Local Church Retention Schedule
RECORDS SCHEDULE #1
Records of Local Churches
DEFINITIONS
Active Record: Documents are needed in the office of creation for reference purposes for a certain period of time.
Disposition: Actions taken with regard to non-current records as determined by a records schedule; actions include transfer to an archives or destruction.
Inactive Record: Documents are no longer needed in the office of creation for reference but cannot be disposed of or transferred to the archives due to federal or state regulations or future organizational needs.
Record: A document created or received and maintained by an agency, organization, or individual in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business; also called Document, Item, Official Record.
Reference Copy: Copy of a record used primarily for consultation purposes, not usually the official copy
Records Schedule: Document describing records of an agency, organization, or administrative unit, establishing a timetable for their life cycle and providing authorization for their disposition; also called Comprehensive Records Schedule, Disposal Schedule, Records Retention Schedule, Records Disposition Schedule, Retention Schedule, Transfer Schedule, General Records Schedule
Record Type: The functional title for a record. The title normally specifies or at least implies function or use, and often implies the basic layout of information; also called Form, Genre
Retention Period: Length of time, usually based upon an estimate of the frequency of use for current and anticipated business, that records should be retained in offices before they are transferred to an archives or otherwise disposed of
Transfer: Act involved in a change of physical custody of records with or without change of legal title.
RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE
For more information see the GCAH Schedule for Local Churches: http://www.gcah.org/atf/cf/%7B9FFCD624-0CB2-4EB6-9D68-68E9775A36DA%7D/ConfRetSched.2009.pdf
| RECORD TYPE | DESCRIPTION OF RECORD | ACTIVE RECORDS RETENTION PERIOD |
INACTIVE RECORDSRETENTION PERIOD | HOLD IN CHURCH ARCHIVES |
| Administration | District committee and program group reports; official district conference session reports filed by superintendent | Current Year +3 | Permanent | Yes |
| Administration | Closed church records (membership, histories, board minutes, directories, photographs, deeds) | While Active (until legal matters are cleared/members transferred) | Permanent | Yes |
| Administration | Staff meeting records | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Administration | Reports of Administrative Board, Council on Ministries, or Administrative Council | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Administration | Charge Conference Minutes | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Annual Reports | Annual reports of local churches | Current Year +2 | Permanent | Yes |
| Audio-visual | Audio and video tapes (in any format) of local church activities, members, staff and properties, including oral histories | Current Year +9 | Permanent | Yes |
| Banking | Statement | Current Year +3 | 4 years | No |
| Banking | Deposit tickets and checks, except as otherwise noted | Current Year +3 | 4 years | No |
| Board of Ordained Ministry | Records of individuals who did not complete ordination or are incactive | Current Year +1 | 2 years | No |
| Bonds | Paid interest coupons | Current Year +2 | 3 years | No |
| Bonds | Cancelled | Current Year +7 | 8 years | No |
| Bulletins | Weekly and special worship service programs (2 copies) | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Charge | Charge Conference Minutes | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Charge | Charge Conference Reports | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Charters | Charters, constitutions, by-laws | Until Superceded | Permanent | Yes |
| Church Groups | UMM, UMW, UMYF, Ladies Aid Society, Epworth League, etc. minutes and reports | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Committees | District committee, commission, task force minutes and reports | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Correspondence (General) | Routine or transitory correspondence | Current Year +1 | 2 years | No |
| Correspondence (Subject) | On special or topical interests | While Active | Permanent | Yes |
| Correspondence (Employee) | Relating to employee benefits | Current Year +6 | 7 years | No |
| Council on Ministries | Council on Ministries minutes and reports | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Diaries and Journals | Relating to the history of the church or of important individuals belonging to or involved in the organization of the church or of members documenting church activities | While Active | Permanent | Yes |
| Directories | Church directories (including pictorial and telephone) | Until Superceded | Permanent | Yes |
| Employee | Benefits (such as group insurance, pensions) | While Active +7 | 7 years | No |
