Georgia congregations have grace period for submitting this year's Annual Church Reports

DULUTH, Ga. – Some congregations have missed the initial deadline for completing what’s known as the Annual Church Report, a census of sorts for the Georgia Baptist Convention.

But it’s not too late to submit the fill-in-the-blank report that can be completed in a matter of minutes.

“If we have the reports in hand by the end of January, we can still include the information in this year’s counts,” said Bryan Nowak, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board missionary who compiles the data.

The Annual Church Report provides a count of Georgia Baptists in each church and the number of new believers who have been baptized, among other important bits of information that helps to measure the strength of the state’s roughly 3,600 congregations.

Only about half of the churches had completed the reports as of late December. Gathering data for the rest of the churches is crucial to avoid a major undercount.

The Annual Church Reports are more than a census. They provide written histories for congregations, recording growth, tracking the names of leaders and the positions they hold, and reflecting financial strength year by year.

It's the information prospective pastors look for when they’re considering accepting a call to a particular church. It’s also the information banks review when a congregation is considering financing a building project.

In recent years, Southern Baptist Convention leaders across the country have reported declines in the number of congregations submitting the reports. The trend carries serious implications.

Mike Griffin, public affairs representative for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said an accurate membership count is especially important to his work in the state Capitol.

“When churches don’t report," Griffin said, "we can’t count their members and that can impact the strength of our voice in debates regarding abortion, religious liberty, and other issues of importance to Georgia Baptists.”

The Georgia Baptist Mission Board has a webpage devoted to explaining the rationale behind the Annual Church Reports and offering a list of reasons to participate: That includes:

-- The data can be used to help a church measure ministry directions and effectiveness.

-- Reviewing data year over year can help a church develop ministry strategies.

-- The information is archived as a backup for a church in case of a fire, flood, or property damage.

-- Southern Baptist Convention and Georgia Baptist Convention entities have accurate and relevant information about the churches they serve.

-- The information helps determine the number of church messengers who can participate and vote in state and national convention meetings.
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For more information about the Annual Church Reports, call Bryan Nowak at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board at 770-936-5245.