N.Y. Religious Corporations Law Section 17
Property of extinct Free Baptist churches

The property both real and personal, belonging to or held in trust for any Free Baptist church, or Free Baptist religious society organized under the laws of the state of New York, that has become, or shall become extinct, shall vest in and become the property of the Central association existing under the laws of the state of New York, and its successors and assigns; provided that this section shall not affect the reversionary interests of any person in such property, nor the interests of any incorporated association; and any Free Baptist church or Free Baptist religious society becoming extinct or about to disband or disorganize may, by a vote of two-thirds of its members present and voting therefor at a meeting regularly called for that purpose assign, transfer, grant and convey all its temporalities to and place the same in the possession of the Central association existing under the laws of the state of New York. A Free Baptist church or Free Baptist religious society which has failed for two consecutive years next prior thereto to maintain religious services according to the custom and usages of Free Baptist churches, or has less than thirteen resident attending members, paying annual pew rental or making annual contributions towards its support, may be declared extinct in the following manner, viz.: Upon such notice as the court may prescribe, and upon application made by petition, stating fully the facts in the case, and on evidence being furnished that the said Free Baptist church or Free Baptist religious society has ceased to hold religious services in and use said property for religious worship or service for a term of two years previous to such application, the supreme court, at a term thereof held in the judicial district where such property is situated, may grant an order declaring such church or society extinct, and thereon direct that all its temporalities shall be transferred to, and thereupon shall be taken possession of by the Central association of the state of New York, or directing that the same be sold in the manner directed by said order, and that the proceeds thereof, after the payment of the debts of such church or society, be paid over to the Central association of the state of New York. All property and proceeds from the sale of property so transferred to said association shall be used and applied for the purposes for which said Central association of the state of New York was organized and shall not be directed to any other purpose. The First Free Will Baptist church of the city of New York, located in the borough of Manhattan, shall in no way be amenable to the provisions of this section.

Source: Section 17 — Property of extinct Free Baptist churches, https://www.­nysenate.­gov/legislation/laws/RCO/17 (updated Sep. 22, 2014; accessed Feb. 15, 2025).

3
Filing and recording certificates of incorporation of religious corporations 4
Property of unincorporated society transferred by its incorporation 4‑A
Age qualifications of voters 5
General powers and duties of trustees of religious corporations 5‑A
Investment of funds 5‑B
Any investment of the funds of any religious corporation heretofore made by the trustees thereof shall not be deemed to have been restric... 6
Acquisition of property by religious corporations for branch institutions 7
Acquisition of property by religious corporations for cemetery purposes 7‑A
Deeds for cemetery purposes 8
Lot owners’ rights 8‑A
Reacquisition of a lot, plot or part thereof by a cemetery 9
Removal of human remains from one cemetery of a religious corporation to another cemetery owned by it 10
Acquisition of property by two or more religious corporations for a common parsonage 11
Correction and confirmation of conveyances to religious corporations 12
Sale, mortgage and lease of real property of religious corporations 13
Consolidation or merger of incorporated churches 14
Judicial investigation of amount of property of religious corporations 15
Corporations with governing authority over, or advisory relations with, churches or synods, or both 15‑A
Consolidation of incorporated presbyteries 15‑B
Consolidation or merger of incorporated Presbyterian and Lutheran synods 16
Property of extinct churches 17
Property of extinct Free Baptist churches 17‑A
Property of extinct Seventh Day Baptist churches and Seventh Day Baptist religious societies 17‑B
Property of extinct Presbyterian churches in connection with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U 17‑C
Property of Lutheran congregations 18
Dissolution of religious corporations 19
Corporations for organizing and maintaining mission churches and Sunday schools 20
Corporations for acquiring parsonages for district superintendents and camp-meeting grounds 21
Corporations for acquiring camp-meeting grounds for the Reformed Methodist denomination 21‑A
Corporations for acquiring lands for parsonage or camp-meeting purposes for the Free Methodist denomination 22
Establishing and maintaining a home for aged poor 23
Powers of churches created by special laws 24
Government of churches incorporated prior to January first, eighteen hundred and twenty-eight 25
Pastoral relation 26
Worship 27
Reservation as to Baptist churches, churches of the United Church of Christ and Congregational Christian churches 28
Electronic meetings
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Accessed:
Feb. 15, 2025

Last modified:
Sep. 22, 2014

§ 17’s source at nysenate​.gov

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