Title Minnesota Statutes, Minnesota Statutes

315.05 TRUSTEES, MANAGEMENT POWERS. The trustees may repair and alter churches, make rules and orders for managing the temporal affairs of the church, congregation, or society, and dispose of money belonging to it. They may regulate the renting of pews or slips, and the breaking …

315.06 TRUSTEES, TERMS, ELECTION; QUORUM. The term of office of the trustees is three years or less as prescribed in the constitution or articles, and until their successors have qualified. Unless otherwise provided in the constitution or articles, immediately after their first e…

315.07 VOTERS, QUALIFICATIONS. No member of the church, congregation, or society may vote at an election after its incorporation until the member has attended public worship in the church, congregation, or society for at least six months before the election, and contributed to it…

315.08 DEFINITIONS. In this chapter "society" means the religious body constituted in accordance with the principles of the ecclesiastical polity which forms the basis of the corporation designated in this chapter as the church, congregation, or society, as distinguished from the…

315.09 GENERAL POWERS OF RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS. A corporation organized under this chapter may, in its corporate name, sue and be sued, hold, purchase, and receive title to, by gift, grant, or other conveyance, property, real or personal, with power to mortgage, sell, or convey …

315.10 POWERS OF CERTAIN CORPORATIONS. A religious corporation, parish or diocese formed under sections 315.15 and 315.16 may sue or be sued, hold, purchase, and receive title to, by devise, purchase, gift, grant, or otherwise, real or personal property, and mortgage, sell, or co…

315.11 LIMITATION OF RIGHT TO HOLD PROPERTY. A religious corporation may not take or hold real or personal property for purposes other than those of its incorporation. The amount of property it may hold is subject to any limitation or modification enacted by general laws. History…

315.12 SALE OR ENCUMBRANCE OF REAL ESTATE. A religious corporation organized under this chapter, by and through its trustees, may sell and convey, encumber, or otherwise dispose of real estate. To do so, the trustees must first be authorized by resolution of the society adopted b…

315.121 RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS, CERTAIN CONVEYANCES VALIDATED. All conveyances executed by any religious corporation or society organized under this chapter, conveying real property within this state that have been of record for more than six years in the office of the county rec…

315.13 EXISTING SOCIETIES CONFIRMED; REORGANIZATION. Every church, congregation, or religious society incorporated before the effective date of Revised Statutes of the Territory of Minnesota, 1851, under any general or special law, and not since dissolved, is confirmed. A corpora…

315.14 LANDS HELD IN TRUST. If lands, tenements, or hereditaments are conveyed by devise, grant, purchase, or otherwise, to persons as trustees in trust for the use of a religious society, for a meeting house, burial ground, or parsonage, with the improvements on them, they shall…

315.15 PARISH CORPORATIONS, ORGANIZATION. The bishop of a religious denomination may join with the vicar general of the diocese and the pastor of the parish where the corporation is to be located, within the bishop's diocese for the purpose of incorporating. The bishop, vicar gen…

315.16 DIOCESAN CORPORATIONS; FORMATION; POWERS. § Subdivision 1.Procedure for incorporating. The bishop of a diocese may join with the vicar general and chancellor of the diocese. They, or a majority of them, shall designate and join with two other members of the religious denom…

315.17 PARISH OF PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH. § Subdivision 1.Formation of corporation. A parish of the Protestant Episcopal church organized under and in conformity with the constitution and canons of any diocese in this state may form a corporation, as follows. The parish shall…

315.18 ANNUAL MEETING; VESTRY, ELECTION, MEETINGS. The annual meeting of the corporation must be held at the parish church or parish house, if there is either, on Easter Monday of each year, or at a time set by the parish in its articles of incorporation. At the annual meeting ch…

315.19 ARTICLES AMENDED. A parish of the Protestant Episcopal church, incorporated under the laws of the state or territory of Minnesota, may amend its articles of incorporation and change and fix the time of its annual parish meeting. To do so, it must adopt, at its annual paris…

315.20 CATHEDRALS. § Subdivision 1.Formation. A cathedral for which a constitution and statutes are adopted by the diocesan convention of a diocese in this state of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America may form a corporation, as follows: The cathedral s…

315.21 INCORPORATION. § Subdivision 1.Method. If a church or religious society does not wish to form a corporation under sections 315.01 to 315.20, at least three members may become a corporation by adopting and signing a certificate containing: (1) its name, general purpose and …

315.22 EXISTING CHURCHES MAY INCORPORATE; REINCORPORATION; PROPERTY TO VEST. A church or society organized as such, and not incorporated, may become a corporation by executing, acknowledging, and having recorded with the proper officers a certificate of incorporation under this c…

315.23 INCORPORATION OF DIOCESAN COUNCIL, SYNOD, PRESBYTERY, CONFERENCE, ASSOCIATION, CONSOCIATION, OR SIMILAR ORGANIZATIONS. § Subdivision 1.Method. A diocesan council, synod, presbytery, conference, association, consociation, or other general organization for ecclesiastical or …

315.24 SPECIAL POWERS. A corporation may receive in trust for a parish, mission, local church society, or congregation, incorporated or not, property given, granted, transferred, devised, or bequeathed to it for the use of the parish, mission, local church society, or congregatio…

315.25 ANNUAL MEETING, NOTICE OF, PLACE. A corporation whose membership in part resides in other states may hold its annual meetings at points outside the state as it may, from time to time, designate at a previous annual meeting, or it may authorize its president to designate th…

