Rick Kretschmer's License Plate Archives

Rick's God and Church License Plates

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Separation of church and state? Not on this page!

Now before you get all riled up, please realize that the statement immediately above was made tongue-in-cheek. I fully endorse the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prescribes the boundaries between government and religion. And at least by my own interpretation, none of the plates pictured on this page violate this amendment in any way.

Okay, enough of all that. Let's see some plates...

On this page:
God license plates
Church organizational member and special event license plates
Church-owned vehicle and church professional license plates
Related links

God license plates

Shown in this section are license plates that feature God's name on them. I'm not talking about novelty plates from the local Christian bookstore, or even vanity plates that slipped past the censors - these state-issued real license plates all mention God somewhere in the actual plate design. The mixing of religion with patriotism is the common theme. The slogans themselves are all expressions that have stood the tests of both time and lawsuits from atheists.

	Alabama - God Bless America Alabama introduced this no-extra-cost optional issue in October 2006, and it's quickly become quite a popular choice. When I visited Alabama in June 2007 I saw them everywhere. Early issues like the one shown had embossed serial characters, but most of them now on the road are completely flat.
	Iowa - God Bless America Iowa worked overtime on the patriotic theme of this plate. There's a U.S. map outline, the American flag, and the Statue of Liberty all in a single image. By contrast, the "God Bless America" legend is rather subtle. But Iowa gets extra credit for being the first state outside of the Bible Belt with the guts to issue a God plate.
	Indiana - In God We Trust Indiana introduced this plate in 2007 as a no-extra-cost optional plate, and as in Alabama, it's become quite popular. The stacked prefix letters are reported to cause difficulties for law enforcement; the letters vary from plate to plate, and their small size makes them hard to read at any distance. The "10" sticker in the lower right corner indicates that the motorist resides in Clark County.
	Mississippi - God Bless America Mississippi takes the prize for making God's name the most prominent. Proceeds from the sale of this plate benefit the Sunflower Consolidated School Preservation Commission. Examples shown are an embossed 1997 base and a flat 2002 base. The "30" sticker in the upper right corner of the latter plate is a county code which identifies the motorist as a resident of Jackson County.
	North Carolina - In God We Trust Besides the legend "In God We Trust" at the top, the image of the yellow ribbon bears the words "Support Our Troops". Proceeds benefit the North Carolina National Guard Soldiers and Airmen Assistance Fund. This is the only North Carolina plate with the biplane graphic that doesn't say "First in Flight".
	South Carolina - In God We Trust South Carolina offers this plate as an optional issue at no additional cost. The image in the center is a U.S. flag on a pole with the state flag underneath. Demerits to South Carolina for using a low-contrast color for the slogan. This plate is now being issued with flat, rather than embossed, serial characters.
	Tennessee - In God We Trust This plate is actually a special interest plate promoting the American Eagle Foundation, as evidenced by the www.eagles.org web address under the state name. This group, according to their web site, is "dedicated to the preservation and protection of the majestic Bald Eagle, the U.S.A.'s National Symbol". A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this plate support the group's public education and eagle care and recovery efforts.
	Texas - God Bless America Texas has not used expiration stickers on their plates since 1994, instead using a windshield sticker to indicate that a vehicle's registration is current. Proceeds from this extra-cost specialty plate benefit the Texas Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School Program. A motorcycle version of this plate is also available.
	Texas - God Bless Texas Not only does Texas implore God to bless America, but also to specifically bless Texas. This is the only such plate in the U.S., where God is associated with state pride rather than national patriotism. Texans have never lacked state pride, that's for sure. This is another extra-cost specialty plate that also benefits the Texas Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School Program. A motorcycle version of this plate is also available.
	Texas - One Nation Under God This plate is a special interest plate that promotes the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's fraternal service organization, and provides financial support to its charitable programs.

Additional God license plates that I don't yet have

• Alabama - Ex-Prisoner of War plate with POW prefix - "God Bless America" legend
• Alabama - "God Bless America" with flat serial characters   See picture   (candid photo of plate in use)
• Arkansas - "In God We Trust"
• Louisiana - "In God We Trust"
• Missouri - "God Bless America". Only issued as vanity plates.
• Ohio - "One Nation Under God"   See picture   (candid photo of plate in use)
• Nigeria, Abia state - "God's Own State" legend
• Nigeria, Rivers state - "A Dedication to God and the Nation" legend
• South Carolina - "In God We Trust" with flat serial characters

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Church organizational member and special event license plates

A number of states have issued organizational plates for members of the Knights of Columbus, which is a Catholic men's organization. Maryland issues a multitude of organizational plates (only 25 orders are needed to create plates for a new organzation), and some church denominations and even individual church congregations have obtained organizational plates that are available to their members. Illinois issues an endless stream of special event plates, and some of these events have been church-related.

