CABF Constitution ( the following documents are in force )
Our Constitution is comprised of two documents: the Memorandum of Association and By-Law #3, both of which have been passed as Special Resolutions by the Membership of the Association and have been accepted by the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies, acting under authority of the Nova Scotia Societies Act. A copy of the Societies Act is avaialble at Societies Act.
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 Memorandum of Association here.
By-Law #3
At a Special Meeting of the CABF Membership held on June 7, 2025, a Special Resolution was adopted, which replaced By-Law #2 with a new By-Law #3. The Registrar of the NS Registry of Joint Stock Companies approved of this change on June 24, 2025, and By-Law #3 is now in effect. You can view a copy of By-Law #3 here.
Policy and Procedures Manual
The Policy and Procedures Manual is a more detailed document that gets its authority from the CABF By-Law #3 (see above). It includes plain language introduction to our Association and provides detailed Terms of Reference/Roles and Procedures for our Council, Council Executive, and Committees and includes a number of important policies regarding Ordination and Credentialling of Pastors.
As part of the Special Project to Review the CABF Structure, a number of updates to the Policy and Procedures Manual have been developed by the Special Project Team and approved by CABF Council. The latest Office Consolidation of the Policy and Procedures Manual, which includes changes approved up the Council Meeting on March 11, 2026 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 was 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 created 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 in the Policy and Procedures Manual, click here.
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 Chair of the Credentials Committee here for current forms.)
Strategic Framework
Click this link for a copy of the Strategic Framework which was adopted on 5 October 2019.
Special Project to Update the CABF Governance Structure including Development of By-Law #3 and Updating the Council and Committee Structure
The following provides a summary of the important elements of the process used by the Special Project Team in developing proposed amendments to the CABF By-Laws and related governance matters and the modernization of the Council and Committee structure (most recent at the top going down to most historic at the bottom of this column).
Special Project: March 11, 2026 Update
As part of the Special Project to Review the CABF Structure, a number of updates to the Policy and Procedures Manual have been developed by the Special Project Team and approved by CABF Council. The latest Office Consolidation of the Policy and Procedures Manual, which includes these changes, was approved by Council at its meeting on March 11, 2026. A copy is available here.
Special Project: November 10, 2025 Update
A two-page summary of the status of the Special Project has been prepared, including discussion of the background, mandate, First Phase, Second Phase and Third Phase. This summary was presented to the December 10, 2025 meeting of the CABF Council Executive, with preliminary discussion of the priorities for the Second Phase of the project.
The First Phase was completed with the passage of the Special Resolution by the Membership to adopt a new By-Law #3 and by actions taken by Council to appoint a Council Executive and update the Policy and Procedures Manual.
The Second Phase is identifying priorities for the next several months to update Committee structure, rationalizing the roles of existing committees, combining where appropriate and establishing new committee to deal with present and short-term needs.
The Third Phase will be to look at how we would like CABF to develop over time including increasing the membership of church and individual members, considering regional activities, forging alliances with other like-minded organizations and exploring topics such as the kind of events to hold, and services to members. Recommendations will be made to Council and where major policy or program issues are par of the recommendations, Council will bring recommendations to a Meeting of Members for decision.
A copy of this summary is available here.
Amended CABF By-Laws now in Force: June 24, 2025
A set of suggested amendments to the CABF By-Law #2 was developed by the Special Project Team to Update the CABF Governance Structure. These amendments were approved by Council at its meeting on March 12, 2025 for presentation to the Membership for vote as a Special Resolution at the time of the Spring Rushton Lecture on Saturday, June 7, 2025 in Mahone Bay (with remote attendance provided via Zoom). The members voted in favour of a Special Resolution to replace By-Law #2 with an updated By-Law #3. A copy of the the Special Resolution is available here.
A copy of Appendix "A" to the Special Resolution (By-Law #3) is available here.
The Special Resolution and Appendix "A" were submitted to the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies for approval, as required by the Nova Scotia Societies Act, and were approved on June 24, 2025.
Council Approves Special Project to Update the CABF Governance Structure November 13, 2024
There has been a 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 governance structure, including the amended By-Law #2 and the Policy and Procedures Manual, to identify places where these documents can be updated and meet evolving needs.
At its November 13, 2024 meeting, Council unanimously approved the following motion: "That the Constitution and Governance Committee be given a mandate to do a thorough review of the needs of the CABF organization 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 the November 15, 2025 document providing background and introduction to the Special Project is available here.