State nonprofit corporation laws may offer important protections to the autonomy of religious organizations in their internal governance and operations.

The presence of a separate code for nonprofit religious corporations (like that found in California) remains the gold standard for corporate governance protections for religious organizations. But even in the absence of a specific nonprofit religious corporation code, a state’s general nonprofit statutes may provide important protections specific to faith-based nonprofits.

Some states provide special protections for the autonomy of religious organizations in certain specific instances. For example, Texas has special provisions for religious organizations regarding the formation of management committees and for pension and benefit requirements. Such laws acknowledge that religious organizations have a status in society distinct from business corporations and secular nonprofits, and should therefore be subject to different standards in their internal decision-making processes.

Some states also provide statutory protections clarifying a religious organization’s constitutional rights by expressly providing that, in the event the nonprofit corporation laws conflict with a religious organization’s religious doctrine, canon law, or other religious law, the religious laws or doctrines take precedence.

Below is a tier ranking of each state for this factor. Click on the state's name to open up its page, which provides more information on that particular state's overall score and relevant laws.