Shearry v. Sanders

Luke Shearry and J.C. Summers, elders of the Southside Church of Christ in Opelika, Alabama, appeal from a declaratory judgment in favor of Cleveland Sanders, the church's minister. We reverse and remand.

Churches of Christ are organized and governed "according to Scripture." Elders, chosen by Biblical standards, oversee the congregation, control the church's money and property, and employ and discharge the minister. The minister has no authority or control over the church or the congregation. Church business is not conducted according to a "majority vote" of the congregation; rather, the…