Background
Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, with multiple campuses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is one of the largest megachurches in America. According to Outreach Magazine, Fellowship Church has an average attendance of 24,162.
The church’s senior pastor Ed Young is famous for producing publicity stunts. In 2012, to promote his book Sexperiment, Ed and his wife Lisa spent a day in a bed located on their church roof.
Church Governance
The governing documents of church corporations determine how decisions are made by dictating member voting rights and outlining the procedures to be used in selecting leadership. For this reason, it is critical to study articles of incorporation, church bylaws and amended filings.
Las Colinas Baptist Church, which would become Fellowship Church, was incorporated in 1990. The church’s original articles of incorporation stated, “The corporation is a church and the management of its affairs is to be vested in members …” With these words, the church established congregational church governance allowing church members to vote on church business.
In 1991, the church amended its articles of incorporation to change the church name to Fellowship of Las Colinas. In 1998, church members voted to change the name to Fellowship Church.
In 2001, church members voted to replace the church’s governing documents. The new, restated articles of incorporation, eliminated church member voting rights by placing all important decision making powers into the hands of the church board of directors: “Plenary power to manage and govern the affairs of the Corporation is vested in the board of directors, otherwise known as the Ministry Leadership Team of the Corporation.” Article 2 of the new restated articles of incorporation also eliminated denominational ties to the Southern Baptist Convention.
The restated articles replaced congregational church governance with board-led church governance.
Documents in Collection
- Las Colinas Baptist Church 1990 Original Articles of Incorporation
- 1991 Amended Articles
- 1998 Amended Articles
- Fellowship Church 2001 Restated Articles of Incorporation
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