21-2801. Religious association; ceases to exist; vesting of property.

Whenever any religious association organized as follows:

(1) Unincorporated church, parish, congregation, or association which may or may not recognize some superior church authority,

(2) The single church, parish, or congregation which is incorporated as an entity and is legally independent of any superior denominational organization or authority, or

(3) The single church, parish, or congregation which is incorporated as a part of, and subject to the authority of some denominational organization having general supervision over it, ceases to exist or to maintain its organization, all its remaining real or personal property shall vest in, and be transferred, in the manner provided in section 21-2802, to the incorporated annual conference, presbytery, diocese, diocesan council, state convention, or other incorporated governing, supervising, or cooperative body of the same religious denomination within whose jurisdiction such association was located, or with which it was affiliated, it being intended that such property shall vest in and be transferred to the next highest governing, supervising, or cooperative corporate body of the same denomination, having its original corporate existence within this state; Provided, that associations or corporations as defined in subdivision (1), (2), or (3) of this section, which have been affiliated with or subject to superior church authority or denominational statewide cooperative agency or have used the name of such superior church or denominational statewide cooperative agency during the ownership of its property, becomes abandoned by their own act or as defined herein and where the governing law, constitution, articles of incorporation, or bylaws of such superior church authority or denominational statewide cooperative agency provides for reversion of such property to the superior church authority or denominational statewide cooperative agency or supervision of the disposition thereof, then, in case such local church is abandoned or ceases to exist or maintain its organization, in lieu of court proceedings, the superior church authority or denominational statewide cooperative agency may record a certified copy of that portion of its governing law, constitution, articles of incorporation, or bylaws in the office of the register of deeds of the county in which the real estate or other property is located and such provisions shall then be binding upon such property; and provided further, that the trustees or officers of such abandoned local church may, within three months after such recording, file an action in the district court to test the validity of the provisions of such governing law of the superior church authority or denominational statewide cooperative agency. When any religious society as defined in subdivision (1), (2), or (3) of this section shall have ceased to maintain periodic meetings for the purpose of worship or religious instruction for a period of two consecutive years, or if the governing body or congregation of the church votes to dissolve or votes to discontinue holding religious services, such society shall be deemed to have ceased to exist or to maintain its organization within the meaning of this section.

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