incrementing control number value(via static property????)

Question

I am not a C# programmer, but I have created an app and the final piece that I would like to have function is a static value that I can access and increment by 1 each time I issue a new control number to an output document. 
I was reading that static properties might be a good thing for this.  I have the following code for the static property but not sure how to initialize it to say 000000001 and GET then SET value++ each time I use it.  I also dont know if this is a better solution than say a file containing the control number and just reading then updating the file.  what is the longevity of the value contained in the static property?
so my questions are as follows:
1 how do I initialize this based on the code below
2 how do I increment this number , in the method or in the class calling the method?
3 is this a good idea or should I stick with a file or database to carry the control number
 
using System;
namespace GeneralApp{
static class InterchangeControlNumberCounter
{
public static int ControlNumber
{
get
{
return ControlNumber;
}
set
{
ControlNumber++;
}
}
}
}
 
thank you