Church inventory: what to track, with a free template

Most churches have an inventory. It is a spreadsheet a trustee made six years ago, the sound team's notes on a shared drive, and an insurance schedule nobody has opened since it was renewed. Each one is partly right, and none of them would survive a break-in.

This guide covers what a church inventory should include, how to take one without exhausting your volunteers, how to handle donated and borrowed items, and how to keep it current after the person who built it steps back. A free template is included.

Why a church needs an inventory

Three reasons, in the order most churches discover them:

1. Insurance claims. After a theft, fire or flood, the insurer will ask what was lost and what it was worth. Church Mutual says a property inventory "should include a list of all the insured property, as well as the value of each item". Brotherhood Mutual notes that an up-to-date inventory tells a ministry what it needs to replace and "how much contents coverage you need", and suggests making a digital recording of property items alongside the written list.
2. Stewardship. Trustees, finance committees and members reasonably want to know what the church owns and that it is looked after.
3. Handover. Volunteers change. An inventory is how the next sound team lead knows what exists, where it is, and what is out on loan.

Download the church inventory template

• Church inventory template (Excel): with drop-downs for category, how acquired, condition and photo taken, plus a How to use tab.
• Church inventory template (CSV): the same columns for Google Sheets.

What to include, room by room

List durable items the church owns. Leave out consumables such as paper, food, craft supplies and communion supplies; they are managed by quantity, not one by one.

The fields worth recording

How to take the first inventory

1. Pick a small team and a month. Two or three people working one room at a time get further than a single all-day push.
2. Start with the most valuable room. The sound booth usually holds a large share of the value in the fewest square feet.
3. Label as you go. Put an asset tag on each item when you list it. Our guide to asset tags for equipment covers labels that survive weekly handling.
4. Photograph each item and its serial plate. A phone photo is faster than typing and is the proof of ownership insurers look for when receipts are missing.
5. Ask the people who use the equipment. The worship leader knows which guitar belongs to the church and which belongs to a member.
6. Record values last. Do not let a missing receipt stop the count; estimate replacement values afterwards and check them with your insurer.
7. Store a copy away from the building. An inventory that burns with the building is no help in the claim.

Donated items and memorial gifts

Many church items are gifts, and they deserve a record of where they came from. Record the donor or the memorial on the item itself, so the story survives the people who remember it.

Keep the inventory's values separate from donor acknowledgments. IRS Publication 1771 says a church's written acknowledgment of a gift of property should contain "a description (but not the fair market value) of any contribution of property"; valuing the gift for tax purposes is the donor's responsibility. The replacement value in your inventory is for insurance and planning, not for a donor's tax return.

Equipment lent to members and outside groups

Churches lend things constantly: folding tables to a neighborhood association, a projector for a home group, the youth ministry's camp gear. Record each loan with the item, the borrower, the date and when it is due back, and check the item's condition when it returns. For larger or longer loans, a short signed equipment loan agreement sets out who is responsible if something is damaged or lost.

Keeping the inventory current

• Update it when things change: a purchase, a gift, a disposal, a loan.
• Review it once a year, room by room, and update the last-verified date for everything you see. Anything not seen for two reviews is probably gone.
• Give each ministry its own section and a named person responsible for it, so the inventory is not one volunteer's job.
• Report it to the trustees or finance committee annually, so the inventory has an audience and a reason to stay current.

When a spreadsheet stops being enough

A spreadsheet works for a small church with one person maintaining it. It struggles when several ministries share equipment, when items are lent out every week, or when the person who built it steps back and nobody else understands it. At that point the inventory belongs in a shared system where each team updates its own equipment and loans have due dates. Our nonprofit asset management selection guide covers what to look for, including for congregations on a tight budget.

How AssetCenter fits

AssetCenter keeps each item of church equipment on its own record, with fields for the donor, memorial and ministry, photos and documents, warranty and repairs. Lending an item to a member or an outside group is an assignment with a return date that shows as Due Back until it is returned; borrowers do not need a login, and people outside the church are recorded as external people with their organization's name. Each team lead can have a login limited to the categories they look after. See church asset management software.

AssetCenter is not church management software. It does not hold your member directory, record giving or issue contribution statements, or book rooms.

Frequently asked questions

How often should a church update its inventory?

Update it as items are bought, donated, lent or disposed of, and walk the building to verify it at least once a year.

Should a church inventory include values?

Yes. Insurers ask for the value of each item, and it tells you how much contents coverage you need. Record what you paid where you know it, and an estimated replacement value for insurance.

Who should be responsible for the church inventory?

One person should own the list as a whole, often an administrator or trustee, but each ministry should name someone responsible for its own equipment.

Next step: inventory the sound booth

Download the church inventory template and inventory one room this week, starting with the sound booth. When more than one team needs to keep it current, see church asset management software.

By Jeremy Francis

Founder & CEO, AssetCenter