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Parochial Reports

Parochial reports are sent to the parish offices in early January and are due March 1. The reports must be signed off on by the vestry. Forms are posted in early January each year and can be found here and in the forms directory over to the right.

Every congregation is required by canon to complete an annual statistical report called the parochial report. The forms are designed by the National Church, and are divided into two sections: (1) Membership, Attendance and Services, (2) Stewardship and Financial Information.

In addition, as many other dioceses do, the Diocese of Washington includes several other forms for the congregation to complete. We currently request information about compensation for clergy, lay employees and musicians for the diocesan Human Resources Committee, as well as attendance figures for the four key Sundays in order to compute the delegate apportionment for the next year's Convention.

The forms are sent to the congregation in January/February every year and are due in the diocesan office on March 1. Forms (see right column of this page) may be submitted online or downloaded and mailed in. To request an extension for filing, please contact the governance office as soon as possible.

We encourage the congregation to take the opportunity to compare the parochial report to the ones done in preceding years in order to take stock of some of the measurable things about the congregation. For instance, everyone is always aware when there are lots of newcomers – how does that compare to the number of departures or the number of pledge units or the attendance. Every number tells a story.

A compilation of the statistics from the parochial report can be found in the tables at the back of the annual Diocesan Journal and Directory.

Non-parochial report forms for clergy may be found here.

Instructions and Help

Forms

All parochial reports may be found in the right column of this page.

Extensions

If for some compelling reason you cannot make the deadline, be in touch with the Governance Office to request an extension in writing. Extensions are given for 2-4 weeks. Please note that the deadline is set by the National Church, as are the questions.

Membership

Download the membership definitions [pdf]

Normal Operating Income

Remember, any costs that go into the regular operation of the church are considered to be part of Normal Operating Income, no matter how it may be funded. It is also this item that we want you to look at this year for last year's figures when pledging a percentage for the following year. (2011 report being filled out in 2012, and pledging 2013).

No negative amounts or cents

Do not insert any negative numbers in the Parochial Report – if you think you need to, call up and talk it over because it means that you're not quite understanding how to fill out the report. Also, please use whole dollars – the online filing that is required cannot accept cents.