Church Constitutions
A church constitution is a document that explains how a church organizes.It provides the answers to basic questions about the operations of that church. Questions like:
Does the church have membership? What do the members do? How do they become members? Who’s responsible for church decisions? How do leaders become recognized as leaders? Who decides how the church will spend its money? What happens to the church’s assets if it permanently closes?
All of these are organizational questions that [nearly] every church will have to consider—but about which the Bible gives little direction. While there are plenty of Biblical principles that can (and should) be employed in writing a constitution, it is not a Holy Spirit-inspired document. Therefore, a church constitution should be treated differently than the church's statement of faith.
Regarding a church’s constitution:
It should be simple.
Church constitutions become overcomplicated when the writers try to make them exhaustive. But a good church constitution is not intended to be airtight, because—quite simply—it can’t be. It is impossible for a church to anticipate every conceivable organizational situation before it happens. So, it must be general enough to apply to a broad range of situations. Overcomplicating it with excessive rules can create unnecessary rigidity and confusion. Instead, it should provide a few simple directions that still allow for wisdom and discernment in decision-making.
It should be short.
This is one of those areas where brevity is a virtue. Because the document needs to be read and understood by all the members of a congregation, it should be a quick-read. There are no firm rules about length, but it should be concise enough that every member can reasonably be expected to read it. It may even be wise for it to be succinct enough that a person can read it in a few minutes while waiting for a member meeting to start.
It must be clear.
Ambiguity in wording can lead to unnecessary disputes and differing interpretations, weakening unity. A well-written constitution should communicate expectations plainly, leaving little room for confusion. The members should not need an advanced law degree to understand whether or not there will be a vote on deacon candidates. Clarity fosters confidence in decision-making and serves as an unspoken reminder that the church wants all of its members to be a part of the process.
It is not a “one-size-fits-all” document.
Just as there are many different kinds of churches, there will be many different kinds of constitutions. Or course, it is entirely possible for one church to adopt the constitution created by another church without any issues. This is especially true if the constitution is general enough, or if both churches operate in similar ways (i.e. same church polity, same views on membership and leadership, etc.). But this is not always the case.
If you have been part of a church that did things a certain way, you should expect that a new church may do some things differently.
It cannot be a substitute for trust.
Since no church constitution can foresee every possible future scenario, a church will inevitably need to make decisions on matters that fall outside the scope of its constitution. When that happens, members will naturally need to rely on mutual trust. If a church member does not trust the other church members (or especially the leadership), no amount of organizational documents will fix that. Trust between members and church leaders is an essential element of a Christian church: without it, even the best policies and structures will fail to create a healthy church community.
True unity is built on honesty, integrity, and a shared commitment to Christ. A strong constitution may provide guidance, but only genuine relationships will foster lasting fellowship.