Incorporation & Startup

Making sure that your organization is setup correctly from a legal standpoint is an important part of operating a church. Within this section, you’ll find templates and example documents that can be used as a guide when completing your own startup documents.

Board of Directors Initial Meeting Agenda

This template provides a format for meeting a meeting agenda that should be distributed to board members prior to the start of any scheduled meeting.

Sample: Trustee Meeting Minutes

Your church must keep accurate meeting minutes of each board meeting. Use this template as a guide for keeping regular and detailed minutes of the

Sample FEIN Application

Your Federal Employment Identification Number (FEIN) is essential – even if you don’t have employees. You will need it to open a bank account and

Sample Church Bylaws

Your bylaws are your rules and how your organization will operate. Use this template as a starting point for writing and adopting bylaws that fit

IRS Application Form 1024 – 501(c)(3)

Although not legally required for churches, it’s extremely beneficial for a church to be recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt (501c3) organization. This is

Articles of Incorporation

Most states have a form that you should complete in order to incorporate your church, however for those states that allow you to create your

Church Startup Checklist

This is a quick checksheet that should be used to verify that your church has all of its legal documents in place in order to

Conflict of Interest Template

A conflict of interest policy is a required document by the IRS and some states in order to ensure that your church has been formed

Dissolution Clause

A dissolution clause