Writing in 1912, one lay Coptic observer opined that the question of the supervision of the waqfs, constitutes “the mother of all [Coptic] communal issues: the problem of all problems and the hurdle of all hurdles.” So central was the issue of overseeing the waqfs—the mortmain properties for religious or charitable purposes—that it has been the locus of the laity-clergy struggle for representing and organizing the Coptic community since the inception of the Communal Council (al-majlis al-millī) in 1874. Against this backdrop, this paper centers the question of the supervision of the waqfs in its analysis of the escalating strife between proponents of laic reform coalescing around the Communal Council on the one hand and the high clergy on the other since the inception of the Council in 1874 until the renewal of the fifth majlis in 1912. Departing from the customary narratives of a lay reformist agenda met with clerical resistance, this paper argues that both camps sponsored rival visions of reform centering on overseeing the waqfs and harnessing their revenue streams. To this end, the paper will first start with an overview of the status of endowed Coptic properties at the turn of the century and their estimated revenues. Secondly, it will present a diachronic synopsis of key events marking the laity-clergy struggle, starting from the inception of the majlis in 1874 and its subsequent renewals in 1883, 1892, 1906, and 1912—highlighting major management abuse cases that fueled the escalating struggle between the two camps. Lastly, the paper will conclude with a brief discussion on the significance of the triumph of the clerical camp in controlling the waqfs enshrined in the charter of the 1912 majlis. This study rests primarily on an examination of a wide array of Coptic publications from the period of inquiry including newspapers and magazines (e.g. al-Waṭan, Firʿawn—from which the above quote is drawn, al-Ḥaqq, and al-Karmah) as well as other publications and reports produced by charitable societies (such as Jamʿiyat al-Tawfīq and Jamʿiyat al-Ikhlāṣ al-Qibṭīyah al-Markazīyah), and by journalists and public intellectuals, including a 1907 survey report on Coptic waqf properties and their revenues.