Why is it so important for new church plants to implement proper corporate governance documents from the very beginning? 

Jesus said a wise man builds his house on a foundation of rock.  That way, when the rain falls, and the floods come, and the winds blow and beat on the house, it will not fall because it is founded on solid ground.  From a legal perspective, a church rests upon the quality of its foundation: the governance and operational documents of the organization.

Many churches adopt Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws and then put them away and forget about them.  This is a huge mistake!  These documents should be reviewed periodically, probably annually, to insure that the church is actually acting in accordance with them.  If it is not, the church needs to decide if this is due to oversight or because the documents are not realistic or that experience has shown that there is a better way.  The governing documents should not be ignored simply because they may impose rules or procedures that are viewed to be inconvenient.  The church needs to insure that the current documents are kept in a secure location and that only trusted church leaders have access to them. 

While there are many risks or liabilities a church cannot control, having good governance documents is one thing it does have control of and that can make a big difference in the continuing welfare of the church and its leaders.

admin Governance church, Governance