Reformed and Lutheran Churches.

§ 63 in the United States of America, the Reformed Presbyterian church, or with the Evangelical Lutheran church, determine to incorporate in pursuance of this article, the minister or ministers and the elders and deacons thereof, or if a Presbyterian church in connection with the Presbyterian church in the United States. of America, the officers determined upon as the trustees thereof by the meeting for incorporation or such of them as may be in office, shall execute, acknowledge and cause to be filed and recorded, a certificate in pursuance of this article. The deacons of a Reformed Presbyterian church may alone sign such certificate if authorized so to do by such church. Such certificate of incorporation shall state the name of the proposed corporation, the county and town, city or village where its principal place of worship is or is intended to be located, and, if it be an Evangelical Lutheran church, or a Presbyterian church in connection with the Presbyterian church in the United States of America, the fact that a meeting of such church duly called decided that it be incorporated under this article. If it be signed by the deacons of a Reformed Presbyterian church, it shall state that they were authorized so to do by such church. If it be the certificate of a Presbyterian church in connection with the Presbyterian church in the United States of America, it shall recite that the officers signing such certificate were determined upon by the meeting for incorporation to be the trustees of such corporation. On filing such certificate such church shall be a corporation by the name stated therein, and the minister or ministers, if any, and the elders and deacons of such church shall, by virtue of their offices be the trustees of such corporation, except that if it be a Reformed Presbyterian church, the certificate of incorporation of which shall have been, in pursuance of law, signed by its deacons only, the deacons of such church shall, by virtue of their offices, be the trustees of such corporation; and except that if it be a Presbyterian church in connection with the Presbyterian church in the United States of America, the officers determined upon by the meeting for incorporation shall, by virtue of their offices, be the trustees of such corporation. (As amended by chap. 190 of 1896, § 3.)

§ 63. Consistory of a Reformed church in America; ministers, how chosen.-Any church in connection with the Reformed church in America, the choice or election of the members of whose consistory is not subject to the ecclesiastical rules or jurisdiction

of such Reformed church in America, shall, if the consistory so determine, be subject to such rules and jurisdiction; and thereafter the choice of the members of the consistory shall be in accordance with such rules and practices.

If any such church be incorporated under the next article of this chapter, or if its trustees be elective in pursuance of such article, its board of trustees and its consistory shall act concurrently in the choice of its minister.

64. Reformed churches in America, changing system of choosing trustees; minister, how chosen.-If the ministers, elders and deacons who, at any time, by virtue of their offices, constitute the trustees of any Reformed church in America, determine that the trustees of such church shall thereafter be elective in pursuance of the next article of this chapter, and shall determine whether the number of such trustees shall be three, six or nine, and the date of the annual corporate meeting of the church, they may sign, acknowledge and cause to be filed and recorded in the office of the clerk of the county in which the certificate of incorporation of such church is filed or recorded, a certificate of such determinations. Thereafter the trustees of such church shall be elective in pursuance of the provisions of the next article of this chapter, relating to the election of trustees of incorporated churches. At the next annual corporate meeting after the filing of such certificate, one-third of the number of trustees so determined on shall be elected to hold office for one year, one-third for two years and one-third for three years, and the minister, elders and deacons shall cease to be the trustees of such church. At each subsequent annual corporate meeting of such church, one-third of the number of trustees so determined on shall be elected to hold office for three years.

If the trustees of an incorporated Reformed church in America are at any time elective, in pursuance of the next article of this chapter, the board of trustees and the consistory thereof may concurrently determine that the minister or ministers, if any, and the elders and deacons of such church shall constitute the trustees thereof. Thereon the president and clerk of the consistory and the president and clerk of the board of trustees shall sign and acknowledge and cause to be filed and recorded in the office of the clerk of the county in which the original certificate of incorporation is filed or recorded, a certificate of such determination, stating the names of such ministers, elders and deacons.

Reformed and Lutheran Churches.

§§ 65-66

On so filing and recording such certificate, such board of trustees shall be dissolved, and the minister or ministers, and elders and deacons of such church, and their successors in office shall constitute the trustees of such church.

§ 65. Reformed Presbyterian churches, changing system of choosing trustees; pew rents and minister's salary.-If any incorporated Reformed Presbyterian church, at a meeting of the church or congregation, determine that the deacons of such church shall be the trustees thereof, then the deacons of such church actively engaged in the exercise of their offices therein, and their successors in office, shall, by virtue of their respective offices, be the trustees of such church. The salary of the minister and the pew rents in any such church shall be fixed by the vote of the congregation, and the trustees shall not fix or change the same.

