The Alabama Supreme Courtroom has denied a request by the United Methodist Church convention to kill a lawsuit filed by a megachurch looking for to safe rights to its church property because it disassociates from the denomination.
In a ruling Friday, the Alabama Supreme Courtroom denied a request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Harvest Church of Dothan in 2022 towards the UMC's Alabama-West Florida Convention in hopes of legally securing rights to its property.
Affiliate Justice Greg Cook dinner wrote the choice, arguing that regardless of the UMC's competition {that a} secular courtroom shouldn’t hear a church dispute, “it’s undisputed that civil courts have jurisdiction over disputes over church property.”
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“In response to this Courtroom's settled precedent, then, civil courts might correctly train jurisdiction to resolve ecclesiastical disputes if these disputes will be resolved (1) on the premise of 'impartial ideas of legislation' and (2) with out resolving non secular disputes.” controversy,” Cook dinner wrote.
“AWFC and [UMC General Council on Finance and Administration] they haven’t cited a single Alabama case holding that the First Modification bars a trial courtroom from adjudicating a church-related actual property dispute.”
Harvest Lead Pastor Ralph Sigler, who helped begin the congregation, stated in a video posted on Fb Friday that it was “actually thrilling” and that “we give God all of the reward for that.”
“We'll see how lengthy the convention, the bishop and the trustees need to proceed the lawsuit or whether or not they're able to drop it,” Sigler stated. “We’re grateful to the Lord for an thrilling victory.
In November 2022, Harvest filed a lawsuit towards the UMC out of concern that the congregation would lose management of its Fortner Avenue campus in the event that they sought to depart the denomination.
“The UMC alleges that every one property owned or acquired by Harvest Church is in impact held in authorized belief for the advantage of the UMC denomination,” the lawsuit stated, in line with WTVY. “If not restricted by an [court] due to this fact, there’s a vital danger that the UMC will wrongfully seize or encroach on Harvest Church property.”
The AWF convention took exception to the characterization of the connection between the regional physique and the congregation, saying in a press release that it was an “unfair illustration of the convention's actions and intentions.”
“Harvest has not given the convention any official data that it plans to separate from the UMC, nor have they begun the method of discernment as set forth in our convention coverage. The convention has taken no motion or indicated that it’ll take any motion towards Harvest Church.” ,” the convention stated on the time, as quoted by WTVY.
Two months after the lawsuit was filed, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to withdraw from the UMC in January 2023. Months later, Houston County Circuit Choose Chris Richardson denied the UMC's request to dismiss the outgoing church's lawsuit.
Over the previous few years, greater than 7,000 congregations have left the UMC over the denomination's decades-long debate over whether or not to take away language from the UMC E-book of Self-discipline that bans same-sex marriage and prohibits the ordination of homosexual clergy with out celibacy.
In Might 2023, the AWF convention held a particular session during which it voted to approve the secession of 193 congregations that selected to depart the denomination throughout the debate. The convention thus had 318 church buildings, 13 of which have greater than 1,000 members.
“It’s with remorse that we are saying goodbye to the 193 church buildings which have disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church and need them the most effective of their ministry,” AWF Bishop David Graves stated in a press release on the time. “Many of those church buildings have devoted clergy and laity who actually need to serve God and their communities.”
“Specifically, I need to thank these church buildings which have chosen to stay United Methodist and people who have heeded my name to chorus from discussing leaving the denomination till we’ve extra data.”
