UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA - MONTREAL PRESBYTERY
COMMITTEE ON ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
GUIDELINES FOR KEEPING ACCURATE CHURCH RECORDS

Based on the rules concerning proper recordkeeping outlined in Sections 092 and 422(a) of The Manual of The United Church of Canada, all records of pastoral charges should:

1. Indicate in words the time and place of each meeting. Include the name of the pastoral charge, the group, the complete date and place of the meeting. To avoid confusion, the month should be written in words. Include the time of the call to order and the time of adjournment.
2. State the authority under which the meeting was held. For example, indicate whether it was a "regular", "executive", or "special" meeting or held "at the call of the chair".
3. Record the opening of the meeting with prayer and the closing of the meeting with prayer and/or benediction. These are meetings of the church. Such formalities are expected and should be noted accordingly.
4. State the name of the Presiding Officer. In the call to order indicate the name, title and office of the person chairing the meeting.
5. Record the names of those persons present. List the full names (and titles, if appropriate) of all persons present. Record the names of any guests and/or visitors who may be present.
6. State that a quorum was present.
7. Use-paragraph headings or marginal notes for subject headings. Clearly indicate each new section of the minutes, e.g., Adoption of Minutes, Business Arising, New Business.
8. Be complete and accurate and exclude extraneous or irrelevant matter. Include a short summary of the opinions, facts, and ideas presented. Do not include editorial comments and opinions that are not relevant to the matter being discussed or that are not expressed at the meeting. Do not include information discovered after the meeting.
9. Record all motions and amendments to motions in full, with the name of the mover and the seconder.
10. State clearly in words within the minutes the disposal of all motions. Indicate whether each motion is carried, rejected, or tabled. Be sure to include the same details for any amendments to motions.
11. Include the contents of reports in the body of the minutes or added as appendices to the minutes. If they are added as appendices, this should be indicated in the minutes and the pages of appendices must be numbered consecutively after the minutes.
12. State clearly the disposal of all reports. For example, indicate whether each report is received or approved.
13. Record numeric figures carefully and in words (excluding those figures cited in budget statements and financial reports). Write important numbers in the body of the minutes in words with numeric figures in parentheses immediately following.
14. Avoid the use of initials and abbreviations. Give the, full name of an organization the first time it is mentioned, immediately followed by an abbreviation in parenthesis. The abbreviation may then be used in the balance of the minutes.
15. Use the full names of persons throughout the minutes. Continue to use the ^'full names’ of persons as listed in Item 5 above throughout the body of the minutes (not simply first names).
16. Be written in ink in a legible hand, or typewritten or printed. Each page should have adequate margins to allow for corrections an of binding,
17. Include headings and consecutive page numbers. The name of the group, date and place of meeting should be repeated at the top of each page of the minutes. Page numbers must be consecutive from meeting to meeting to ensure that pages cannot be added or removed. Appendices are to be included in the consecutive numbering. system.
18. Be signed or initialed on every page by the Secretary. The initials should appear at the bottom outside edge of every page, thus indicating that the secretary is taking responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the minutes.
19. Be signed by the Presiding Officer and the Secretary. Print or type the full name and title of both officers at the end of the minutes with a blank line for their signatures. The minutes should be signed only after the minutes are approved at a following meeting.
20. List any corrections to the minutes of a particular meeting in the minutes of the meeting that authorizes them.
21. Have authorized corrections written in by hand in the original minutes and initialed by the Secretary.
22. Line any vacant space on the page(s) between the records of meetings. If a page at the end of a set of minutes is not, complete draw a diagonal line from the end of the writing to the bottom of the page. In addition, rule and initial (but do not number) any vacant pages.
23. Have no loose pages. All pages of the minutes and appendices should be numbered and placed in the appropriate binder as soon as they are produced.
24. Be compiled into volumes at suitable intervals. Handwritten minutes must be written in a bound book. Typewritten or printed minutes must be placed in a suitable binder (Accopress binders with Chicago screws and posts not a loose leaf binder). At appropriate intervals these should be sent to the Presbytery Archives.

Prepared by Judith Campbell, Montreal Presbytery Archivist,
March 2007

Source: Archives & Recordkeeping.

• A How-to Guide for Congregations and Conferences, Committee on Archives and History The United Church bf Canada, 2005.