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    Need to organize your community of faith records? Whether you have to clear space in your offices or whether your church is experiencing changes, learn how the United Church of Canada Archives can help.

    Communities of faith create a lot of records and those records tell the story of your communities and the work of your churches. But what do you do with those records to ensure they are preserved? How can we ensure that the records can be shared so our stories are told and known? And how can we protect them from risks such as floods or fires or any other situation that could quickly erase that documentary heritage? Community of faith records are essential to understanding the United Church of Canada and need to be preserved in the various regional archives for the Church. We all can play a part in preserving this history – whether you simply need to clear space, whether your church is closing or amalgamating with another, you can help by sending your community of faith records to your regional council archives. This course hopes to show you how you can do just that. 

    After completing this course, we encourage you to reach out to your regional council archive for further information on how to prepare and transfer records for long-term preservation in your area. 


    • This course will:

      • Introduce the United Church of Canada’s commitment to Archives and the United Church of Canada Archives Network
      • Answer why we should archive community of faith records
      • Detail what records should and what records should not be deposited to your regional council archives
      • Offer tools and resources that you can take back to your congregation as you consider and/or plan how to prepare your community of faith records for long-term preservation
      • Give you a glimpse of the work that we do at the United Church of Canada Archives in Toronto
    • 7 Modules
      3 Videos
      1 Forum
      2 Hours
    • Announcements Forum
    • Ask the Archivist Forum
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    Introduction

    • Your Instructor

      • Erin Greeno

        Instructor: Courriel: Erin Greeno

        Erin has been the archivist for the Ontario Regional Councils of the United Church of Canada (Toronto) - East Central Ontario, Shining Waters, Horseshoe Falls, Western Ontario Waterways, Antler River Watershed and Canadian Shield Regional Councils, and parts of Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council – since 2010. In this role, she oversees the records management and archival programs of the regional councils and the communities of faith within their boundaries. Her work focuses on making archival records more accessible to the public through robust archival systems, subject terms, and inclusive language.

        When she is not being an archivist, she is enjoying gardening in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong located on Treaty 20 territory, in the traditional territory of the Michi Saagig and Chippewa Nations. 


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    Managing Records in Your Community of Faith

    • Good management of records is outlined in section A.5 of The Manual. The Manual states that “church records have an historical and legal value,” which necessitates that they be “accurate and complete” and “[kept] … safe [and] secure.” It also states that ownership of the “records belong to the United Church.

    • Get your Transfer Forms and Checklists on this Page (click here to open) URL
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    Instructional Videos

    • Archiving your Community of Faith Records

      44:47 time to view

      Erin Greeno of The United Church of Canada Archives (Toronto) walks you through each step of the archiving process and helps you sort out what to archive from what to give away or throw out. All this and more in this comprehensive instructional video.

       

       

      Transcript of Video

      This transcript is divided up into chapters and you can scroll ahead and click on any part of the text to take you to that section of the video.

    • Bringing Documents to the Archives

      1:25 time to view

      This short video clip is part of the main video and only includes music. A more accessible version of this video will be forthcoming. In it Erin shows how to deliver your records to the archives.

       

       

       

    • Tour of the Archives

      6:15 time to view

      This short video clip is part of the main video. In it Erin show you how we process documents and gives you a virtual tour of the archives in Toronto.

      An accessible version of this video will be forthcoming.

       

       

    • Video Transcript: Tour of the Archives Page
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    What do the archives want?

    • Guidelines

      The United Church of Canada has long recognized the importance of an archives program for preserving the record of the Church’s achievements and meeting its administrative needs. The records of congregations held at The United Church of Canada Archives constitute an important research collection for church workers and those studying the church’s history. By adhering to the regulations detailed in The Manual and adopting a common sense approach to records administration and preservation, fulfilling records responsibilities can be relatively easy and rewarding.

      Below are some guidelines for what should and should not be transferred to the Archives.

      These guidelines can also be downloaded.

      What do the Archives Want? (PDF, 724 KB)

    • What records should be transferred to the Archives?

