The Assembly of Bishops Supports Amicus Brief in Garner v. Southern Baptist Convention
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
The Assembly of Bishops has signed on to an amicus “friend of the court” brief in the Tennessee Supreme Court case, Garner v. Southern Baptist Convention. The brief seeks to protect the right of church organizations to investigate and take action against their ministers for violating their church rules and standards.
The case involves an investigation by the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) into allegations of sexual misconduct made against a pastor in an SBC-member church. The pastor sued the SBC for defamation in an attempt to circumvent the “ecclesiastical abstention” (or “church autonomy”) doctrine. This doctrine prohibits courts from interfering with the right of church entities to resolve their own internal matters involving religious teachings and discipline.
The Tennessee lower courts ruled that the defamation claims could go forward. Permitting such lawsuits to proceed jeopardizes the First Amendment right of churches to investigate violations of, communicate about, and enforce their own religious standards and qualifications.
This amicus brief is the most recent effort of the Assembly of Bishops to further its interest in safeguarding the liberty of all Americans to practice their faith.