Council Approves Special Project to Update the CABF Governance Structure
With the rapid expansion of the CABF in recent years, both with respect to the number and geographic distribution of individual members and member churches and the increase in the number of activities, such as the Cross Canada Conferences and contacts with other like-minded organizations within Canada and internationally, the time has come to review the Association's amended By-Law #2 to identify places where it can be updated and meet evolving needs. The Policy and Procedures Manual will also need to be updated.
At its November 13, 2024 meeting, Council unanimously approved the following motion: "That the Consititution and Governance Committee be given a mandate to do a thorough review of the needs of the CABF organizations with regard to structure and governance and any necessary changes to the By-Laws, to position us to move forward as a national organization."
A copy of a document providing background and introduction to the Special Project is available here.
A number of people have agreed to join the Special Project Team and the team has had its first meeting. A number of tasks have been assigned to individuals or small groups. On December 11, 2024, the Special Project Team met via Zoom with Council to report on progress and present the first few resolutions for updating the governance structure--all related to formalizing the Executive Committee of Council which is so crucial to ongoing planning, organizing and implementing the work of the Association. Most of the Special Project Team work will be done behind the scenes, but it will meet once each month to review progress and prepare for the monthly meetin with Council to review options for potential strategies for each area where improvement is desired. When completed, this work will come to a Meeting of Members for discussion and vote on a Special Resolution to amend By-Law #2 and make changes to the Policy and Procedures Manual.
Initial work has attempted to identify issues and opportunities for improving our processes. We are looking for as broad input as possible and would welcome written submissions. We are also happy to speak with you, if you would like a personal interview or to participate in a small focus group. In any case, please contact the Special Project Team by using the Contact Us button for Constitution Chair at the right of this page or sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We look forward to your input!
At its meeting on December 11, 2024, CABF Council passed a resolution to formalize the Council Executive, which has been operating on an informal basis for a number of years. The Executive will be composed of the Officers of the Association, with the power to add by resolution of Council. Intially, this will be by establishing the Executive as an Ad Hoc Committee of Council, but when the work of the Special Project to Update the CABF Governance Structure is complete, establishing the Executive of Council on a permanent basis will be one of the amendments proposed to By-Law #2. The purpose of the Executive is to plan and facilitate the work of Council and to reduce the number of Council Meetings requires to deal with routine matters between Council Meetings. Terms of Refernce for Council Executive are being developed for inclusion in the Policy and Procedures Manual.
CABF Constitution
Our Constitution is comprised of two documents: the Memorandum of Association and the By-Laws.
Memorandum of Association
At a Special Meeting of the CABF Membership held on June 16, 2022, a revised Memorandum of Association was adopted which came into effect on July 11, 2022 when it was approved by the NS Registry of Joint Stock Companies. You can view the approved Memorandum of Association here.
By-Laws
At a Special Meeting of the CABF Membership held on June 16, 2022, amendments to Sections 54-59 of By-Law #2 were passed. The Registrar of the NS Registry of Joint Stock Companies approved of these amendments on July 15, 2022. You can view an Office Consolidation of the revised By-Law #2 here.
Policy and Procedures Manual
The Policy and Procedures Manual is a more detailed document that gets its authority from the CABF By-Law #2 (see above).
Over the past year several sections of the Policy and Procedures Manual have been updated, with each amendment being approved by CABF Council. These changes were ratified by the Members at the Annual General Meeting held on Septemer 24, 2024.
A copy of the Office Consolidation of the Policy and Procedures Manual (as of September 24, 2024) which includes the above changes is available here.
CABF Credentials Policy
At a Special Meeting of the CABF Membership held on June 16, 2022, a revised Credentials Policy was adopted and ws included in the Policy and Procedures Manual.
This policy enables the granting of CABF Association licenses and the establishment of ordination councils. It also provides the procedure through which clergy accredited by other religious bodies acceptable to the CABF may be granted accreditation by the CABF, and the conditions under which authorization to perform marriages may be sought.
Please note that at the Annual General Meeting held on September 24, 2024, the action of CABF Council to approve further changes to the Credentials Policy were ratified by the membership. These changes will creat a new category of accreditation to allow a local church to request recognition of a Local Church Minister.
To view a copy of the updated Policy on Credentials Committee on pages 31 to 46 of the Office Consolidation of the Policy and Procedures Manual, click the following link Policy and Procedures Manual.
Click here for an Application Form for those seeking accreditation with the CABF. Click here for an Application Form for those seeking accreditation prior to upcoming ordination in a CABF Church. (These forms are out of date. Please contact the Credenitals Committee for current forms.)
Strategic Framework
Click here for a copy of the Strategic Framework which was adopted on 5 October 2019.