Articles Of Incorporation For Religious Corporation

RTICLES OF INCORPORATION RELIGIOUS CORPORATION The form below can be filled out on a computer; there are multi-line spaces under items First 226 Sixth to enter the necessary information. If hand written please write legibly in black or blue ink. FIRST: The undersigned [Enter name(s) and address(es) below]: being at least 18 years of age have been elected by the members of the congregation of to act as trustees in the name and on behalf of said congregation do hereby associate ourselves as incorporators with the intention of forming a religious corporation under the general laws of Maryland. SECOND: The name of the corporation is: THIRD: Purpose: FOURTH: Election of Trustees: A.Time and manner for the election of new Trustees:B.Qualifications of those able to be elected as a Trustee:C.Qualifications of those able to vote for Trustees: American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com FIFTH: The address of the principal place of worship is: SIXTH: The name and address of the resident agent of the corporation are: SEVENTH: "This corporation is organized exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code." "Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the corporation shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law) or (b)by a corporation contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of1986 (or corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law.""Upon the dissolution of this corporation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section on any future federal tax code), or shall be distributed to the Federal government, or to a state or local government for public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed by ourt the county in which the principal office of the corporation is ten located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes. EIGHTH: IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we the trustees have signed these Articles of Incorporation and severally acknowledge the same to be our act. SIGNATURES OF TRUSTEES: RETURN TO: Please print I hereby consent to my designation in document as resident agent for this corporation. SIGNATURE OF RESIDENT AGENT LISTED IN SIXTH: American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation Charter Division GUIDE TO DRAFTING ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION FOR A TAX-EXEMPT RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS This type of corporation is appropriate only for incorporating a religious congregation which will be requesting tax-exempt status. This guide is to be used with the form for Articles of Incorporation for a "Religious Corporation". Each item below describes how to fill in the blank in the corresponding paragraph of the form. You may fill in the form and submit that as your Articles of Incorporation. If you have questions not answered by this guide seek the advice of an attorney, accountant or other business advisor. Legal questions of a general nature cannot be answered by the staff of this Department. FIRST: Insert the names and addresses of at least four adult persons who have been elected by the congregation to create this corporation. The only requirement is that they are at least 18 years old. The address should be one where mail can be received. It can be anywhere. SECOND: Insert the name of the corporation you will have. It must be distinguishable from all other corporations on record in Maryland. To check name availability you may conduct an on line search at our website: www.dat.maryland.gov, or you may call the department at (410) 767-1330. THIRD: Give a one or two sentence description of the purpose for which the corporation is being created. The description must include the forming of a Congregation or place of worship. FOURTH: The trustees are the people who run this corporation, so the elections which name or replace them are very important. Any rule governing the election of trustees must be in the charter. This cannot be regulated by by-laws. These provisions should be as specific as possible. A.This should include the length of the terms of the trustees and exactly when elections are to beheld. It should also describe exactly how the election is to be run. B.Any qualifications of who can be a trustee must be described here. Otherwise, any adult can beelected. C.Any limitation of who can vote for trustees must be described here. Otherwise, any adult whoattends the election may vote. FIFTH: Insert the address of the principal place of worship. This should be a place where mail can be delivered and must have a zip code. A post office box will not be accepted unless a street address is also provided in this section. SIXTH: This is the name and address of the individual designated to accept service of process if the corporation is summoned to court for any reason. A person designated must be an adult citizen of Maryland or an existing Maryland corporation. The address must include street, city and zip code. The address must be in Maryland and cannot be a post office box. This person must also sign the document. SEVENTH: 501 (c)(3) language. EIGHTH: All the individuals listed in FIRST and the resident agent in Article SIXTH must sign here. Instructions and information page 1 of 2. American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com Where and how do I file my documents? By mail or in-person submissions should directed to: State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Charter Division 301 W. Preston Street; 8th Floor Baltimore, MD 21201-2395 All checks must be made out to State Department of Assessments and Taxation. The cost to file documents should be included with the form. Also a schedule of filing fees is available online, http:// dat.maryland.gov/businesses/Documents/FEES.pdf Online business registration and document filing via the Maryland EGov Business portal. See the l Maryland Business Express link on homepage at dat.maryland.gov How long will it take to process my documents? Regular document processing time is 4 - 6 weeks. Expedited processing request will be handled within 7 business days. The expedited service fee is an additional $50.00 for each document; other fees may also apply. Hand-delivered documents in limited quantities receive same day expedited service between 8:30 am- 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Online filed documents are considered expedited will be processed within 7 business days. NOTES: Due to the fact that the laws governing the formation and operation of business entities and the effectiveness of a UCC Financing Statement involves more than filing documents with our office, we suggest you consult an attorney, accountant or other professional. State Department of Assessments & Taxation staff cannot offer business counseling or legal advice. Regarding annual documents to be filed with the Department of Assessments & Taxation: All domestic and foreign legal entities must submit a Personal Property Return to the Department. Failure to file a Personal Property Return will result in forfeiture of your right to conduct business in Maryland. If applicable please fill out and submit to your local Assessment office the attached exemption application for property owned by religious organizations. MSDAT; Revised: 2018 Instructions and information page 2 of 2 American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com STATEOF MARYLANDDEPARTMENT OF ASSESSMENTS AND TAXATIONAPPLICATION FOR EXEMPTIONTO BE FILED with the Supervisor of Assessments in the appropriate local office. Applications must be received no later than September 1 in order to have the exemption considered for the current taxlevy. Applications received after September 1 will be considered for the next tax levy.This form seeks information for the purpose of a