[1]Churches all over our Convention are busy this time of year compiling information for their Annual Church Profile (ACP). This is one of the largest, most highly coordinated projects the Convention undertakes each year. It involves every church, association, state convention, and the SBC in the process. The ACP provides a comprehensive picture of what God is doing among Southern Baptists. It may look like just numbers and names, but it's a whole lot more than that.
The ACP is people. It is people who have followed their Lord in baptism. It is people who are studying His Word, singing His praises, working in missions, and growing as His disciples. It is people who are serving Him.
The ACP can be used by everyone involved in the process as a guide to doing what God is leading them to do. Here are some suggestions:
• See where God is working. The ACP shows what God has done. Identify areas that can be built upon as well as areas that need to be built up.
• Pray, informed by ACP information. Informed prayer allows God to speak more directly concerning what He wants us to do. Use the names of leaders from the ACP as a prayer list.
[2]• Plan to do God's will. Use the ACP information from this year and trends from past years as powerful planning tools. The more accurate and complete your ACP information is, the better the tool. Then, network with other churches that have similar situations and trends.
• Determine the number of messengers from your church to the SBC. The SBC and most state conventions and associations base the number of messengers to their annual meetings on ACP information.