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About the Chapter System

The chapter system enables Thrivent Financial members to aid themselves and others through voluntary action.

Service teams and program funds
Thrivent Financial members can become engaged with Thrivent Financial through one or more service teams. A service team is a group of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members that conducts one or more chapter activities. Each service team is part of a chapter, and all service team activities are activities of the chapter. It is through service teams that we anticipate most Thrivent Financial members will become engaged in volunteering with Thrivent Financial.

In the chapter system, there are two types of service teams:

• Congregational service teams
  A congregational service team includes all Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members who want to come together to help a particular congregation or its associated Lutheran institutions. Teams help by conducting fund-raising activities and/or hands-on service activities such as painting the church or building cabinetry for the fellowship hall.

  The congregational service team must have three Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members from separate households registered as congregational coordinators. These members do not need to be members of the congregation.*

  In addition, at least six Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members (benefit, associate and/or youth members), each from a different household, must participate in an activity to receive supporting funds from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans through the Care in Congregations® program. Congregational coordinators may be included in the required six member households.

  Participating congregational service team members may differ from one activity to the next, and participants do not need to be members of the congregation benefiting from the activity. (If the six-member-household requirement is met, nonmembers may and are encouraged to participate in the activity.)

  Funds that a congregational service team uses to help its congregation or related Lutheran institution(s) go directly from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to the congregation or institution through the Care in Congregations® program.
  
  Note: A congregational service team also may conduct Care Abounds in Communities^® activities to benefit individuals, families, local communities or organizations that are exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. (This includes charitable, educational and religious organizations.) In these situations, the service team requests funds and accesses resources from a chapter leadership board through the Care Abounds in Communities^® program.

• Community service teams
  A community service team is a group of at least six Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members (benefit, associate and/or youth members), each from a different household, who come together to conduct a chapter fund-raising activity or hands-on service activity. Activities can benefit an individual, a family, a local community or an organization that is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. (This includes charitable, educational and religious organizations.)

  Community service teams request activity and funding approval from their chapter leadership board through the Care Abounds in Communities® program. To qualify for funding, the six-member household requirement must be met. After this requirement is met, nonmembers may and are encouraged to participate in the activity. Once an activity is approved by the chapter leadership board, the service team plans, organizes and conducts the activity, then reports the results to the chapter leadership board.