I love it when people ask me to tell them a little bit more about myself. Not only does it feel good to connect with others in the moment, but these conversations also open the door to developing meaningful relationships.

\Now, imagine how you might respond if somebody asked you to tell them a little bit more about your church. What data points would you need to share your church’s story?

Why the ACP?

Every fall, we ask churches to tell us a little bit more about themselves by turning in an Annual Church Profile (ACP) report. These reports capture statistical data about things like worship attendance, missions participation, and baptisms - numbers that help tell the story of who our churches are and what we’ve been up to over the last year. We know that pastors and staff are busy with the day-to-day responsibilities of ministry, and filling out surveys isn’t exactly a priority. 

But here are three reasons why the ACP is worth the investment of your time:

1. The ACP is a snapshot of the year. 

You’ve put in the work over the last twelve months, so why not pause and reflect on all that’s happened? Taking stock can be an opportunity to recognize God’s movement in your life. Pausing to remember gives us insight that might not be possible when you’re zeroed in on the work itself.

Early in my career and marriage, our financial situation was precarious as we went through a time without a steady income. We didn’t know when the next paycheck would come in, which required us to carefully manage every penny. It wasn’t until I received my annual giving statement from my church that I could see a pattern: our largest tithes happened to coincide with the moments when we had some unusually large bills due. 

God had provided the work to meet our financial needs. I knew this intuitively, but seeing it in black-and-white numbers all at once really drove the point home.

2. The ACP shows us trends over time. 

We need to know how things stand today if we want a fuller perspective of the progress we’ve made over a period of time. When we see these trends, it helps us strategically plan for our future. 

One year of low attendance might not be too concerning (especially in a year like 2020, for example), but several years might indicate a decline that should be addressed. Many churches ignore symptoms of decline for far too long, and change becomes even more difficult. 

Perhaps an increase over several years of VBS enrollment signals that a budget commitment in that area would be fruitful or that outreach methods were effective. Regardless of which way the trend line is drawn, we are often shooting in the dark without some data to help light the way.

3. The ACP determines your messenger representation at associational meetings. 

Every qualified church affiliated with UBA may seat a minimum of five messengers at our business meetings. However, churches may seat additional messengers according to the average worship attendance reported on the previous year’s ACP. Messengers are responsible for voting to accept churches into UBA affiliation, voting to approve leadership staff hires, and voting to approve budget allocations. 

Things like budget approvals may sound a bit dry, but the reality is that the dollar numbers in our association budgets represent churches in need of revitalization, pastors in need of mentorship support, and lay leaders in need of training. UBA is made up of your church working in cooperation with hundreds of others, and your active participation determines how we are best able to serve your needs. 

If you haven’t marked your calendar yet, our next business meeting will be part of our Annual Celebration on November 3 at Houston’s First Baptist Church Downtown campus. Because we want to spend most of our time in worship and fellowship, this event will include the fastest business session you have ever been to. But the business is still important. Let your messengers know, and get your voting packet at registration!

How to Turn in Your ACP

If you’ve been around a little while, you may recall that UBA used to send out our own survey to return alongside the state convention forms. The good news is that we’ve streamlined the process, so you only have to fill out one survey now!

You can access the BGCT’s or SBTC's ACP report by clicking the buttons below. These pages include details about how to log in or receive any assistance you might need to fill out the ACP.

At UBA, we love churches! (So much so that so we own the URL: welovechurches.com.)

We want to know more about your church, how you’re doing, and how we can be better together. Filling out your ACP is a great way to reach out and tell us a little bit more about your congregation.

Briana Perea has been an Administrative Assistant at UBA since 2018. She supports the financial and chief of staff offices.

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