Suggested Arrangement of Parish Records

Series I. Sacramental records

    A. Parish Registers

    B. Service Registers

    C. Lists of communicants

    D. Letters of Transfer (in & out)

Series II. Administrative records

    A. Mission statements

    B. Constitutions and by-laws

    C. Annual Meetings

        1. Minutes

        2. Annual Reports

    D. Vestry minutes & other records

    E. Parochial reports to Diocese of Maine

    F. Other Diocesan communications, surveys, etc.

    G. Litigation papers and other legal

    H. General parish correspondence

    I. Cemetery records

    J. Staff (*not including priests & deacons)

N.B. Personnel records are highly confidential and need to be protected/restricted; be sure to include job description

        1. Lists of staff, perhaps by position, with years of tenure

        2. Organist/Music Director

        3. Director of Religious Education

        4. Parish Administrator

        5. Sexton

Series III. Financial records

    A. Year-end statements and audits-Annual Reports of the Treasurer

    B. Annual budgets

    C. Trusts, bequests, etc.

    D. Accounting records (most will be scheduled for disposition after 7-10 years)

        1. Cashbooks and ledgers to keep

        2. Trust Fund records

    E. Correspondence

    F. Investment Committee (or with committees)

    G. Financial Stewardship Committee (or with committees)

Series IV. Buildings and grounds

Arrange by property, including the following for each piece of property/building

    A. Deed(s)

    B. Insurance (probably a good idea to keep all policies forever)

    C. Purchase information, correspondence, etc.

    D. Plans (inc. site plans)

    E. Renovations (inc. contracts)

    F. Annual repairs/upkeep and Maintenance Manual

    G. Committees ( or with committees)

Series V. Clergy

Arrange by priest/deacon, starting with first and include these categories for each

    A. Chronology of vicars/rectors

    B. Priests

        1. name

            i. biography/resumé

            ii. Letter of Agreement & other hiring information

            iii. Correspondence

            iv. Journals, diaries

            v. Sermons & pastoral letters

            vi. Photos and news clippings, etc.

    H. Deacons

        Same as for priests

Series VI. Committees and groups, guilds, clubs, etc.

The easiest way to start is to arrange them alphabetically by name. Include record books,

Correspondence, any publicity/photos exclusively about committee, minutes, etc.

    A. Standing Committees

    B. Ad hoc Committees

    C. Committees no longer functioning

Series VII. Events and Special Events

    List by event and keep all records for each event together and in chronological order.

Series VIII. Publications

    A. Parish histories

    B. Newsletters (keep 2 of each if possible)

    C. Service leaflets (keep 2 of each if possible)

    D. Parish directories (keep 2 of each if possible)

    E. Brochures & forms (keep 3-4 of each)

    F. Other (cookbooks or whatever)

Series IX. Other

    A. Parish scrapbooks

    B. Photographs, inc. VHS tapes of events and other visual media

    C. News clippings

    D. Lay biographies, etc., inc. oral histories and transcripts

    E. Artifacts (inc. list of all those in current use and how each came to parish)

        Included here Memorial Gift Book(s)

    F. Guest books, newcomers, etc.