Church of God in Christ, Inc. v. Board of Trustees of Emmanuel Church of God in Christ

Bruns, J.:

This case involves a lengthy dispute over the ownership and control of real property between an international church body and one of its local congregations. The Church of God in Christ, Inc. (COGIC), a hierarchical denominational church, was granted a default judgment against the board of trustees and several individual members of Emmanuel Church of God in Christ, Wichita, Kansas (the defendants). Specifically, the district court granted injunctive relief and awarded monetary damages in favor of the COGIC. On appeal, we find that the district court did not interfere with an…