Membership Changes and Reporting Requirements

Membership Changes and Reporting Requirements

MEMBERSHIP AUDIT REPORT

Membership Definitions:

The 2004 General Conference redefined membership in the United Methodist Church. It abolished the old classifications – Full Members and Preparatory Members – and replaced them with new ones: Professing Members and Baptized Members.

  • Baptized member: A baptized member is a person who has received the sacrament of baptism in a United Methodist Church or has received Christian baptism in another denomination and later transferred to a United Methodist Church.
  • Professing member: A professing member is a baptized person who has taken vows declaring the Christian faith.
  • Many current church management software programs can be modified with the new terminology and the needed information fields to keep these records digitally, making record-keeping quick and efficient.
  • An annual membership audit is required by the Discipline. The pastor is responsible for ensuring that all membership records are accurate and up to date. This report covers the period from the last church conference to the present church conference.(2012 Book ofDiscipline, ¶231 (page 163-164).
  • The 2009-2012 United Methodist Membership Records Manual from Cokesbury, developed by the General Council on Finance and Administration, may be helpful in collecting the data. Available from Cokesbury.
  • Each church is also to maintain a Constituency Roll with the names and addresses of nonmembers for whom it has pastoral responsibility. This includes children.
  • All professing and baptized members should have an individual “Record of Faith Journey.” Many churches have members complete their own forms with the pastoral staff. It is a way of starting conversation – and completing paperwork.
  • Last year we took a different approach with the Membership Report. We sought to shift from focusing on removal of inactive members, toward focusing on outreach and reconnection; a time of invitation and renewed welcome. We believe this has been a fruitful and healthy changes, so we would like to continue with that same spirit again this year. Therefore, once again instead of simply removing people, let us develop plans to reach out and try to reconnect, and leave the door wide open for people to come back into our churches. Let us also remember that people connect in a variety of different ways to our churches.

MEMBERSHIP REPORT

From Charge Conference 2014 to Charge Conference 2015

Membership (Charge Conference 2014)______

Total Members Received______

Total Members Removed______

Membership (Charge Conference 2015) ______

  1. CELEBRATION OF BAPTISMS (All Ages)

NameDate

  1. CELEBRATION OF PROFESSING MEMBERS (PF)

Name Date

  1. CELEBRATION OF NEW MEMBERS by:

T – Transfer OD – Other DenominationR – Restored

Name DateHow Rec’d?

  1. PROFESSING MEMBERS REMOVED

D – Death CC – Church Conference ActionWD – Withdrawal WC – Withdrawal under charges

NameDateHow Removed?

  1. INACTIVE MEMBERS WE SEEK TO CONTACT

(we are seeking to contact these persons using direction from 2012Book of Discipline, ¶228.2b)

3 years 2 years1 year

(list by name) (list by name) (list by name)

______

Membership Secretary’s SignatureDate

______

Pastor’s SignatureDate

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