N.J. Stat. tit. 16, ch. 17

in effect

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-1 Corporation continued; trustees; election; term of office; corporate officers members of board

The New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists, incorporated under authority of an act entitled "A supplement to an act entitled "An act to incorporate trustee[s] of religious societies,' approved April ninth, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five," approved March eleventh, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-two, is hereby continued and the nine trustees elected under authority of the said act and their successors shall be and continue to be a body corporate. Such trustees shall hold office for one year, or until their successors, elected in like manner as the first trustees, shall be elected for the same term. Such board of trustees shall include the officers of said corporation, who shall be a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-2 Powers of state association

The trustees of the New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists, or their successors, shall have power to: a. Have perpetual succession by its corporate name; b. Sue and be sued; c. Adopt and use a common seal and alter the same; d. Grant all charters of Spiritualist churches, societies and congregations and to revoke them for good cause; e. Adopt a constitution and make by-laws; f. Make laws governing individual societies, churches and congregations, and to prescribe the qualifications of ordained, licentiate and assistant ministers and the method by which candidates for the ministry shall be examined touching their qualifications; g. Maintain colleges, seminaries and other schools for educating and preparing persons for the ministry; and h. Purchase, acquire, receive, have and hold any real and personal property, legacies, donations and moneys in trust for the use of the corporation, and to sell, grant, convey, mortgage, lease or otherwise dispose of the same or any part thereof.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-3 Incorporation; meeting called; notice

Any Spiritualist society, church or congregation in this state, referred to in this article as "church" , which is a branch of and organized in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, by-laws and rules of the New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists, an auxiliary of the National Spiritualists' Association of the United States of America, incorporated as a religious society under the laws of the District of Columbia, may incorporate in the following manner: A meeting shall be called by written notice signed by at least seven duly enrolled members of the church in good standing, who are of full age and have contributed regularly and have submitted themselves to the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists and the National Spiritualists' Association of the United States of America. The notice shall state the time and place of the meeting and that it is called for the purpose of incorporating the church, selecting the corporate name therefor and electing the trustees thereof. The notice shall have the approval of the president or vice president, the treasurer and secretary of the New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists indorsed thereon, and shall be publicly read at each regular service of the church two successive Sundays next preceding the meeting.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-4 Meeting; qualifications of voters and officers; matters decided; trustees

The members of the church having met at the time and place appointed, the meeting shall be called to order by one of the signers of the notice. Only duly enrolled members of such church in good and regular standing and of full age shall be entitled to vote or act as officers at such meeting and seven qualified voters shall constitute a quorum. All questions shall be decided by a majority of those present. A chairman, clerk and two inspectors of election shall be elected from the qualified voters present. The clerk and the inspectors of election shall be the judges of the qualifications of the voters and shall receive the ballots cast. The meeting shall decide whether the church shall be incorporated and if the decision is in favor of incorporation, shall decide further: a. The corporate title which shall include the words "Spiritualist Church" or "Society of Spiritualists" , prefixed by "First" , "Second" or other numerical designation, and followed by the name of the municipality where it shall be located. b. The date for holding the annual election of trustees; c. The number of trustees which shall be either three, six or nine. The meeting shall elect, by ballot, from the individuals qualified to vote, the number of trustees decided upon, which shall be divided into three classes, to serve for one, two and three years, respectively, or until their successors are elected and take office. At the conclusion of the term of office of these trustees, their successors shall be elected for the term of three years.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-5 Certificate; contents; approval of state association; filing and recording

The chairman and clerk of the meeting shall make, sign and acknowledge before any person authorized to take the acknowledgment and proof of deeds in this state, a certificate in writing, setting forth: a. That said meeting was called and organized in accordance with the provisions of this article; b. The name assumed as the corporate title; c. The number of trustees; and d. The names of the individuals elected as trustees with the term of office of each. The approval of the New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists, signed by the president or vice president, the treasurer and secretary thereof, and sealed with its corporate seal, shall be appended to such certificate, without which approval such certificate shall not be entitled to record. The chairman and clerk shall transmit the certificate to the clerk of the county in which such board is elected, who shall file and record the same forthwith, for which service he shall be entitled to receive the fee provided by section 22:2-19 of the title Fees and Costs. Thereupon such trustees and their successors shall be a corporation by the name stated in the certificate.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-6 Powers of trustees; constitution and by-laws

