Foursquare Business

The bylaw adoption process

The Foursquare Church board of directors and members adopt bylaws that dictate the structure and purpose of The Foursquare Church.

The Bylaw Committee’s role

The Bylaw Committee receives proposals year-round from the field, cabinet members, central office departments and executives, in addition to the board. Those proposals that are received prior to when the committee meets in the fall are considered.

Once drafting of proposed bylaw amendments has begun for the year, new proposals—i.e., suggestions that do not relate to that year’s proposed amendments—are held over for the following year. Ultimately, all proposals are considered in time.

Proposed bylaw amendments are drafted and presented to the board. The board approves the posting of proposed bylaw amendments to the Foursquare website and encourages feedback in advance of cabinet’s annual meeting in March. As comments come in, further changes to the proposed amendments often take place. By the time an amendment gets to the annual cabinet meeting, it may have been updated numerous times. Revised proposals replace preceding drafts in real time, in advance of the cabinet meeting.

Keep reading to learn more about the roles that cabinet and the convention body play in the adoption of bylaws.

The cabinet’s role

Further revisions are made based on cabinet input. The proposal draft is then again posted to our website for comment. The board approves the draft that is presented to the executive council for inclusion on the convention’s business agenda.

Proposed bylaw amendments are refined, and succeeding drafts posted, until the board meets just before Foursquare’s annual convention. At that meeting, the board approves the latest draft of each proposed bylaw to be presented to the convention body.

The convention body’s role

At convention, Foursquare members have the opportunity to vote on proposed bylaw amendments.

Amending the bylaws is a year-round process, and adopting new bylaws involves all of the Foursquare community.