Bishop should explain this well before hand to the person who wants their baby blessed so that there are no surprises or embarrassments.  I would not do a recommend check because I would trust that the member who I instructed well beforehand would have followed direction.

[Thinking]

FYI: At the blessing today the bishop did not ask to see anybody's recommend.

[Oliblish]

I have never been asked to show a recommend when participating in ordinances in other wards.  I even ordained someone to the Aaronic Priesthood in another ward without without showing any documentation.

That actually gets me thinking...  What if someone was ordained to the priesthood by someone who didn't actually have the priesthood?  Would anybody be able to tell the difference?  Any others that man ordained would not have the Priesthood either. Maybe there was someone without the priesthood one hundred years ago who ordained several people.  And then each of them ordained several.  We could have hundreds of people who think they have the priesthood but don't including bishops or Stake Presidents. 

Is there a definitive way to determine if is someone is a priesthood holder?  If we were presented with two 18 year old men in white shirts and ties where one was ordained by a priesthood holder and the other was ordained by someone with no priesthood and we were not told which was which, how could we tell the difference?  

Anyway, maybe asking for recommends will avoid this sort of problem.

[BJC]

On 2/1/2018 at 1:53 PM, e-eye said:

I'm in a bishopric and was on a high council before and here is how it's been handled for us in our stake-

If you are doing the ordinance baptism or baby blessing - recommend or approval from ward bishop

Confirmation  and, baby blessings  -  if you are standing in the circle it's not required to show the temple recommend.

While on the high council  and when  we were ordaining someone to be an Elder it was required to check every recommend for people standing in the circle - if someone didn't have their recommend they could not stand in the circle.

In all my life and all the blessings I have stood in I have never been asked for a recommend.  You may want to double check with the bishop, ask him if he can double check with the stake president and if you have done this and they still wont allow it then that is how it is in your stake - you could always bless the baby in another families ward where they don't ask if you had to-  We have blessed our kids in the home at church and in other states when visiting people.  You have options but I wouldn't stress too much about it. 

As guided by the Spirit and the instructions in the next paragraph, bishops and stake presidents have discretion to allow priesthood holders who are not fully temple worthy to perform or participate in some ordinances and blessings. However, presiding officers should not allow such participation if a priesthood holder has unresolved serious sins.

A bishop may allow a father who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood to name and bless his children even if the father is not fully temple worthy. Likewise, a bishop may allow a father who is a priest or Melchizedek Priesthood holder to baptize his children or to ordain his sons to offices in the Aaronic Priesthood. A Melchizedek Priesthood holder in similar circumstances may be allowed to stand in the circle for the confirmation of his children, for the conferral of the Melchizedek Priesthood on his sons, or for the setting apart of his wife or children. However, he may not act as voice." (Handbook 1, 16.1.1)

Edited February 1, 2018 by Nevo

• Recommend NOT required to stand in circle of Melchizedek priesthood ordination, only to confer priesthood and act as voice. Should always do things according to policy not stake tradition. 

[mfbukowski]

1 hour ago, BJC said:

As guided by the Spirit and the instructions in the next paragraph, bishops and stake presidents have discretion to allow priesthood holders who are not fully temple worthy to perform or participate in some ordinances and blessings. However, presiding officers should not allow such participation if a priesthood holder has unresolved serious sins.

A bishop may allow a father who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood to name and bless his children even if the father is not fully temple worthy. Likewise, a bishop may allow a father who is a priest or Melchizedek Priesthood holder to baptize his children or to ordain his sons to offices in the Aaronic Priesthood. A Melchizedek Priesthood holder in similar circumstances may be allowed to stand in the circle for the confirmation of his children, for the conferral of the Melchizedek Priesthood on his sons, or for the setting apart of his wife or children. However, he may not act as voice." (Handbook 1, 16.1.1)

Edited February 1, 2018 by Nevo

• Recommend NOT required to stand in circle of Melchizedek priesthood ordination, only to confer priesthood and act as voice. Should always do things according to policy not stake tradition. 

Zombie thread warning.

The recommend might be necessary simply to show the individual has the Melchizedek Priesthood if he is acting as voice or doing an ordination.

Bishops also have a form available to enable a person to perform an ordinance in another ward, to certify of worthiness but a recommend can perform the same function.

They actually use them in California- I guess not in Utah. 

