Title 458, ECCLESIASTICAL CORPORATIONS

Sec. 13. Any corporation organized under the provisions of this act whose corporate existence is about to expire by limitation, may extend its corporate existence from time to time for a term not exceeding 30 years, by causing to be filed with the corporation and securities burea…

Sec. 1. Whenever any Baptist church in connection with which there is an incorporated religious or ecclesiastical society organized in accordance with the laws of the territory or state of Michigan, at any regular or called meeting, shall express by ballot and by 2/3 vote of its …

Sec. 2. At the meeting so called the following question shall be put to vote: "Shall the title to all the property of the (name of society) be vested in the .......... BAPTIST CHURCH of .............. Michigan and the said society be dissolved?" The vote shall be by ballot and if…

Sec. 1. It shall be lawful for any 6 or more persons, professing attachment to the Protestant Episcopal church, to execute and acknowledge, before any person authorized to take acknowledgments of deeds, 1 or more duplicate articles of agreement, in writing, whereby they shall agr…

Sec. 2. The articles shall contain: First, The name of the proposed church; Second, The township or city and county in which it is located; Third, The number of vestry members, not less than 6 nor more than 15, who shall have charge of the temporal affairs of such church, and the…

Sec. 3. Such articles of agreement, when duly signed and acknowledged, shall be filed with the corporation and securities bureau of the department of commerce; and it shall not be lawful for such church to acquire the title to any property until such articles are so filed.

Sec. 4. Any 3 or more persons who have signed any such articles may call the first meeting of such church, at such time and place as they may see fit, by publishing a notice for 10 days previous to the time of such meeting in some newspaper published in the city or township in wh…

Sec. 5. At all subsequent meetings, the right to vote shall be confined to such persons as shall be authorized by the laws of the church to vote at parish meetings. The annual meeting shall take place during the month of January. Public notice shall be given of the time and place…

Sec. 6. The vestry members shall annually choose by ballot from their own body 2 members, who shall be communicants, to be wardens. They shall also appoint a secretary and a treasurer, who may be members of their own body, and they may employ such other agents and servants as may…

Sec. 7. The vestry shall have the care and management of all the temporal affairs of such church, and they shall have authority, in the corporate name, to lease or to purchase and hold such real estate as shall be reasonably necessary for a church building, chapel, parish house, …

Sec. 8. The vestry shall keep a record of their proceedings, which, together with a record of the meetings of the congregation of the parish, shall, at all times, be open to the inspection of any officer of the parish, and of all persons qualified to vote at the annual meeting of…

Sec. 9. Any Protestant Episcopal church whose corporate term of existence has expired, or may be about to expire, or may hereafter expire, by limitation, may be reorganized under this act, so as to become subject to the provisions thereof, whenever the wardens and vestry members,…

Sec. 10. Any church incorporated under this act may, at any annual meeting, or at any special meeting, called for that purpose, by a vote of the majority of those present qualified to vote and voting on the question, amend its articles of agreement in any manner not inconsistent …

Sec. 11. The following entitled acts are hereby repealed, viz.: "An act to provide for the organization of Protestant Episcopal churches," approved February seventeenth, 1857; "An act to amend sections 4, 5, 6 and 7 of an act entitled 'An act to provide for the organization of Pr…

Sec. 12. Any Protestant Episcopal church, heretofore organized under any other general law than those mentioned in the last preceding section, may reorganize so as to become subject to the provisions of this act. The wardens and vestry members, de jure or de facto, of such church…

Sec. 13. Should it be desirable to use the church building and any other buildings or property of any Protestant Episcopal church heretofore or hereafter organized and existing in this state, as and for a cathedral, it shall be lawful for such church, at its first meeting, or at …

Sec. 1. That said association of which John Booth is president, and W. Taylor, R. Powell, J. I. Fulton, J. Hall, C. H. Swain, S. Goodman, J. O. Beardsall, M. Allen, J. S. Twiss, J. Knapp, J. Harris, D. B. Brown, E. Weaver and J. Michell are vice presidents; and R. C. Smith, treas…

Sec. 2. All persons now members of said association, and every person who shall hereafter pay 1 dollar or more to the treasurer of the corporation and request to become a member thereof, shall be and continue members of the corporation so long as they shall continue to pay annual…

Sec. 3. There shall be a meeting of the members of said corporation once in each year, for the purpose of transacting business, at such time and place as may be designated at a previous meeting. The first meeting under this act of incorporation shall be at Jonesville, on the firs…

Sec. 4. At such meeting there shall be elected by ballot a president, 1 or more vice presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, an auditor and 30 directors. All of these shall be members of Baptist churches, and these shall constitute a board of managers for the transaction of all suc…

Sec. 5. Such corporation may, by its corporate name, aforesaid, receive donations in money, and may take and hold real estate and personal property by gift, grant, devise, bequest or otherwise, and sell and dispose of the same and use the proceeds thereof for the purpose of disse…

Sec. 6. All money or property given to the corporation, for any 1 of the objects specified in the last preceding section, to be designated by the donor, shall be used by the corporation for that object and no other; and all moneys or property given to the corporation generally, a…

Sec. 7. The members of the corporation shall have power at any meeting held, as aforesaid, to provide by their by-laws that any number of persons associated together for any of the purposes mentioned in this act of incorporation may, as auxiliary societies, be represented by thei…

Sec. 8. All by-laws, rules and regulations now in existence of the society and not inconsistent with this act of incorporation, shall continue to be the by-laws, rules and regulations of the corporation, until annulled or superseded by some other by-law, rule or regulation of the…

Sec. 9. This act may be repealed at any time by the legislature.

