When starting a new Christian church, many leaders clamor for a sample church by law. That's because somehow, they understand that church by laws are not necessarily an easy task to master.

For example, some of the important issues to include in a church's constitution-bylaws is how a minister may be hired or fired, and under what circumstances. Thus, some churches consider it wise to include a provision that the minister may only be hired or fired by the church Elders, or other “ecclesiastical tribunal” of the church. In other words, the minister’s employment fate is taken out of the hands of the church members, and even the board of directors.

But how do you draft that? Where do you start? Where do you go for the expert guidance you need? Whatever you do, never settle for anything other than the gold standard in use today by hundreds of churches nation-wide. It's call Building On Faith: Everything You Need To Know About Starting Your Own Church. Let's talk more about what a church by law document requires.

The constitution-bylaws may also state, for example, that all employment contracts with church personnel shall be terminable at will, whether for cause or no cause. Essentially, the constitution-bylaws may address (and establish the rules on) any number of matters that would otherwise be contained in the policies (and procedures) of secular nonprofits, or for-profit entities.

However, a church by law document should NOT be drafted to include everything that could possibly occur in the context of a church-membership relationship. At some point, it may become unwieldy and stop making sense.