Application to be an Agency, Commission, or Affiliate Ministry/Association

Prior to submitting an application, interested parties are encouraged to setup a consultation with Assembly of Bishops staff. To do so, submit a request here.

Organizations wishing to be associated with the Assembly of Bishops may include those formed or initiated by the Assembly itself through processes it could establish in an ad hoc basis, or those formed by applicants for association. Applications of organizations applying to be an agency of or ministry affiliated with the Assembly should be received once per year by a date at least ninety (90) days before the annual meeting of the Assembly.  An application should be submitted in complete form to the Committee via an online platform[1] managed by the Assembly’s staff. Applications should be reviewed by a mixed (pan-Orthodox lay and ordained) subcommittee of the Committee in collaboration with the Committee for Legal Matters during an annual meeting, either online or in person. The requested documents, via the online platform, are the starting point and may not constitute everything that the Assembly's staff may ask for during the follow-up period.

The application should include:

  1. Organizational documents, including a certificate of incorporation in one of the fifty state of the US or the District of Columbia and bylaws (if any) evidencing an active existence for no fewer than the previous five (5) years[2]
  2. Copy of the applicant’s 501(c)(3) determination letter application and the determination letter itself approving 501(c)(3) status
  3. If applicable, a copy of the applicant’s Form 990[3]
  4. Reviewed Financial Statements for the preceding five years, with the most recent financial statement’s having been independently audited by a CPA firm[2][45]
  5. A list of the governing board members, noting the jurisdiction of each member
  6. Proof of insurance for officers and directors as well as other insurances indicated by corporate best practices
  7. Annual reports for the previous five (5) years[2]
  8. Sponsoring recommendation from a member of the Assembly of Bishops
  9. A brief statement describing the ways in which the organization (a) meets all the necessary criteria,[5] (b) would assist the Assembly in fulfilling its stated purposes, (c) fills a ministry not otherwise addressed by other organizations affiliated with the Assembly
  10. As to an application to be a formal Assembly Agency, additional documentation may be required for consideration

No later than forty-five (45) days prior to the annual meeting of the Assembly, the subcommittee shall deliver to the Secretariat a summary of the application(s) together with a recommendation for action and rationale.

[1] Applications will only be accepted electronically.

[2] For organizations formed by the Assembly itself, requirement for evidence of activity or reporting for the previous five years is waived, with reporting expected only from inception.

[3] Only pertains to organizations applying for Agency status.

[4] While all organizations are required to submit five years of Reviewed Financial Statements, Independently audited financial statements are only required for Assembly Agency status.

[5] It is especially important to explicitly express how the organization meets the “Organizational Characteristics” of the necessary criteria.