2024 Conference Wide Training - Local Church Membership Auditing
Paula McDonald
Q. Contacting Members for Removal:
Is there a form letter?
Is there a sample letter available for contacting a member for removal?
Can we email the “Letter”?
A. We do not have a form letter to share.
Q. What if a member lives out of state, and is not returning nor giving financially, buts want to
remain a member?
A. Follow the procedure on Slide 17. If they do not want to move their membership, there could
be a conversation between the Pastor and the member.
Q. Can people be removed from the constituency rolls if they no longer attend or have moved?
A. Yes. You can remove them without doing the membership process. Keep in mind that they
may have giving records, so you do not want to delete anyone.
Q. So we need a classification for inactive members and another for just inactive people who
were not members?
A. The main classification is their participation/membership status. i.e. Professing Member,
Baptized Member, Constituent, etc. There should be a secondary status of their participation
level. i.e. Active, Inactive, Homebound, Nursing Home, Assisted Living, etc. These categories
are based on the needs of the local church and how these areas are tracked.
Q. Since membership records are permanent, if a church closes, are the records sent to
Conference archives? We’ve received some old records from a previous pastor’s family that
included membership listings and I’m not sure whether to send them to the respective 5
churches or the Conference. The information is over 50 years old.
A. Yes. All membership records should be sent to archives if a church closes.
Q. Is it appropriate or not appropriate to reach out to a current active church member regarding
removal of a member they are related to? ex: a member's adult child who has not been at
church for a couple years.
A. Sure, you can reach out to the parent or sibling and ask for updated contact information. You
will need to reach out to the members directly to remove them.
Q. What about members who still “attend” online but live far away? Should they be removed?
A. In today’s world a lot of people do attend online. It is fine to keep them on your records.
Q. We have over 500 inactive church members to be audited. Is it appropriate to involve the
entire active congregation to help with reaching out to the inactive members and collecting
responses? Or does it ALL have to go through the membership secretary and her/his team?
A. Your membership secretary and the team that your pastor and leadership have put together
should contact the members. i.e. Send a letter in the mail or make phone calls.
Q. Would all the “regular worship attenders”—who are not members of the church—be included
in constituents?
A. They can be. There should be a process for moving visitors to constituents. Constituents
cannot vote.
Q. Does a certified lay servant have to be a member of a UMC to remain active?
A. Yes, certified lay servants need to be a member of a UMC.
Q. Missional Church that has not chartered yet how do you indicate them? Are they reported in
the area on report about from disaffiliated church or is that people that if entered your church
from a church that disaffiliated?
A. Those who regularly attend a Mission Church are not considered members. They would all
be constituents. If someone becomes a member of a chartered UMC church, they would be
received as a Professing Member. If someone is transferring from a Disaffiliated Church after
the Disaffiliation Date, they are received as a Transfer – Non UMC. If someone transferred from
a Disaffiliated Church before the Disaffiliation Date, they are received as a Transfer – UMC. If
they are being transferred from the Florida Conference Membership Rolls, they should be
received as a Transfer – UMC.
Q. if you have a member that has been removed through non-response to audit letters but now
says they never saw the letters - is there a way for them to be added back to the rolls without
asking them to make an official profession of faith again.
A. Yes, with permission from your pastor they could be reinstated to your rolls.
Q. You talk about removing people from the system. Should these records be deleted?
A. You will remove them by whatever category. Do not delete them. These are permanent
records. If there are finances connected to their record, that requires 7 years of retention.
Membership records are permanent.
Q. If they send their tithes and offerings and do not attend worship, what are we to do?
A. Speak with your pastor. Perhaps a phone call thanking them for their gifts but checking on
their health and wellbeing.
Q. Maybe this is covered in the Book of Disciple but is there an official process for an Affiliate
Member to join? Do they stand up in front of the congregation, etc.?
A. It is up to your membership process. They make a request to your office. They would need to
let their home church know that they have become an Affiliate Member of your church. They
cannot vote on larger church matters where professing members have vote but can serve in
leadership. Typically, the Pastor of your church contacts the Pastor at the home church where
they are professing members.
Q. When a professing member is removed, do they actually go back to being a "baptized
member" unless they request a transfer of those baptism records/membership?
A. They are removed as a member in all areas of your records.
Q. At what point would a repeat attending Visitor be considered a Constituent?
A. That depends on how active they are and a conversation with your pastor and leadership
team. There should be a process that has been established for moving visitors to constituents.
Q. You have a member that was baptized but never was confirmed. now they are an adult....are
they an official member?
A. They remain baptized members until they take the vows to join the church and become a
professing member.
Q. We have two churches merging. How do we handle membership?
A. The resolutions for merging need to state who is receiving the membership. The records
would then be transferred to the receiving church after the merger.
Resources
Church Membership Records Manual -
https://www.cokesbury.com/The-United-Methodist-Church-Membership-
Records-Manual-2017-2020?refq=church%20membership
Records Retention Policy -
https://www.gcfa.org/resource/record-retention-policy
