Burns Church, Inc., and Stephen Etheridge v. Alabama District Council of the Assemblies of God, Inc., and Burns…

Summary

The Supreme Court of Alabama affirmed the trial court's summary judgment in favor of the Alabama District Council of the Assemblies of God and Burns Assembly of God Church, issuing no majority opinion. The judgment concerned competing claims to church property arising from a dispute over church membership, ministerial authority, affiliation, and governing documents. Moore, C.J., dissenting, would have dismissed the appeal for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction because resolving the dispute would require civil courts to decide ecclesiastical questions.