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Nature Of American Religious Corporations, Carl Zollman

Michigan Law Review

From the earliest period of our history it has been recognized that corporate existence and capacity is desirable if not indispensable in order to carry on the affairs of the various church societies in the most efficient manner. Accordingly various forms of religious corporations have been developed. Of these the earliest, namely the territorial parish and the corporation sole, grew out of the then existing union of church and state. They were public municipal corporations and passed away with the system which had given them birth. Their place was taken by other church corporations of which there are three principal …