As we, the members of Westview Baptist Church, work together to revitalize this church, we need to make sure that we have the right documents in place to help us in that work. The council-approved committee on incorporation, with the guidance of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, has identified four documents that will help us in that regard. These documents flow into each other, with one establishing purpose and direction for the next.
These documents are:
- Purpose Statement
- Articles of Incorporation
- Bylaws
- Policies and Procedures
Some may wonder why we don’t just continue to use the church’s constitution. It’s a good question. The answer, from Jim Swedenburg at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, is:
The first question here is, “Is our church incorporated?” if “yes,” the Articles of Incorporation eliminate the need for a constitution. If “no,” the most immediate action should be to incorporate the church. This is extremely important! Incorporation gives the church much needed legal protection. It gives the church “legal” powers to conduct all its organizations, ministries, activities, and actions to fulfill its purpose (Code of Alabama, Section 10A-3). The Articles and the Constitution address the same topics and will conflict if both are in place. By having both, you may unknowingly force a court to choose one or even throw them both out and decide what they should say.
Is Westview incorporated? We are, but our Articles of Incorporation are focused on the church’s ability to collect money, and do very little otherwise. Additionally, they cite the wrong title (10-4 instead of 10A-3). To gain the greatest legal protections for our officers, we need to reincorporate.
After the Bible, the purpose statement is the only document we have that defines what we do. Everything else defines the how. This is why it has to be agreed upon before we work on the “how” documents: The articles of incorporation, by-laws, and policies.
Think of a highway. The Bible is the road we’re on. It has a beginning and an end, and by following it, it is taking us somewhere that we want to go. Our statement of belief, what we believe about the Bible (for example, believer’s baptism versus infant baptism) forms the solid lines that mark the shoulders of the road, and helps us stay on the road. The articles, by-laws, and policies are the road signs that help us travel safely and observe the laws of the country the road is in. The purpose statement is the dotted line down the center, the one that marks out our lane so that we can get to the end of the road.
State laws change, not only in their content, but also their format. We are blessed to live in a country that still offers some protections to the churches within its borders. By ensuring that our organizational documents meet the current format, we are able to take full advantage of those protections.