A church constitution is a legal document that outlines among other things the parameters of operation for the church and it’s basic beliefs.
A Church is both an organization and an organism .It is an organization because it is required to operate within certain legal frameworks withing a State .Among other things a Church is expected to comply with legal instruments that the appropriate governing authority within a country stipulates.(Chaka .2023)
On the other hand a Church is a living organism because it is referred to as the ‘Body of Christ’ with many parts just like the human body.
It is within these contexts that the writer would like to highlight the importance of a Church Constitution.
Some of the reasons why a Church Constitution is important are as follows :
1.It spells out the vision and mission of the Church.
2.It outlines clearly the roles within the Church hierarchy.
3 .It stipulates modus operandi..the way things are done within a church eg how the church handles its finances .
4. It helps in the event of matters that may arise eg succession issues.
5. Issues of property ownership are also contained in the Constitution.Sometimes these issues may be put in a deeds of trust document.
6.The identity of a Church is contained in its Constitution
The list above is not exhaustive .However ,what is clear is that a Church must have a clear Constitution which is known by every member moreso those in leadership .
One of the reasons why some powerful ministries end up closing down their doors is governance issues.
Governance entails how an organization is run.There are certain fundamental pillars that are indicators of good governance and these include transparency and accountability .Within the context of a Church this should not be an issue because the Church is supposed to be a steward of those things that God has put within its custody .Yet these issues are raising their ugly days in our times as only the senior leader makes decisions alone .He or she is not accountable to anyone .
This may explain why some churches are splitting left ,right and center !.
In some cases church constitutions are silent about succession issues .No wonder why when the leader dies the Church die with them .There is no clear succession plan even in the event that the current leader is incapacitated.
People seem to deny and ignore the eventualities of death.
Every person no matter who they are shall die at some point .The Church must outlive its founding leader .The writer appreciates some movements that have outlived their founding leaders .
In some cases the constitution is silent on disciplinary issues .Then when issues arise people come up with all sorts of reactions which in the end may expose the leadership as there may be absence of consistence because there is no point of reference .
If not properly handled issues of church discipline may spill to the secular courts and the testimony of Christ is brought into disrepute .
At times the church is even silent about the welfare of its workers .This may work for a while ,when issues arise and the worker decides to take the legal route the church is likely to be found wanting .There should be clear job descriptions even for volunteers within the church so that tomorrow the church will have a point of reference .
The importance of a Church Constitution should not be taken lightly .In some cases devout members of a Church have left after a wedding or after they have lost a partner or even a child because the church showed favoritism in handling such issues. Now if you have a clear Constitution outlining your position with regards the death of your member or how you handle the wedding of a member there won’t be much of expectations as people will be aware.og what the constitution says concerning such issues as these under discussion .
This Issue of crossing the bridge when you get there most of the times has resulted in serious casualties.
People compare how so and so was assisted while their case may be handled differently within the same contexts and circumstances .
In conclusion the writer would like to exhort Churches to put principles before a crisis strikes.
Professor Elias Chakabwata is the Executive President of Impact Training Institute which offer leadership training and consultancy services on Church matters.He can be contacted on 0732288687 .For more visit their website www.impacttraininginstitute.co.zw
