§ 18. Dissolution of religious corporations. Whenever any religious corporation shall cease to act in its corporate capacity and keep up the religious services; it shall be lawful for the supreme court of this state, upon the application of a majority of the trustees thereof, in case said court shall deem it proper so to do, to order and decree a dissolution of such religious corporation, and for that purpose to order and direct a sale and conveyance of any and all property belonging to such corporation, and after providing for the ascertaining and payment of the debts of such corporation, and the necessary costs and expenses of such sale and proceedings for dissolution, so far as the proceeds of such sale shall be sufficient to pay the same; such court may order and direct any surplus of such proceeds remaining after paying such debts, costs and expenses, to be devoted and applied to any such religious, benevolent, or charitable objects or purposes as the said trustees may indicate by their petition and the said court may approve.

Such application to said court shall be made by petition, duly verified by said trustees, which petition shall state the particular reason or causes why such sale and dissolution are sought; the situation, condition and estimated value of the property of said corporation, and the particular object or purposes to which it is proposed to devote any surplus of the proceeds of such property; and such petition shall, in all cases, be accompanied with proof that notice of the time and place of such intended application to said court, has been duly published once in each week for at least four weeks successively, next preceding such application, in a newspaper published in the county where such corporation is located.

In case there shall be no trustees of such religious corporation residing in the county in which such corporation is located, such application may be made, and such proceedings taken, by a majority of the members of such religious corporation residing in such county.

In case such corporation is under the jurisdiction of an incorporated ecclesiastical governing body such application may be made and such proceedings taken by such incorporated ecclesiastical governing body, provided the trustees or other officers or surviving members of the local church shall refuse to act after request has been duly made by the governing body, and in such case the proceeds shall be turned over to said governing body.