§ 131 — The meeting for incorporation

New York § 131

• Jurisdiction: New York
• Law RCO: Religious Corporations
• Art. 7: Baptist Churches

Text

§ 131. The meeting for incorporation. At the meeting for\nincorporation, held in pursuance of such notice, the qualified voters,\nuntil otherwise decided as hereinafter provided, shall be all persons of\nfull age, who are then members, in good and regular standing of such\nchurch, by admission into full communion or membership therewith. At\nsuch meeting the presence of a majority of such qualified voters, at\nleast six in number, shall be necessary to constitute a quorum, and all\nmatters or questions shall be decided by a majority of the qualified\nvoters voting thereon. There shall be elected at said meeting from the\nqualified voters then present, a presiding officer, a clerk to keep the\nrecord of the proceedings of the meeting and two inspectors of election\nto receive the ballots cast. The presiding officer and the inspectors\nshall declare the result of the ballots cast on any matter, and shall be\nthe judges of the qualifications of voters. If the meeting shall decide\nthat such unincorporated church shall become incorporated, the meeting\nshall also decide upon the name of the proposed corporation, the number\nof the trustees thereof, which shall be three, six, nine, twelve or\neighteen, and the date, not more than fifteen months thereafter, on\nwhich the first annual election of the trustees thereof shall be held,\nand shall decide also whether those who, from the time of the formation\nof such church or during the year preceding the meeting for\nincorporation, have statedly worshipped with such church and have\nregularly contributed to the financial support thereof, shall be\nqualified voters at such meeting for incorporation, and whether those\nwho during the year preceding the subsequent corporate meetings of the\nchurch shall have statedly worshipped with such church and shall have\nregularly contributed to the financial support thereof, shall be\nqualified voters at such corporate meetings. Such meeting shall\nthereupon elect by ballot from the persons qualified to vote thereat\none-third of the number of trustees so decided on, who shall hold office\nuntil the first annual election of trustees thereafter, and one-third of\nsuch number of trustees who shall hold office until the second annual\nelection of trustees thereafter, and one-third of such number of\ntrustees who shall hold office until the third annual election of\ntrustees thereafter, or until the respective successors of such trustees\nshall be elected.\n