The Yearbook & Directory of the Christian Church is a snapshot in time of our church, collectively—taking inventory of our ministries, resources, and overall health, providing information to one another and to the church at large for our mutual ministry. It is only complete if every congregation and ministry reports accurate information.
If your church has been estimating worship attendance, do the math and turn in a real count this year, or if you don’t have this information, begin now to gather the weekly information so that you can do this next year. If your church has been subtracting deaths and adding new people to the total and participating member categories, take time to do a real audit of these numbers. Do they represent real people?
Each congregation which is listed is covered under our church-wide 501(c)3 designation, and a copy of the completed Yearbook & Directory is provided to the IRS in lieu of each listed congregation filling out quarterly reports. If completeness drops, this ease of reporting is jeopardized. This one form—or quarterly IRS reports? That’s probably an easy choice!
Forms are due by March 15. The information may be provided on paper or online. Sooner is always better!