New York Religious Corporations Law Section 69 - Trustees, their meetings, vacancies and filling thereof, their powers.

69. Trustees, their meetings, vacancies and filling thereof, their powers. 1. Two trustees of an incorporated church, to which this article is applicable, may call a meeting of such trustees by giving at least twenty-four hours' notice thereof personally or by mail to the other trustees. A majority of the trustees lawfully convened shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. In case of a tie vote at a meeting of the trustees, the presiding officer of such meeting shall, notwithstanding he has voted once, have an additional casting vote.

2. If any trustee of an incorporated church to which this article is applicable, declines to act, resigns or dies, or ceases to be such member, his office shall be vacant. Such vacancy may be filled at a duly called special meeting of the corporation.

3. Subject to the authority of the session, the trustees of an incorporated church to which this article is applicable shall have the custody and control of all the temporalities and property belonging to the corporation and of the revenues from such property and shall administer the same in accordance with the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 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 with the denomination with which it is connected, and they shall not use such property or revenue for any other purpose or divert the same from such uses.

4. The words "temporalities," "property," "revenue" and "revenues," as used in this section, or elsewhere in this article, shall not be construed to include the contributions in such church or elsewhere for benevolent or other purposes, which shall be contributed and paid to the pastor or pastors, ruling elders, the church session, or the deacons of any such church, either in the church services or otherwise, to be distributed, or used, or administered, by them, or any, or either of them, nor to any funds or property devised, bequeathed or contributed, to be administered or expended by such pastor or pastors, ruling elders, church session, deacons or other spiritual officers of such church.

5. 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.


Last modified: February 3, 2019