![]() The church adopted a set of bylaws (the “first bylaws”) in January of 1997. ![]() ![]() The church had two different sets of bylaws, and the parties disagreed regarding which set governed the church’s operations during the time relevant to this case. Disagreement over which set of bylaws apply The hurch has the right to terminate employment at any time, with or without reason or advance notice as long as there is no violation of applicable state or federal law. This means that an employee can resign their employment at any time, with or without reason or advance notice. The employment agreement letter signed by the pastor in March of 2016 set out his terms of employment, in pertinent part, as follows:Īn “at-will” employment relationship has no specific duration. The pastor was employed on an “at-will” basis. On March 31, 2016, the elders hired a senior pastor for the church. At the church’s time of incorporation, the elders acted as the board of directors for the church. BackgroundĪ church was incorporated as a North Carolina nonprofit corporation in 1988. Some courts are willing to resolve disputes over the termination of clergy if they can do so without any inquiry into religious doctrine.Ī North Carolina appeals court ruled that a trial court did not err in determining it had jurisdiction over a church pastor’s counterclaim because it related to church bylaws and did not involve ecclesiastical matters protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |