15 things every church leader should know about church bylaws

Most churches, whether incorporated or unincorporated, have a governing document that addresses several issues of governance and administration. While the name for this document varies from church to church, it often is called bylaws, and it is this name that will be used in this article as a matter of convenience.

There are several legal issues that are associated with church bylaws. This article will address 15 of them.

1. What are bylaws?

What are church bylaws? The Model Nonprofit Corporations Act (3rd ed. 2008), which has been adopted by several states, defines bylaws as "the code or codes of rules (other than the articles of incorporation) adopted for the regulation and governance of the internal affairs of the nonprofit corporation, regardless of the name or names used to refer to those rules."

One court defined bylaws as follows: