On this page, you will find resources to help you plan for annual congregation meetings.
Congregational Annual Meeting
The purpose of the annual meeting is for church members to make decisions that affect their common life together and to conduct the official business for the year. The agenda is therefore structured like a business meeting. It is also a time to celebrate the congregation’s life. One way to do this is to separate the meeting into three segments: “Stating our purpose together as a congregation”; “Celebrating the life we have had together in the past year”; and “Looking ahead to how God is leading us into the future."
The ELCA Constitution for Congregations states that the powers of the congregation are vested in the congregational meeting called and conducted as provided in this constitution and bylaws. (C5.02.) Congregations hold annual meetings at a time specified in their bylaws.
Annual Reports
Congregations may request written reports from committees, president, treasurer, and financial secretary. These reports should reflect on the past year. The presiding bishop and the synod bishop will also provide annual reports to congregations/organizations. The presiding bishop’s report comes in the spring for synod assemblies.
2022 Annual Report Covers
Churchwide provides an Annual Report Cover that includes:
- The cover
- A Message from Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton
- Litany & Hymn
Download a 8.5x11 PDF Cover
Download a 11x17 PDF Cover that folds in half
Rostered Leader Reports
Rostered leaders may write a report to share at their annual meeting. They also fill out an online form that gets submitted directly to the synod bishop. This is a report that reflects upon the past year and looks ahead to the next year. Go to the Rostered Leaders’ Report to the Bishop web page for forms and more information.
Meeting Resources
All of these documents are links; please click the titles below to view.
- Tips for Energizing Congregational Meetings by Pr. Stephen Cook
- Meeting Recording - “Annual Meetings: a Time to Give Thanks and Look Ahead” (Nov. 30, 2022)
- The Effective Congregation Council Video Presentation. (2022)
- Guide for Board Members, MN Attorney General, Keith Ellison
- Considerations for Electronic Meetings (PDF)
- MN Statutes for Remote Communications for Member Meetings
- Chart of Motions (PDF)
- Who Can Be a Voting Member? (PDF)
- 2023 Compensation and Benefits Guidelines (PDF)
- Building a narrative spending plan
Last year’s compensation guidelines.
Annual Checklist
At the beginning of every year, the synod office asks each congregation to share the following information:
Other Helpful Resources
Understanding our ministry together is important. Together we achieve things on a scale and scope that we could never do otherwise. Share these resources with your council and congregation/organization.
All of these titles are links; please click the titles below to view.
- Where does your offering go
- Stories of Faith in Action
- Stories of Faith in Action Devotional
- Four ways to use Stories of Faith in Action
The publication Stories of Faith in Action and the resources that go along with it are designed to share how important your weekly offering in your congregation is in sustaining and growing God’s mission. The portion of your offerings that support the ELCA’s synodical and churchwide ministries is called Mission Support. The publication and resources found here help explain and answer questions about Mission Support and tell the story of those gifts in action.
You can also check out more stories of faith in action at LivingLutheran.org.
