Fort Worth Northwest Seventh-day Adventist Church v. Texas Conference

The appellate court reversed the trial court’s decision, finding that civil courts lack jurisdiction over disputes between a local church and its denominational umbrella organization under the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine.

ReligiousLiberty.TV
February 26, 2026
0 min read
Year: 2022 Court: State Appellate Court
Church & State Free Exercise
Holding: The appellate court reversed the trial court's decision, finding that civil courts lack jurisdiction over disputes between a local church and its denominational umbrella organization under the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine.
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Fort Worth Northwest Seventh-day Adventist Church v. Texas Conference is a Church & State case decided by the State Appellate Court in 2022. The court held that the appellate court reversed the trial court's decision, finding that civil courts lack jurisdiction over disputes between a local church and its denominational umbrella organization under the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine.