2023 New York Laws › RCO - Religious Corporations › Article 11-A - Free Methodist Churches. › 225-N - Corporations for Acquiring Property for Special Religious Purposes.

§  225-n.  Corporations  for  acquiring property for special religious
  purposes.
1. An annual conference, a district quarterly  conference,  a  circuit
  consisting  of  two  or  more  organized churches or any other regularly
  organized free  Methodist  body  may  incorporate  for  the  purpose  of
  carrying  on  special  religious  enterprises.  Notice of such intention
  shall be signed by at least six members of such organized body  of  full
  age and mailed to all the churches existing under the jurisdiction of or
  directly  interested in said organized body at least ten days before the
  date set for such incorporation. If the meeting so called  shall  decide
  to  incorporate,  it  shall  also  decide  upon the name of the proposed
  corporation and the number of trustees thereof, which shall be three  or
  some  multiple  of  three  not  more  than twenty-one. One-third of said
  trustees shall hold office for three years, one-third for two years, and
  one-third for one year. All trustees  of  such  corporation  shall  hold
  office   until  their  successors  are  elected,  and  always  at  least
  two-thirds of said trustees shall be members in full connection  of  the
  free Methodist church, in good and regular standing.
2.  The  presiding  officer and at least two other persons present and
  voting thereat shall  be  appointed  by  such  meeting  to  execute  and
  acknowledge  a  certificate of incorporation whereby they shall agree to
  be governed by the discipline, rules and usages of  the  Free  Methodist
  Church of North America.
3.  The  trustees  of  such  a corporation shall thereafter be elected
  annually at a regular meeting, notice of which shall have been mailed by
  the secretary, or some other officer of the board of  trustees,  to  all
  the  churches  existing under the jurisdiction of or directly interested
  in said corporation at least ten days  before  the  date  set  for  said
  meeting.
4.  All  members  of  and  regular  voters  in  such  an organized and
  incorporated free Methodist body shall be entitled to vote for trustees,
  providing they are in good and regular standing in that organization.
5. Such an incorporated free Methodist body may acquire  property  for
  churches,   parsonages,   missions,   Sunday   schools,   denominational
  educational institutions (subject to the consent of  the  University  of
  New  York),  residences  of church workers, dispensaries of medicine for
  the poor, rescue homes, homes for the  aged  or  for  needy  and  orphan
  children,  property  for cemeteries, camp grounds or for other religious
  purposes. Such a corporation shall have power to establish, maintain and
  manage by its trustees or other officers such institutions as a part  of
  its  religious  purpose,  and may take and hold by conveyance, donation,
  bequest or devise real and personal property for such purposes, and  may
  purchase and may erect suitable buildings therefor. Any such corporation
  may  take  and  hold  any  grant, donation, bequest or devise of real or
  personal property heretofore or hereafter made upon trust, and apply the
  same, or the income thereof, under the  direction  of  its  trustees  or
  other  officers.  Such  trustees  or  other officers shall have power to
  mortgage or sell and convey any property under their care, when directed
  so to do by the corporation that elected them, having first secured  the
  approval  of  the  district  superintendent of the district in which the
  property is located and obtained leave of the supreme  or  county  court
  therefor  pursuant  to  the provisions of this chapter; provided that in
  all cases the proceeds of such sale or mortgage shall be used either for
  the payment of debts or for the purchase or improvement of property  for
  the  same uses and deeded to the same corporation; or if not used, shall
  be held subject to the order of the annual conference in whose territory
  such property may be situated. Provided, however, that if  the  deed  of
  the property to be sold conveys the property to the local corporation to

  be  held  in trust for the use and benefit of the membership of the Free
  Methodist Church of North America incorporated under the name  of  "Free
  Methodist  General  Conference  of  North  America,"  it  shall  also be
  necessary to secure the consent of the Free Methodist General Conference
  of North America, or in the intervals of its sessions, of such person or
  persons  as  are  authorized  by  said  general conference to grant such
  permission, in order to mortgage or sell and convey such property.
6.  Vacancies  occurring  in  the  board  of  trustees  of  any   such
  corporation  holding property for special religious purposes, during the
  intervals between its regular meetings, may be filled by  the  remaining
  trustees  until  the  next regular meeting of said corporation, at which
  meeting the vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired term.
7. In  case  any  such  corporation  holding  property  for  religious
  purposes shall have failed to function, in the purposes for which it was
  incorporated,   for  two  consecutive  years  next  prior  thereto,  the
  governing free Methodist body having ecclesiastical jurisdiction over it
  may declare such corporation  extinct,  and  taking  possession  of  its
  property  manage or dispose of the same according to the provisions made
  for extinct churches in section two hundred and  twenty-five-m  of  this
  article.
8.  Such corporations for special religious purposes shall be governed
  in all respects not provided for in this section according to the  other
  provisions of this article.