The Church Educational System (CES) announces that all new employees who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be required to hold and be worthy to hold a current temple recommend. Church members already working at CES institutions will be invited to adopt this standard voluntarily. This aligns with the historical temple recommend standard applicable to Church employment. This adjustment is effective immediately and applies to all faculty, staff and administrative employees at each of the CES institutions.
Updating this policy reflects the unique role of CES in the Church and in the lives of its students. “The CES institutions are unique among educational institutions. Central to the effort of CES is our mission to develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, in the Church of Jesus Christ and in their communities,” said Elder Clark G. Gilbert, Church Commissioner of Education. “No institutional decision is more important to us than the selection of employees, including faculty, as it has the greatest potential to impact our students.”
Holding and being worthy to hold a temple recommend signifies that a person believes in and adheres to Church doctrine, principles and practices and remains worthy to enter the temple. Any continuing employees who choose not to opt in to the standard, as well as employees who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ, must continue to meet existing employment and ecclesiastical standards.
“It is critical that each employee represent the mission, values and goals of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Elder Gilbert explained. “These updates reflect the expectations we have for each employee to continue to engage fully in the spiritual mission that is central to each CES institution. We are grateful to have such remarkable and committed employees.”