      • Baptismal, marriage, and burial registers
      • Historic rolls and communion rolls and registers
      • Official minutes and correspondence of church courts and annual congregational meetings
      • Board and committee manuals and organizational charts
      • Official minutes, correspondence, and reports of standing, sub-, and ad hoc committees
      • Property records, including plans, deeds, titles, leases, mortgages, bills of sale, and construction and maintenance contracts and invoices
      • Records and correspondence of all groups and associations, including:
        • women’s groups (Ladies’ Aid Society, Woman’s Missionary Society, Woman’s Association, and United Church Women)
        • men’s groups (As One That Serves (A.O.T.S.), Men’s Club)
        • Sunday schools, youth groups
        • choirs, mission bands, Bible classes, etc.
      • Correspondence files
      • Special church bulletins (i.e., anniversaries and dedications). Selected bulletins can be saved over a year to
        provide an overview of a congregation’s activities per decade.
      • Sample of church newsletters
      • Annual reports and audited financial records
      • Clearly identified and dated photographs of personnel, executive, boards, buildings, properties, and special events

    • What records should stay with your congregation?

      • Duplicate congregational materials (photocopies of minutes)
      • Records created by Regional Councils, or national office (i.e., photocopies of Regional Council minutes)
      • Invoices, receipts, or cancelled cheques
      • National church publications
      • Pulpit or family Bibles unless they contain important historic information not obtainable elsewhere

    • What about scrapbooks?

      • 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 in scrapbooks deteriorate over time. If it is necessary to prepare a scrapbook, use acid-free paper and archival adhesive. Otherwise, keep the scrapbooks on-site for congregational use.
      • Photo albums face the same preservation considerations, so use archival materials. It is best to choose clearly identifiable images to send to the Archives. Make sure photographs include names, dates, and locations.

    • Advantages of sending records to Archives

      The advantages of sending your records to your Regional Council Archives are many

      • Staff are trained and follow professional archival standards to acquire, arrange, describe, preserve, and make material available to researchers.
      • The Archives are secure, environmentally controlled spaces suited to storing archival material.
      • Records are placed in acid-free folders and boxes for further protection.
      • Outdated records stored in churches are susceptible to fire, water, damage, mould, silverfish, being misplaced or stolen, etc.
      • Records are made more accessible to potentially more researchers.
      • Church records serve as a source of information for church histories and celebrations, community histories, and genealogical research.
      • Records are our memory, not only of facts or evidence of activities and decisions but also of our collective story as a church.

      “The Archives belongs not to me, not to the church…. It is the corporate memory of our life with God, in all its beauty and tragedy and wonder.”

      -Bob Stewart, Past Archivist, BC Conference

    • The Manual and Archives

      Section A.5 of The Manual, 2016, clearly identifies the need to archive church records:

      • Church records “have historical and legal value.”
      • Church bodies are responsible for “making sure the records and accurate and complete” and “keeping the records safe, secure and under their control.”
      • Church records are the property of The United Church of Canada; “they may not be taken or kept by any member, minister, or other person.”

      Because church records are the property of the United Church, all inactive records should be centralized in an archival repository and not scattered among various local archives, libraries, and research centres.

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    Sample Records Schedule – Congregations

    • A records retention schedule identifies the types of records created by a congregation and its officers and governs their retention and disposition. This schedule is intended to provide an example that your congregation can use to manage your records and prepare records for transfer to your Regional Council Archives. If your congregation creates types of records not listed in this schedule and you are uncertain how long to keep them, contact your Regional Council Archives for more information.

      All record types with permanent retention are archival and should be transferred to the Archives when the records are no longer actively used in church work. It is best to send such records every three to five years. Only one copy should be deposited to the Archives. Record types that are not permanent should be disposed after the designated retention period.

      Sample Records Schedule – Congregations (PDF, 204 KB)

    • Much more is available on our Records Schedule Page (click here to visit) URL
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    Frequently Asked Questions

    • What if the church closes?

      Records of congregations that close or amalgamate should be directed to the Regional Council Archives.

    • Who has overall responsibility for a congregations’ records?