315.26 CONSOLIDATION OF PARISHES, CONGREGATIONS, OR CHURCHES. A diocesan council, synod, presbytery, conference, association, consociation, or other general organization for ecclesiastical or religious purposes composed of or representing several parishes, congregations, or parti…

315.27 PROCEDURE FOR INCORPORATION. Two or more societies of the classes named in section 315.26 may form a corporation by adopting a canon or resolution and having a copy certified, verified, approved by the attorney general, and recorded as provided by section 315.23. The canon…

315.28 PRIVILEGES. A corporation formed under sections 315.26 to 315.29 has the same powers and rights as corporations formed under section 315.23. History: (7993) 1917 c 107 s 3; 1985 c 265 art 5 s 1

315.29 RIGHT TO HOLD PROPERTY. A corporation organized under sections 315.26 to 315.29 shall hold property conveyed or transferred to it for the same use and subject to the same trusts and conditions as the corporation conveying or transferring the property. History: (7994) 1917 …

315.30 AMENDMENT OF CERTIFICATE. A religious corporation may change its certificate by a resolution adopted, certified, acknowledged, and recorded in the same way as the original. The change must be consistent with law. When recorded, the amended certificate replaces the original…

315.31 AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION. A religious society, religious association, or religious corporation existing under section 315.21, upon compliance with sections 315.31 to 315.33, may change its articles of incorporation as to any matter that could have been includ…

315.32 TRUSTEES, POWERS; CERTIFICATE, RECORDING. The board of trustees or other governing body of a religious organization under section 315.21 may, by unanimous vote of its members, alter or amend the articles of incorporation under section 315.31, when authorized by resolution …

315.33 METHOD PROVIDED IS ADDITIONAL. Sections 315.31 to 315.33 do not change the right of religious organizations to alter or amend their articles of incorporation in any way now authorized by law. History: (7995-3) 1925 c 357 s 3; 1985 c 265 art 5 s 1

315.34 CONSOLIDATION OF RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS. Two or more incorporated churches, congregations, parishes, or religious societies, or an incorporated parish and an incorporated cathedral, may consolidate and reorganize as a single church, congregation, parish, cathedral, or reli…

315.35 RESOLUTION; NOTICE. Before action is taken under section 315.34, a resolution authorizing consolidation and reorganization must be adopted by at least two-thirds of the members present and voting at a meeting of each of the churches, congregations, parishes, parish and cat…

315.36 MEETINGS; NOTICE; ORGANIZATION; POWERS. After each society has adopted the resolution, notice must be given stating the time and place of the meeting of the united congregation of the societies. The notice must be posted where each society statedly meets for worship at lea…

315.365 MERGER OF RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS. § Subdivision 1.Merger. If two or more dioceses, synods, parishes, churches, congregations, or other religious bodies of the same denomination unite, reunite, merge, or consolidate and if, before doing so, each body has created a corporat…

315.37 WHEN SOCIETY CEASES TO EXIST; DISPOSAL OF PROPERTY. When a religious society under the control or supervision of a superior body ceases to exist or to maintain its organization, its real and personal property vests in and is transferred, as provided in section 315.38, to t…

315.38 DISSOLUTION, APPLICATION, HEARING. Upon application to the district court of the county where the society was located by a member of the body in which the property is to vest, under section 315.37, the court shall appoint a time for hearing the application. Three weeks' pu…

315.39 TITLE TO REAL PROPERTY. When it appears to a district court of this state that, before 1907, real property was conveyed to a bishop, or a right reverend bishop, or an archbishop, or a most reverend archbishop of any religious denomination or church in an official capacity …

315.40 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. A religious society, religious association, or religious corporation may, when authorized by its members, support and pay benefits to its ministers, teachers, and other employees, or those of a congregation or educational, benevolent, charitable, or othe…

315.41 CAMP MEETING ASSOCIATIONS; FORMATION; CAPITAL STOCK. Camp or grove meetings, Sunday school assemblies, or societies for religious instruction or worship, and for mutual improvement in moral, literary, or social culture, may incorporate under this chapter. The amount of cap…

315.42 TAX EXEMPT; NO STREETS THROUGH PROPERTY. Property necessarily used by such a corporation, and not leased or used for profit, is exempt from taxation. No roads or streets shall be laid through the property without the consent of the corporation's governing board. History: (…

315.44 YMCA, YWCA; FORMATION, CERTIFICATE. Three or more persons may form a corporation known as a Young Men's Christian Association or a Young Women's Christian Association by adopting, signing, and acknowledging a certificate of incorporation containing: (1) the names and place…

315.45 CLASSIFICATION OF MEMBERS. The directors may in their bylaws divide the members into active, senior, junior, associate, and other convenient classes, and determine the qualifications for associate membership and provide rules for the trial and expulsion of members. Only ac…

315.46 BOARD OF TRUSTEES MAY MANAGE REAL PROPERTY. An association may create a board of trustees to control its property. The board shall consist of at least five trustees, of whom the president of the association is one ex officio. Each trustee must be a member in good standing …

315.47 PROPERTY RIGHTS. The board shall control the real property of the association and other property its board of directors or trustees may designate. Real property belonging to the association must not be conveyed, disposed of, or mortgaged without the consent of the board, a…

315.48 REINCORPORATION. A religious society now conducting its affairs as a Young Men's Christian Association or a Young Women's Christian Association may reincorporate under sections 315.44 to 315.47. The new certificate of incorporation must be executed by all the directors of …

315.50 CONSOLIDATION OF CHURCH CONFERENCES. § Subdivision 1.Church names. Upon the consolidation or merger of two or more church conferences, a subordinate or affiliate religious corporation formerly under the governance of one of them may use the name, or appropriate part of it,…