§ 66. Evangelical Lutheran and Presbyterian churches, changing system of electing trustees. If the trustees of an incorporated Evangelical Lutheran church, or an incorporated Presbyterian church in connection with the Presbyterian church in the United States of America, shall at any time be elective in pursuance of the next article of this chapter, the church may, at an annual corporate meeting, if notice thereof be given with the notice of such meeting, determine, if an Evangelical Lutheran church, that the minister or ministers and elders and deacons. thereof, or if a Presbyterian church in connection with the Presbyterian church in the United States of America, that the deacons thereof, or the pastor and the elders and the deacons thereof, or the pastor and the elders thereof, shall thereafter constitute the trustees thereof, and thereon the trustees of such church shall sign, acknowledge and cause to be filed and recorded, a certificate stating the fact of such determination, and if an Evangelical Lutheran church, the names of the minister or minister, if any, and of the elders and deacons of such church, or if a Presbyterian church in connection with the Presbyterian church in the United States of America, the names of the officers determined upon to be the ex-officio trustees thereof; and thereon the terms of office of such elective trustees shall cease, and, the minister or ministers, and the elders and deacons of such church, if an Evangelical Lutheran church, or the officers determined upon by such corporate meeting; if a Presbyterian church in connection with the Presbyterian church in the United States of America, and their

successors in office shall, by virtue of their respective offices, be the trustees of such church. If, at any time, the officers of an incorporated Evangelical Lutheran church, or an incorporated Presbyterian church in connection with the Presbyterian church in the United States of America, which officers by virtue of their offices constitute the trustees thereof, shall determine to submit to a meeting of such church corporation, the question whether the trustees of such church shall be thereafter elective in pur suance of the next article of this chapter, they shall cause a corporate meeting of such church to be called and held in the manner provided in sections eighty-four and eighty-five of this chapter, and such corporate meeting shall determine, whether the trustees of such church shall thereafter be elective in pursuance of the next article of this chapter, and also whether the number of such trustees shall be three, six or nine, and the date of the annual corporate meeting of the church. If such meeting shall determine that such trustees shall thereafter be elective, the presiding officer thereof and at least two other persons present and voting thereat, shall sign, acknowledge and cause to be filed and recorded in the office of the clerk of the county in which the certificate of incorporation of such church is filed, a certificate of such determination of such meeting; and thereafter the trustees of such church shall be elective in pursuance of the next article of this chapter. At the next annual corporate meeting after the filing of such certificate, one-third of the number of trustees so determined on shall be elected to hold office for one year, one-third for two years, and one-third for three years, and the officers of such church who by virtue of their offices have been trustees of such church, shall then cease to be such trustees, and thereafter article five of this chapter shall apply to such church. At each subsequent annual corporate meeting of such church, one-third of the number of trustees so determined on shall be elected to hold office for three years. (As amended by chap. 190 of 1896, § 4.)

SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR THE INCORPORATION AND GOVERNMENT OF BAPTIST CHURCHES.

SECTION 67. Notice of meeting for incorporation.

68. The meeting for incorporation.

69. The certificate of incorporation.

70. Time, place and notice of corporate meetings.

71. Organization and conduct of corporate meetings; qualifications

of voters thereat.

72. Changing date of annual corporate meetings.

73. Changing number of trustees.

74. Meetings of trustees.

75. The creation and filling of vacancies among trustees of such churches.

76. Control of trustees by corporate meetings of such churches; salaries of ministers.

77. Transfer of property to Baptist corporations.

§ 67. Notice of meeting for incorporation.-Notice of a meeting for the purpose of incorporating an unincorporated Baptist church shall be given as follows: The notice shall be in writing, and shall state, in substance, that a meeting of such unincorporated church will be held at its usual place of worship at a specified day and hour, for the purpose of incorporating such church, electing trustees thereof, and selecting a corporate name therefor. The notice must be signed by at least six persons of full age, who are then members in good and regular standing of such church by admission into full communion or membership therewith. A copy of such notice shall be publicly read at a regular meeting of such unincorporated church for public worship, on the two successive Sundays immediately preceding the meeting, by the minister of such church, or a deacon thereof or by any person qualified to sign such notice. (Added by chap. 336 of 1896, 9.)

§ 68. The meeting for incorporation.-At the meeting for incorporation, held in pursuance of such notice, the qualified voters, until otherwise decided as hereinafter provided, shall be all persons of full age, who are then members, in good and regular standing of such church, by admission into full communion or membership therewith. At such meetings the presence of a majority of such qualified voters, at least six in number, shall be