      The official governing body. In the traditional system of church government, the official board (comprised of both the session and the committee of stewards) has responsibility for matters affecting the pastoral charge that are not assigned to any other bodies within the church.

      In a unified form of church government, these responsibilities would fall to the overall governing body of the church, either the church board or church council. This suggests the overall governing body may take responsibility for the records of various church committees that are not specifically directed to have their records reviewed by regional councils. This may include the United Church Women, Christian Education, Sunday school, choirs, men’s groups, ad hoc committees and so on.

    • Are the minutes of a church’s governing body confidential to members of that body?

      No, they are not confidential. The Manual does not address the issue of confidentiality per se, but it clearly states that records of a congregation’s governing body – minutes of meetings, congregational registers, and membership – should be reviewed annually. See The Manual, Section A5.5(opens in a new tab) (PDF, 2.2 MB).

    • What types of information should the minutes of a church’s governing body contain?

      Minutes must contain a complete record of a meeting’s activities, that is, they must also contain all information that pertains to the changes in the church’s membership roll (additions by profession of faith confirmation, by reaffirmation of faith, by certificate of transfer, and by action of the churches governing body; removal by death, by certificate of transfer or by action of the church’s governing body) and the names of persons to be baptized.

    • Is an action column acceptable for church minutes?

      Yes. An action column indicates who is responsible for specific matters that arose out of a meeting. However, an action column should be included with the minutes only if the designation of who is to follow up on any action has also been clearly outlined within the body of the minutes. Designation within the minutes will ensure clarity should any questions arise.

    • Our congregation has a unified governing structure (church board or church council). Does this make a difference as to how records are kept?

      No. Some communities of faith have combined their official board, sessions, and committee of stewards into one unified church board or council. The need to keep records that contain certain types of information remains unchanged. Functions formerly delegated to an official board, session, or committee of stewards must be picked up in whatever system of church government a community of faith adopts, including the function of recordkeeping.

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    Policies

    • Policy on Baptism, Marriage and Burial Registers

      In developing policy about the kind and level of access that ought to be provided to Baptismal, Marriage, and Burial Registers, it is important to think about the expectations people have in giving the information necessary to complete these registers. They do so because we request this information when we are preparing to provide the sacrament or rite they are seeking. These individuals then expect us to treat this information with care. Indeed, in debates at the General Council Executive in 1992 and 1993 and at the 35th General Council in 1994 about whether to permit The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to microfilm the Baptism, Marriage, and Burial Registers found in the Central Archives, the word “trust” was used in relation to the information in these Registers, e.g., “individuals have ‘entrusted us’ with this information.” Some information found in the Registers may be available in other ways, depending upon the particular information, the inquirer, and the length of time since the event recorded in the Register occurred. Some of it would not readily be found elsewhere.

      Who would be likely to make requests for information found in a congregation’s registers? Most requests fall into one of three categories. First, an individual may need proof that an event took place at a particular time. For example, an individual may need to prove that he or she was married on a particular date to a particular person, and so they ask to see and to make a copy of the relevant entry or they ask some church official to make this copy for them. Second, an individual doing genealogical research wants to go through these Registers as part of gleaning the information necessary to further their work. Third, individuals, groups, or institutions may wish to copy entire Registers for any of a number of possible purposes, e.g., collecting large amounts of genealogical data for commercial reasons, an academic project, or to aid in the religious rituals of another faith tradition.

    • Guidelines Already Established by the United Church

      In the early 1990s, in response to the requests noted above of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to microfilm the Baptism, Marriage, and Burial Registers in the United Church Archives, the United Church determined that it would not allow such microfilming by this religious tradition. The decision was re-affirmed by the General Council Executive in the late 1990s. While a particular concern at the time of those debates was the use that would be made of the records by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the spirit of the decision was that we needed to respect, and to hold with trust and care, the information individuals have given to us. At the 1994 General Council, it was also proposed that those bodies holding such records elsewhere in the church be encouraged not to permit wholesale copying of these records for the same reason.

