Steps To Church Accreditation

Begin the process to move from “Developing” status (or “Affiliated” status) to “Accredited” status – initiated by either the South Atlantic District or at the request of the church.

To become an accredited church with the Alliance, you will want to be familiar with the doctrinal stance of the Alliance. Please study the document and contact the District office with any questions.

To become an accredited church with the Alliance, you will also want to be familiar with the constitution of the Alliance. Please study the document and contact the District office with any questions.

Since you will need charter members to become accredited, determine the local church requirements for church membership and the method for application/approval for church membership.

In the next steps, you will start the actual process of moving towards accreditation. If the documents are simply to be read they are in pdf form. If document can be used for editing, it will be a Word document.

Approve individuals for membership (to be the charter members of the church).

The church must have a minimum of 20 adult members to qualify for accreditation.

Create a list of the names of the charter members.

Arrange the date and time of the meeting of organization with the District Office. Normally, this will occur with the District Superintendent.

You can call the district office or click below to send an email.

After setting a date with the District office, announce the date and time of the meeting of the organization to the congregation.

The articles of incorporation for the church should be prepared prior to the meeting of the organization.

Sample of Articles of Incorporation

Change the highlighted information as needed.

Sample of Amended Articles of Incorporation

Change the highlighted information as needed.

Bylaws for the church should be prepared prior to the meeting of the organization.

Below are sample bylaws from the National Office, as well as a few samples from churches. 

Editable Sample bylaws below

Prepare the agenda for the meeting of organization (as per the C&MA guidelines).

Below is a sample agenda for your use. The details can be added and modified as needed.

At the meeting of organization all of the resolutions will need to be voted on and approved. Minutes will need to be kept.

The document below repeats the resolutions that are in the agenda.

File the request for a Federal 501(c)3 Tax Exemption letter with the National Office.

The church documents need to be kept safely and orderly. Be sure to establish good record keeping habits for all meetings.

Send a copy of the founding records to the District office