Dismissed Pastor's Suit Rejected

In Denny v. Prince, 2005 Va. Cir. LEXIS 85 (Va. Cir. Ct. Portsmouth, Aug. 8, 2005), a Virginia trial court dismissed a suit by the former Pastor of Cradock Baptist Church against those who were responsible for his firing. The Pastor claimed that the church finance committee held secret meetings, and asserted he had performed improper financial transactions regarding church property. He also claimed irregularities in the vote on his dismissal. The court , in a long opinion, said that ecclesiastical decisions regarding the appointment and removal of pastors are generally beyond the jurisdiction of secular courts.