Churches and Religious Societies Generally

Wyo. Stat. Ann. tit. 17, ch. 8

in effect

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-101 Incorporation by churches, parishes and societies having governing body; purposes generally.

Churches, parishes, and societies of all religious bodies, sects, or denominations in this state, or a board of trustees of such churches, parishes, and societies of all religious bodies, having an episcopate, presbytery, synod, conference or other governing body, with spiritual jurisdiction extending over the whole state, or part thereof not less than six (6) counties, may become incorporated for religious, missionary, educational or charitable purposes in the manner hereinafter provided; or said incorporation may be limited to the purposes of acquiring and holding the legal title to property, real and personal, required for the use of such churches, parishes, or societies, or any of them, or of such general governing body, and for the purpose of conveying the same, and contracting with reference thereto.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-102 Organization meeting; officers.

The chief or presiding or executive officer of the religious bodies, sects or denominations mentioned in the preceding section may, at such place in this state as he may appoint for the purpose, convene a meeting of himself and some other officer or officers, subordinate to himself, but having general jurisdiction throughout the state, or part of the state aforesaid, and one (1) or more priests, ministers or clergymen of the proposed church, parish or society, and at least two (2) laymen resident within the limits thereof, of which meeting the said chief or presiding or executive officer shall be president and one (1) of the other persons present shall be secretary.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-103 Contents, execution and filing of articles of incorporation; competency to transact business in corporate name.

(a) The said five (5) or more persons, being so convened and organized as a meeting, shall adopt articles of incorporation which shall fix: (i) The name of the church, parish or society so incorporated, or the name of the church, parish or society in whose behalf or interest the corporation is formed; (ii) The object and purpose of the incorporation; (iii) The amount of debts which it shall be competent to contract, beyond which amount the corporation shall have no power to contract debts binding at law or equity upon it, its members or its property; (iv) The manner in which it may contract and become bound for debts and may convey, encumber or change its property; (v) The manner in which the succession of the members of said corporation shall be regulated and vacancies in their number filled; (vi) The time of the commencement and the termination of the corporation; (vii) By what officers its affairs shall be conducted. (b) Which articles, being subscribed and acknowledged by the persons present at said meeting and filed in the office of the secretary of state, and recorded in the office of the county clerk of the county where such church, parish or society shall be located, whereupon such corporation shall be competent to transact all business in any by its corporate name.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-104 Authority to make bylaws.

Every incorporation under this act shall be authorized to make such bylaws as may be necessary to carry into effect fully all the purposes of such incorporation; provided, the same be not in conflict with the constitution of the United States, the laws of congress or of this state.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-105 Corporators and members of corporation.

The persons attending said meeting shall be the corporators and members of the corporation until their places may be supplied by and under the provisions of the articles of incorporation.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-106 Incorporation by body of Christians for purposes of education, benevolence, charity and missions.

If any body of Christians has or shall have, according to its order or mode of government, an organization, whether known as synod, presbytery, conference, episcopate or other name, with ecclesiastical or spiritual jurisdiction over its members throughout this state, and its authorities shall desire to engage in work of education, benevolence, charity and missions, which works shall be of like extensive operation and benefit, and not of limited or local service, and they shall deem an incorporation convenient for the more successful operation of said works, all, or any of them, its said authorities, with such persons as they may associate with them, may cause such incorporation to be formed in the manner and with the powers hereinbefore provided for the incorporation of a church, congregation or society.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-107 Applicability of general corporation laws.

Corporations organized under the provisions of this act shall be subject to the laws of this state in respect to corporations which are applicable to them, save as herein expressly provided.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-108 Incorporation for establishing benevolent institutions and for holding real and personal property.

If any presbytery, synod, conference, episcopate or other ecclesiastical body or association of Christians having jurisdiction over its members throughout the state, or a part thereof, extending over at least four (4) counties, and its authorities shall desire to establish missions, churches and other benevolent institutions and in this behalf to acquire property real and personal to aid in extending its spiritual jurisdiction and charities, and shall deem an incorporation necessary or convenient for the more effective accomplishment of its general objects, its authorities may cause such incorporation to be formed in the manner and with all the powers now provided by law for the incorporation of churches, congregations or societies and such other powers as are incident and necessary to the successful performance of any or all its objects.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-109 Corporations; purposes for which such corporations may be formed.

