Whether incorporated or unincorporated, every local church needs to have a constitution to provide a solid foundation for good governance.
Using documentation from Consumer & Business Services (CBS) the Baptist Office have created a template constitution for use by the local church.
This template meets all requirements as set out by CBS, as well as retaining the biblical and Baptist ecclesiology that is so important to our movement.
Two versions of the constitution have been created:
- Long Form – this is what would be considered a traditional style constitution with headings, points, sub-points, etc. It runs to 7-8 pages (still considered short to some constitutions that are out there).
- Short Form – this 3 page document has taken the constitution down to a simpler form while still retaining robust governance structure, biblical and Baptist ecclesiology and CBS compliance. We see this constitution as suitable to church plants and/or emerging churches.
The aim of these templates are to simplify the content and language of a constitution. It focuses more on the Who we are, What we do, and Why we do it rather than the How and When of doing it. We trust that this approach has made it simpler to read, understand and use while still providing a framework of compliance.
The templates can be changed and adjusted to suit your particular context.
We hope that you find these a valuable resource. If you have any questions regarding Constitutions in general or these templates in particular, then please contact the Baptist Office.