People of faith are tellers of The Story – The Story of God’s love for this beloved world, given in Jesus Christ. We are also tellers of the stories of God’s love in our own lives and in the lives of our congregations. In many ways, the reports that we write – pastors, councils, staff, committees – tell stories of what God is up to among us right here. And we know that in the past year, the Holy Spirit has been at work for God’s mission through YOU! Annual Congregation Reports help us tell that story.
- Form A includes the statistical information about your congregation.
- Form C asks for information about strategies and practices you use in reaching out to and welcoming new people to your congregation.
The Annual Congregation Report provides the opportunity for you to reflect back on your people and ministries. They’re less about numbers and more about your process of thinking about God’s presence and in planning for the future. Information on the report is important for Call Committees and Rostered Ministers considering calls, and is reviewed by the bishop and synod ministers. Completion of Forms A & C is one of the requirements for receiving some synod grants. The ELCA also uses this data to assist in evaluating resources, in the preparation of new resources for congregations, and are used in allocating ELCA resources to synods and congregations.
Please begin this reporting work now by sharing the forms with other leaders, staff, and/committees who have access to the important information needed for the forms and can help complete it. Our goal is to increase the percentage of congregations completing these forms each year. This data is crucial in knowing how we are church together.
One of the parts of the report has to do with worship attendance. Just know that we all struggle with how to assess attendance for online worship these days, so don’t stress out about this: follow the notes in the General Instructions sheet as a guide, adjust the figures for what makes sense for your context and streaming platform, and know that in this time of transition, we’re all in this together.
Filling out these forms requires the congregation ID number and password. Passwords change from year to year, but are included on the mailed Form A (top right) or you can call the synod office at 507-637-3904. The deadline is March 1 this year, but reports are important even after this date, so please submit the reports whenever they are completed.
You can file electronically or by mail.
– Click here to access online A & C Forms
– Click here for the general instructions (PDF) and the financial stewardship worksheet
