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Appointment of church trustees is confirmed by order of the Circuit Court. A request for appointment may be initiated by request from the church or by petition (PDF) from the applicant or its attorney. The request or petition must be accompanied by an order for entry by the court.
Among other things, the petition must state who is being appointed, who is being removed, and with whom the new trustees are serving. The minutes from the church meeting authorizing the appointment of trustee must accompany the petition as well. These documents along with the filing fee are submitted to the Circuit Court where the church is located.
The order presented to the Court is similar to that of the petition and must include the full name of the church and governing body, the purpose of the appointment, the names of any former trustees appointed by the court and what happened to them, the names, addresses and terms of office for the newly appointed trustees.
A copy of the church by-laws should also be included with the petition for any initial appointment of trustees.
See Virginia Code sections 57-8, 57-18, and 57-23 for further information.