Judge dismisses New York woman’s lawsuit claiming gender bias in pastor decision

A federal judge on Monday ruled to dismiss Eboni Marshall Turman’s gender discrimination lawsuit against New York City’s well-known Abyssinian Baptist Church. The judge agreed with the defense’s argument that its actions were protected under the legal concept of the ministerial exception. That exception allows religious organizations to make decisions about hiring and firing employees who perform key religious functions without government interference. The church also said the decision wasn’t made on the basis of gender. Marshall Turman was not suitable for the job and had not held a ministerial position in 12 years, it argued.

How did a pastoral search end up in court? Marshall Turman, a Yale Divinity School professor and former assistant minister at the church, applied to succeed its longtime senior pastor after he died in 2022. She advanced to several stages of the interview process but was not named a finalist. Marshall Turman sued the church and its search committee in 2023, alleging employment discrimination based on her gender. Marshall Turman said search committee members told her that she was not chosen because she was a woman. No woman has ever been the senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist. The historically black church was founded in 1808.

What did Marshall Turman want? She asked for money to cover damages from lost wages, distress, and attorney’s fees. She also wanted to either be made senior pastor or receive front pay—compensation for allegedly lost future earnings. Additionally, she wanted the court to issue an injunction ordering the church not to discriminate in future hiring.

Dig deeper: Read my report on how a Japanese court recently ordered the dissolution of the Unification Church sect.