Church Membership Records Management Training Program
Explore the essentials of managing church membership records, including the roles of leadership, understanding the Book of Discipline, and maintaining accurate membership rolls. Discover why clean membership rolls are crucial and get insights on different ways to keep records. Learn about the accountability of key figures like pastors and membership secretaries in maintaining and reviewing records. Embrace the importance of caring for each member as part of the body of Christ.
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Presentation Transcript
Membership Audit Training Leslie Ohrin, Manager of Data Services and IT Projects Leslie Ohrin, Manager of Data Services and IT Projects LaTarsha Sanchez, Data System Analyst LaTarsha Sanchez, Data System Analyst
Topics to cover Why do I need to maintain a clean membership roll Understanding your Roll per the Book of Discipline Types of Rolls/Records Different ways to keep your Membership Records Understanding the different levels and categories of membership Recommendations of information to capture Where do I begin? Thoughts Questions
Understanding your Roll per Book of Discipline
Leadership Rolls per Book of Discipline The Pastor The Pastor The accountable person for all the membership records The Membership Secretary The Membership Secretary Has delegated authority for the maintenance and preparation of the records and shall report regularly to the Church Council The Church Council The Church Council Shall appoint a committee to review the membership records The Charge and Annual Conferences The Charge and Annual Conferences Require accountability from the pastor for all membership records The importance of all records and rolls from baptism to death or other removal of membership are a vital part of the performance of ministry
Leadership Rolls In many churches, the responsibility of the membership secretary is assumed by the church secretary. When combined with other church duties, this job can be time consuming and taxing. So we push and push this task to be low priority on our list and now its time to clean your membership rolls. Basic membership records in each local church shall consist of A permanent church register A card index A loose leaf book or Membership record on an electronic information system
Dont forget! REMEMBER! Do not deal with the records as mere numbers but as people who are related to the body of Christ. Spend time learning who your members are. An important task of the church is the discipline of caring for and sustaining the vital relationships among the people of God. Records are means to remember. We need to keep track of people because they are citizens of God s kingdom.
Required Records and Rolls Permanent Church Register Permanent Church Register A list of all baptized and professing members of the congregation. These persons who have come into membership by baptism, profession of Christian faith or transfer (each person that is received into the fellowship of the church). Record of Faith Journey Record of Faith Journey The local church shall maintain a record for each baptized or professing member including information about birth, baptism confirmation, transfer, removal, restoration and death. This record is the foundation upon which accurate and up to date membership records are built. This also provides an important ministry tool for the newly appointed pastors who want to get acquainted with the church members.
Required Records and Rolls Constituency Roll Constituency Roll Non-members for whom the church has pastoral responsibility (accepted the responsibility for their spiritual development and welfare). This includes unbaptized children, youth, and adults whose names are not on the membership record, and other nonmembers Once a baptized youth reaches the age of 17 and does not complete confirmation, they are then placed on the Constituency Roll
Required Records and Rolls Affiliate/Associate Member Roll Affiliate/Associate Member Roll A professing member of a United Methodist Church, an affiliated autonomous Methodist, or a Methodist church that has a concordat agreement with The United Methodist Church who resides for an extended period in the city or community at a distance from the member s home church. Associate members are temporary residents who want to maintain their memberships in a church or another denomination but desire to be active participants in a local UM church *Students, military service personnel, and retired persons who maintain two residences fall in the category
Required Records and Rolls (cont.) Professing Members Removed by Charge Conference Professing Members Removed by Charge Conference Names of professing members to be removed by charge conference action shall be reported to the charge conference annually. What does the BoD say about removal of members?
BoD sections Sec. 223 The name of any professing member who has been on the General Church Membership Roll for more than eight years than eight years and for who a current membership address cannot be obtained, shall be removed from the membership roll Sec. 228(b)(1). if a professing member residing in a community is negligent of the vows or is regularly absent from the worship of the church without a valid reason . . . over a period of two years, name may be removed. of two years, the members Sec 231 The pastor shall report to the charge conference annually the names of persons. . . removed since the last charge conference. . . . The church council shall appoint a committee to audit membership records, submitting the report to the charge council. Sec 235. Members whose names are removed from professing status for cause or who have transferred, died, or have withdrawn died, or have withdrawn shall be so noted on the membership record transferred, Sec. 2714 A District Superintendent may use an internal judicial process to remove a member of the Church. It rarely happens, but it can be used to remove an unruly member.
Who should I be keeping track of ? Baptized members who have become professing members through confirmations, members transfers to and from other churches, members who have been withdrawn or removed by charge conference and deaths Prospects for membership Remember in some cases for professing member, a recommendation for removal is to be considered for two consecutive years two consecutive years by the charge conference. 288.2b *these are valuable records & are frequently needed for reference. They should always be kept up to date.
