Title 13, Title 13

A person of either sex, of age 18 years or older, may become a member of a parish or religious society by vote thereof at a legal meeting.

A person described in section 2865 residing in a local parish holding funds derived from this State or Massachusetts is deemed a member of it until the person dissolves the connection. Such a person having resided in a parish one year, after the person has arrived at majority, wi…

A person described in section 2866 may not be a member of a parish or religious society without the person's consent. A person may dissolve that person's connection with a parish or religious society by leaving with its clerk a certificate of the person's intention to do so, and …

The annual or other meetings of an incorporated parish may be called by its assessors or clerk to be held at the time when, and place in the town where, they are usually held. The members of such parish shall be notified of such meeting as prescribed in section 2861 or in the man…

The moderator of any meeting shall preserve order, manage the business and administer the oath to the clerk and assessors.

When 5 members of any parish in writing request the assessors to call a meeting, or to insert any particular article in the warrant therefor, they shall do so.

If the assessors unreasonably refuse, a justice of the peace on like application may issue a warrant to one of the applicants, who shall notify such meeting as prescribed in section 2861 or as agreed on by parish vote.

When there has been no meeting of an incorporated parish or society for 3 years, a meeting may be called as provided in section 3110.

No person described in section 2866 shall vote in meetings of any territorial parish who is not a contributor to its support.

Every parish, at a legal meeting, may raise money for the support of the public ministry of religion, for building, repairing or removing houses of public worship and for other necessary parish charges.

When a house of public worship belongs to a parish, or it and the fee of the land on which it stands is vested in trustees for the use of a parish, such parish may assess any money raised wholly or partly, on the pews or seats, whether owned by members of such parish or religious…

When taxes on pews and seats remain unpaid for 6 months after their assessment, the treasurer shall sell them at auction, first posting notice thereof at the principal outer door of such house of worship, 3 weeks before the time of sale, stating the numbers, if any, of the pews o…

Whenever a parish or church raises its current expenses by assessment on its pews, a pew owner who does not occupy the owner's pew, either alone or with family, or rent the same, may give a written notice to the clerk of the parish or church, or to the parish committee or assesso…

The church wardens of Episcopal churches, the stewards or trustees of the United Methodist church and the deacons of all other Protestant churches are considered corporations as to take, in succession, all grants and gifts of real and personal estate made to their churches or to …

The ministers of a parish or religious society and the deacons, elders, trustees, stewards and other presiding officers of a religious society or church having by its usages no settled minister may take, in succession, any estate granted to the minister and the minister's success…

A conveyance of an estate as set forth in section 2983 by a minister may not be valid for longer than the minister is in the ministry; or by such deacons or other officers, for longer than they are in office, if made by them without consent of the church or by church wardens with…

The records of a parish shall be open to the inspection of its members and to clerks of other parishes. Each clerk shall furnish attested copies thereof, on request, for a reasonable compensation.

The trustees of each monthly meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, are so far corporations as to take and hold, in succession, all grants and gifts of real, personal or mixed estate made to said meetings or to them, for the use of their monthly meetings, the pr…

Any independent local church now existing, or that may hereafter be organized in the State, may be incorporated according to this section and sections 3022 to 3028.

When 3 or more members of the church who are voters according to section 3023 apply in writing to a notary public in the county for the purpose of incorporating the church, the notary shall issue a warrant addressed to one of the applicants, stating the time, place and purposes o…

The resident members of such church 18 years of age and upward shall be voters at such meeting and in all meetings of the corporation. Such voters, assembled at the time and place notified, shall elect a moderator to preside over said meeting. They shall then, by ballot, proceed …

The resident members shall, by ballot, elect a clerk, treasurer, a board of trustees of not less than 3 members who are voters and such other officers as they may deem necessary.