Sec. 1. That when any Congregational church which has a religious or ecclesiastical society with corporate powers in connection with it, shall, by a 2/3 vote of those entitled to vote therein and voting, at a meeting duly called for the purpose, express by ballot a desire to assu…

Sec. 2. If these questions shall be answered in the affirmative by a 2/3 vote of the legal members of the religious society present and voting, and by ballot, at said meeting, then the said religious society shall thereby be consolidated with the church in connection, and the 2 s…

Sec. 3. Any church governed according to the rules and usages of the Congregational denomination within the state, with which its religious society has been consolidated under the provisions of this act shall be subject to the provisions of the act, entitled "An act for the organ…

Sec. 1. It shall be lawful for any number of persons of full age, not less than 5, who may desire to form themselves into a Congregational church, to adopt, execute and acknowledge before any person authorized to take acknowledgment of deeds, articles of association, in writing, …

Sec. 2. The persons signing said articles may, at the same time, elect by ballot, or may designate some other time and place for so electing, not less than 3 nor more than 12 trustees, a majority of whom shall be members of said church, to serve until their successors shall be el…

Sec. 3. It shall be lawful for said corporation at any regular or called meeting of its members, due notice having been given as hereinafter provided, by a 2/3 majority of the ballots cast at such meeting, to amend its articles of association in any manner not inconsistent with t…

Sec. 4. At all meetings of said corporations, subsequent to the first, right to vote upon questions involving the acquirement and disposition of property and the expenditure of money shall be confined to adult members of the church so incorporated, and, if the articles of associa…

Sec. 4a. Every such corporation shall have authority to adopt by-laws at any regular or special meeting called for that purpose, upon the approval of such proposed by-laws by a majority vote of its membership. The notice of such regular or special meeting shall contain a statemen…

Sec. 5. Notice of meetings of said corporation, specifying the time, place, and object thereof, shall be read from the pulpit on the 2 successive Sundays preceding such meeting on which services shall be held: Provided, however, That in case it is proposed to amend the articles o…

Sec. 6. In the management of the secular affairs of the church so incorporated and of the business of said corporation, but subject always to its direction and control, the board of trustees thereof shall have and exercise all such powers of the board of directors of a business c…

Sec. 7. Such corporation may have a seal and alter the same at will. It may, in its corporate name, sue and be sued in all courts of competent jurisdiction. Subject to the provisions of this act it shall have power to choose, call and settle a pastor and fix his salary; to elect …

Sec. 8. In all cases where the property of any corporation subject to the provisions of this act has been abandoned, or is no longer used for the benefit of said corporation as a Congregational religious organization, or if said corporation has for a period of 2 years ceased to e…

Sec. 9. Any church or religious organization, whether incorporated or un-incorporated, may, at a meeting duly called for the purpose, by a 2/3 vote of those persons present and voting, place itself under the provisions of this act, the same as if incorporated under it by adopting…

Sec. 10. In all cases, whether in law or in equity, that may arise in any of the courts of the state, regarding churches incorporated under this act, or those which by vote shall have put themselves under its provisions, all other acts or parts of acts inconsistent herewith shall…

Sec. 1. That whenever a Baptist church shall desire to possess corporate powers and privileges, the members thereof present at any regular church or covenant meeting duly called as hereinafter provided, may by the vote of a majority of the members of such church then present, ado…

Sec. 2. The deacons or other persons who shall serve the church as trustees under this act shall be citizens of the United States, 21 years of age or over when elected to office and shall be elected by ballot in accordance with the usage and custom of said church, or in such mann…

Sec. 3. The deacons or other persons who may be elected as trustees shall hold their office for such length of time, and upon such conditions as the church may designate in their articles of association.

Sec. 4. The trustees shall be subject, in all their official duties, to the control and direction of the church, and in case the church shall desire to buy, sell or lease real estate, then a notice declaring such desire and intention, which shall designate the property to be boug…

Sec. 5. Such trustees may have a common seal, and may alter the same at pleasure; and they may take into their possession and custody all the temporalities of such church, whether the same shall consist of real or personal estate, and whether the same may have been given, granted…

Sec. 6. Such trustees may also, in their corporate name, sue and be sued in all courts and places; and they may recover and hold all the debts, demands, rights and privileges due to any church or churches for which they shall be trustees, together with all buildings, burying plac…

Sec. 7. If it shall happen that any church organized under the provisions of this act shall, from any cause, be found at any time without trustees, such church shall not for that cause lose its corporate existence, but such church may at any time proceed to elect trustees, as pro…