Content
This article is the second in a series of articles in Church Treasurer Alert! That will summarize recordkeeping rules for several kinds of church records. This month, and next month, we address the retention of tax records. Your record retention policy should include how to store documents so you can access them later. This ensures you are keeping everything you need and discarding what you don’t.
What are five examples of records for the church?
They may also provide personal information about an individual or the family. Church records include baptism/christening, marriage, death/burial records and membership lists. You may also find minutes, administrative, and financial records of the church. Many churches have published histories of their congregation.
While most cemeteries are well kept, more than a few rural cemeteries have been abandoned. Usually legal documents for a church are not voluminous and are best suited for placement in a safety deposit box or bank vault. Photocopies can be made and placed in the church office where they can be available for reference. Vital records are those which are essential to the continued functioning of an organization and are records from which duplicate copies should be produced.
How Long Should We Keep Church Records-Summary
It’s good to keep documentation, but keeping too much can become overwhelming. This process can be very helpful when you have multiple people managing church records. This should include what documentation to keep and how long to keep it, as well as where these documents will be stored and how they will later be disposed of. All the documentation that you need to keep may be requested by the IRS. Your bank may also need these documents if you ever need financial help.
Annual audit records and worksheets, insurance letters, individual giving records and accounts payable records are also important. These records also include employee expense reports and personal records after employment separation. Despite this, most churches turn profits every year from donations. Your documentation must be organized and stored somewhere where you can access it easily. These are examples of documents that are important to running a church.
Get the Free eBook to Improve Church Stewardship
These three steps—taking an inventory, setting retention periods, and designing a records center—are not difficult or highly specialized tasks. They can be undertaken inexpensively, usually using the staff of the church. accounting for churches In making such an inventory, you likely will find many records— duplicates and dead records—which can be destroyed immediately. The following three steps are required to initiate a records management program.