Supplemental Records (Recommended) Record of Baptisms Family/Household Roll or Card Record of marriages Record of Deaths Historical Record Pastor History
Ways to Keep your Membership Records
Ways to Keep Church Member Records Take inventory of your present record keeping system Manual Record Keeping In-House Computerized Records Online Membership Records Online directories make these updates instantly, but if you are still using a printed directory, keep a version that is your changes directory so that you can hand mark any changes that need to be made along the way. When it is time to update your Church Directory or Reports that must go out that all the revisions made throughout the year are already recorded for you. To maintain good membership records, you should review your membership logs at least quarterly.
Abbreviations Membership Roll Abbreviation Membership Roll Abbreviation Asian A Restored R African American Black AA Charge Conf Action CC Hispanic H Withdrawal WD or W Native American N Withdrawal under Charges WC Pacific Islander P Death D White W Professing Member P Multi-Racial MR Baptized Member B Female F Constituency CT Male M Constituency Roll CR Transfer T Affiliate Member AF Other Denomination OD Associate Member AS Profession of Christian Faith PF Confirmation C
Understanding the different levels and categories of membership
Understanding member categories Professing Members Professes faith at the Church Transfers as a professing member of another church and releases membership in that other church Youth completing confirmation Baptized member Baptized in the Church Transfers from another church with proof of baptism Unbaptized Youth Any youth attending the Church who does not provide proof of baptism *it may be useful, to have active/inactive designation for baptized members- this is not an official designation, but can be useful for the purposes of member care
Understanding member categories Constituent Any adult regularly attending church, who does not elect to become a professing, affiliate or associated member. Visitors who have been attending regularly, for at least 3 months Visitor Anyone who begins attending the church and have not made their wishes known concerning membership Affiliate Member Someone who wishes to be affiliated in your church while keeping their membership in another UMC.
Understanding member categories Associate Member A member of another denomination who wishes to be associated in your church while keeping their membership in another non-United Methodist denomination Charge Conference Action (yearly) Only professing members can be removed from your rolls by charge conference action. Baptized members can only be removed by death or transferred to another church. Remember too that even those professing members who are removed from your rolls still remain baptized members of your church (all professing members are baptized members, but not all baptized members are professing members)
Understanding member categories Members Residing in Retirement Home or Health Care Facility Do not described these members as inactive members. They will stay identified as members and be flagged as such in a church directory. Conference Member A pastor who is assigned to the church, to minister to the congregation, or a retired pastor(s) who make the church their home church. Church Council Provide planning and implementing a program of nurture, outreach, witness, and resources in the local church
Where Do I begin? Start with the easy categories first: Members who are deceased. Put the names of any deceased members on your deceased roll - remember to log the date of death. Members whom you cannot find. If you and other church members have made repeated efforts to contact certain members and have been unable to get in touch with them, bring their names before the Church Council so that they can be called at your charge conference meeting.
Where Do I begin? (cont.) Absent and disinterested members. As you attempt to contact all the members on the rolls, you may find people who no longer want to have anything to do with the church. Remove them next. Members out of the area. If a member is unable to attend the church because he s moved away, encourage him to join a local church in his area that can watch over him and keep him accountable. An emotional attachment to a church far away is not a good reason to hang on to membership there. These are people that maybe can be removed by transfer or withdrawal
Where Do I begin? (cont.) Non-attending members in the area. This is certainly a tougher group. These people may want to maintain their membership, they are able to attend, and they may have relationships with other members, but they don t want much to do with the church. Move slowly and continue to patiently instruct people about the meaning of church membership As you move from deceased to non-attending members, your membership rolls should increasingly consist of confessing believers who are actively involved in your church. Let s start from the outside and work in:
Where Do I begin? (cont.) Those first categories are the biggest and most obvious targets. There are other categories such as attends, but not professing members in the area but cannot attend. Old age or an infirmity might prevent a member from attending; they should not be dismissed, but specially cared for! Also, we encourage special charity toward elderly members who have moved out of the area and into retirement homes. Why? They often grew up with a different understanding of church membership and are unlikely to change. Out of love, consider allowing them to remain on the rolls. Once again, out of love for your people, do not clean the rolls more quickly than your congregation can handle. For some, this may take years to work through. Remember, each listing on your roll is more than a name; it s a soul.
