Church Property - Part 3

• The Kentucky Supreme Court rejected the claim of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States (PECUSA) to the property of a local church that voted unanimously to disaffiliate from the parent body. The church voted to disaffiliate from the PECUSA because of disagreement with certain denominational policies, and a dispute arose between the church and PECUSA regarding ownership of the church's property. A trial court found that the local congregation was the rightful owner of its property, but a state appeals court reversed this decision. The congregation appealed the case to the state supreme court, which ruled in favor of the local church. The court emphasized that: (1) the congregation's withdrawal from the PECUSA "was unequivocal, and there was no dissenting faction"; (2) the "church property was acquired exclusively by the efforts of the local congregation"; (3) through ...