Spring cleaning for the church administrator

The start of spring ushers in a great opportunity for churches to do some much needed “spring cleaning.” I have been part of a local church for almost 40 years, and the paper and digital files that we have amassed over the years has been overwhelming. I have only recently been involved in the administration of the ministry again, and it is amazing the amount of data that we have been keeping. Many are reticent for fear we might need it, but I am here to tell you … it is time to purge! Here is some guidance that has helped me to begin paring down the mountain of information that we had in our possession.

Manage your database

Cleaning up your church database is vital so that you can be sure that the information you have is current and can be used with confidence.  If your database is not up to date, you may be using old lists, which means not reaching your target audience in a timely manner. Not keeping your database clean could also result in inaccurate statistics that you will need to apply for grants and loans.

Three practices to keep those databases current should include:

• Deleting old records (members who have moved, transferred to another church, or passed away)

• Merging or separating records (families who have experienced marriage, divorce, or death)

• Updating information that is missing or has changed

Consolidate vital records

Gather all your church’s organizational records in one place. Be sure you know where these records are and that they are easy to access. These documents include: 

• Articles of Incorporation / nonprofit 501(c)(3) documents

• Bylaws

• Business meeting minutes

• Budgets

• Insurance policies

• Mortgages and contracts

These documents need to be kept indefinitely or permanently, depending on their importance.  A good practice is to digitize them so they are available and can be shared electronically. 

The question of financial records 

Church Financial Records can be a touchy subject for many as they contain a great deal of personal information, and you want to be sure to handle this will care. The rule of thumb is to keep your financial records for 7 years. This includes bank statements, bank reconciliations, expense records, paid invoices, contribution statements, payroll registers and insurance documentation.

Consider getting two four-drawer locking file cabinets where you can house these records.  At the beginning of your fiscal year, plan to dispose of your oldest records and replace with the current documents that need storage. This is a simple and handy way to keep everything organized and all in one place. The old documents that have sensitive information on them need to be shredded. Most financial institutions periodically host days when clients can shred documents for free and in bulk; contact your financial institution to find out if they can help.

Digitize when and where you can

One of the ways to cut down on paper is to begin the process of converting documents to PDFs and storing them on an external hard drive.  Things worth storing are bulletins that you consider historic records, business meeting notes, budget reports, constitution/bylaws and revisions, pictures of important church events and so on.

Sometimes it seems to be overwhelming, but the important thing is to start with a small, manageable project. Begin with baby steps, and before you know it you will have that mass of paper and files under control!

Sandy Coelho serves as leadership development coordinator at the Baptist Convention of New England.