Branch churches, societies, and informal groups

Receive a curated selection of inspirational articles and resources focused on Church-related topics.

These posters can be edited and downloaded to include your service times and other information.

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Church of Healers

This interactive discussion explores how members can move forward with a focus on their collective healing ministry. Topics include: What is our mission and how can we fulfill that mission? How is our prayer for church leading us to an inspired course of action? How can we identify and effectively address whatever would try to impede the natural progress of our branch?”

Sharing Christian Science with Others

This workshop is designed to help people feel more comfortable navigating conversations about Christian Science with others. It is also focused on helping people become more courageous in sharing healing ideas.

Reading Room

This workshop helps librarians and members focus on the Reading Room as a healing place for the community and bring a fresh perspective to this intrinsic part of “a church designed to reinstate primitive Christianity”. (Manual, p. 17)

Strengthening Sunday School

This workshop is for churches to consider together what makes a strong and effective Sunday School. This naturally flows into a conversation about Sunday School being a resource for the community and how the entire membership can support this activity.

Engaging Youth in Church

This workshop for the entire church community covers strengthening Sunday School, seeing it as a community resource, bridging the gap between Sunday School and church, and encouraging youth participation in church.

If you would like to request a workshop please email TMCbranch@christianscience.com

Forming a Christian Science society

To advertise in The Christian Science Journal as a society, members need to meet the following requirements:

• Hold Sunday services in a public location in accordance with the Church Manual as it relates to branch churches and their services. They can operate year round with, at minimum, two Sunday services per month. Or they can operate seasonally with, at minimum, weekly Sunday services.

• Have the necessary members needed to fulfill this activity (6 members; 4 of whom are also TMC members). 

• Maintain the mission of Church on a “spiritual foundation of Christ-healing” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 136; “... working in the Field,” Art XXIII, Section 6).

• Maintain Christian fellowship with other advertising churches and societies in the Journal.

• Be democratically governed.

Societies are also welcome to include in their activities Wednesday testimony meetings, lectures, Sunday School activities, Reading Rooms, etc.

To request an application for advertising in the Journal as a society, email tmcbranch@csps.com.

Becoming a branch Church of Christ, Scientist

The requirements for organizing a branch church are set forth in the Church Manual, Article XXIII, Sections 6 and 7.

In order to begin advertising in The Christian Science Journal, a branch Church, of Christ, Scientist, needs to meet the following requirements:

• Meet Manual requirements in Article XXIII, Sections 6 and 7 (e.g. 16 loyal members, 4 of whom are also TMC members, 1 Journal-listed practitioner).

• Hold weekly Sunday services, Wednesday meetings, and Sunday School in a public location year round.

• Offer a lecture each year.

• Advertise and provide a Reading Room.

• Maintain the mission of Church on a “spiritual foundation of Christ-healing” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 136; “... working in the Field,” Art XXIII, Section 6).

• Express Christian fellowship with other advertising churches and societies in the Journal.

• Be democratically governed.

To request an application for advertising in the Journal as a branch church, email tmcbranch@csps.com.

The Church Manual provides that “two small churches” may “consolidate under one church government” (Church Manual, Article XXIII, Sect. 6).

This process generally involves majority votes of both memberships and negotiations—often through meetings of the two church boards—to discuss and consider options resulting in resolutions that are then brought to the respective memberships.

A consolidation usually involves the following:

• Two religious non-profit organizations cease to exist and a new one comes into being.

• Assets from each church become the assets of the new entity.

• The members of each body automatically become the members of the new church.

• Sometimes both Boards operate together until the united membership holds new elections.

• By-laws are written and voted upon and members decide upon the name of the new church.

• The name of the new church can be the same as one of the churches consolidating, or a new name may be chosen by the members that reflects the identity and location of the community to be served.

State laws sometimes require the dissolution of any existing religious corporate charters of the former churches and the obtaining of a new one for the new church. It is wise to work with a lawyer to assist with the details of this process, since dissolution/merger laws vary from state to state.

When consolidating, it is necessary for each branch to fill out an application form for their new Journal advertisement. To get applications, please email tmcbranch@csps.com.

(See Manual Article XXIII, Section 6)

Last updated April 2023

While a church or a society exists as its own independent entity in the eyes of the state, The Mother Church recognizes it as one of its branches only when it begins to advertise in The Christian Science Journal; in other words, advertising in the Journal is when we begin to have a formal relationship with that entity and this constitutes its status as a branch. This is in conformity with Article XXIII, Section 12, “Recognition.”