      In light of these decisions, any request to copy entire Registers, by any individual or group and by whatever means, should be denied unless and except there exists a legal obligation to provide the said records. This guideline includes organizations like ancestry.ca.

    • Best Practices for Other Requests

      Since congregations receive requests for access to their records from time to time, what would be some best practices in responding to such requests? Specific guidelines are provided in the last section of this document about how to respond to requests, but it helpful to think about the kinds of requests congregations and other bodies holding these Registers receive.

      Sometimes a request will come by e-mail, telephone, or letter, asking the minister or a designated church administrator or official to provide a copy of a record where the individual making the request was involved in the particular sacrament or rite for which a certified transcript of the record is being requested. Such requests should be fulfilled to the extent possible given the time and resources of the person who would respond to such requests. It is permissible for a congregation to charge a fee for the provision of a copy of such a record.

      Sometimes an individual will come in person asking for such a record. Ideally, a congregation would have someone—the minister, a member of the staff, or a volunteer—who would look through the Register or Registers involved and provide the necessary document. Again, it is permissible for a congregation to charge a fee for such a service.

      Sometimes an individual doing genealogical research will ask to be able to go through all of a congregation’s Baptism, Marriage, and Burial Registers in that individual’s quest for information about the members of a particular family. It is important to note that in such cases the individual should have access only to the individual’s own records or to the records of family members who are deceased. They cannot have access to the records of any person, even a family member, who is still alive without the expressed, written consent of such individuals. Therefore, no individual should be given unsupervised access to these Registers; readily available technology (e.g., a cell phone) enables a full copy of these Registers to be made very quickly. Ideally, the congregation’s representative handling such requests would ask the individual for the name(s) about which information was desired, and that representative or a delegate would go the Registers and compile the desired the relevant information, bearing in mind the above strictures about the records of persons who are still alive. Another approach, which is more time-consuming but would also be acceptable, would be to allow the individual to go through the Registers while under the supervision of an observer from the congregation. Again, a congregation is permitted to charge a fee for this service.

    • Privacy

      • An individual will always have access to their personal information. An individual can give permission to someone else to view their information.
      • Registers contain personal information that must be protected for a period of time in accordance with applicable privacy legislation; Provincial legislation must supersede Federal wherever it is stricter.(opens in a new tab)
      • Congregations and Archives holding registers will typically create a certified transcript of the original record. A reproduction (photocopy, scan or digital camera image) of a register is only permitted when it is a legal requirement.

    • Sacred Trust and Third Parties

      • Information in United Church registers was given by individuals for a specific purpose and is considered to be held in sacred trust. The records must never be transferred to any other organization.
      • As technology advances the ease of copying and distributing data for profit has become an issue again. The spirit of General Council and General Council Executive decisions in the 1990s has already established the guideline that external organizations are not permitted to copy registers for their own use or for commercial gain. Any exceptions must be negotiated with the Regional Council Archives or Executive Minister to ensure the use of data is appropriate and personal information will be protected.
      • When records are ‘open’ to the public according to privacy legislation(opens in a new tab), any individual may view a register and transcribe; however individual requests for copying of open registers must have an agreement with the Archives outlining permissions and any conditions of use.

    • Communities of Faith

      • You are required by The Manual (opens in a new tab) of The United Church of Canada (2023, p51-52) to keep records safe, secure and under control until depositing them in the appropriate Regional Council Archives.
      • If you are approached by an organization telling you they will film, photograph or scan your registers and give you a copy of them, do not accept or engage. That organization will have ‘ownership’ of those copied records –infringing on the ownership of records by The United Church of Canada (The Manual, 2016; A.5.4, p47.)

      Communities of Faith must protect their records and never allow an outside organization access or rights to copy registers unless there exists a legal obligation to provide the said records. It is a violation of sacred trust to allow any third party—profit, non-profit, or individual—to have access to the personal information Church members have given in good faith unless such access is permitted under this policy or privacy legislation. Regional Council Archives are better equipped to manage research projects, protect personal information and provide storage for registers –once a register is inactive it should be deposited in the Regional Council Archives.


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    Locating and Contacting Your Archive