It isn’t just a numbers thing, Chris Kynard said. “Behind every number is a person.”
And that’s why he believes it’s important for Alabama Baptist churches to fill out the Annual Church Profile (ACP). The ACP is a survey conducted each year that collects each church’s number of baptisms, offering totals, leadership information, number of members and other data.
“I know that some churches feel that the ACP is not a priority because they feel it focuses too much on numbers, the implication being that such an emphasis somehow detracts from the ministry of the church,” said Kynard, senior pastor of Pine Hill Baptist Church in Bethel Baptist Association. “But as a local body, we have a limited amount of resources, and we must make decisions on how to utilize the resources we have been given.”
The ACP helps with that and a host of other things, he and others say.
Every year, Alabama Baptist churches are asked to participate in the survey, due usually no later than two weeks before associational meetings every fall.
“A paper workbook is sent to each association each spring to be given to their churches,” said Mickey Crawford, associate in computer services for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. “The churches may fill out the workbook and send a copy back to the association, or they may fill it out online and keep the workbook for their own files.”
The state convention then reports the information to LifeWay Christian Resources, which reports it to the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Executive Committee.
Some of the results are published the following March in The Alabama Baptist.
“The ACP acts as a snapshot in time of the work of the local church, and as such, it gives a historical trend that can be used by ministries to see where we as Christians are doing well and where we need more resources,” Crawford said. “It is useful at all levels of denominational work for assisting in accurate budget projections.”
Kynard said it’s helped his congregation know what’s working and what’s not.
“It helps identify trends in attendance, giving and ministry participation that sometimes tell an important, larger story,” he said. “And by reporting and having those reports compiled and shared throughout our state and national agencies, it helps us see what the bigger issues are that we should be attempting to address as a local association and a national convention.”
Crawford said the results also are used for
• program expansion and finding new ministries,
• pastor and staff search committees,
• associational budget preparation and ministry evaluations,
• determining representation on various boards and committees,
• determining the number of messengers allowed from each church to the SBC and state convention annual meetings,
• religious research publications such as “Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches” and
• keeping a database of leadership information, such as the names and addresses of church staff and leaders.
As a church, “the best and primary way to improve the process is by participating in it,” Crawford said. “Help the church clerk to report accurately and timely to the association. Make use of the ACP in your church committees and programs.”
Roger Willmore, pastor of Deerfoot Baptist Church, Trussville, in Birmingham Baptist Association, said the ACP has been a valuable research tool for him and his church.
“I have easy access to vital church information for each church I have served over the past 41 years. This historical record is helpful to current and future members and leaders of the church,” Willmore said.
The accountability aspect is invaluable, too, he noted.
“It is important for churches and church leaders to have some form of accountability regarding the ministry to which they have been entrusted. This accountability is, I believe, ultimately to God, but the Annual Church Profile also provides a means for the local church pastor, leaders and members to exercise some accountability among themselves,” Willmore said.
Al Hood, director of missions for Winston Baptist Association, agreed, saying the ACP helps Southern Baptists gauge effectiveness in evangelism, Sunday School and discipleship.
“It can tell us as an association what areas that we can better help our churches with,” he said.
Thomas Wright, executive director of missions for Mobile Baptist Association, said it’s a useful tool for the denomination as well.
“Cooperation can be cumbersome but providing data provides essential tools to understand trends, strengths and weaknesses. The numbers represent people and people are why the church exists,” Wright said.
While it’s too late to get this year’s numbers in for the associational meetings, it’s not too late to be included in the state totals. But those will need to be submitted soon.
For more information about the ACP, contact Crawford at mcrawford@alsbom.org or 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 281. (TAB)
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