Constitution and Bylaws

Step five is to write your constitution and bylaws.  Church planters often make two major mistakes with constitutions.  They spend an inordinate amount of time researching and writing what they feel will be the perfect document that will address all of their problems.  There is no such document.  We are dealing with fallen people who are mixtures of sinner and saint.

The second major mistake planters make is they borrow a constitution from the parent church or neighboring church.  These churches are often much larger with more complex ministries than the plant.  They require more leaders than you have available in the new plant.  Cut and paste these constitutions, but make them fit your situation. 

The principle is to keep the constitution simple.  There are only ten things you need in a constitution.  They are:

• Name
• Statement of faith
• Standing
• Purpose
• Membership
• Property rights
• Government
• Officers
• Bylaws
• Amendments

The basic constitution should not change that much.  Where you make most of your changes is in the bylaws and amendments section.  The bylaws should be a dynamic document that is constantly changing as your church grows.  But even in this area, start out simple. 

Click here for a sample of a basic constitution.