Search
Church Closing FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions for Churches Preparing to Close
It's a sad truth that there are many churches out there that cannot remain open. If you are helping your church with this difficult transition, please review this list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). You are encouraged to contact the archivist if you have any questions that are not answered here.
Table of Contents
Will you take our records?
Our church isn't closing. Will you take our records anyway?
What kinds of material are you looking for?
What do you not want?
What do you need to know about the records?
How should I prepare them?
Do you need any money?
What will you use the donation for?
Who can look at the records?
What do you do to the records once we give them to you?
Do you keep everything?
Do you have a gift agreement?
What is your accession policy?
Further thoughts
Will you take our records?
We are interested in any Congregational (NACCC, CCCC, UCC, Independent) or Christian church records. Because the individual denominations are responsible for collections after each denomination was established, we collect for churches established before those dates -- 1957 in the case of UCC churches, 1955 for NACCC, 1948 for CCCC. There is no date restriction for any Christian church records. Always confirm with the archivist on your church's qualification.
Our church isn't closing. Will you take our records anyway?
As a general rule, no, we won't. The nature of Congregationalism means that each congregation is responsible for its own governance, which includes record keeping. We are happy to provide advice, training, and even consultation, but storage and maintenance of active record collections should be the responsibility of the congregation itself. Like you, we have limited space and resources, so we need to concentrate on caring for collections that no longer have their parent organizations to look after them.
We strongly encourage churches to review our resources for records management and preservation. Churches may apply to have a site visit from the archivist to review your historical documents. Additionally, if the church would like to host a workshop on their own premises or within their association or conference -- as part of a larger program or stand-alone -- that can be discussed as well.
Please contact the archivist if you have questions about the literature; check our Program & Workshop Schedule page to see when classes are offered.
What kind of material are you looking for?
For a quick guideline, please review our Records Management for Church Collections booklet as well as the templates for creating a records management policy and a retention schedule. Types of records are described in detail there. Please also contact the archivist if you would like further elaboration.
What do you not want?
Please do not send any canceled checks, hymnals, bibles, published materials not generated by the church (books, magazines, newsletters, etc.), flags, furniture, communion sets, crosses, clothing -- that material designated "realia". We are primarily interested in paper and audio/visual materials* created by the congregation. Think about what really tells the story of who and what your congregation was.
*Please note: if you have a large amount of media that needs to be migrated to more modern versions (reel-to-reel tapes, records, cassette tapes, filmstrips) we will not have the equipment to play these items. If you wish to have them available, set aside extra funds specifically for the conversion process. You will need to confer with the archivist and library director ahead of time to discuss the details of this process.
What do you need to know about the records?
- Start and end dates
- Types of material (review resource material to help guide you on this)
- How many total boxes / size of the collection
How should I prepare them?
- First and foremost, make sure to contact the archivist about donating the collection.
- Once the archivist has agreed to take the collection, an official representative of your church will have to sign and return the gift agreement provided by us.
- Do not use boxes larger than a standard banker's box (12" x 15" x 10"). Anything larger than this endangers the staff's backs.
- While banker's boxes are ideal, anything of that general size will work.
- Do not use boxes that may have food remains, were exposed to excessive moisture/got wet.
- Exceptions: oversize materials
- A general inventory for each box [best to be done when initially boxing the material] is extremely helpful. Example: “Annual reports, membership ledgers, ministers' correspondence - mid-19th century”
- Keep an eye out for obvious duplication. We do not need 20 copies of the 100th anniversary program.
- If there is anything that has gotten moldy, consult the archivist, as mold can and will infect neighboring items.
- Do not make too many major decisions about what to keep / get rid of.
- Ask around to recent church leaders to make sure that all materials have been gathered. It's not unusual for someone to have a box or two at home from when they were the head of a committee or group. Be sure that the last few years of the church records are included.
Do you need any money?
The Congregational Library is a non-profit organization, so yes, any donation that can be given, particularly from the proceeds of selling the church's property, is useful and appreciated. We do not have a set amount per box we receive. However, do keep in mind that each linear foot of material can take anywhere from 2-6 hours to process, depending on the state of the material. The archivist will replace all acidic boxes and folders with buffered, acid-free supplies.
What will you use the donation for?
All donations of this kind are designated towards purchasing supplies to properly house your church's records in acid-free boxes and folders. It also goes towards the up-keep and maintenance of the facility in which that collection will be permanently stored. We also use these funds for our on-going digital program: scanning and microfilming material, particularly.
Any donation is tax deductable. Talk to the library director if you wish to discuss this aspect in further detail.
Who can look at the records?
Unless there is an access restriction (a temporary status -- usually 10-20 years -- to protect personal information) anyone may use the records.
What do you do to the records once we give them to you?
The archivist will add the new collection to the processing queue. It can take up to a year depending on work-load and the size of the new collection before it is processed. The archivist appraises on an item level, sorting by topic, refoldering, reboxing, and creating a guide that will be published in the online catalog and on the website.
Do you keep everything?
Sadly, we do not. Most collections have a lot of duplicate material, particularly Sunday bulletins, monthly calendars, publicity for events, and 20th century committee reports. Review the template for records management retention schedule to get a better notion of what is most likely to be kept.
Do you have a gift agreement?
Yes. View or download a copy (MS Word document) for use in preparing your records.
What is your accession policy?
View or download a copy (MS Word document) for use in preparing your records.
Further Thoughts
Some general advice on the issue of closing the church: Each state has some specific guidelines for when an organization disbands. If you haven't found a lawyer to help the congregation through those requirements, please do find one.
The Alban Institute is a fantastic resource for helping churches in transition.