These resources have been prepared by the Archives for The Episcopal Church and may directly help or serve as a model for parishes and dioceses in resolving records-related concerns.
Records Management for Congregations: An Archives Manual for Episcopal Parishes
This 2014 edition of the Records Management Manual for Congregations (with revisions up to July 2017) features a retention schedule and recommendations on electronic records for parishes. The manual offers guidelines on practical issues that treasurers and administrators of congregations will encounter with business records. Parish Archivists can use these guidelines to help administrators eliminate obsolete records and capture a better archival record earlier in the information life cycle.
Manual for South Carolina Religious Archives and Recordkeeping
This July 1999 manual was prepared by Jeanette Bergeron who is acqainted with The Episcopal Church and who prepared a manual well suited to our needs as well as most any congregation with the desire to bring their paper-based archives into good order. The Episcopal Archives endorses this introductory text. It was published by the South Carolina State Historical Records Advisory Board, which should be credited in any reuse.
Deposit Guidelines for Diocesan Journals and Records
Canon I.6.5(a) requires dioceses of The Episcopal Church to make regular deposits of documents to the General Convention and the DFMS to ensure an accurate view and record of the state of the Church. These guidelines will assist dioceses in tranferring journals and other official documents to the Archives in electronic or paper format.
Guidelines for Creating Parish and Diocesan Archives with Limited Resources
The Church Archives and the diocesan Episcopal Archivists group have created a checklist to consider in bringing an archives together. Even when funding and professional expertise are difficult to find, these guidelines can offer a smart way to begin.
E-Records - FAQs and Recommendations for Parishes and Dioceses
This is a compilation of our responses to some recent questions about managing electronic records in parishes and dioceses, including a statement on Document Management Systems (as of 04-04-2014).
Sample Agreement for Depositing Church Records with an External Agency
A sample form that parishes or dioceses may use to customize their own agreement, when compelled to deposit their records with a third party such as a historical society, university, or public institution.
DFMS: Email Management under the Records Retention Policy
Guidelines to aid in the retention and management of email and to guide local policy. The guidelines are accompanied by Email Management for Microsoft Outlook Email, advice on how to locate and save Microsoft Outlook's automatic archive file, which is held in a format identified as the *.pst file.
Sample Classification Scheme for the Arrangement of Episcopal Diocesan Archives
This sample outline serves as a model and guide to archival arrangement patterns for dioceses.
DFMS Records Retention and Management Policy
A policy statement adopted by The Episcopal Church's Executive Council and the General Convention's Board of Archives to establish requirements and standards for the retention, disposal, and preservation of the Church's records in all formats, including electronic records and communications.
DFMS Records Retention Schedule
The Executive Council adopted a corporate Record Retention and Management Policy (April 2009) to govern the legal and administratively sound disposition of records created by employees and agents of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS). This Retention Schedule is a supplement to that Policy. It supersedes previous schedules or departmental practices. Council’s policy requires employees to observe retention periods, regardless of format, and to work with the Archives to identify and to retire or destroy records that fall within the scope of their work.
DFMS Guidelines for the Selection of Software
An addendum to the official Records Retention Policy, the guidelines may be used by other church bodies in evaluating the security and business operations of software vendors, including those operating in the cloud. Both policy documents are combined here.