Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Illinois

church membership

The church that I have attended for 50 years is having internal problems. I recently voted against the leaders in a vote of confidence meeting, and have not attended church services for 4 months. Last week I received a letter stating that unless I respond positively within 2 weeks & agree to support the leaders & their decisions 100%, my name will be placed on the inactive list. This means that eventually my membership will be completely terminated. I have asked to meet with 3 church leaders, but they refused to meet with me. Other than this letter, there has been no contact or correspondence between the church & myself within the last 4 months. I realize the best thing to do is walk away, but I don't like what is happening to a church that I spent my entire life in. Is there any legal action that I can take.


Asked on 9/04/07, 2:01 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Noelle Ansley Noelle Ansley

Re: church membership

If the leaders are acting contrary to some established rules of the church, you could try to get a temporary restraining order to stop them, or an injunction, or bring an action for a declaration -- that's where a question is presented to the court in order to let a judge decide which side is right. However, unless you've got money you're itching to burn (especially with respect to a TRO), this isn't really a practical solution to your problem. Unfortunately, you're probably better off accepting that your old church is changing and finding a new church that suits you better.

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Answered on 9/05/07, 11:20 am


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