Proxy Ordinances

"Heavenly Father has provided a way for all His children to make covenants and participate in ordinances, including people who did not receive them in this life. At the beginning of the year they turn 12, your child is old enough to be baptized and confirmed in the temple for deceased ancestors." (From Appendix A: For Parents--Preparing Your Children for a Lifetime on God's Covenant Path, found in the back of the Come, Follow Me manual)

The Year Before

We invite parents to use the year preceding their child receiving their first temple recommend as a time to prepare them to worship in the temple. To help parents and their children prepare to perform proxy baptisms and confirmations for deceased ancestors, we encourage them to use the following resources:

• Appendix A: For Parents--Preparing Your Children for a Lifetime on God's Covenant Path, found in the back of the Come, Follow Me manual

• The Temples section of the church website, especially

  • • About Proxy Baptism and Confirmation

    • Preparing Your Child for Temple Baptisms and Confirmations

• Gospel Study Guide: Temples in the Gospel Library

• Gospel Study Guide: Family History in the Gospel Library

• General Handbook (GH) Section 25.0 and 25.1: Member and Leader Participation in Temple and Family History Work

• The temple recommend interview questions for youth (Appendix of the For the Strength of Youth Guide), which will be asked when they meet with your Bishop

The Weeks Before

While your child is preparing to perform proxy ordinances in the temple for the first time, please complete the following steps:

• Contact your Ward Executive Secretary to let him know you'd like to schedule an appointment with your Bishop for your child to be interviewed to receive their first temple recommend (for young men, note that this interview may be done in conjunction with the interview to receive the Aaronic Priesthood)

• With your child, meet with the Bishop to discuss your child's preparation to perform proxy ordinances in the temple

• Schedule a temple appointment for proxy baptisms and confirmations

• Help your child use Ordinances Ready to find a family name to take to the temple

On or After January 1

• For young men, arrange a time to receive the Aaronic Priesthood; because the ordination can take place after being sustained in the ward, if you desire to attend the temple as soon after January 1st as possible, work with your Bishopric to be sustained at the end of December

• Receive your recommend from a member of your Bishopric; they cannot be printed until January 1

• Attend the temple

• Afterwards, take a moment to record your experiences of the day

We hope that performing proxy ordinances in the temple begins a lifelong desire to be with the Lord in His holy house.