It's AGM time... again!
Transforming this unpleasant annual formality into something Jesus might want to attend.
Source: Groundhog Day, Sony Pictures, 1993
It’s a weeknight, and the faithful are gathering at church. Not for a Bible study or a workshop. It’s the Annual General Meeting.
For many, the AGM is a routine formality. For others, a governance headache. But what if we viewed it differently? Could it be a moment of vision, encouragement and accountability with clear gospel values?
Just an unpleasant formality
For many church leaders, the AGM requires a level of familiarity with governance procedures that most normal people find stressful.
In the busyness of ministry, the additional workload of notifying congregations, writing an annual report, ensuring financial statements are prepared and organising the meeting itself, are hard work. Especially if you’re not clear about the purpose of the meeting and convinced of the value of doing it at all.
The AGM can become a requirement that must be endured with preferably the least amount of time and inconvenience. But is viewing AGMs in this light a missed opportunity for the church?
Photo by Jodie Walton on Unsplash
What’s the purpose of the church AGM?
I’ve dug out the Parish Administration Ordinance 2008 which provides for the rules by which parishes in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney (of which I’m part) are administered.
Interestingly, it outlines the business to be conducted at an annual general meeting (section 3.1 if you’re interested) - determining a quorum, electing a minutes secretary, receiving apologies, receiving financial statements etc. But it doesn’t seem to outline the purpose of the meeting.
From a biblical perspective, there’s also not a lot to work with. The Bible doesn’t mandate AGMs, nor does church tradition offer a clear blueprint. However, there are broader principles about Christian conduct and conflict which could be more generally applied (Col 3:12-17; Phil. 2:1-4, Eph. 4:1-6, 1 Peter 5:1-4, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, John 13:34-35, Eph. 4:29-32).
In the wider world
In the wider corporate and not-for-profit world, the AGM is a key moment. It gives members and the public a snapshot of the organisation’s direction, financial health and performance amidst opportunities and challenges. It’s also a time to inject new energy by electing the right people into key roles.
When done well, people leave more committed to the organisation and its goals.
The AGM is:
Strategic - clarifying priorities, plans and progress.
Transparent - an honest account of how the finances and other resources (staffing, infrastructure) are holding up.
Balanced - celebrating wins and naming challenges and future risks.
Participatory - involving members through voting, questions and input.
Galvanising - a chance to re-cast vision, share stories and rally people for what’s next.
As a friend of mine from the corporate sector said as he reflected on church AGMs:
I consider the AGM a really important meeting which the church community would want to attend to understand where we’re at on our collective journey to the vision we’ve set.
The strategic priorities of the church
Looking across these areas outlined above, the key area often missing from church AGMs is clear strategic priorities. Here I’m not referring to a church vision or mission statement, but rather the biblical priorities provided by Jesus Christ himself. We read in Matthew 28:18-20 -
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
You can hear two components here:
Making disciples of Jesus - Proclaiming the incredibly good news of Jesus, and praying expectantly for unsaved people across the world.
Maturing disciples of Jesus - Seeing people established and growing in maturity in their faith.
Every activity of the church, including the church AGM, should be focused here.
Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash
Each church will then have 3-6 strategic objectives that flow out of making and maturing disciples. Here are some examples:
We long to see the crowd find a home within our church family.
We exist to do something about the millions of people in our city who don’t know Jesus by urgently speaking the gospel to our friends and family.
Our prayer is that in response to God serving us, we’d gladly serve God and others with everything we’ve got in all our lives.
The AGM is then the once a year check-in reporting on progress against these strategic objectives, as well as outlining the relevant strategies for the coming year. This ensures that the church’s vision isn’t ‘set and forget’ but being actively pursued, with adjustments made along the way as necessary.
Reimagining the church AGM
What might it look like to incorporate the characteristics of an AGM (strategic, transparent, balanced, participatory, galvanising) with the biblical priority of making and maturing disciples?
