Bell v. Presbyterian Church, 4th Cir. (1997)
Bell v. Presbyterian Church, 4th Cir. (1997)
No. 96-1297
cil on Finance Administration of the United Methodist Church v. California Superior Court, 439 U.S. 1369, 1373 (1978) (Rehnquist,
Circuit Justice). We conclude that the dispute in this case is ecclesiastical.
Bell's complaint against the four national churches centers on the
Presbyterian Church's withholding of funding and its consultation
with the other constituent churches in effecting a complete reduction
of force of Interfaith Impact. Bell argues that the motives of these
churches were not as benign as simply withdrawing financial support.
He has alleged that board members were improperly focusing on taking over the Interfaith Impact ministry, or on his personal life, or on
unjustified claims of financial misconduct. At bottom, however,
Bell's challenge focuses on how the constituent churches spend their
religious outreach funds. While it is possible that the Presbyterian
Church may have harbored hostility against Bell personally, it is also
possible that the church may have been acting in good faith to fulfill
its discernment of the divine will for its ministry. Resolution of such
an accusation would interpose the judiciary into the Presbyterian
Church's decisions, as well as the decisions of the other constituent
churches, relating to how and by whom they spread their message and
specifically their decision to select their outreach ministry through the
granting or withholding of funds.
Bell argues that he is not challenging the internal decisions of the
national churches but their external conduct in interfering with his
relationship with Interfaith Impact. He characterizes this as a secular
dispute between the churches and a third party. This argument, however, overlooks Interfaith Impact's role as the joint ministry of its
constituent churches and Bell's role as executive director of Interfaith
Impact.
Interfaith Impact is not a secular organization with which the
national constituent churches had a secular relationship. On the contrary, Interfaith Impact constituted a ministry of those constituent
churches, and this was understood by all persons involved. The
national churches maintain that they were engaging in ministry as
directed by scripture, relying on Deuteronomy 15:11; Proverbs 21:3;
Isaiah 49:6, 58:10; Amos 5:22-24; and Matthew 5:14-16, which they
read to describe spreading light in the world and pursuing social jus7