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Church membership transfer letter template

The letter a church gives when a member moves away and starts attending another church. The wording is ready: replace what is in square brackets, print it on the church letterhead and sign it.

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[Church name]
[Address] · Registered no. [number] · [email]

[City], [day] [month] [year]

To: [name of the receiving church]
[Address of the receiving church]

Membership transfer letter

Grace and peace.

[Church name] commends to you [member's full name], a member of this church since [date joined], baptised on [date of baptism], and asks that you welcome [him / her] into the fellowship of your church.

We confirm that [he / she] is in good standing with this church and that the transfer was requested by [him / her].

Please let us know when you receive this letter, so that we can record the transfer in our register.

In Christ,

[Name of signatory]

[Role: pastor, chair or church secretary]

Confirmation of receipt: cut off and return to the sending church

[Name of the receiving church] received [member's full name] on [date], by letter of transfer from [church name].

Name and role

Date

What it is for

A transfer letter commends the member to the church that will receive them and says how long they have belonged to yours. It is how the new church knows they are leaving in good standing, not under discipline.

At the bottom there is a confirmation of receipt. The receiving church fills it in and sends it back, and the church office records the transfer in the register.

How to fill it in

  1. Check the date the member joined and the date of baptism in the register. Don't write them from memory.
  2. Replace everything in square brackets: the church, the city, the date, the member's name and the receiving church.
  3. Choose "he" or "she" and "him" or "her", and delete the other.
  4. Print it on church letterhead, if you have it, and ask the pastor, or whoever your constitution names, to sign it.
  5. Give it to the member or send it straight to the other church. Keep a copy.
  6. When the confirmation comes back, record the member's departure in the register, with the date and the receiving church.

Good practice

  • The letter speaks of fellowship, not of the member's personal life. Pastoral matters are handled pastor to pastor.
  • Only issue the letter when the member asks for it.
  • After the transfer, follow the period your church has set for keeping or deleting the data of people who leave.

To learn more, read the guide Church membership database: what to record and how to keep it up to date.

Frequently asked questions

Who signs a membership transfer letter?

Usually the pastor or the chair of the church, sometimes together with the church secretary. Follow what your church's constitution says.

Can I send it by email?

Yes. Sign it, save it as a PDF and email it to the other church, copying in the member.

What if the person isn't baptised?

Delete the part about baptism and describe their place in the church instead, for example a regular attender since the date they started coming.