Ask the Chair

For churches, Christian schools, and ministries

Mission Lock

Do your bylaws keep you faithful to your statement of faith, or could your organization be captured through its own governing documents? Upload your bylaws and get a score out of 100 on the eight protections that matter most. The score is free.

Run the free Mission Lock checkThe Bylaws Health Check (procedure)

The eight protections we check

Each one guards against a stage of how institutions are captured, from William Green’s book Rules for Radical Christians. Mission Lock protects the statement of faith you already hold. It never supplies doctrine of its own.

Phase 1: Infiltration and Definition Control

  • The statement of faith governs, and someone is named to interpret it
  • Membership is tied to affirming the statement of faith, with how it is confirmed and lost
  • Board members, officers, elders, trustees and the head of school affirm the statement in writing, every year

Phase 2: Normalization and Reframing

  • Marriage, sexuality, “member in good standing”, discipline and “ministry” are defined in the bylaws

Phase 3: Coordinated Pressure

  • Employment and facility-use policies say they serve the religious mission

Phase 4: Polarization and the Crisis Moment

  • Changing the statement of faith, the membership article, or the amendment article takes a supermajority, notice, a waiting period, and a vote of the members

Phase 5: Institutional Capture and Consolidation

  • There is a workable procedure for leaving a denomination or association, including property, staff and members
  • The bylaws say where the assets go on dissolution, and flag any denominational trust clause to check against the deeds

What you get

  • A score out of 100 and a rating on each of the eight protections — free.
  • The full report with the Chair plan: what your bylaws say on each point, quoted with the section, how a gap could be used, and suggested bylaws language in your own words and denomination.
  • The terms that would change who you are if someone redefined them, with definitions that tie them to your statement of faith.
  • Drafted amendments with the Board plan: tick the fixes you want and get the amended bylaws, the motions to read aloud, what adoption requires, and a Word package with the changes marked.

How it works

  1. 1

    Create a free account

    Choose “Church”, “Christian school”, or “Ministry” as your organization type.

  2. 2

    Upload your bylaws

    Your constitution and bylaws: PDF (even a scan), Word, or text.

  3. 3

    Run Mission Lock

    In about a minute: the score and a rating on each protection. The Health Check runs too.

Run the free Mission Lock check

Property, trust clauses, employment and facility use touch state and federal law: have any amendment on those points reviewed by an attorney who knows your state and denomination. This is procedural guidance, not legal advice. Your bylaws are visible only to your organization’s members.

Mission Lock is built with Rules for Radical Christians. Learn how institutions are captured, and what to do about it: rulesforradicalchristians.com/bylaws