315.01 FORMATION; TRUSTEES. Subdivision 1. Who may elect. The worshipers with an unincorporated church, congregation, or religious society who are of lawful age and have been considered as belonging to it, may elect trustees and incorporate as provided in this section. Subd. 2. Election. A written notice, signed by at least five worshipers, stating the […]
315.02 CERTIFICATE OF ELECTION OF TRUSTEES. When trustees have been chosen before February 1, 1877 by an assembly of a church or religious society, in accordance with its constitution, rules, or usages, and a certificate of the choice made by its presiding officer and secretary, or either of them, specifying the trustees’ corporate name and […]
315.03 CERTIFICATE RECORDED. The certificate, together with the certificate of acknowledgment, and a copy of the notice of meeting and affidavit of its posting, must be recorded with the county recorder of the county where the society’s place of worship is located. When it is filed, the trustees and their successors are a corporate body […]
315.04 TRUSTEES, POWERS. The trustees may have a common seal and alter it at pleasure. They may take possession of temporalities of the church, congregation, or society, real and personal, given, granted, or devised, directly or indirectly, to the body or to any other person for their use. They may sue and be sued in […]
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 of ground in their cemeteries. Under the direction or approval […]
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 election they shall be divided by lot into three classes, the first class […]
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 its support according to its customs. The clerk of the trustees shall […]
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 corporation itself. History: (7969) RL s 3138; 1925 c 194 s 1; 1985 c […]
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 it. It may adopt bylaws and make regulations necessary or expedient […]
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 convey it, or part of it, without giving notice or being authorized […]
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: (8002) RL s 3163; 1985 c 265 art 5 […]
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 by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting […]
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 recorder or registrar of titles of the county in which the real estate conveyed […]
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 corporation formed under this chapter and dissolved may reincorporate under this chapter within six years after dissolution. […]
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 descend in perpetual succession, and be held by the […]
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 general, and pastor, or a majority of them, shall designate and […]
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 denomination, residents of the diocese. These five shall adopt, sign, and acknowledge, […]
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 prepare a certificate containing: (1) the name and location of the parish; […]
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 church wardens and vestry members must […]
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 parish meeting by majority vote of those present, […]
