p. 21 | Duties and Qualifications of the Church Clerk

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 14, 1910

Duties and Qualifications of the Church Clerk

By W. J. Stone

The church clerk is elected for one year. Usually a sister is chosen to fill this office, and at once enters upon her duties. However, the former clerk should make out a full report of the quarterly meeting and the election of officers, and record it in the clerk's record book before turning it over to the newly elected clerk.

The clerk should record every business meeting held by the church, and it would be well to make a brief record of any special services, giving the name of the minister conducting the service. Where a clerk has intelligently recorded all the services held by the church, any visiting minister, by looking over the clerk's records, can form a good idea of what has been done, and will know better how to direct his labors.

In addition to the record of meetings held, the clerk should record the names of all who unite with the church, whether by letter or baptism, and all dismissals, whether by letter, apostasy, or death. All these records should be brief, yet comprehensive enough to give the exact particulars of all transactions. In important actions of the church it would be well to record the names of those making and seconding motions.

The clerk can do much to encourage the members, and especially those who are absent. It is desired that every member of the church report in some way his standing at least once a quarter. Many of our churches have a scattered membership who can not attend regularly. Some for various reasons live for years isolated from the church in which they hold their membership — sometimes in distant conferences. The clerk two or three weeks before the close of the quarter should write a kind Christian letter to all such, and if possible secure a letter from them to be read at the coming quarterly meeting. These letters are always a great encouragement and blessing to the church. In this correspondence the matter of tithe-paying and other Christian duties can be mentioned in a judicious way. It would be well for the clerk to encourage all absent members, if at all consistent, to unite with the church nearest to the place where they reside. The clerk should endeavor to become acquainted with every member at least by correspondence, and be in such close touch with them that she may be able to give valuable information regarding their whereabouts and spiritual condition.

It will readily be seen that in order to keep an intelligent record of the church proceedings, keep in touch with its members, and do the missionary work devolving upon the clerk, the person selected should be a consecrated Christian. She should also be competent to write an intelligent record of events, and all minutes should be neatly recorded in the clerk's record book as soon after the meetings are held as practicable. It would be well to write out the report and correct it before recording it in the clerk's book, thus avoiding erasures or the making of changes in the permanent records.

W. J. STONE.