Remaining Independent

Remaining Independent

Many churches that are disaffiliating from the CRCNA will become independent either temporarily or permanently.  While we don’t have many specific resources for this, here are some things to keep in mind:

Legal and tax requirements

While it’s hard to imagine not being part of a denomination if your church has always been such, it is very possible to be an independent church!  

All churches are considered tax-exempt non-profit organizations.  In the US, organized churches should have a Federal ID number, which they retain regardless of their relationship with a denomination.  In other words, if your church disaffiliates from the CRCNA, it won’t need a new Federal ID number.

However, if your church has been using the denomination’s tax-exempt documentation as an umbrella organization and does not have its own, now would be a good time to do that.  The church will still be a tax-exempt non-profit while that is in process.  

This could become important for some financial or legal matters, such as receiving grant funds.  

When churches disaffiliate from the CRCNA, they will need to revise their Articles of Incorporation to remove “Christian Reformed” from their name and remove any references to the CRCNA and its Church Order and Confessions from their Articles of Incorporation.  Churches certainly can and likely will continue to hold to the Reformed “Forms of Unity,” the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and Canons of Dort, but those would no longer be identified as requirements of being a member church of the CRCNA.  

Independent Reformed churches may also choose to add to their list other confessions, such as the Belhar Confession.  Some churches may wish to remain with the status quo as much as possible, if they plan to be independent only temporarily.  Joining a new denomination may entail other requirements.  For instance, both the RCA and the PC(USA) affirm the Belhar as one of their confessions.  

Bylaws, rules of order

Independent churches make their own decisions about beliefs and bylaws, and about leadership and ministries.  They are not guided by a denominational church order, so they in effect make their own through their articles of incorporation and bylaws.

One church (Calvin CRC of Grand Rapids) has drafted a transitional church order to be used after disaffiliating. It is based on the CRCNA’s order, but with all references to that denomination deleted.  A copy is below that could be used as a model for other churches.

Independent churches can ordain pastors according to their local rules and according to any requirements of the state or province.  This is important especially for officiating weddings, the requirements for which vary greatly from state to state and province. 

Pastors of independent churches have all the same tax benefits of pastors in denominational churches.  The pastor’s benefits—health insurance and pension—are determined by the local church.  Ministers who leave the CRCNA will lose their status in the Ministers Pension Fund, and since their accrual will end when they leave the denomination, their benefit at the time of retirement will be frozen at the point of departure from the CRCNA.  But they will not lose their pension; it simply will be based on the years of service in the CRCNA.  Reasons for departure should have no bearing on ministers receiving their pension upon retirement. 

Independent churches can have their own rules for choosing leaders, encoding them in their Articles of Incorporation and in their bylaws.  Some churches leaving the CRCNA are retaining their election or selection processes for nominating and choosing elders and deacons, even though they are no longer obligated to do so by the Church Order.  They may believe that following existing practices is the wisest way forward in a transitional time.  Also, joining a new denomination may require changes to their process.

Transitional Church Order Sample