Church law practitioners have differing views on how to draft the constitution and bylaws for a church. However, they do agree on a couple of things. First, it's important to work with a sample constitution and church by law example when first starting out. Second, it makes little sense to have two separate documents called a constitution and a bylaws.

The main difference between the two is that the constitution largely deals with doctrinal or ecclesiastical issues, while the bylaws address secular or legal interests and protocol. There is no reason why these two sets of "rules" cannot be contained in one document.

There is a third thing experts agree on. The constitution and bylaws is a reference tool by which the church and its members understand their respective roles and the rules that govern the relationship between the church and its members, and between the members themselves. In effect, the constitution-bylaws, together with the articles of incorporation, the resolutions of the board of directors, any other policies and procedures, and the practices of the church, form a “contract” between the church and its members.

Therefore, both the constitution and a church by law example should be drafted in a way that is both, accessible and understandable. Otherwise, the understanding that members may have could be blurred and their relationship with the church could suffer.

Also, in the event of a dispute — and these days, almost any kind of dispute in the context of a church tends to end up in litigation — the constitution and bylaws will play a major role in whether a secular court agrees to hear the matter, or defers to the internal rules and decision-making processes of the church.

The need to more fully understand how to draft a church by law example, and the realization that these tasks require expert guidance... should lead you to want competent guidance and expertise. You'll find it in the amazing church-starting resource entitled Building On Faith: Everything You Need To Know About Starting Your Own Church. Not only is it written by a devoted Christian and church law expert--Abe Hernandez, Esq.--but it's also the gold standard in use today by hundreds of churches in America. You owe it to yourself and your ministry to take a close look.