Most Missouri Baptist churches are accustomed to the Annual Church Profile (ACP) showing up in late summer. It is a simple form for sharing with us a few things trending in your congregation.
There are plenty of reasons to fill out the ACP:
- It helps with research. Researchers like Ed Stetzer and Micah Fries of LifeWay Christian Resources use this data to understand the myriad of changes taking place in churches in our state and nation. In recent years we have noticed a decline in attendance and baptisms. However, it makes you wonder if everyone is turning in their ACPs? The answer to that is “no.”
Some 15 percent of our MBC affiliated churches do not take the time to fill out the information. If we all do our part, it really helps clarify the outreach and missional trends in our churches. This year, we plan to call churches that don’t submit their ACP forms. Our hope is to cut the 15 percent no-shows in half this year.
- We send The Pathway to every household listed in the ACP. It doesn’t matter if you are part of the pastoral staff, a deacon, missions leader, or Bible study leader. Every household should receive a copy of our state convention news journal. It is your window to the world about Missouri Baptists being on mission together with God.
- You might be surprised at the trends your church is experiencing. When you compile the numbers for this year, compare it to where your church was five years ago. No matter what the statistics say, the facts do not lie. Facts are our friends to punctuate a need to perhaps improve our methods. We must not change our biblical convictions to reach the world for Christ, but we should adjust our methods to speak the gospel into the lives of those who have yet to surrender to Him.
- Please do not miss the questions about direct mission involvement. This is something unique to Missouri Baptists’ ACP. Since your church supports missions through the Cooperative Program, your church is supporting thousands of international, North American and state missionaries who have but one vision and that is to transform lives and communities with the gospel.
As an autonomous church, yours may also send out direct missionaries for short-term or long-term mission projects. Some trips may be international. Some may focus on North America or the heartland. We would really like to know so that we can help those who want to take part in mission projects but don’t have the opportunity through their local churches. This way we can work together more synergistically.
- The ACP data allows us to speak more accurately about our churches. Whether addressing a group of church leaders or state legislators, we want to speak accurately about the number of members Missouri Baptist churches have and who are the people of influence in large and small churches. Consequently, collection of this information gives a more credible reflection of who we are to the world.
A few people think submission of the ACP is like filling out the IRS-1040 tax form. They perceive that collection of data from a local church is an invasion of privacy. Really? We are not private organizations with something to hide from the public. Actually, it is quite the opposite.
Our churches have a story to tell about transformed lives that are changed by the power of the gospel. We have a story to tell to the world about our disaster relief ministries and other volunteer organizations. ACP helps us tell our cooperative story.
Don’t expect a denominational boogieman to show up at your door demanding your church’s ACP report. It’s just a simple data collection report that helps our churches record their progress and trends over the past 12 months. We thank you in advance for sharing with us.