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Home Infrastructure Writing By-Laws For Your Church

Writing By-Laws For Your Church

Some Guidance On Writing The Highest Level Document In The Church

March 21, 2023

The highest level document for any church or non-profit organization would certainly be the by-laws. I periodically get requests for input on writing or updating by-laws. Of course, I always direct them to the Resources area of my site, where I’ve included a sample of a full set of by-laws. Check it out HERE.

A good set of by-laws should contain:

Name and Purpose – What’s the name of the church and its purpose?

Membership – How does one become a member of the church? What does membership include?

Congregational Meetings – How often does the congregation meet, and for what purpose?

Fiscal Year – Does the church use a calendar year or have another period it considers to be its fiscal year (September to August, other?)?

Church Leadership – How will the church be led? What’s the leadership model (staff-led – elder protected, elder-led, other?), and how does it work? You hear much about Carver Policy Governance as a leadership/governance model. You can check this out HERE. What are the duties of the senior pastor? Other church staff?

Annual Budget – How is the annual budget prepared? How is it approved?

Amendments or Revision – How are the by-laws revised? Who has to approve changes to the by-laws?

Related Documents – Are there other policies or procedures related to the by-laws or referred to in the by-laws?

That’s it, for the most part. Your by-laws should be pretty high level. More detailed policies and procedures should be documented elsewhere in your management system.

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