Ministerial Exception and Church Autonomy

A recent opinion letter from the U.S. Department of Labor suggests that the Ministerial Exception of the First Amendment applies to wage and hour laws. This issue has significant implications for churches and ministries.

A recent decision from a federal appellate court explores the boundaries of the First Amendment’s ministerial exception to employment laws, specifically about the type of claims a minister can bring.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently handed down a First Amendment decision that is likely to clarify job descriptions for religious employers and their employees.

In its first ministerial exception case post-Hosanna-Tabor, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals holds that a Lay Principal can’t sue her Catholic School for discrimination.

If you have employees who may be ministers, you need to take practical steps to define their role. Here are some suggestions on how to clarify who is a minister.

Defamation claims against religious organizations are more common than you would think. It’s almost impossible to challenge who a religious organization selects as a minister or how it disciplines that minister. So these claims focus on the idea that what was said about the minister is defamatory—something that is not directly controlled by constitutional law. Here is a recent example of a case that ultimately had an indirect constitutional defense.

A multi-chapter resource by Theresa Lynn Sidebotham, Esq. and Dr. Brent Lindquist about ministerial exception and missions.

If a religious organization believes that a minister or other employee has engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior, what responsibility does it have to notify others? How does child sexual abuse change the rules for normal termination procedure? Those who become victims of that person insist it is the organization’s duty to share that information. Employees who have been terminated for such behavior say sharing such information is a breach of confidence amounting to defamation.

A woman elder, a church employee, vehemently disagreed with her senior pastor’s position on a particular issue. She insisted on pushing her position until the Session finally fired her. Then she sued the church. But the Court agreed with the church that the government has no business telling the church how to manage its leadership.