The Membership Records department oversees the management of membership and church records for the Texas Conference. It also provides training and leadership for local church clerks. Accurate, organized membership records are essential to a successful church. While clerks’ responsibilities may vary from church to church, the local church clerk is tasked with tracking and reporting changes in membership. This ensures that all congregations within the Texas Conference have accurate records. Additionally, the department aims to equip local church clerks to maintain comprehensive statistical data and membership information for their congregations.
Request transfer of your membership from the Clerk or Pastor of the local church you wish to transfer to. They will initiate the process of requesting a transfer into their congregation. Be sure to provide them with your full name, birth date and the complete name (address) of the church that currently holds your membership. If you experience long delays or complications, please contact the Texas Conference Membership Clerk at membership@txsda.org.
So, your church has asked you to fill the role of the church clerk? Welcome aboard, and thank you for accepting this important position! Even though much of your work takes place behind the scenes, you are part of your church’s administrative team.
Provided here are links to resources that will help you fully understand your ministry role. The responsibilities of the clerk include maintaining church membership changes and transfers, keeping accurate records, and serving as secretary for church board and business meetings, etc. Please keep in mind the role of clerk is modified from church to church depending on the needs of the church, and the availability of the clerk. Duties can be delegated to other church leaders. Many large churches have a team of one or more assistant clerks who help the clerk and work together to accomplish tasks.
There are two ways to manage the church’s membership records: Online in a membership software program called eAdventist. The Texas Conference is encouraging all church clerks to transition to working directly on-system in eAdventist, and it will soon be a requirement. To gain access, clerks must first go through eAdventist training, then submit a User Authorization form.
The other traditional method to manage membership is off-system. The clerk uses paper or pdf forms to report all membership changes to the Texas Conference, which we then enter into eAdventist on your behalf. These reports can be found on our Membership home page.
Clerks are required to send two reports each month by the 7th of the month to the Texas Conference (This is 12 reports every year, whether or not there have been membership changes):
Clerk’s Monthly Report for off-system churches / and if the church is an on-system church, a Membership Statistics Report is generated directly from eAdventist. Click here to submit your Clerk’s report.
Attendance Report – both Off-system and On-system churches send their average monthly attendance via paper reports, or email. All that is needed is the one average attendance figure, which is calculated by adding up the attendance each Sabbath for the entire month, then dividing by the number of Sabbaths the church met that month. The final figure can be submitted on a form or simply typed into the body of an email along with the month and complete name of the church and sent to membership@txsda.org.
Stepping Down? If you are stepping down from your church clerk duties and will be passing the baton to someone else, please be sure to notify the Texas Conference of this change immediately. Please provide us with the new person’s contact information (including complete name, birth date, address, phone & email) and give them our contact information, as well. You can reach us at: membership@txsda.org
Thank you for your service as church clerk. Your ministry is highly valued! Click here for instructions if you are an on-system clerk who is stepping down.
New Clerk Resources:
-Texas Conference Clerk’s Manual – English
-Manual de Secretarial – Español
-Quick Start Guide for the Church Clerk
-Transfer Process for Off-System Churches
-Sample Transfer Letter Instructions for Off-system Churches
Off-system churches are not yet certified to operate eAdventist’s Membership software online. Clerks and pastors are invited to fill out and submit reports, order supplies and request church information below. (On-system church clerks instead enter their membership changes directly into eAdventist and generate monthly reports online.) Download the Church Clerk’s Report Form
Please fill out each Sabbath during the Worship Service. Count all adults, children and babies in the sanctuary, and in all gathering areas. Return to the Conference monthly along with your church clerk’s report (or Membership Statistics report if you are online eAdventist) by the 7th each month.
Por favor llene esta forma cada sábado durante el Servicio de Adoración. Cuente todos los adultos, niños, y bebés en el santuario, y en todas las áreas de reunión. Por favor devuélvalo a la Conferencia en forma mensual junto con el informe secretarial de iglesia (o si esta en linea, eAdventist, con su informe de Estadísticas) para el 7 de cada mes.
eAdventist is an online membership ministry tool that allows direct access & management of your church membership records, and provides organization directories. Training & certification is required before the Texas Conference will create an on-system account for a church Clerk. Click here to begin our online eAdventist training courses.
After each class section, and short quiz will be given & results are auto-emailed to the Texas Conference Membership Clerk, who keeps track of your progress. Once all your courses are completed successfully, the Conference Clerk will issue your user account to get into the eAdventist membership program online.
Training is still under construction. Please check back soon!
You can always refer to the training course material to review what you learned in our online Adventist training. Click here to review one or more sections for membership changes you wish to make: This section is currently under construction. Please check back soon!
Once your Clerk’s Account has been created, when you log in to eAdventist you will notice the word “help” on the upper right hand corner to the left of your login name. When you click “help” you’ll have access to eAdventist’s training exercises and software manual, etc.
Please make special note of eAdventist’s Knowledge Base, which can be found by clicking on the yellow Home tab, and includes helpful articles about member updates, officers, transfers and undoing mistakes in transfers, etc.
Helpful eAdventist Links:
eAdventist User Authorization Form for Clerks. Clerks must fill out the form, sign it and get their pastor’s authorizing signature and then return it to the Texas Conference by mail, fax, or scan and email. Photos of forms cannot be accepted.
eAdventist User Authorization Form for Pastors. Pastors must fill out the form, sign it and return to the Texas Conference for Membership Clerk’s authorizing signature. Return by mail, fax or scan and email. Photos of forms cannot be accepted.
Seventh-day Adventist Church manual membership guidelines/resources