Topic
Church Property
13 published works
Religion Clause
Florida Appellate Court Questions Hierarchical Deference Approach to Church Property Disputes
In First United Methodist Church of Hobe Sound, Florida v. Board of Trustees of the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, Inc., (FL App., April 8, 2026), a group…
Religion Clause
Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine Leads to Dismissal of Church Property Dispute
In Atlantic Korean American Presbytery v. Shalom Presbyterian Church of Washington, Inc., (VA App., March 11, 2025), a Virginia state appellate court held that the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine barred civil courts…
Religion Clause
Court Dismisses Church’s Suit Over Disaffiliation Request
In North United Methodist Church v. New York Annual Conference, (CT Super. Ct., Aug 14, 2024), a Connecticut trial court dismissed a local church's petition for a declaratory judgment. The…
Religion Clause
Disaffiliated Congregation Not Entitled To Church Property
In Hebron Community Methodist Church v. Wisconsin Conference Board of Trustees of the United Methodist Church, Inc., (WD WI, July 25, 2022), a Wisconsin federal district court rejected a claim by a…
Anglican Curmudgeon
South Carolina Supreme Court Divides the Baby
By a-s-haleyaccurmudgeon-blogspot-com
The unanimous decision announced on April 20, 2022 by the South Carolina Supreme Court fulfilled (by its unanimity) at least one of the predictions made in the previous post on this…
California Corporate & Securities Law Blog
Corporations Code Saves Church Property
The AME Zion Church of Palo Alto, Inc. was founded in 1918 and has occupied its sanctuary for over a half century. In 2018, the Bishop of the Western Episcopal…
Religion Clause
Synod May Take Over Property of Defunct Church
In Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America v. Trinity Lutheran Church of Kankakee, (IL App., March 2, 2021), an Illinois state appellate court held that the…
Anglican Curmudgeon
Dennis Canon Dead in Texas
By a-s-haleyaccurmudgeon-blogspot-com
With its denial of certiorari (review) this morning to two of the Episcopal Church in the USA's ("ECUSA's") groups in Fort Worth, Texas, the United States Supreme Court has put…
Religion Clause
“Neutral Principles” Approach Controls Issue of Joining Parent Church
In Korean New Life Methodist Church v. Korean Methodist Church of the Americas,(CO App., Feb. 6, 2020), a Colorado state appellate court held that the neutral principles of law approach…
Mauck & Baker Blog
Beware of Wolves in Shepherd's Clothing
By Mauck Baker
Written by Whitman H. Brisky - See this article featured in The Christian Post What happens to church property when most of its members depart, leaving only an unpopular pastor…