For such incorporated church the trustees elected in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall have power to: Have perpetual succession by its corporate name; Sue and be sued; Adopt and use a common seal and alter the same; Purchase, acquire, receive, have and hold any lands, tenements, hereditaments, legacies, donations, moneys, goods and chattels in trust for the use of the enrolled members of such church, and to sell, grant, convey, mortgage, lease, assign or otherwise dispose of the same or any part thereof; provided, that no such sale, conveyance, mortgage or lease of any real property held in trust as aforesaid shall be made unless previously authorized by two-thirds of the votes cast at a regular or special meeting of its enrolled members in good and regular standing and of full age, duly called for that purpose. Every church incorporated according to the provisions of this chapter shall have power to adopt a constitution and make such by-laws as are not inconsistent with the constitution or laws of the United States of America or of this State, or with the provisions of the constitution, by-laws and rules of the said New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists. Amended by L.1953, c. 16, p. 149, s. 16, eff. March 19, 1953.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-7 § 16:17-7

The enrolled members of any such church who are of the full age of twenty-one years may assemble at a duly called regular or special meeting, and when so assembled may fill any vacancies or elect new trustees by a majority vote of those present.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-8 Changes; corporate title; number of trustees

Any church incorporated under this article may, at any regular or special meeting of its enrolled members duly called for that purpose, change its corporate title or the number of its trustees by a two-thirds vote of those present. A certificate of the change shall be executed by the chairman and clerk of the meeting in the same manner as provided for the execution of the certificate of incorporation, and shall be immediately filed and recorded in the office of the clerk of the county in which the church is located, for which service he shall be entitled to receive the fee provided by section 22:2-19 of the title Fees and Costs. Thereupon the change shall take effect.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-9 Officers; tenure; duties

The officers of the church shall be the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, and such other officers as the by-laws provide. They shall be elected by the trustees and shall hold office for one year and until their successors are elected and qualify. The duties of the officers shall be as follows: a. The president shall convene and preside at the meetings of the church, and with the secretary and treasurer execute all contracts. b. The vice president shall serve in the place of the president in case of his absence, sickness, death, resignation, refusal to act or moving out of the limits of the church. c. The secretary shall keep the minutes and enter the orders, acts and proceedings in a book kept for that purpose, and shall have custody of the common seal and of the papers, deeds, writings, documents and books of or relating to the church, which shall at all times be accessible to any member of the church, and which shall be delivered to the successor in office upon his death, resignation, removal or expiration of office. d. The treasurer shall have charge of the moneys of the church and shall keep an accurate account of disbursements thereof, and at each annual election of officers shall render to the church a statement in writing of the receipts and disbursements of the corporation during the preceding year. Upon the death, resignation, removal or expiration of the office of treasurer or the election of a new one, all books, accounts, vouchers and documents in the hands of the treasurer belonging to the church shall be delivered to the successor in office.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-10 Ministers

The ordained, licentiate and associate ministers of the church shall be called, elected and removed and their salaries be fixed as the church shall provide in its by-laws. Such minister shall be regularly commissioned by the New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists according to its rules, after examination of his character and qualifications by its committee regularly appointed. No such church shall retain any minister who has been suspended or removed by the New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists. No ordained, licentiate or associate minister shall be eligible to serve as an officer or trustee of the church.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-11 § 16:17-11

Any church organized under the provisions of this article shall be subject to the constitution, by-laws and rules of the New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists.

N.J. Stat. § 16:17-12 Spiritualist churches; reincorporation

Any church which is a branch of and organized in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, by-laws and regulations of the New Jersey State Association of Spiritualists, and however incorporated in this state, may incorporate under this article upon taking the proceedings prescribed in sections 16:17-3 and 16:17-4 of this title, in the same manner as if it had not previously been incorporated, but where the trustees of the congregation of the church are incorporated under article 1 of chapter 1 of this title (s. 16:1-1 et seq.), such congregation shall have first decided by a two-thirds vote of those present at a regular or special meeting, duly called for that purpose, that the new corporation when duly organized under this article shall be entitled to and invested with all the real and personal estate of the old corporation, in like manner and to the same extent as the old corporation, subject to all its debts and liabilities. The certificate of the new corporation shall set forth that the meeting was duly called and also a copy of the resolution passed at such meeting. Thereupon the former corporation shall be dissolved and the new corporation shall be entitled to and invested with all the real and personal estate of the former corporation in like manner and to the same extent as the former corporation, subject to all its debts and liabilities.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-activity/statutesFetched: 10/17/2026