(1) INCORPORATION. (a) Any 10 persons, over 18 years of age, who are members of churches of any religious sect or denomination, which churches have been or may hereafter be incorporated under the laws of this state and maintain regular public worship, may organize a corporation for religious missionary purposes in the manner herein provided. They shall sign and acknowledge before some officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments of deeds a certificate substantially in the following form: Know all by these presents: That the undersigned (here insert the names of the signers), members of churches organized and in- corporated under the laws of Wisconsin and now maintaining regular public worship, and all other persons who are or may become associated with them for the purposes herein specified have organized themselves into a religious society to be located in (here insert the name of town, city or village), in the county of ...., in the state of Wisconsin, for religious missionary purposes, which society shall be known and incorporated by the name of (here insert the name). And each such person so signing such certificate shall add or cause to be added immediately after the person’s signature the following: Member of this (denomination) church, at (here insert town, village or city), in .... county, Wisconsin, or other words particularly designating the church of which the person is such member. (b) Such certificate shall be recorded in the office of the register of deeds of such county, and when so recorded the society named therein shall be a corporation and shall possess the powers and privileges granted to corporations by ch. 181 so far as the same are applicable or necessary to accomplish its purposes, and also such as are conferred by this subsection and subs. (2) and (3). (2) OFFICERS; RULES; PROPERTY. Such corporation may, by its constitution and bylaws, fix the terms and qualifications of membership and office therein, provide rules for the government of the society and its officers, and fix the number of its trustees, not less than three nor more than nine, their terms of office and the manner of appointing or electing the same. It may take and receive by gift, grant, purchase or otherwise and hold and use both real and personal estate for the purposes for which it has been incorporated and no other; and may lease, mortgage, sell and otherwise dispose of the same or any portion thereof at pleasure. (3) POWERS. The secular business and temporal affairs of such corporation shall be administered by the board of trustees. It shall appoint a clerk or secretary and a treasurer, with power to remove the same, and shall cause accurate records of all its proceedings and of all business of such society to be kept, and such board of trustees shall have the custody and management of the corporate property and be governed in its official acts by the rules of the society applicable thereto, and not inconsistent with the laws of this state; and it may adopt and have a corporate seal and alter the same at pleasure. No failure to elect trustees at the proper time shall work a dissolution of any such corporation and those once elected shall hold their offices until their successors are elected. The signers of such certificates shall constitute the first board of trustees or directors, and in like manner shall hold their offices until their successors are elected.
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