Corporations may be formed for acquiring, holding or disposing of church or religious society property, for the benefit of religion, for works of charity and for public worship in the manner hereinafter provided.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-110 Corporations; execution, acknowledgment and filing of articles of incorporation.

Any person being the archbishop, bishop, president, trustee in trust, president of stake, president of congregation, overseer, presiding elder, or clergyman, of any church or religious society, who shall have been duly chosen, elected or appointed, in conformity with the constitution, canons, rites, regulations, or discipline of said church or religious society, and in whom shall be vested the legal title to the property of such church or religious society, may make and subscribe written articles of incorporation in duplicate, acknowledge the same before some officer authorized to take acknowledgment, and file one (1) of such articles in the office of the secretary of state, and retain possession of the other.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-111 Corporations; contents of articles of incorporation; amendment of articles.

(a) The articles of incorporation shall specify: (i) The name of the corporation, by which it shall be known; (ii) The object of said corporation; (iii) The estimated value of the property at the time of making the articles of incorporation; (iv) The title of the person making such articles. Any corporation so formed shall have power from time to time to alter or amend its articles of incorporation; such amendment shall be made by the corporation sole, and executed by the same person who executed the original articles of incorporation, or by his successor in office, and shall be filed and recorded in the same office and in the same manner as is provided for filing the original articles.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-112 Corporations; creation and powers generally.

Upon making and filing for record articles of incorporation as herein provided, the person subscribing the same, and his successor in office by the name or title specified in the articles, shall thereafter be deemed, and is hereby created, a body politic and a corporation sole, with continual perpetual succession, and shall have power to acquire and possess, by donation, gift, bequest, devise, or purchase, and to hold and maintain property, real, personal, and mixed, and to grant, sell, convey, rent, or otherwise dispose of the same as may be necessary to carry on or promote the objects of the corporation; and shall have authority to borrow money and to give written obligations therefor, and to secure the payment thereof by mortgage or other lien, upon real or personal property, when necessary to promote said objects.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-113 Corporations; other powers.

Such corporation shall have the power to contract and be contracted with, to sue and be sued, plead and be pleaded in all courts of justice, and to have and use a common seal by which all deeds and acts of such corporation may be authenticated.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-114 Corporations; execution of deeds and other written instruments.

All deeds and other instruments of writing shall be made in the name of the corporation and signed by the person representing the corporation, in the official capacity designated in the articles of incorporation, and be sealed with the seal of the corporation, an impression of which seal shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-115 Corporations; evidence of corporate existence.

The articles of incorporation, or a certified copy of those filed and recorded in the office of the secretary of state, shall be evidence of the existence of such corporation.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-116 Corporations; vesting of title to property in successor; filing of certified copy of commission by successor.

In the event of the death or resignation of any such archbishop, bishop, president, trustee in trust, president of stake, president of congregation, overseer, presiding elder, or clergyman, or of his removal therefrom by the person or body having authority to remove him, when such person is at the time a corporation sole, his successor in office, as such corporation sole, shall be vested with the title to any and all property held by his predecessor, as such corporation sole, with like power and authority over the same, and subject to all the legal liabilities and obligations with reference thereto. Such successor shall file in the office of the county clerk of each county wherein any of said real property is situated, a certified copy of his commission, certificate or letter of election or appointment.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 17-8-117 Vesting of title to property in successor when held beneficially by church official and not by corporation.

In case of the death, resignation or removal of any such archbishop, bishop, president, trustee in trust, president of stake, president of congregation, overseer, presiding elder, or clergyman, who at the time of his death, resignation, or removal, was holding the title to trust property for the use or benefit of any church or religious society, and not incorporated as a corporation sole, the title to any and all such property held by him, of every nature and kind, shall not revert to the donor, nor vest in the heirs of such deceased person, but shall be deemed to be in abeyance, after such death, resignation, or removal, until his successor is duly appointed to fill such vacancy, and upon the appointment of such successor, the title to all the property held by his predecessor shall at once, without any other act or deed, vest in the person appointed to fill such vacancy.

Source: WY Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title17.pdfFetched: 10/4/2026