Records of Congregations: What does the Archives want?

This section is directed to United Church ministers, workers, and members who are responsible for administering and preserving the records of their congregations. The records of congregations take many forms including baptismal, burial and marriage registers, financial ledgers, correspondence. communion and historic rolls, and minutes of church boards, committees, and groups.

The volume and varied nature of a congregation's records often make it difficult to determine which records should be transferred to the Archives and which should be disposed of. These questions are addressed in the brochure and in addition information is provided on the measures a congregation can take in organizing and preserving its materials prior to depositing it in the Archives. The brochure concludes with an overview of the services the Archives provides to congregations.

Should you have any questions or require assistance, do not hesitate to contact the Conference Archivist or Deputies (see location / contact info).

THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL CHURCH RECORDS AND ARCHIVES

Creating useful and accurate congregational records and providing for their preservation are responsibilities shared by ministers, church workers and members of congregations. By adhering to the regulations detailed in the United Church Manual and adopting a common sense approach to records administration and preservation, fulfilling records responsibilities can be relatively easy and rewarding.

Maintaining church records ensures that the legal, financial, and administrative needs and obligations of a congregation are efficiently and effectively met. Over a period of time properly prepared and preserved church records form a congregational memory: they serve as a source of information for church histories, celebrations, and for genealogical research. Increasingly, historians and other academics are drawing on the records of congregations in order to describe and interpret the role of the United Church within Canadian society and to understand its internal growth and development.

PRESERVING CHURCH RECORDS

Records, no matter how accurate and complete, are of little value unless they are carefully preserved. It is part of the stewardship responsibility of each congregation to see that it creates and cares for those records which will enable future generations to understand their heritage.

Churches generate many kinds of records which provide a vivid picture of the life and work of a congregation. Listed below are some of the records created by congregations which have archival significance: you may think of others.

• Official minutes of church courts.
• Official minutes of annual congregational meetings.
• Baptismal, marriage, burial, and membership registers.
• Historic and communion rolls.
• Annual reports and financial statements.
• Reports and other records of standing, sub-, and ad-hoc committees appointed by the Official Board.
• Staff directories, manuals and organization charts.
• Correspondence files.
• Reports and plans regarding church property.
• Records and correspondence of all groups and associations.
• Published and unpublished histories.
• Biographical material about charter members, executive officers, ministers serving a congregation, and other prominent individuals. Church bulletins provide an overview of a congregation's activities.
• Church newsletters, pastoral and executive letters.
• Clearly identified and dated photographs of personnel, executives, boards, buildings, properties, special events; etc.

HANDLING AND STORING

Whether preparing records for transfer to the Archives or storing material in the Church, all items should be clearly labelled, dated and identified. A records storage space should be clean, dry, and secure, and the ideal storage equipment is a filing cabinet or metal shelving. If filing cabinets or shelves are not available. Items should be packed neatly and loosely in boxes which are suitably labelled.

Scrapbooks can hold interesting collections of memorabilia, but it takes careful planning and investment in proper materials to ensure such collections are long-lasting. Many of the materials used to prepare a scrapbook seriously damage documents. The paper of most commercially available scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and most commonly used tapes and glues deteriorate over time and adversely affect all materials included in a scrapbook. If it is necessary to prepare a scrapbook then it is important to invest in a book with acid-free paper, purchase special glue sticks which meet archival standards for adhesives and photocopy newspaper clippings onto good quality paper.

The preparation of photograph albums should also be carefully considered as the self-adhesive album pages commonly available are very harmful to photographs. If a photograph album is to be prepared the prints should be placed in an album which meets archival standards, using mounting comers rather than applying adhesives directly to the photographs. Prints can also be put in the pockets of archival quality photo pages or in individual polyethylene sleeves. The use of captions is the best means of identifying prints but where this is not possible, prints may be identified in pencil on the back taking care not to damage the image.

THE CONGREGATION AND THE CHURCH ARCHIVES

In order to care properly for its records, the United Church has established a number of archival repositories across Canada. The Central Archives in Toronto houses the records of the national church, and serves as the repository for the records of the five Ontario Conferences. The other seven Conferences have their own arrangements for maintaining their records.

Frequently Asked Questions

What records should be sent by congregation to the United Church Archives? The Manual specifics that congregations are to send their inactive records to the appropriate repository. The Archives is interested in receiving the types of archival material identified in the left-hand column on this page.

What records are not required by the United Church Archives? Not all the records created and received by a congregation have archival value. Specifically, the Archives does not need:

• Records which are created by presbytery, conference, or national offices:  for example, copies of presbytery or conference minutes.
• Invoices and cancelled cheques.
• Conference or national church publications.
• Pulpit or family Bibles unless they contain important historical information not obtainable elsewhere.
• Duplicate congregational materials.

When should records be sent to the Archives? It is difficult to provide exact guidelines. A useful rule of thumb is that only records which are inactive or rarely consulted should be deposited in the Archives. The Archives staff provides reference service on records of congregations: however if the documents are regularly referred to they should be retained in the local church.

What steps should be taken before depositing a congregation's records? The work of Church archivists is greatly assisted when a congregation undertakes certain basic tasks prior to depositing its records in the Archives.

• The Church Session should recommend to the Official Board that the records be deposited with the Conference Archives.
• At least three lists of the records being deposited should be prepared.
• The minutes of both the Session and Official Board should include a list of the records deposited, and one list should be sent to the Archives with the records.
• Records may be usefully arranged to the following order: minutes of boards and church courts, financial records, building and property flies, civil registers, membership rolls and registers, correspondence and reports of groups and committees, and photographs.
• It is Important to package records carefully when shipping them to the Archives.
• Where possible the records should be sent by courier or by registered mail.

What services does the Archives provide? When the records of a congregation arrive at the Archives they are arranged and described in accordance with archival standards, placed in acid-free file folders and boxes, housed in a temperature and humidity controlled storage area and made available for research. The Archives staff is pleased to assist researchers using records of congregations and to suggest additional sources of information. However, owing to the pressures on staff time and resources, archivists cannot undertake major research projects on behalf of congregations. Appointments to use material in the Archives may be necessary. For information on contacting the various repositories see the Montreal & Ottawa Conference Archives pamphlet.

The United Church of Canada has long recognized the importance of an archives program for preserving the record of the Church's achievements and for meeting its administrative needs. The records of congregations held at the United Church Central Archives and the network of Conference Archives constitute an important research collection for both church workers and those studying the Church's history. By depositing their congregation's records in the United Church Archives church members facilitate the work of others and ensure that the records of The United Church of Canada are as complete as possible. In caring for the records and making them available for research we fulfill our responsibilities as stewards.

(Adapted for the Montreal & Ottawa Conference by the Conference archivist, February 2002 from a brochure issued by the Central Archives of the United Church of Canada, January 1986.)

Other publications prepared by the Committee on Archives and History of The United Church of Canada:

• Guidelines for Record Keeping in the United Church of Canada
• Managing Your Congregation's Records.