Establish a new file plan in a diocese of the German Catholic Church

Abstract

In the article, the author presents a diocese-wide records management project in Germany that began in 2010. Also, the results of the processes are discussed, as well as the various steps in implementing a new file plan. The need for a new file plan in the diocese’s parishes has a historical context in the history of the German Catholic Church over the last two decades. Because the Catholic Church has the same administrative system from the Vatican to diocese to parish in almost every country in the world, the article’s findings can be transferred into the parish records management processes of the dioceses of other countries.