Title 458, ECCLESIASTICAL CORPORATIONS

Sec. 12. In all cases which may arise in any of the courts of this state in connection with any church which may be incorporated under this act, and in all suits in law or equity to which any such church may be a party, all other acts or parts of acts inconsistent herewith shall …

Sec. 1. That the minister or ministers and elders and deacons, and if during any time there be no minister, then the elders and deacons during such time, of every reformed church or congregation now or hereafter to be established in this state, and elected according to the rules …

Sec. 2. The articles of association of any such corporation shall state the purpose for which such society is incorporated, the name of the corporation, the period for which it is incorporated, and the name and place of residence of each of the persons associating in the first in…

Sec. 3. The trustees of every church, congregation or society hereinabove mentioned, and their successors may respectively have and use a common seal, and may renew and alter the same at their pleasure, and are hereby authorized and empowered to take into their possession and cus…

Sec. 4. The trustees of every such church, congregation or society, hereinabove mentioned, may receive bequests or gifts of money for investment upon bond or mortgage when the interest of such investment is to be used by such trustees for the lawful purposes of the corporation, a…

Sec. 5. No corporation organized or reincorporated under the provisions of this act shall be dissolved or disbanded except by and with the consent of the classis to which such church shall belong, and no church building or parsonage, or any land necessarily used in connection the…

Sec. 6. It shall be lawful for the trustees of every such church, congregation or society to sell and convey or mortgage, without the consent of the classis to which such church, congregation or society may belong, all real estate that may belong to such corporation, and upon whi…

Sec. 7. Any corporation organized under the provisions of this act whose corporate existence is about to expire by limitation may extend its corporate existence for a term not exceeding 30 years, by filing with the corporation and securities bureau of the department of commerce d…

Sec. 8. The trustees of every church, congregation or society that have heretofore been incorporated by virtue of the provisions of chapter 173, volume 1, Howell's annotated statutes of Michigan, providing for the incorporation of Reformed Protestant Dutch churches, and that are …

Sec. 1. It shall be lawful for any number of members of the Evangelical association of full age, not less than 5, to organize and secure the incorporation of a church according to the usage of the Evangelical association, under the provisions hereof.

Sec. 2. The persons desiring to organize such church shall execute and acknowledge, before any person authorized to take acknowledgment of deeds, articles of incorporation, in writing, whereby they shall agree to organize a church which shall be governed by the discipline, rules,…

Sec. 3. Said articles of incorporation shall contain the following items: First. The name of the church and the town, village or city and the county and state where located. Second. An agreement to incorporate in the interests of religion and the spread of scriptural holiness, ac…

Sec. 4. Such articles of incorporation shall be executed in duplicate. One copy shall be retained by such corporation, and 1 copy shall be filed with the corporation and securities bureau of the department of commerce. When said articles of incorporation and said certificate of t…

Sec. 5. Said churches, when so incorporated, shall be in all matters of church government and ecclesiastical polity subject to the discipline, rules and usages of the Evangelical association as from time to time authorized and declared by the general conference of said church and…

Sec. 6. Said church when so organized may provide by by-laws for such regular and special meetings of the members thereof as may be deemed essential for the full exercise of the powers granted or reserved hereby.

Sec. 7. Said church when so organized shall have all the rights, privileges and immunities appertaining to such religious corporations. It may sue and be sued; it may take and hold property both real and personal as may be necessary for the proper execution of the purpose for whi…

Sec. 8. It shall be lawful for any church organized under the provisions of this act, by a majority of the members of said church, to alter or amend its articles of incorporation in any manner not inconsistent with this act, and such alteration or amendment shall become operative…

Sec. 9. Any church of the Evangelical association heretofore incorporated, or the trustees of which have heretofore exercised the powers of a body corporate may place itself under the provisions of this act by a majority of the members of said church executing articles of incorpo…

Sec. 10. In all proceedings that may arise or be brought in any of the courts of this state touching or in any way concerning churches that may be incorporated under this act, all other acts or parts of acts shall be so interpreted and construed as to give full force and effect t…

Sec. 1. That the minister or ministers, elders, and deacons, and if during any time there shall be no minister, then the elders and deacons during such time of every Christian Reformed church now existing or hereafter to be organized in this state and elected according to the con…

Sec. 2. The said articles shall contain: First. The name of the proposed corporation; Second. The city, village or township in which the same is located; Third. The fundamental principles of the proposed organization which shall in all cases be in conformity to the faith and cons…

Sec. 3. Any person elected to the office of pastor, elder or deacon according to the constitution and usages of the Christian Reformed churches of America in any particular church, and the pastor, if there be one, shall become and be a member of the corporation of that church, an…

Sec. 4. Such trustees may have a common seal and alter the same at pleasure, and shall take into their possession and custody all the temporalities of the church, and make rules and regulations for the management thereof, whether the same shall consist of real or personal estate,…

Sec. 5. Such corporation may also in their own corporate name sue and be sued in all courts and places, and may in its corporate name recover and hold all debts, demands, rights and privileges, churches, buildings and parsonages and all the estate and appurtenances belonging to s…

