The annual meeting is a yearly event (annual should have given it away) that is just as much a part of the church calendar as Christmas and Easter. Unlike Christmas and Easter, the focus is not on the arrival or sacrifice of the Messiah. In most cases it isn’t about Jesus at all. Often wrapped up in Christian metaphors like ministry, tithes and offerings, attendance, outreach and many more things that we consider our mandate, the annual meeting is really a cost benefit analysis of the previous year. Money brought in and money spent and the resulting outcome. (more…)