Virginia's top court lets congregants sue David Platt church
Faith & Religion
Post Date:
November 10, 2026
Virginia’s top court lets congregants sue David Platt church
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Pastor David Platt as he prays at McLean Bible Church, in Vienna, Va., in 2019. Associated Press / Photo by Jacquelyn Martin
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The state Supreme Court rejected McLean Bible Church’s appeal to shut down a lawsuit brought by former congregants accusing the nondenominational church of violating their First Amendment right to freedom of religion. McLean is a multicampus church in the Washington, D.C. metro area, pastored by evangelical author David Platt.
Longtime members of McLean Bible Church accused church leaders of interfering in the church’s controversial 2021 election for elders. McLean labeled several hundred members as inactive just before the election, which barred them from voting. Congregants alleged that McLean’s leadership board labeled congregants as inactive to ensure certain leaders were elected. Several congregants sued the church, alleging it violated their First Amendment right to free religious practice by not upholding the church government’s founding documents.
The church hasmaintained that its leaders did not commit any wrongdoing or sacrifice the congregation’s independence.
The congregants’ attorney, Rick Boyer, characterized the situation as a straightforward contract dispute rather than a religious issue. Under McLean’s founding documents, every active church member age 16 or older who is not under church discipline has the right to vote in church elections, he said. Members are labeled as inactive when they miss eight consecutive services, but McLean doesn’t take attendance at its multicampus worship services, Boyer told WORLD on Tuesday. The case centers on whether those attendees who were labeled as inactive had actually missed eight consecutive services, and the question is purely factual, not religious, the attorney said.
Plaintiffs estimated that McLean’s elder board declared hundreds of members as inactive to stop them from voting against the sitting leadership’s desires, Boyer continued. Congregants accused McLean’s elder board of violating the church’s congregation-approved governing documents. The U.S. Constitution guaranteed congregants’ right to free religious exercise, which afforded church members the religious right of the church to honor its governing documents that allowed congregants to exercise their religious freedom, Boyer explained. Active church members were denied voting rights afforded under the church’s constitution by a rogue elder board operating without authority, Boyer said.
So what does the latest decision mean for the lawsuit? The Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling remanded the case, allowing the yearslong lawsuit to continue. The suing congregants will return to circuit court with limited discovery requests, Boyer said.
Dig deeper: Read Liz Lykins’ report examining whether a nonreligious court may weigh in on a church elder election.
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Christina Grube is a graduate of the World Journalism Institute.
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