Church Closing

Closing a church? This is a process that needs to be coordinated with the District Superintendent that oversees the area where the church is located. Note that the UMC Discipline requires:

All the deeds, records, and other official and legal papers, including the contents of the cornerstone, of a closed local church shall be collected by the district superintendent and shall be deposited for permanent safekeeping with the annual conference commission on archives and history.  

Click here for the full wording of ¶ 2549. Disposition of Property of a Closed Local Church in the Book of Discipline.

Click the following link to read a the reprint of What to Keep and What to Toss in Local Church Records. Also UNYCAH has a group of volunteers who can assist a closing church in reviewing their holdings for guidance as to what should be sent to the Archives.