Standing in the circle is another matter, though one should have the Melchizedek priesthood to do so.

Edited August 7, 2019 by mfbukowski

[MustardSeed]

I’m wondering- is a baby blessing actually an ordinance? Or is it simply a tradition? 

[JAHS]

38 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

I’m wondering- is a baby blessing actually an ordinance? Or is it simply a tradition? 

It is a priesthood ordinance but not a saving ordinance.
D&C 20-70
"Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name."

Specifying elders indicates that it is a priesthood ordinance.

Edited August 7, 2019 by JAHS

[Ahab]

On 1/31/2018 at 8:31 PM, Thinking said:

My daughter's new baby girl will be blessed in the near future and her bishop is requiring all who stand in the circle to have a temple recommend. Is this new?

I've read a lot of good comments here but I haven't seen anyone mention why a temple recommend or a recommend for a baby blessing is necessary, and if I'm understanding correctly the reason is because it is not only a baby blessing but also the blessing that gives that baby a name which the baby will be known by "in the records of the Church".  At home or anywhere else a father can give his baby a blessing and invite anyone who holds the priesthood of any office in it to join in the blessing with him.  But for any blessing that is going to be recorded in the records of the Church certain other things are also necessary because of the requirements set by the leaders of the Church.  Our Lord's church is a church of order and this is just a way to make sure things are done in and with order, properly.

[mfbukowski]

It's a formal membership verification with a blessing attached.

 

[CV75]

On 1/31/2018 at 11:31 PM, Thinking said:

My daughter's new baby girl will be blessed in the near future and her bishop is requiring all who stand in the circle to have a temple recommend. Is this new?

In our ward, we all stand in the corner if anyone doesn't have a temple recommend.

[LoudmouthMormon]

When my first baby was blessed, we went to my wife's brother (in the midst of his latest drug addiction, having just impregnated his girlfriend, having moved from inactivity to open rebellious apostasy), and invited him to hold the microphone.  He accepted, and held the microphone.  It was a good opportunity to not exclude him from a very meaningful ordinance.

[provoman]

From the Church:

 

Priesthood Ordinances and Blessings

Priesthood ordinances are sacred acts given by the Lord and performed by the authority of the priesthood. Priesthood blessings are given by the authority of the priesthood for healing, comfort, and encouragement. Brethren who perform ordinances and blessings should prepare themselves by living according to gospel principles and striving to be guided by the Holy Spirit. They should perform each ordinance and blessing in a dignified manner and comply with the following requirements; the ordinance should be:

1. Performed in the name of Jesus Christ.

2. Performed by the authority of the priesthood.

3. Performed with any necessary procedures, such as using specified words or using consecrated oil.

4. Authorized by the designated priesthood leader who holds the proper keys, if necessary.

Ordinances that require priesthood leader authorization are naming and blessing children, performing baptisms and confirmations, conferring the priesthood and ordaining to a priesthood office, blessing and passing the sacrament, and dedicating graves.

Naming and Blessing of Children

In conformity with this revelation, only worthy men who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood may participate in naming and blessing children. The ordinance of naming and blessing children requires authorization from the presiding authority.

 

Worthy Melchizedek Priesthood holders...I have never heard that a Melchizedek Priesthood without a Temple Recommend is regarded as "unworthy".

 

[provoman]

On 8/9/2019 at 10:32 AM, Ahab said:

I've read a lot of good comments here but I haven't seen anyone mention why a temple recommend or a recommend for a baby blessing is necessary, and if I'm understanding correctly the reason is because it is not only a baby blessing but also the blessing that gives that baby a name which the baby will be known by "in the records of the Church".  At home or anywhere else a father can give his baby a blessing and invite anyone who holds the priesthood of any office in it to join in the blessing with him.  But for any blessing that is going to be recorded in the records of the Church certain other things are also necessary because of the requirements set by the leaders of the Church.  Our Lord's church is a church of order and this is just a way to make sure things are done in and with order, properly.

That language is not part of the blessing 

 

The person who gives the blessing:

1. Addresses Heavenly Father.

2. States that the blessing is given by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

3. Gives the child a name.

4. Gives a priesthood blessing as the Spirit directs.

5. Closes in the name of Jesus Christ.

[Kenngo1969]

On 8/6/2019 at 11:30 PM, mfbukowski said:

Zombie thread warning.

Whatsamatter, Mark, don't you believe in the resurrection?