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RCG & WCG Constitutions, Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation

Some additional information is available from the Secretary of State Office  here The Radio Church of God was an unincorporated voluntary association based in Eugene, Oregon. It was incorporated in March 1946 in California for the first time.

Herbert W Armstrong wrote in the Ministerial Bulletin, 13 January 1976: "About thirty years ago ... the membership of the church and I incorporated the church. It had never been incorporated before." (p. 4) 

• All the below combined into a single document for download
• 1946 Articles of Incorporaton RCG, WCG (stamped 1977)

• 1946 Articles of Incorporation

• 1947, 1977 Certificate of Incorporation RCG, WCG

• 1948 RCG, WCG (stamped1977)

• 1948 Constitution of RCG (re-typed)

• 1948-post 1948 RCG Constitution changes

• 1948 (approx) Fundamentals of Belief - RCG

• 1968 Amendment, Name Change To Worldwide Church of God

• 1968 Certificate Of Amendment Of Articles Of Incorporation re Dissolution of Corp

• 1968 Certificate of Articles of Incorporation

• 1968 Certificate of Amendment WCG

• 1968 Certificate of Amendment 2 WCG

• 1969 WCG-Articles-of-Incorporation-1969

• 1977 Comparison to the 1948 Constitution and Bylaws

• 1981 HWA &-His-Successors-Corporate-Sole

• Papers transferring all powers to Tkach (except that vested in the Council of Elders such as changing doctrines). This document is being sought.

• Tkach went around to each COE privately and convinced them to sign away that right around 1986-87. These papers are being sought

• 1986 WCG Bylaws

• 1987 WCG (Australia)

• 1987 WCG Bylaws

• 1987 WCG Restates Constitution

• 1996 Bylaws of the WCG

• 1996 Ambassador Foundation Articles of Incorporation

• 1997 Church board begins governance change process

• GCI - Tkach documents (obtained from Colorade Secretary of State website)

• GCI - WCG/GCI documents (obtained from Colorade Secretary of State website)

HWA explains why the Church incorporated and how the organisation differs from the spiritual body:

“Congress of Leading Ministers,” Worldwide News, 6 March 1981, p. 8

"We have here the Church, an organized spiritual organism but unincorporated. Now this is not the corporation, or the corporation sole. This is just the Church as God has organized it. As for "The Worldwide Church of God, Inc., a California Corporation", do you realize that most of you are not members of that corporation at all? The members are the officers that sign the corporation papers. " 

Just What is the Church? (Sermon 1970): 

"Now I have shown that the true Church of God is NOT a human organization or corporation, but a spiritual organism, composed of all who have and are being led by the Holy Spirit of God abiding in them. Yet the Church is ORGANIZED… " 

"But is the corporation the Church?

IT IS NOT! The Church existed as a spiritual organism, organized as CHRIST organized it (NOT organized on any human plan), and it carried on the SAME Work of God.

  What about incorporating according to the civil laws of man? The answer is: God instructs His Church to be subject to the powers of man's government over him.

   When — in our time — the Work of God was small there was no need of being incorporated. This Work was NOT incorporated until it became necessary in order to deal with the world in carrying out the Commission to go to the world with Christ's Gospel. The Work has grown worldwide and very large, and human governmental laws would not allow it to function without incorporating.”