Sec. 6. Said trustees shall also have power and authority to bargain, sell, convey, mortgage, lease or release any real estate belonging to said church or held by them as such trustees, and to erect churches, parsonages, school houses and other buildings for the direct and legiti…

Sec. 7. At any time after such corporation shall have been duly organized, it shall be lawful for such trustees, at any meeting thereof by a vote of 2/3 of the trustees to amend its articles of association in any manner not inconsistent with the provision of this act: Provided, T…

Sec. 8. The minister, elders and deacons of any church of the Christian Reformed church of Michigan, the trustees of which have been incorporated under any law of this state, may elect to become incorporated and take corporate powers under this act: Provided, That the consent of …

Sec. 9. The trustees of every church organization that have heretofore been incorporated by virtue of the provisions of chapter 176 of volume 1 of Howell's annotated statutes of the state of Michigan and amendments thereto providing for the incorporation of Holland Christian Refo…

Sec. 1. This act shall be applicable to the corporations hereinbefore incorporated under any general or special act as a Methodist Episcopal Church or Methodist Protestant Church.

Sec. 2. The articles of association of any ecclesiastical corporation heretofore incorporated under any general or special act of this state as a Methodist Episcopal Church or as a Methodist Protestant Church in the name of which the word "Episcopal" or the word "Protestant" appe…

Sec. 1. All gifts, grants, deeds, wills and other conveyances, wherein or whereby any lands, tenements or other property within this state have been given, beqeathed, devised or granted, or in any manner conveyed by any person or persons whatever, unto any person or persons, by t…

Sec. 2. The archbishop of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Detroit and the several bishops of the Roman Catholic dioceses within the state of Michigan and their successors in office, and administrators of the Roman Catholic dioceses within the state of Michigan, for the purpose …

Sec. 1. All gifts, grants, deeds, wills and other conveyances wherein or whereby any lands, tenements or other property within this state, or any personal property the donor or grantor of which resided in this state at the time such conveyance or will became effective, have been …

Sec. 2. All gifts, grants, deeds, wills and other conveyances wherein or whereby any lands, tenements or other property within this state, or any personal property the donor or grantor of which resided in this state at the time such conveyance or will became effective, have been,…

Sec. 3. Any bishop of the Protestant Episcopal church in the state of Michigan who may now or hereafter be vested with title to any lands, tenements or personal property in trust for any of the uses and purposes named herein may in his discretion give, grant and convey the same t…

Sec. 1. When a church worshiping according to the faith and polity of the Presbyterian Church (USA) shall desire to possess corporate powers, the members of the church present at a regular meeting of the church, notice of the proposed action having been given at 2 previous regula…

Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of the persons so chosen as such trustees to proceed to execute in duplicate, and acknowledge before any person authorized to take acknowledgment of deeds, a certificate which shall contain: First, A copy of the records showing the proceedings and vot…

Sec. 3. The certificate shall be signed by the persons chosen as trustees, duly acknowledged by the signers of the certificate, and 1 copy of the duplicate certificate shall be filed with the corporation and securities bureau of the department of commerce. Thereafter the trustees…

Sec. 4. The corporation shall succeed to all the property rights of the church out of which it is incorporated and, subject to the civil law, shall be governed by the form of government, discipline, rules, and usages of the Presbyterian Church (USA), as promulgated by the general…

Sec. 5. Such corporation may have a seal and alter the same at will; it may, in its corporate name, sue and be sued in all the courts of this state; it shall have power to acquire, hold, sell and convey property, both real and personal, in accordance with this act; it may hold an…

Sec. 6. The trustees aforesaid, and as well their successors in office, shall be adult citizens of the United States, shall be chosen by ballot, or as provided in the articles of association, and shall hold office for a length of time, and upon conditions, as shall be provided in…

Sec. 7. The secular affairs of said church shall, subject to the control of the general corporate body, be managed by such board of trustees. It shall have power to purchase, build, repair, lease, sell, rent, mortgage, encumber or otherwise dispose of property: Provided, That bef…

Sec. 8. If it shall happen that an organization incorporated under this act shall be temporarily without officers, such corporations shall not for that reason be dissolved, but such corporation may proceed to elect trustees as provided in this act and the articles of association.

Sec. 9. In all cases where property belonging to any organization incorporated under the provisions of this act, has been abandoned, or is no longer used for the purpose for which said property was acquired, or for the benefit of a church society, and has not been conveyed by sai…

Sec. 11. Any church society incorporated under the provisions of this act, at a meeting called for that purpose of which 4 weeks' notice has been given by announcement at regular services, by a vote of 2/3 of all the qualified members present and voting, may amend its articles of…

Sec. 12. Any Presbyterian church society heretofore incorporated, or whose corporate term of existence has heretofore expired by limitation, or the trustees of which have heretofore exercised the powers of a body corporate, may, by a 2/3 vote of its qualified members, present and…