Maryland Knights of Columbus Back before graphic organizational plates became all the rage, Maryland reserved certain passenger plate prefixes for members of specific organizations. The "KCx" series was reserved for members of the Knights of Columbus from 1976 to 1987. Shown is a 1976 base with a natural 1980 expiration. Regular, sequentially-issued passenger plates didn't get past the "HMx" series on this base.

Texas Knights of Columbus Yes, you've seen this plate before; it's also shown in the God License Plates section at the top of this page because of its "One Nation Under God" legend. This plate is a special interest plate that both promotes the Knights of Columbus, and provides financial support to its charitable programs.

Additional church-related organizational member and special event license plates that I don't yet have

• Illinois - several different special event plates issued for church events, including: 1991 Alsey Baptist Church 150th anniversary, 2001 Westside Christian Church 100th anniversary, and the like.
• Indiana 1991 special event plate - Christian Church (denomination) 125th anniversary
• Maryland - numerous different organizational plates are available to members of church denominations, specific church congregations, and church-related organizations, including: Allen A.M.E. Church, The Episcopal Church, Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Church of God, Faith United Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Highland Park, and so on.
• Numerous states - Knights of Columbus organizational plates
• Phillipines 1965 - "Christianization's 4th Centennial" legend

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Church-owned vehicle and church professional license plates

A handful of states issue distinct license plates to church-owned vehicles, primarily church buses. Washington, D.C. and New York both issue special license plates to members of the clergy; these are somewhat akin to other "professional" license plates that some jurisdictions issue to medical doctors, press photographers, and the like.

Ohio Church Bus As far as I know, Ohio was the first state to issue plates specifically for church buses in 1949, and they still do. Although it's hard to see the year, even on the larger version of this picture, the plate shown has a natural May 1980 expiration. Proper sticker placement was actually all the way in the lower corners, adjacent to the embossed border.

Indiana Church Bus States tend to imitate their neighbors when it comes to license plates, and so Indiana followed suit by introducing their own church bus plates in 1951. They also continue to issue them today. The embossed, painted rectangles in opposing corners of the 1982 plate were a unique feature once used to easily identify plates from Indiana, even at distances too great to read the state name or abbreviation.

Arkansas Church Bus Arkansas has issued church bus plates since 1960. The 1998 plate shown is basically a passenger car base with a "Church Bus" sticker covering the legend "The Natural State" that would normally be visible. In recent years, this is how Arkansas has issued plates for low-volume non-passenger vehicle classes. Earlier Arkansas church bus plates had the words "Church Bus" embossed on the plate.

Mississippi Church Bus Neigboring Mississippi followed Arkansas' lead by introducing their own church bus plates a few years later, and they continue to do so today. Probably the first plates were issued in the fall of 1963 and indicated an October 1964 expiraiton. Church bus plates were issued annually through the October 1976 expiration plate. The plain red-on-white base plate above has the expiration year "77" lightly etched in the sticker well in the upper right corner. It was obviously intended to be overlaid with year stickers in subsequent years. Also pictured are two different examples from the 2002 base, showing how Mississippi converted from embossed to flat serial numbers on some of their non-passenger plate types during the lifespan of this base. It looks like they also went back and re-used older plate numbers, too. The "44" sticker on the flat plate identifies the bus as having been registered in Lowndes County.

Illinois Charitable Bus and Charitable Vehicle Okay, technically, Illinois charitable bus and charitable vehicle plates are not just for church-owned vehicles, but I've spent time in Illinois, and the vast majority of these plates that I've seen in use are registered to church buses. Both CB-suffixed "charitable bus" plates and CV-suffixed "charitable vehicle" plates were introduced in 1976. CV plates were originally used on both cars and trucks owned by charitable organizations, including but not limited to churches. CB plates are self-explanatory. I don't know which plate type would have been issued to a passenger van. Anyway, both types were issued as single-year plates in 1976 and 1977, and then as biennial plates (good for two years) beginning in 1978-1979. The last CB-suffix plates were used in 1982-1983. Starting in 1984, cars were no longer eligible for charitable plates, and charitable buses, trucks and passenger vans were all issued CV-suffixed plates. The biennial plates continued to be used thorough 1995. Since then, base plates with stickers have been used. I believe, but am not certain, that the stickers are also good for two years at a time.

Additional church-related vehicle and professional license plates that I don't yet have

• Alaska - "S" or "SS" prefix plates issued to so-called Sunday School buses
• New York - "DD" series plates issued to individuals with Doctor of Divinity degrees.
• Washington, D.C. - "Clergy" plates   See picture   (Erik Bos photo / plate)

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Related links

Other related pages on this site
Want to know more about God?  I can help

God and church license plates elsewhere on the web
Brett Kittredge's License Plates - Photos of and details about church bus plates and "Choose Life" plates
Knights of Columbus license plates - Greg Ciesielski's collection of Knights of Columbus-related license plates and attachments

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