Ward DeskSpeaking Assignments

Ward Desk Privacy

Last updated: November 2, 2026

Ward Desk is a free set of planning tools for a bishopric, found at weakthings.com/pages/ward-desk. Ward Desk is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This page explains what Ward Desk collects and how it is handled. The Weak Things Privacy Policy also applies.

Ward Desk has three parts:

  • Sacrament Meeting Program and Conducting Assistant
  • Speaking Topics and Assignments
  • Member Requests and Bishopric Queues

Ward Desk has other planning tools, but they are turned off. This includes callings: Ward Desk does not track callings, releases, sustainings, set-aparts or clerk records. Interviews and council agendas are also turned off. If any of these is turned on, this page will be updated first.

Leader accounts

Leaders sign in with their Weak Things customer account, using an email code or another sign-in option offered by the store. For Ward Desk we store your customer account number, your email address, the name you choose to show your teammates, the email your teammates see if you choose a different one, the teams you belong to, your position and role on each team (admin or member), and records of invite links you create or use.

A team admin can add a person's name, email address and position before inviting them. Ward Desk does not send anything to that person. When the admin chooses Send invite, Ward Desk makes a private link and opens the admin's own email or text app with a message ready to send. When the person joins, their position is applied and they are removed from the waiting list.

Sacrament Meeting Program and Conducting Assistant

Leaders can fill in each Sunday's program: who presides and conducts, the chorister and organist, hymns, prayers, announcements, new ward members to welcome, stake business, baby blessings, confirmations, ordinations and short notes. The program fills in speakers and the kind of Sunday from the speaking calendar. Leaders can also change the wording the conducting leader reads. The program can be conducted from a phone or printed. While the program is open on a phone, Ward Desk may keep the screen awake; this does not save any information.

Leaders should enter only names and short notes, and should not enter private or sensitive details about anyone.

Speaking Topics and Assignments

Leaders may record a speaker's first and last name, the name to show on the speaker's invitation (for example, Brother Smith), the Sunday, the part of the meeting, the talk topic, the suggested length and the assignment status. Ward Desk is designed not to store phone numbers, email addresses, middle names or personal notes about speakers. Names are shortened to first and last name. Speakers may include youth and children, and the same limits apply.

Leaders can also keep:

  • A general list of ward members' first and last names, used to choose speakers and prayers.
  • A list of approved speakers: first and last name, the name to show on the invitation, Brother or Sister, and youth or adult. Only the bishop can change it.
  • Ask next lists: the bishop and each counselor can keep a ranked list of names they would like to ask to speak.

The topic library and the general conference talk links come from Ward Desk and the Church's website. They are not information about members.

Speaker assignment pages

A speaker who receives an assignment link, handout or QR code does not need an account. The details on that page, such as the topic, the date and the name chosen for the invitation, are contained in the link itself. Ward Desk does not save anything when the page is opened. The page may link to talks on the Church's website, which has its own privacy policy.

Calendar link

A team member can make a private calendar link that shows the speaking calendar in their own calendar app, such as Google Calendar. The link includes speaker names and topics unless the person turns names off. Anyone who has the link can see what it shows, so it should not be shared. The calendar app copies the information on its own schedule, and that copy is covered by the calendar provider's privacy policy. Turning off the link, or leaving the team, stops new updates. To delete the copy, remove the calendar from the calendar app.

Member Requests and Bishopric Queues

The bishopric can share one request page, by web link or a printed QR sign, so ward members can reach them without an account. A member can:

  • Ask to meet with the bishop or a counselor. The member gives their first and last name, a phone number or email, and who they would like to meet with. They do not say why.
  • Ask for a time to give their Tithing Declaration, with their name and a phone number or email.
  • Send a request to the ward clerk, with their name, a phone number or email, the kind of help they need (such as moving in or out, records, certificates or donations) and optional details.
  • Share a suggestion with the bishopric. Suggestions are sent anonymously unless the member chooses to add their name. Anonymous suggestions save no name, phone number, email or IP address.

Each request goes into a queue in Ward Desk. Leaders can mark requests as scheduled, done or closed, and can note a planned date, time, place and who the member will meet with. Ward Desk does not send texts, emails or reminders to members. Leaders contact members themselves.

To stop spam, Ward Desk briefly checks how often requests come from the same internet address. This check is kept in memory only and is never saved. The page also contains a hidden field that people cannot see, which helps block automated spam.

Members should not include private details in a request. The bishop will talk with them in person.