Clear, Impactful Reporting
Reports will be distributed at least two weeks before the AGM so the church community has time to read, reflect, and raise questions.
The report begins with a message from the Senior Pastor, offering a big-picture view of how we’ve progressed in making and maturing disciples over the past year.
Then come the deep dives—reports structured around our key strategic objectives, each including:
Objective defined – a clear statement of purpose.
Year in review – highlights and challenges, with real insight into what was done and what impact it had (not just a list of activities).
Looking ahead – key opportunities, challenges, and prayer points for the year to come.
Demonstrating Impact
Impact can be shown in different ways:
Stories – real accounts of people coming to faith or growing in Christ.
Surveys – insights from the church community on spiritual habits, growth, and outreach.
Data – relevant metrics tied to strategic goals:
Making Disciples – number of visitors, evangelistic course participants, new believers.
Maturing Disciples – Sunday attendance, % in growth groups, % serving.
Always give numbers context. Saying “47 visitors” means little without comparison. Include benchmarks like average attendance, previous years, or even your prayer goal.
Accountability & Stewardship
A dedicated section will report on finance and infrastructure—celebrating what’s gone well, naming what’s been hard, and outlining what’s next.
Alongside detailed financials, include a clear 1–2 page summary in plain language. Connect every number and project back to the mission: making and maturing disciples.
The Meeting
Photo by Kane Reinholdtsen on Unsplash
With reports distributed two weeks ahead, people arrive prepared. Verbal presentations can then focus on the big picture - no need to repeat what’s already been read.
Choose a time when most people can attend. A meal, dessert or snacks around tables can create a warm, engaging atmosphere.
The meeting would then flow as follows:
Welcome & intro - Set the tone: explain the purpose, confirm quorum, appoint a minutes secretary, receive apologies and outline how minutes will be confirmed.
Strategic review - Led by the Senior Pastor, this is a 10-15 minute review of how we’ve progressed in making and maturing disciples. Include Scripture but keep it focused - this isn’t a sermon. Allow 10-15 minutes for questions.
Accountability and stewardship section - Two short presentations (10 minutes each) on finance and infrastructure, focusing on the key messages for the congregation to understand. Follow each with 10 minutes for questions.
Election of officers - Share role details in advance - responsibilities, qualifications (including convictions, character), term length and time commitment. Prioritise people with a growing faith in Christ, who love the lost and disciple others.
A final message from the senior pastor - End on a high. Reflect briefly on the year gone, then look forward. Where will we focus? What challenges will we embrace for the sake of the gospel? This is your call to action - casting vision and galvanising.
Give prayer the priority it deserves. You might pray after each section or in a dedicated time near the end - thanking God for the past year, praying for new leaders and committing the year ahead to Him.
To help you imagine what your AGM could look like, here is the Annual Report from Salt Church in Wollongong, as well as how Vine Church advertise their AGM to their church.
A meeting that honours Jesus
As we gain clarity on the purpose for our AGMs, they can become a place where Christ is glorified, rather than simply a ‘necessary evil’. Or to put it another way:
If Jesus were to pop into your church’s AGM, would it give him joy? Would he be nodding along, saying a gentle ‘Amen’ to everything that was said and done?
As we organise our church AGMs this year, let’s not leave our gospel priorities at the door. May we give every part of our lives, and our church activities, to disciple-making.
Special thanks to Nigel Woolley, former CFO and Finance Director at O’Brien for his input in the preparation of this article.
I’d love to hear what happens at your church AGM. Why not join the conversation and make this article even better?
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This is so helpful. Provides inspiration from Jesus AND practical ways to respond to him faithfully - and maybe even enjoy it! Can confirm that stories highlighting what God is doing in our midst is a really meaningful inclusion to the AGM. This was done at my church this year. Shared at the beginning they really set the scene for why we are having this meeting in the first place! Our AGM was only a few weeks ago, but now I’m looking forward to the next one. Thanks Jo!