Court Refuses To Adjudicate Church Governance Dispute

In Alexander v. Allen, (Dec. 13, 2005), a Texas Court of Appeals refused on First Amendment grounds to step into a dispute between the pastor and the board of the Christ Temple Apostolic Church. The church's pastor, David Allen, Sr., attempted to unilaterally replace board members, change the lock on the church doors and change authorized signers on the church's bank account. He relied in part on a provision in the church's bylaws provided that a member who fails to show a cooperative attitude toward the pastor and the church program shall not be eligible to hold any church office. The court held that the dispute was an ecclesiastical one, and therefore beyond the court's jurisdiction.