As a fraternal benefit society, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has a representative form of government. This means that adult (age 16 or older) benefit and associate members of each chapter decide via an annual election who they want to lead the chapter for the next year.

To operate effectively and carry out its mission, a chapter is required to have the following five elected positions filled: president, vice president, records director, financial director and congregational service team director. There are also five optional elected positions: community service team director, assistant financial director, youth director, events director, and communications director. More ideas and a more balanced work load will result when optional positions are filled.

Chapter Leadership Boards are required to meet at least every three months (quarterly), but most meet more often. Meetings may be held in-person or via technology (e.g. teleconference call, chat room or e-mail).

If you are a chapter leader, THANK YOU for the time and talent that you are devoting to fulfilling this volunteer role. This page is designed to help you find the basic tools and information that you will need in your role. Additional resources, which provide a myriad of information, are listed at the bottom of this page.

If you are a member of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and are interested in serving as a chapter leader, please contact a member of the Lutheran Community Services Team to learn more about the opportunities.

AGENDAS--Pre-meeting planning is essential. Items should include:
o Admitting new members. (President)
o Review and approval of minutes from last meeting. (Records Director)
o Report and approval of financial report including beginning balance, a list of deposits, a list of checks written and ending balance for both operating funds and the Care Abounds in Communities allocation. (Financial Director)
o Acceptance of new members into the chapter. A recommended process is in CHIP.
o Report on Care in Congregations® program activities and requests. (Congregational Service Team Director)
o Report on Care Abounds in Communities® program activities and requests. (Community Service Team Director)
o Report on upcoming regional events. (Events Director)
o Report on youth activities. (Youth Director)

QUORUM--To qualify for a meeting, a simple majority (a quorum) of the elected leaders must attend and participate.

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS--Use both the mailing service (see Communications on this web page) and the chapter's web site on LutheransOnline to announce meeting dates to all chapter members.

VOTING--Chapter leaders who fill one of the ten elected positions have voting privileges. Advisory positions do not carry voting privileges.

REPORTING--The records director is responsible for entering the meeting minutes online and reporting that the meeting was held. The minutes should include:
o decisions that were made
o action items that require follow-up
o unfinished business items

See also other tips in the Reporting section on this Web page.