Insta-Organized In a High-Turnover Ward

Within the next three weeks, hundreds of wards will experience enormous turnover and change. If you live or serve in a ward that has high-turnover at the beginning of a semester, this post might be helpful.

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Once upon a time in the Provo YSA 16th stake, there was a Bishop who had previously served in the military. His clear-cut leadership skills were easy to see in how he organized his ward. At the beginning of fall semester, hundreds of people moved into his ward and in less than two weeks

1. Everyone had a calling 
2. Everyone had their photo and contact information on LDS.org
3. Everyone was becoming more familiar with one another.
4. All new "move ins" information was gathered, to retrieve their records on MLS.

In a "well-oiled machine" ward, with results like these within less than two weeks of the semester starting, it was clear to see that the bishop's military training was a strength that he contributed to the work.
Here is the regimen/organizational process he used to get their wards up and running at high-functioning levels ASAP. I've added a few potential recommendations for enhancement as well.

1st Sunday of the Semester

• Sacrament Meeting:  
• Potential Orientation / Introduction Sunday Talk
• Ward Theme or Ward Mission (Ward Mission Leader) to establish shared vision, ward goals, etc.
• Sunday School:
• At the end of sacrament meeting, Sunday School & RS/EQ classes were cancelled and the congregation was split into three groups and they separated into 3 different rooms
1. PHOTOS & 30 SECOND VIDEO

• A pro photographer brought a back drop, lighting equipment and everything needed to take nice pictures for the lds.org photo directory.
• The communications committee uploaded these photos into the ward directory on lds.org
• After having their picture taken, they sat in front of a video camera and did a short 30 second video clip of "getting to know you" information. (Bishoprics said this was very helpful.)
2. PERSONAL INFO GATHERING

• In a computer lab (since we meet on a university's campus) everyone filled out a Google Survey to gather contact info, interests, skills, mission service, temple recommend info, birthdate (which is needed to retrieve membership records after moving into a new ward) etc. 
• This was previously done on paper but doing that online decreased a lot of secretarial work, printing, etc. 
• For wards that do not have a computer lab or access to laptops, an email with a link to a Google Survey is also a simple route for gathering that info. Completing this during class just ensured that the info was gathered immediately.
• Everyone can also log into lds.org and update their address and information.
3. ORIENTATION TO THE WARD & GETTING TO KNOW YOU CHIT-CHAT:

• People went around the room and briefly introduced themselves.
• Auxiliary presidents and co-chairs explained for new ward members the basic info of the workings of the ward: intro to FHE groups, ward boundary layout, any ward events that week, the ward's calendar and bulletin page on lds.org, dinner groups, weekly events, neighborhood Facebook page (if there is one), weekly ward emails, etc. 
• AFTER CHURCH
• Mix and mingle with munchies.
• THAT WEEK:
• RECEIVING REVELATION TO EXTEND CALLINGS: 
• Here is where things were taken even further to the next level. That week the bishopric met  and conducted a process that sounded similar to the process that mission calls are issued through. Someone in the ward had programmed a system so that individuals' photos would come up on their projected screen showing a new member's photo on half of the screen, and the info they had filled out in the Google Survey on the other half. (interest, skills, mission, etc.) (It might also be nice to have a link or window to their 30 second intro video.) 

What has helped your wards become high-functioning, organized and unified? If something is lacking, what is it and what could be done about it? Recognizing a need is one thing, remedying it (when it is appropriately our place) is another. It's also a privilege.

THINGS THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL BUT WHICH DO NOT PRESENTLY EXIST:

It would be nice if the info that is collected on the "getting to know you" sheets every time someone moves into a ward, was simply linked to their lds.org account, transferrable with them wherever they moved and update-able by logging onto lds.org.

I'm all for routes which help us work smarter, rather than solely harder.

It would also be nice if individuals could link their' Mormon.org Profile with their LDS.org account so that ward leaders and/or ward members could gain more insight into that individual via that portal. This would also be a simple way to read about/be able to get to know ward members better, read/share testimonies, etc.

What other ways have your wards gotten up and running quickly? Has anything helped your ward get organized, on the same page, unified and familiar with one another?