§ 161 — The meeting for incorporation

New York § 161

• Jurisdiction: New York
• Law RCO: Religious Corporations
• Art. 8: Churches of the United Church of Christ, Congregational Christian and Independent Churches

Text

§ 161. 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 have statedly worshiped with such church and have regularly\ncontributed to its support, according to its usages, for at least one\nyear or since it was formed. At such meeting the presence of a majority\nof such qualified voters, in person, or by proxy duly authorized in\nwriting, at least six in number, shall be necessary to constitute a\nquorum, and all matters or questions shall be decided by a majority of\nthe qualified voters voting thereon. The meeting shall be called to\norder by one of the signers of the call. There shall be elected at such\nmeeting, from the qualified voters then present, a presiding officer, a\nclerk to keep the record of the proceedings of the meeting and two\ninspectors of election to receive the ballots cast. The presiding\nofficer and the inspectors shall decide the result of the ballots cast\non any matter, and shall be the judges of the qualifications of the\nvoters. If the meeting shall decide that such unincorporated church\nshall become incorporated, the meeting shall also decide upon the name\nof the proposed corporation, the number of the trustees thereof, which\nshall be three, six or nine, and the date, not more than fifteen months\nthereafter, on which the first annual election of the trustees thereof\nshall be held; and it may, by a two-thirds vote, decide that all members\nof the unincorporated church, of full age, in good and regular standing\nwho have statedly worshiped with such church but who have not\ncontributed to the financial support thereof, shall also be qualified\nvoters at such meeting, and that such church members, who, for one year\nnext preceding any subsequent corporate meeting, shall have statedly\nworshiped with such church and have been members thereof in good and\nregular standing, but have not regularly contributed to the financial\nsupport thereof, shall be qualified voters at such corporate meetings.\nSuch meetings shall thereupon elect by ballot from the persons qualified\nto vote thereat one-third of the number of trustees so decided on, who\nshall hold office until the first annual election of trustees\nthereafter, one-third of such number of trustees who shall hold office\nuntil the second annual election of trustees thereafter, and one-third\nof such number of trustees who shall hold office until the third annual\nelection of trustees thereafter, or until the respective successors of\nsuch trustees shall be elected. Such meeting shall also elect by ballot\na clerk of the corporation, who shall hold his office until the close of\nthe next annual meeting.\n