Missionary Meals

A ward can keep a missionary meal calendar. Ward members sign up on one web page, by link or QR code, without an account. A member gives their name, ward, phone number, how they will help (a meal at their home, dropping off a meal, or a restaurant or take-out), an optional time, their address for a meal at their home, and optional notes for the missionaries. Members from another ward that shares the same missionaries can sign up on the same page.

The sign-up page shows each day as open or taken, with the ward. It shows a member's first initial and last name only if that member chooses to show it. Phone numbers and addresses are never shown on the sign-up page. Any member can change or cancel a meal from the sign-up page, for example for a family member or friend. They type their own name, and the change is listed for the coordinators for 30 days.

Each set of missionaries has a private page, by link or QR code, that shows the host's name, ward, phone number, address and notes for their meals. Coordinators can print it or copy it as text for the missionaries. Coordinators are the bishopric and people they invite by email, such as the ward mission leader. Coordinators see missionary meals only.

Ward Desk does not send texts, emails or reminders to members or missionaries. To stop spam, the sign-up page briefly checks how often changes come from the same internet address; this check is kept in memory only. The page also contains a hidden field that helps block automated spam.

Names, phone numbers, addresses and notes are deleted 30 days after each meal. The date, the set of missionaries and the ward are kept. A bishopric can hide Missionary Meals in Team settings, which also closes the sign-up page and the missionaries' pages.

Who can see it

Each bishopric has its own private team. Only people who join with an invite link from a team admin can see the team's information. Signing in never gives access to another team or another organization's information.

  • Requests to meet with the bishop can be seen only by the bishop and the executive secretary.
  • By default, requests to meet with a counselor, or with either, and Tithing Declaration requests can be seen by the counselors and the executive secretaries. Clerk requests can be seen by the clerks, and suggestions by the counselors. The bishop can see all of them.
  • The bishop can change who sees or edits each part on the Team tab under Access. He can only give access to people on the bishopric team.

Weak Things may access Ward Desk data only when needed to operate, secure or support the service, or when required by law. We do not sell Ward Desk data or use it for advertising or marketing.

Team links

A team can save named links to its own files, such as Google Sheets or Docs. Ward Desk stores only the name and web address of each link. It does not open, copy or store what is in those files. Access to them is still controlled by the service that holds them.

Suggestions to Weak Things

When you send a suggestion about Ward Desk, we store your name, your ward and team, your note, the page you were on, the Ward Desk version and your device type. We store your email address only if you choose to let us reply. Only Weak Things reads suggestions; your ward does not see them.

Copies on your own device

So pages still open without a signal, Ward Desk keeps a copy of the pages you last opened on your own phone or computer for 14 days. Signing out clears it. A bishop or team admin can also download a backup of the speaking calendar, approved speakers, the general list and team links as an Excel file. That file is theirs to keep safe.

Tracking

Ward Desk pages, including the request page and speaker pages, do not load Weak Things analytics or advertising pixels, and they automatically decline tracking consent. Shopify, which hosts the site, may still record basic technical information about page requests, as described in the Weak Things Privacy Policy.

Service providers

Ward Desk uses Shopify for sign-in and website hosting and Supabase for its database. Ward Desk data is stored on Supabase servers in Canada. These providers may keep short technical logs to run and secure their services.

Retention and deletion

  • Speaker names are deleted after 3 years, or after 2 years if a team admin chooses that setting. The date and topic of past talks are kept without the name so leaders can see which topics have been used.
  • Sacrament meeting programs are deleted on the same schedule, counted from the Sunday.
  • Requests marked done or closed are deleted 90 days later. Missionary meal names, phone numbers, addresses and notes are deleted 30 days after each meal; the date, the set of missionaries and the ward are kept. A leader can delete a request at any time.
  • Names on the general list, approved speakers and Ask next lists stay until a leader removes them or the team is deleted.
  • Unused invite links stop working after 7 days and are deleted 30 days after that.
  • A team admin can delete a team, which deletes everything saved for that team.
  • You can delete your Ward Desk account from the Team tab. This removes you from every team and deletes any team where you were the only member. It does not delete your Weak Things customer account. To delete that as well, contact us at mike.s.merrell@gmail.com.

Emails

Ward Desk does not send marketing emails. If you choose to receive Weak Things emails when you sign in, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email.

Questions

Questions about Ward Desk and privacy can be sent to mike.s.merrell@gmail.com.

Ward Desk is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.