§ 325 — Corporate meetings

§ 325. Corporate meetings. 1. The trustees of an incorporated United\nMethodist church shall be elected at the annual corporate meeting which\nshall be held at the time and place fixed by the by-laws, if such time\nand place be so fixed, and otherwise at a time and place to be fixed by\nits trustees. A special corporate meeting of any such church may be\ncalled by the board of trustees thereof, on its own motion or on the\nwritten request of at least ten qualified voters of such church. The\ntrustees shall cause notice of the time and place of the annual\ncorporate meeting therein specifying the name of any trustees, whose\nsuccessors are to be elected thereat, and, if a special meeting,\nspecifying the business to be transacted thereat, to be given at each of\nthe two next preceding regular meetings of such incorporated church for\npublic worship, at least one week apart, at morning service, if such\nservice be held, on Sunday, if Sunday be the day for such regular\nmeetings, or if no such public worship be held during such period, by\nconspicuously posting such notice in writing upon the outer entrance to\nthe principal place of worship of such church. Such notice shall be\ngiven by the district superintendent, the pastor, the officiating\nminister or an officer of the church.\n 2. At such a corporate meeting the following persons, and no other,\nshall be qualified voters for the election of trustees, to wit: all\npersons who are full members of such church in good and regular\nstanding. The members present at any duly announced meeting shall\nconstitute a quorum. Each action of the meeting upon any matter or\nquestion shall be decided by a majority of the qualified voters present\nand voting thereon. At such a meeting the district superintendent or the\npastor shall preside, or in the absence of both or in case of either or\nboth declining to preside, any qualified voter may be elected to\npreside. The presiding officer of the meeting shall receive the votes,\nbe the judge of qualifications of voters subject to appeal to the vote\nof the members present whose qualifications as voters are not\nchallenged, and declare the result of the votes cast on any matter.\n 3. Election of trustees at the annual corporate meeting shall be by\nwritten individual ballot and on a majority vote. Such trustees shall be\nof full age and each election shall provide that at least two-thirds of\nthe board of trustees shall be members of The United Methodist Church.\nThe trustees shall be elected for a term of three years or until their\nsuccessors have been duly elected, provided that one-third shall be\nelected each year.\n