Jesus Christ Temple Work

Understanding Ordinances Ready

The bridge between your family history research and the temple. Here's how to find ancestors who are ready for ordinances — and what to do next.

What Is "Ordinances Ready"?

Ordinances Ready is a feature on FamilySearch that does two things: it identifies ancestors in your Family Tree who are eligible and prepared for proxy ordinances, and it guides you through reserving those names to take to the temple.

It's available on FamilySearch.org and in the Family Tree mobile app. You don't need to be an experienced researcher to use it — it's designed for anyone who wants to bring an ancestor's name to the temple.

Why it matters: The 2026 Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction highlighted Ordinances Ready as one of the most important tools available to members right now — because it personalizes the experience. It shows you your relationship to the ancestor, making the ordinance deeply personal rather than abstract.

Understanding the Temple Icons

As you browse your Family Tree, you'll notice small temple icons next to some ancestors' names. These icons tell you the status of that person's ordinances at a glance.

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Yellow Temple Icon — A Golden Opportunity

A yellow icon means ordinances are currently unavailable for this person — usually because vital information is missing or incomplete. The system needs enough data to uniquely identify the individual (typically at least a birth, marriage, or death date and place). These are research opportunities. With more digging — especially using the FamilySearch Catalog — you can often find the missing information and turn this icon green.

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Green Temple Icon — Ready for the Temple

A green icon means this ancestor has at least one ordinance that is available and ready to be performed. You can reserve this name through Ordinances Ready and take it to the temple. Turning a yellow icon green — by finding the missing information — is one of the most rewarding experiences in family history work.

The Four Proxy Ordinances

When you take an ancestor's name to the temple, you may perform any of these four ordinances on their behalf:

Baptismal font supported by twelve oxen

Baptism

The first saving ordinance, required for entry into the celestial kingdom.

Hand placed on head — laying on of hands for confirmation

Confirmation

The gift of the Holy Ghost, given by the laying on of hands following baptism.

Jesus Christ with arms outstretched

Endowment

Sacred covenants and instruction received in the temple — drawing closer to Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice.

Two interlocking wedding rings

Sealing

Binds husband, wife, and children together for eternity.

Ordinances Ready will show you which of these are available for each ancestor and help you reserve the right ones.

How to Use Ordinances Ready

  1. Sign in to FamilySearch Go to familysearch.org and sign in with your Church account.
  2. Open the Family Tree app or website From the homepage, click Family Tree. You can also use the FamilySearch app on your phone or tablet.
  3. Find the Ordinances Ready section Look for the temple icon or "Ordinances Ready" link in the menu. On mobile, it appears in the bottom navigation. On desktop, it's in the left sidebar.
  4. Review available names FamilySearch will show you ancestors with ordinances ready — along with your relationship to them. Read each name. These are real people connected to you.
  5. Reserve the names you want to take Select the ordinances you want to perform and reserve those names. They'll be assigned to you so no one else performs them at the same time.
  6. Print your family name cards Print the ordinance cards to bring to the temple. The temple's front desk can also look them up if you have the FamilySearch confirmation number.
  7. Go to the temple Bring the cards to your nearest temple and present them when you arrive. Temple workers will guide you through the rest.

What If You Don't Have Names Ready?

If Ordinances Ready shows no available names, it usually means one of these things:

  • Your family tree doesn't have enough ancestors added yet — start by adding what you know (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents).
  • All known ancestors have already had their ordinances completed — in this case, you can take someone else's family names using Family Name Assist, or ask your ward consultant for help finding names.
  • Some ancestors have yellow icons — this is your invitation to research. See our FamilySearch Catalog guide for how to find missing information.

Every Name Is a Person

The Ordinances Ready feature was designed to remind us of that. When you see that the name waiting is your great-great-grandmother — someone who is part of you — the trip to the temple becomes something more than an errand. That's the heart of this work.

Sources & Citations

Content drawn from official Church and FamilySearch documentation. For step-by-step screen instructions or troubleshooting, visit FamilySearch.org directly.