Parish Record Keeper
Parish Record Keeper (PRK) is a Microsoft Access-based application designed to manage parish databases and accounts — including records of individuals, families, and contributions. It runs on Windows with Access 2016 or later (or the free Access Runtime) and is built specifically for the needs of parish administration as practised in Africa.
Baptism Book System
Manages the baptism register with extensive search capabilities that accommodate area-specific spelling variations. Includes name indexing and PDF export of entire baptism books, selected years, or index pages.
Family File System
Produces family files that track individuals across different family constellations — present and past — and their links to parental records. The system handles polygamous situations and the broader range of family structures found in Africa.
Double-Entry Finance
A full double-entry accountancy system maintaining two ledgers: one for individual contributions spanning the entire lifespan of the parish database, and a second refreshed at the close of each accounting period (e.g. annually).
Non-Monetary Accounts
Supports contributions given in kind — bags of maize, hours worked on a parish farm, and similar — reflecting the reality of giving in many African communities.
Multi-Level Accounting
Accounts operate at the parish level, hierarchical area levels (outstations, prayer centres, Small Christian Communities, etc.), and the individual level, where contribution records are maintained over many years.
Excel Integration
Queries for any account and year are transferred automatically to Excel. Balance sheets and area reports can be pushed to Excel with a single click, integrating seamlessly into existing spreadsheets and keeping them current with every change.
Customisable Parish Structure
Supports multi-tiered, customisable structure labels — sub-parishes, outstations, prayer centres, Small Christian Communities, and more — to match the exact organisation of your parish.
Lay Groups & Instruction Groups
Any number of lay groups and catechumenate or instruction groups can be configured. Membership lists, including the contributions and obligations of each member, are compiled automatically.
Document Attachments
Photos, certificates, and other supplementary files can be attached directly to any record in the system.
Offline Syncing
Parish Record Keeper includes its own offline syncing mechanism, allowing multiple users on multiple computers to work on the same database — without relying on Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or any outside server. Your parish retains full control of its data at all times.
Optional Encryption & PIN Protection
The user database can be fully encrypted with a single click, so that it cannot be opened even if transferred via USB to another machine. The application itself can also be PIN-protected to restrict access on shared office computers.
Export & Import
Extensive export capabilities support data transfer to other systems. On request, the system includes PHP scripts that upload the entire database to a MySQL server, from where a developer can integrate the data into custom online applications. Existing data in Excel, Access, CSV, and other common formats may also be imported — contact us to discuss conversion.
Your Data Stays With You
Parish records contain sensitive personal data and should never be stored on a cloud service or external server. Encryption methods that are considered secure today will become vulnerable in the era of quantum computing — and once data reaches an outside server, the parish or diocese can no longer guarantee full control over it. Staff change frequently, and successors may not even know where parishioner data is being held.
Parish Record Keeper is built around this reality. Its offline syncing mechanism keeps all data within the parish's own infrastructure, with no dependency on third-party services.
Suggest Improvements
You are welcome to try out this software, share feedback and suggestions, and become part of the Parish Record Keeper community. Together we are committed to improving the application and adding the features that day-to-day parish administration truly requires. Please write to developer@parishrecordkeeper.com.
Already using a different system? If your data is in a common format (Excel, Access, CSV, etc.), the developer may be able to assist with converting and migrating it into Parish Record Keeper. Get in touch and give it a try.