Permanent Records to transfer to Archives of Ohio United Methodism
at closing of church
Updated and approved by Joint Archives Committee April 2021
· Membership registers, baptisms, marriages, funerals, transfers
· Administrative Reports: Charge Conference reports, Administrative Board reports, Council on Ministries report or administrative council reports
· Bequest and estate papers
· Church histories, published or unpublished
· Architectural drawings, blueprints, maps
· Insurance Policies
· By-laws
· Local church committee minutes or records (UMW, W.S.C.S., Ladies Aid, Youth, Staff meeting, Pastor-Parish, Sunday School, etc.)
· Newsletters: church newsletters, UMW, UMM, UMYF and other church group’s newsletters (a few issues from each year at most – can’t take them all)
· Photographs – single photos of church buildings and interiors, pastor photographs
· Special occasion and Sunday worship bulletins
· Trustee minutes/Finance Committee minutes
We will not archive the following items:
· Financial records – AOUM cannot house the following financial records: Accounts payable records, accounts receivable records, bank deposit slips, bank statements, cancelled checks, cancelled certificates of deposit, invoices (except for those for major construction), pay authorization records, purchase orders, tax records, tax withholding authorization records, time sheets, travel records, monthly income and expense ledgers, etc. These records are generally retained for a specific time period (see GCAH Local Church Records Schedule) by a church in order to meet legal obligations (e.g. 7 years). AOUM does not have the staff or financial wherewithal to shred these materials once the retention period has passed. It is assumed that such records will be kept at the district office or an alternative location. Items that are deposited at AOUM are those that will be kept permanently to tell the story of a church that no longer exists.
· Guest books
· Entire runs of newsletters and church bulletins
· Furniture
· Communion ware (unless engraved with name of church)
· Bibles/Pulpit Bibles [added by CHH Feb 2019]
· Anniversary celebration materials
· Awards and certificates given to the church or groups within the church
· Incorporation papers
· Memorial books
· News clippings about members , events at church
· Scrapbooks, photographs (if not identified), mementos of special occasions
· Sermons, photos, material written by pastors (except for photographs of pastors)
· Sunday school attendance books (The minute books are included under local church committee minutes or records. If they are just attendance books the conferences need to decide if they should be kept for genealogical purposes.)
· Deeds: deeds, conveyances, covenants, easements, title papers
· Benefits Policies and Procedure Records
· Annual budget/annual fiscal reports
· Employment policies and procedure records
· Audit records
· Budget records
· Contract/Property files – repairs, maintenance, lease agreements, loans
· Real estate surveys
· Staff meeting records
· Tax exempt certificates and form 990
· Directories and photo-directories
· Correspondence