| Employee | Cancelled payroll checks and summaries | Current Year +6 | 7 years | No |
| Employee | Date including accident reports | Current Year +1 | 2 years | No |
| Employee | Data including accident reports involving benefits | Current Year +6 | 7 years | No |
| Employee | Deduction authorization records | While Active | 3 years | No |
| Employee | Employment policies and procedures | Until Superceded | Permanent | Yes |
| Employee | Pay authorization records | Current Year +4 | 5 years | No |
| Employee | Personnel records | While Active | Permanent | Yes |
| Employee | Rejected employment applications | Current Year +1 | 1 year | No |
| Employee | Search employment records (accepted) | While Active | 3 years | No |
| Employee | Search employment records (other) | While Active | 3 years | No |
| Employee | Staff meeting minutes | Current Year +4 | Permanent | Yes |
| Employee | Tax withholding statements | Current Year +5 | 6 years | No |
| Employee | Time sheets | Current Year +2 | 3 years | No |
| Employee | Travel records | Current Year +1 | 3 years | No |
| Financial | Account books and balance sheets | Current Year +4 | 5 years | No |
| Financial | Claims and disbursement records (including expenses, accounting, bookkeeping, purchasing) | Current Year +4 | 5 years | No |
| Financial | Apportionment deposits | Current Year +2 | 3 years | No |
| Financial | Audit reports (external) | Current Year +20 | 21 years | No |
| Financial | Budgets | Current Year +5 | 6 years | No |
| Financial | Capital stock ledgers and transfer | While Active | While Active | No |
| Financial | Certified financial statements | Current Year +9 | 10 years | No |
| Financial | Internal audits | Current Year +5 | 6 years | No |
| Financial | Membership contributions/offerings | Current Year +5 | 6 years | No |
| Financial | Periodic statements | Current Year +2 | 3 years | No |
| Financial | Tax exemption certificates (Form 990) | While Active | While Active | No |
| Financial | Tax returns and related papers | Current Year +7 | 8 years | No |
| Financial | Worksheets for financial statements or trial balances | Current Year +3 | 4 years | No |
| Grievances | Records relating to grievances filed against employees, local churches, church groups, etc. | While Active +3 | While Active | No |
| Historical | Histories of local churches | Until Superceded | Permanent | Yes |
| Insurance | Election records | While Active +3 | While Active | No |
| Insurance | Expired policies | Current Year +9 | 10 years | No |
| Insurance | Fire inspection reports | Current Year +5 | 6 years | No |
| Insurance | Group records | Current Year +7 | 8 years | No |
| Internal Reports | Reports and summaries including data processing print-outs or cards | Current Year +2 | 3 years | No |
| Lay People | While Active + | Permanent | Yes | |
| Legal Papers | Completed or expired contracts and leases, loans, etc. | Current Year +9 | 10 years | No |
| Membership | Membership lists and record books, baptism, marriage, birth, death and transfer records | While Active | Permanent | Yes |
| Missionary Churches | While Active | Permanent | Yes | |
| Newsletters | District newsletters | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Newsletters | Local church newsletters or newsletters of church groups (such as UMW or WMYF) | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Parsonage | While Active | Permanent | Yes | |
| Pastors | Deceased | While Active +20 (per Chancellor) | Permanent | Yes |
| Pastors | Appointments | Until Superceded | While Active +20 | No |
| Pastors | Retired | While Active +20
(per Chancellor) |
Permanent | Yes |
| Photographs | Identified photographs of local church activities, members, founders, staff and properties | Current Year +9 | Permanent | Yes |
| Property | Blueprints, plans, specifications, maps | While Active | Permanent | Yes |
| Property | Capital improvements records (including cancelled checks, purchase orders, vouchers, invoices, and cost data) | Current Year +9 | 10 years | No |
| Property | Deeds, title papers, repair histories, permits, lease agreements | While Active | Permanent | Yes |
| Property | Paid mortgages and notes | Current Year +9 | 10 years | No |
| Property | Physical inventories of possessions (furniture, etc.) | Current Year +2 | Permanent | Yes |
| Property | Real estate surveys, related correspondence | While Active | Permanent | Yes |
| Quarterly Conference | Quarterly Conference minutes | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Quarterly Conference | Quarterly Conference reports | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Scrapbooks | Relating to the history or membership of the church | While Active | Permanent | Yes |
| Sunday School | Sunday school records (including minutes and membership) | Current Year +1 | Permanent | Yes |
| Trustees | Trustee minutes and reports | Current Year +2 | Permanent | Yes |
Retention schedule last edited 11/1/2003 by Jennie Thomas.
Page last edited 5/1/2012 by Nicole Garrett