Michigan § 458.29 - Sale of realty; procedure, proceeds; abandoned property.

Whenever it shall become necessary, for the payment of debts or with a view of reinvestment, to make a sale of any real estate belonging to said church, the quarterly conference of said church may, by a vote of a majority of all the members of said quarterly conference and the consent of the pastor of said church and of the presiding elder of the district of which such church may or shall be a part, authorize a sale of said real estate by the trustees of said church, with such limitations and restrictions as the quarterly conference may judge necessary and impose; and the trustees of said church, when so authorized, may sell and convey said property, and with the proceeds of such sale pay the debts of such corporation, or reinvest the said proceeds by the purchase or improvement of other property for the same uses and deeded to the corporation in the same manner as provided in section 7 of this act, as said trustees may be directed by the quarterly conference: Provided, That in all cases the proceeds of such sale, after the payment of debts, if any, if not applied to the purchase or improvement of other property as aforesaid, shall be held by such corporation subject to the order of the annual conference within the bounds of which such property is located. In all cases where property belonging to any church incorporated under the provisions of this act has been abandoned, and is no longer used for the purpose for which said property was acquired, or said corporation has dissolved, or has ceased to exist, the title to the said property belonging to said corporation shall pass to the annual conference within the bounds of which said property is located; and said annual conference may, by such officer or committee as said annual conference may designate for that purpose, apply to the circuit court in chancery, for the county in which such property may be, for license to sell the same; and such license may be granted by said court after such notice of said application as the court may direct; and thereupon said property may be sold, and the proceeds of such sale applied or used as said annual conference may direct.