Most churches began to keep at least some kinds of records within a few years of their inception. While some records may no longer exist, it is well worth the effort to try to find those that are still available. These records began long before civil registration of vital statistics and are among the best of the primary records which can prove an individual's lineage.

There are several major categories of church records, as well as some minor ones, which can nevertheless be extremely helpful. Baptism and christening records usually list the child's birth and baptism date, the names of the parents, and perhaps the residence of the family. Some records also include the names of the baptismal sponsors or witnesses who are often relatives or close friends of the family. Following these people in related records may lead to further information about the target family. Some pastors recorded the mother's maiden name or even the origins and birth years of the parents. It is very important to seek the births of ALL the children in the family, because it is quite possible that only one child's baptismal record will include this extra information. The extent of the information in the entries simply varies according to what the pastor who recorded it considered important.

Marriage records are available for almost all denominations, the Quakers being a notable exception. They considered marriage to be a civil contract and therefore went to a civil authority, such as a justice of the peace, to be joined in matrimony. Church marriage registers usually list the names of the bride and groom and the date of marriage. However, they may also provide the present-and sometimes the former-place of residence, the occupations and ages of the couple, their birthplaces and religions, names of the sponsors or sureties, and the names and even the birthplaces of the parents. Catholic, Lutheran, and German Reformed church records tend to provide more details about the marrying couple.

Death records may or may not have been kept by a given church, since many denominations considered death a less important event than baptism or marriage. Those churches which did keep death records may have noted only the burial date, rather than the actual death date, but of course it can be assumed that the death occurred within a few days prior to the burial. Death records often include the age and/or the birthplace of the deceased, and some also provide the parents' names. This information can be invaluable when tracing a European immigrant for whom the birthplace is unavailable elsewhere.

Many indexes have been created of church birth, marriage and death records. Some are very good and others are not. You should never assume that indexes of area church records include all the available records. Sometimes churches were inadvertently missed or were not included for one reason or another; other times, the church registers turned up after the book was published. Conversely, when an ancestor's record is included in books of church registers, the original record should still be found and copied, as entries are sometimes incompletely or inaccurately copied.

While most seasoned researchers are familiar with the importance of church baptism, marriage, and death records, they may overlook other types of records which were often kept by churches. Confirmation records, for example, can contain excellent information, especially Scandinavian records. Keep in mind that this includes areas such as the West Indies, which were for a long time under Scandinavian rule. Confirmation records may include the ages and the birthdates and places of the confirmands, their parents' names, and the place of baptism. In fact, many churches gave more details in their confirmation lists than in their baptism lists.

Family registers were kept by some churches, particularly in Germany, and were located either in separate books or at the back of the baptism, marriage, or death registers. In these registers the pastor compiled information about each family under his care, showing the best of his knowledge the births, marriages, and deaths of the parents and each child. Sometimes a notation was made that a particular person had emigrated to America. Other times it was noted that someone had married twice, moved to a different town, or fathered an illegitimate child.

Researchers who are lucky enough to find a family register which includes their ancestors will suddenly have a wealth of information, sometimes spanning four or five generations, and leading back to the early 1600s.

There are also many minor church records which may be useful. Membership records may tell where someone came from before they arrived at or after they left the particular church. These records may also give personal data. Tithing records are sometimes so detailed that a death date can be estimated within a week or two. Communicant lists can help in figuring out death dates of a husband or wife and names of their children. Few rental records and seating charts can provide information about a family's financial standing and family relationships. Disciplinary records may explain problems encountered by the family and may provide a reason for a departure from the area. Minutes of the church's governing council sometimes contain small bits of information about the parishioners and their economic and social status. More ancient church minutes, for example, may describe work which someone did as a substitute for the required tithing. In more recent years, some churches have compiled histories of their churches and the parishioners. Some contain detailed genealogies passed down for generations.

Locating the records of your ancestor's church may not be easy. While some have been nicely published or placed on microfilm for safe-keeping and some may still be with the original church, others seem to have disappeared into thin air, as has the church from which they originated. Look first for compilations of the records, and then try to find the originals. The Genealogical Society of Utah has gathered and microfilmed many of these records, which can be found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and its affiliated branch libraries (family history centers). Records which are not included in this collection might be found at the state or county historical society near the original church or in the denomination's central repository, which may be far from the actual location of the church. Now and then the records were kept by the individual pastor and are still in the possession of his family or descendants. Frank Mead's Handbook of American Denominations may be of help in locating some of the records. Local churches of the same denominations can often tell you where the records might be found in cases where the church is now defunct.