Court Dismisses Challenge To Pastor's Use of Church Funds

On Friday, a Nashville, Tennessee judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by a dissident faction of the Two Rivers Baptist Church against senior pastor, the Rev. Jerry Sutton seeking Sutton's removal as an officer and director of the large Nashville church and asking for damages. Plaintiffs accused Sutton of misusing church funds. The Tennessean reports that Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman agreed with defendants that how a church decides to spend its money is a religious matter that civil courts may not review. The court, however, did leave in place an earlier order permitting plaintiffs to inspect the church's financial documents. (See prior related posting.)