347. The powers and duties of trustees. 1. The trustees of an incorporated church to which this article is applicable shall have the custody and control of all the temporalities and property, real or personal, belonging to the corporation and of all the revenues therefrom and shall administer the same strictly in accordance with the discipline, rules, usages, laws and constitution of the Byelorussian Autocephalic Orthodox Church in America, and with the provisions of law relating thereto, for the support and maintenance of the church corporation or providing the members thereof at a corporate meeting thereof shall so authorize, of some religious, charitable, benevolent or educational object, conducted by such church, or connected with it, or the governing ecclesiastical body of the Byelorussian Autocephalic Orthodox Church in America, and they shall not use such property or revenue for any other purpose or divert the same from such uses.
2. By-laws or directions adopted at any corporate meeting of any such incorporated church shall control the subsequent action of its trustees, as to the temporalities and property or revenues therefrom, and as to the care thereof, and changes in either thereof and disposition thereof.
3. The trustees of any such church shall have no power, without the consent of a corporate meeting, to incur debts beyond what is necessary for the care of the property of the corporation.
4. The trustees shall not prevent or interfere with the rector or other duly authorized ministers in the use of said property for religious services or other proper meetings recognized by the law and usages of the Byelorussian Autocephalic Orthodox Church in America.
5. The trustees of an incorporated church to which this article is applicable, shall have no power to settle or remove or fix the salary of the minister. The trustees shall also have no power to fix or change the time, nature or order of the public or social worship of such church, except when such trustees are also the spiritual officers of such church.
6. The trustees of any such church shall be responsible to the diocesan council or the convention (sobor) of the diocese within bounds of which such church is situated in accordance with the discipline, rules, usages, laws and constitution of the Byelorussian Autocephalic Orthodox Church in America and shall make reports to said diocesan council or convention (sobor) which reports shall include all the items required.
Last modified: February 3, 2019