2023 New York Laws › RCO - Religious Corporations › Article 2 - General Provisions › 15 - Corporations With Governing Authority Over, or Advisory Relations With, Churches or Synods, or Both.

§   15.  Corporations  with  governing  authority  over,  or  advisory
relations with, churches  or  synods,  or  both.  1.  An  unincorporated
diocesan   convention,   presbytery,  classes,  synod  unless  otherwise
provided,  annual  or  biennial  conference  or  convention,  or   other
governing  or  advisory  body having jurisdiction over or relations with
several or a number of churches or synods, or synods and churches,  some
or all of which are located in this state, may at a meeting thereof duly
held,  determine to become incorporated by a designated name, and may by
a plurality vote, elect not  less  than  three  nor  more  than  fifteen
persons  to  be  the  first  trustees of such corporation. The presiding
officer and clerk of such governing or advisory body shall  execute  and
acknowledge  a certificate stating that such proceedings were duly taken
as herein provided, the name by which such corporation is to  be  known,
and  the  names  of  such first trustees. On filing such certificate the
members of such governing or advisory body and their successors shall be
a corporation by the name stated in the  certificate,  and  the  persons
named as trustees therein shall be the first trustees thereof.
The  trustees  of  every  incorporated  governing or advisory body and
their successors shall hold their offices during the  pleasure  of  such
body,  which  may  remove them and fill vacancies in accordance with its
rules and regulations. Such corporation may hold its meetings and  elect
its  trustees  annually  or  biennially,  and may hold its first and any
other meetings outside this state if  any  of  the  churches  or  synods
governed  or  advised  by  it  are  located  outside of this state. Such
corporation may take,  administer  and  dispose  of  real  and  personal
property  in and outside this state for the benefit of such governing or
advisory body or of any parish, congregation, society, church,  mission,
synod,  religious,  benevolent,  charitable  or  educational institution
existing or acting under or related to it, or of any religious  work  or
activity.  Such  corporation  may elect the members of unincorporated or
incorporated boards to carry on particular lines of  religious  work  or
activity.  Such  corporation  may  have  in  addition  to its by-laws, a
constitution; and such constitution may be adopted or  amended  in  such
manner as the corporation will determine.
2. The trustees of every incorporated governing body of the Protestant
Episcopal  church  in the state of New York, shall consist of the bishop
of the diocese, who shall be ex-officio president  of  the  corporation;
the  bishop  coadjutor,  should  there  be  one, who shall be ex-officio
vice-president of the corporation; and not less than three nor more than
nine other persons, residents of the  diocese,  to  be  elected  by  the
diocesan  convention,  and  who shall hold their office for such term as
shall be decided by the said convention.
Vacancies in the board of trustees,  occurring  by  reason  of  death,
resignation, or removal from the diocese, may be filled by the remaining
trustees, until the next diocesan convention.
3.  The  trustees,  who  shall  constitute  the  governing body of the
Federated Orthodox Greek  Catholic  Primary  Jurisdictions  in  America,
shall  consist of the ecclesiastical administrative heads, also known as
the hierarchs, of the four constituent  primary  jurisdictions  together
with  the  dean  of  the  preceptorial  council,  the chancellor and the
secretary  of  said  federation  and  not  more  than  eight  additional
trustees, communicants of the Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, who are to
be elected or appointed by said four constituent primary jurisdictions.
The  term  Federated  Orthodox Greek Catholic Primary Jurisdictions in
America, as used herein, is restricted to apply only
(a) to the jurisdiction of the Orthodox  Oecumenical  Patriarchate  of
Constantinople  exercised  in  the  Americas  and  all  the  territorial
possessions and/or dependencies or protectorates of the United States of

America, by its duly  authorized  exarch,  metropolitan,  archbishop  or
bishop,
(b)  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the apostolic Orthodox Patriarchate of
Antioch, exercised in the Americas and all the  territorial  possessions
and/or dependencies or protectorates of the United States of America, by
its duly authorized exarch, metropolitan, archbishop or bishop,
(c) to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow exercised in the
Americas  and  all  the  territorial  possessions and/or dependencies or
protectorates of the United States of America, by  its  duly  authorized
exarch, metropolitan, archbishop or bishop,
(d)  to  the  jurisdiction  of the Patriarchate of Serbia (Jugoslavia)
exercised in the Americas and all  the  territorial  possessions  and/or
dependencies  or  protectorates  of the United States of America, by its
duly authorized exarch, metropolitan, archbishop or bishop.
All other Orthodox Greek Catholic jurisdictions, bishoprics,  dioceses
and   missions,   officially  and  canonically  in  communion  with  and
acknowledged by all four of said primary jurisdictions, if certified  by
the  secretariat thereof as affiliated with the Federated Orthodox Greek
Catholic  Primary  Jurisdictions  in   America,   may   incorporate   or
re-incorporate under this section as affiliates thereof.
4.  The  trustees  of  every  incorporated  governing body of the four
primary jurisdictions, respectively, specified in subdivision  three  of
this  section,  or of any of the affiliates of said jurisdictions, shall
consist of the hierarch or ecclesiastical administrator,  who  shall  be
ex-officio   president   of  the  corporation,  the  chancellor  of  the
archdiocese, the dean of the archdiocesan theological faculty or one  of
the members thereof, and the secretary of the archdiocese, who are to be
appointed  by  said  hierarch  and  to  serve  at  his  pleasure and, in
addition, not  less  than  three  nor  more  than  nine  other  persons,
communicants  of  the  Orthodox  Church, to be elected by said governing
body or by the diocesan convention; the  term  of  such  elective  first
trustees  shall  be one-third for one year, one-third for two years, and
one-third for three years, respectively, and the term of office of their
successors shall be three years.
5.  The  trustees  of  every  incorporated  governing  body   of   the
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in America shall consist of not less than
three nor more than thirty persons. If the constitution  or  by-laws  of
such   governing   body   so   provides,   the   Bishop   or  president,
vice-president, treasurer and secretary of such governing body shall  be
ex-officio trustees of such governing body. The remaining trustees shall
be  elected  by the annual or other regular convention of such governing
body if it does not meet annually, and shall hold their office for  such
term  as shall be decided by the said convention. Vacancies in the board
of trustees, occurring by reason of death, resignation or  other  cause,
may  be filled by the remaining trustees as provided in the constitution
and by-laws of such governing body.