In accordance with Article XXIII, Sections 1, 3, and 10, The Mother Church is “hands off” after a church or society begins to advertise in the Journal, as long as it upholds the requirements of the Manual, which include the current Rules of the Publishing Society (Article XXIII, Section 6).

Criteria for Branches to Advertise and Remain in the Journal

Church of Christ, Scientist

Basic criteria to begin advertising as a church:

• Meet Manual requirements in Article XXIII, Sections 6 and 7 (e.g. 16 loyal members, 4 of whom are also TMC members, 1 Journal-listed practitioner).

• Hold weekly Sunday services, Wednesday meetings, and Sunday School in a public location year round.

• Offer a lecture each year.

• Advertise and provide a Reading Room.

• Maintain the mission of Church on a “spiritual foundation of Christ-healing” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 136; “... working in the Field,” Art XXIII, Section 6).

• Express Christian fellowship with other advertising churches and societies in the Journal.

• Be democratically governed.

Basic criteria to remain advertised as a church:

• Continue meeting the requirements above, except for the number of members as they only need 4 TMC members who are an active part of their membership to continue being a church.

Criteria for Societies to Advertise and Remain in the Journal

Christian Science Society

Basic criteria to begin advertising as a society:

• Hold Sunday services in a public location in accordance with the Church Manual as it relates to branch churches and their services. They can operate year round with, at minimum, two Sunday services per month. Or they can operate seasonally with, at minimum, weekly Sunday services.

• Have the necessary members needed to fulfill this activity (6 members; 4 of whom are also TMC members). 

• Maintain the mission of Church on a “spiritual foundation of Christ-healing” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 136; “... working in the Field,” Art XXIII, Section 6).

• Maintain Christian fellowship with other advertising churches and societies in the Journal.

• Be democratically governed.

Basic criteria to remain advertised as a society:

• Continue meeting the requirements above, except for the number of members as they only need 4 TMC members who are an active part of their membership to continue being a society.

Advertising Boundaries

• The Christian Science Publishing Society advertises only activities that are expressly established in the Church Manual.

  • E.g. Sunday services, Sunday School, Reading Rooms, Wednesday meetings, Thanksgiving services (advertising Thanksgiving services in the Journal is rare).

• Churches must advertise the full range of church services and meetings on a weekly basis (Sunday service, Sunday School, Wednesday meeting) and must advertise a Reading Room.

• Societies must advertise Sunday services. They can operate year round with, at minimum, two Sunday services per month. Or, they can operate seasonally with, at minimum, weekly Sunday services. They may advertise other church activities (Wednesday meetings, Sunday School, Reading Room).

• All branches must consistently and publicly provide the services they advertise in the Journal.

Specifics for Churches and Societies

Services:

• Held in a public, physical location (Article XXIII, Section 10).

• Readers must be members of The Mother Church (Article III, Section 6; Article VIII, Section 17).

• Follow the Order of Services in the Church Manual.

• Conduct Sunday services from the current issue of the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lessons.

Naming of branches

• Should be named in accordance with the city in which they hold services.

  • May list neighborhood if appropriate in parentheses. 

  • If a branch relocates to another city, we ask them to change the name of their branch within a year of the move.

Reading Room 

• Located in a physical location accessible to the public.

• Hours can vary by season but Journal-listing must be accurate.

• Churches can establish a jointly-maintained Reading Room, but it can’t be their only Reading Room.

• There is not a minimum number of hours needed to be listed, but each Reading Room must advertise specific hours.

Consolidations

• Article XXIII, Section 6, allows for small churches to consolidate and requests that no more than two consolidate at the same time. 

• A church and a society can consolidate.

The following documents replace the tax guidelines sent to branches in 2007 and partly updated online in 2009. Click the links below to download them as PDF’s.

These documents may require Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing. Download the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Tax determination letters from the US Treasury Department (IRS)

The documents below may be useful in proving the tax-exempt status of your church or society in situations such as proving tax deductibility of charitable contributions to your church, and obtaining branch church exemption from sales tax in your state, where such exemption is available.

Providing copies of these letters (plus a photocopy of the page in The Christian Science Journal where your branch is advertised) to persons requiring proof of your tax-exempt status will satisfy inquiries in almost all cases.

Letter from the Social Security Administration

A letter to The Mother Church from the Social Security Administration describes the tax status of Readers (see INFORMATION FOR READERS).

Questions?

Please contact:
Office of the General Counsel
617-450-3323 or 1-800-288-7155 ext. 3323
legalinfo@csps.com