Teach on Church Membership Whether in expositional sermons, a topical series, or a Bible study, address passages like Matthew 18:15 17, 1 Corinthians 5, and 2 Corinthians 2:6 and the implications they have for church membership. Patiently teach people until they understand the importance of church membership and their responsibilities as members. Some may withdraw, others may transfer to the United Methodist churches nearer to a new place of residence or to other denominations, while others may recover vitality in the church and become active once again, or perhaps for the first time. Begin removing non attending members, beginning with the easiest and moving to the hardest. From easiest to hardest
Termination of Records by Deletion Baptized Members May only be removed by death or transfer to another church Visitors, Constituent, Baptized Child, Unbaptized Child May be deleted, when no longer attending, which is confirmed, and there are no financial entries made in the current year Conference Members (Pastors assigned, Retired Pastors who attends, and active pastors who attends/affiliates) May be deleted when no longer attending, which is confirmed, and there are no financial entries in the current year Pastors are treated as transfers
Termination of Records by Deletion Professing Members Formal action is required for deletion (removal) of the church member. This may be from their moving, joining or not joining another church, and no formal transfer notice has been provided. A follow-up is made to determine action. If acknowledge attending, or joining another church, their record may be deleted as soon as there are no financial entries in the year deleting. If no acknowledgement is received in 2-4 weeks, or there is no current address available, change their status to Charge Conference Action (Year). The year stated in the status represents the year first listed and read at charge conference.
Things to remember! Any printed list should be dated. If you are using a computer program to keep membership records, do not delete the records of members who have died or transferred membership to another congregation. Move their details to another file of former members. Records need to be stored securely. They need to be protected from fire, damp, heat, light, silverfish and theft. They also need to be well-organized, and a list needs to be prepared of what records exist and where they are stored.
Recommendations Post Weekly Attendance Review absentees quarterly Check church school attendance lists Make an inactive list to follow up on Keep updated list of shut-ins Develop a program to follow up on absentees before a full year of inactivity has occurred Develop a support staff break names up (last name) have a committee or group that checks on people within their name group and report back to you on the status of those members *your listing may contain names of those who have been encouraged to remain in the church but who have elected not to be active. This list of names will need to be read at charge conference
Recommendations Report the status of all Membership Records to the next meeting of the Church Council Be Faithful in preparing the required reports for the church council, charge conference and the annual conference Maintaining your records weekly or monthly keeps the task manageable and meaningful
Charge Conference Action Suggested deletions of names on the list may be made on the floor of the charge conference All name remaining on the data base after the year of the third reading will be deleted. If the status changes for a member listed on your Professing Members Removed by Charge Conference Action log. (ie..returning to the church) before the 2 year reading occur. Change their status back to active and remove them from this log with the date of return to the church
Scenario Scenario Member Responsibility Member Responsibility Sending (leaving) Church Responsibility Sending (leaving) Church Responsibility Receiving Church Responsibility Receiving Church Responsibility Membership Records and Letters is moving to another community ( 236) The pastor knows a member Pastor encourages member to transfer membership to a church; assists member in finding churches in area of move Transfer to another United Methodist Church ( 239) OR Transfer to another denomination ( 240) Notify church where he/she wants to transfer membership of two things: 1. Desire to join by transfer 2. Name of church where membership currently held 1. Send an Acknowledgment of Transfer of Membership to receiving churches 2. Sent a Notice of Transfer of Membership to member Notify sending church of the transfer through a Request for Transfer of Membership Transfer from another denomination Notify church where he/she wants to transfer membership of two things: 1. Desire to join by transfer 2. Name of church where membership currently held Since it is not a United Methodist Church, there is no procedure for ensuring this occurs. You can enter the transfer based on the information provided by the member. Notify sending church of the transfer through a Request for Transfer of Membership Withdrawn without notice ( 241) If a pastor is informed that a member has united with another church (UM or otherwise) without notice: 1. Make diligent inquiry 2. If the report is confirmed, enter withdrawn in the membership record.
What happens the church leaves the UMC Discontinued District Superintendent is responsible for collecting all the local church records. The membership records of current members should be maintained in the DS office until all such members have been transferred to other churches. Once this is complete the membership records should be deposited for permanent safekeeping with the Conference Commission on Archives and History.
Meeting your Reporting Requirements The accurate maintenance of these records makes readily available correct information for Table 1 of the church s statistical reports to annual conference and for other reports the pastors is required to make to the change conference Statistics provide information about the big picture and help researchers see trends, which in turn aid Church leaders in making decisions ** The Health of the local church and each district, conference, and jurisdiction within the UMC will be strengthened by the use of the membership record system. While it is recognized churches are about more than the number of persons attending worship or how many persons are baptized in a year, those numbers help bring attention to matters warranting concern or celebration. Sharing with each other the objective data numbers provide helps us to keep our connection vital.
Dont forget! REMEMBER! Do not deal with the records as mere numbers but as people who are related to the body of Christ. Spend time learning who your members are. An important task of the church is the discipline of caring for and sustaining the vital relationships among the people of God. Records are means to remember. We need to keep track of people because they are citizens of God s kingdom.
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