1. Certificate. The clerk, treasurer and a majority of the board of trustees of every independent local church incorporated under sections 3021 to 3024 shall prepare, sign, date and deliver for filing with the Secretary of State a certificate of incorporation, in the format appro…

An independent local church by its bylaws may prescribe the duties of the several officers and the manner of executing the same. When no provision is made by any vote or bylaw of the church for calling meetings, they shall be called by the board of trustees by posting notices of …

An independent local church may by its bylaws extend to all persons not members of the church, who are 18 years of age and upward and who regularly contribute toward the expenses of the church, the right to attend and participate in the annual and special meetings of the church w…

The deacons of such church or any other person or persons holding real or personal estate in trust for the use of such church may convey such property to such incorporated church, and said church shall hold the same subject to the uses and trust under which it was held by such de…

Any parish or religious society connected with the church, which becomes incorporated, may at a meeting duly warned and called for such purpose by a 2/3 vote authorize one or more persons in its name and behalf to convey to such church any real or personal estate which it may hol…

Where any property in the State, dedicated and ordained for pious uses, has no proper or legal custodian, so that it is becoming wasted and the utility thereof is lost, upon the application of any person or patriotic or religious society interested in having such property preserv…

When it is deemed expedient by any organized parish or incorporated church to become the owner of the pews in any meetinghouse used by it as a place of regular worship, a meeting of the owners and occupants thereof may be called, as provided in section 2903, and a majority of suc…

An owner or occupant of a pew in a meetinghouse who expresses dissent from a vote pursuant to section 3101 in writing to the clerk of the parish or incorporated church within one month from the time of holding a meeting must have the owner's or occupant's pew appraised, as provid…

Any persons, for the purpose of erecting a meetinghouse, or the majority in interest of the owners of a meetinghouse, not a parish, may incorporate themselves as parishes may, and choose all officers and do all other acts that a parish may lawfully do.

A majority of the pew owners or proprietors of a meetinghouse, present at a legal meeting called for that purpose, may repair, remodel or sell and convey their house or the land used with it, or remove or rebuild it. Any meeting relating thereto may be called as provided in secti…

Before such alteration or sale is made, an appraisal of the relative value of the pews shall be made by 3 discreet persons, under oath, to be elected by ballot at a legal meeting of said owners or proprietors. If a sale of said house and land is made, it may be private or public,…

When it is decided to repair, remodel or rebuild a meetinghouse, any owner or proprietor dissenting from the action of the majority and declining to take an interest in the house as altered may demand and receive of the majority the appraised value of that owner's or proprietor's…

The owners of a meetinghouse or building for public worship and the pew owners may be incorporated when any 3 or more of them apply to be incorporated to a notary public, who shall issue a warrant to one of them, stating the time, place and purpose of the meeting, and directing t…

When assembled as provided for in section 3107, the owners of the building and pew owners may choose a moderator and clerk, who shall perform the usual duties of such officers. Thereupon said owners shall be a corporation and be known by such name as they adopt, and they may agre…

Any meetinghouse corporation, by a major vote of its members, may use and control the meetinghouse or building for public worship partly or wholly owned by them, as they please. Nothing in this section and sections 3107 and 3108 shall affect the rights of owners of houses of wors…

When there has not been a meeting of the incorporated pew owners or proprietors or owners of a meetinghouse or building for public worship for 3 years, a meeting may be called on application of 3 or more members thereof to a notary public, who shall issue a warrant to one of them…

When a house of public worship is owned by persons of different denominations and when an organized society, or its members, own 5 pews therein, one or more of the minority owning not less than 5 pews may apply to a justice of the peace to obtain a division of the time of occupyi…

At a meeting called under section 3111, the owners, who are not applicants, or if they refuse or neglect, the notary who called the meeting may designate another notary, and the 2 may appoint a 3rd disinterested person, not an inhabitant of the town in which the house is located,…

The board shall appraise the value of the minority's proportion of the house, make a record of their proceedings, and within 10 days cause it to be transcribed into the records of such town.

All their reasonable expenses shall be paid by the persons who requested the division; but the above provisions shall not affect any agreement now in force as to the mode of occupying such house.

The minority may occupy the house for their allotted time, unless the majority purchase their interest by paying the minority the sum at which it was appraised by the board; but if the minority decline so to sell, they shall not avail themselves of sections 3111 to 3114.

Where lands have been granted or reserved for the use of the ministry or first settled minister, or for the use of schools, in any town incorporated and in existence on January 1, 1973, and the fee in these lands has not vested in some particular parish therein or in some individ…

The municipal officers, town clerk and treasurer of each town where no other trustees are lawfully appointed for that purpose shall be a corporation and trustees of such ministerial and school funds, with the usual powers granted to similar corporations.