MEMBER RECORDS RETURNED
MY LETTER TO ME

Unfortunately, occasionally Member Records will return your letter of resignation to you, with a claim that you have to find the local bishop or branch president and that you have to give your resignation to that person.. My guess is that they usually do this when they get a resignation from a person who they think has not used this website, which means they think the person doesn't know what his/her rights are.

You do NOT have to do what they say and I hope you won't. Legally you can submit your resignation to any representative of the church and Member Records is the obvious best place to send it. If they returned your letter to you, you probably received a letter from them plus a stamped and dated copy of your original letter of resignation. Both of those items are proof that they received your letter of resignation. The stamped photocopy of your letter is legal proof that you stopped being a member of the church on that date (that's true IF you said that the letter was your formal resignation and that it was effective immediately).

Remember, you are no longer a member and they no longer have any kind of authority or power over you. Please be assertive about this.

Keep copies of both of the items they sent you. You can make photocopies of them and send the copies back to Member Records, if you want. Send them back to member records with a note, something like this one:
 

Your name
Address
City, State, Zip
Birthdate

Date

Member Records
50 E North Temple, Room 1372
SLC UT 84150-5310

Attached you will find a photocopy of my formal letter of resignation, which your office received on ___________(the date), as you can see from the stamp your office put on the letter. I have kept a copy of this stamped letter as proof that you got my resignation.

As you know, I stopped being a member of your church on the day you received my letter. It is clear that someone in your office thinks I don't know what my rights are. I do NOT have to contact anyone else regarding my resignation. As a non-member I am no longer subject to your rules and regulations or policies. I DO have a right to get a letter of confirmation from you that states that my name has been removed from the membership rosters of the church.

Please stop wasting time and effort and handle my resignation appropriately. If you don't handle this appropriately, I may involve a lawyer or the press.

Sincerely,

Your signature
Your name, printed.