As general secretary of the Assemblies of God, I receive numerous inquiries about church governance documents, especially bylaws. Local churches sometimes need help with revising their bylaws, and church planters need help writing them. Rather than responding with a one-size-fits-all bylaws template, I like to ask questions to help churches discover what works best for their situations.

Here, then, are 10 questions to ask if you’re reviewing, revising or writing your church bylaws:

1. Do the bylaws include provisions for accountability and transparency on the part of leadership?
2. Do the bylaws specify who is appointed to lead the church spiritually and directionally, and then give them the appropriate level of authority to manage the church’s affairs from week to week?
3. Do the bylaws stay focused on identity and governance issues so that they don’t have to be amended every time a new ministry is added or a staff person hired?
4. Can the bylaws outlive the present pastor?
5. Are the bylaws concisely worded, as opposed to being too long and cumbersome?
6. Do the bylaws describe efficient governance systems rather than being a collection of reactions to past problems in the church?
7. Do the bylaws contain a dissolution clause, and do they adequately describe approval processes for financial borrowing and the buying or selling of real property?
8. Do the leadership selection processes and congregational responsibilities described in the bylaws match the decision-making culture and values of the church?
9. Have the bylaws been updated in recent years, and do they efficiently serve the present size of the congregation?
10. Do the bylaws comply with General Council of the Assemblies of God and district council requirements?

If your church is in the process of writing, reviewing or revising your church’s bylaws, you might find it helpful to ask these questions. If the answer is “no” to any one of them, a rewrite might be in order.

How often should your church review its bylaws, and who should review them? I’d recommend an annual review by the senior or lead pastor, the board and the pastoral staff. Doing this every year keeps the bylaws fresh in the mind of your leaders. Even if you don’t feel your bylaws need to be revised, it’s good to review them annually to make sure your church is complying with its governance documents.

If you have questions about your church’s governance documents, make sure to check out resources provided by the General Council and your district council:

• generalsecretary.ag.org, which has a recommended church bylaws
• churchmultiplication.net/forms, which has a number of useful documents, especially “Church Governance Minimums”
• and the website of your district council.

Writing, reviewing or revising church governance documents isn’t always fun, but it’s necessary. Good governance facilitates excellent ministry.

James T. Bradford is the general secretary of the General Council of the Assemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri. This article originally appeared in the December 2016/January 2017 issue of Influence and has been used with permission.