A judge has largely sided with a Texas megachurch in a lawsuit brought by members who accused church leadership of improperly changing church bylaws on voting and accountability.

Judge Grant Dorfman issued a ruling dismissing nearly every claim made against Second Baptist Church of Houston regarding a 2023 decision some members believe violated their voting rights.

Dorfman concluded that the megachurch leadership was protected by religious liberty provisions that prevented secular courts from dictating church policies, reported The Houston Chronicle on Thursday.

Additionally, the court refused to vacate the appointment of Ben Young, the son of retired Senior Pastor Ed Young Sr., to succeed his father, even though there was no congregational vote.

Dorfman concluded that members of Second Baptist had a right to ask leadership for a complete accounting of the church’s finances, property and assets.

Second Baptist posted statements on their homepage in response to the ruling from Senior Pastor Ben Young and American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow.

“We received word that the judge has ruled in our favor in the matter before the court and we are deeply grateful,” stated Young. “We remain committed to the work God has called us to through this, His church.”

Sekulow said that he was “pleased with the Court's well-reasoned decision,” noting that “we have maintained that decisions about church governance belong to the Church, not the civil courts.”

“As Judge Dorfman recognized, the church autonomy doctrine prevents civil courts from becoming involved in matters that are at the heart of a church's internal governance. We couldn't agree more,” Sekulow added.

“Throughout this litigation, the church has sought to honor both its legal obligations and its biblical mission. As a church we remain focused on its ministry, its members, and the work God has called it to do.”

In April 2025, a group calling itself the Jeremiah Counsel Corporation (JCC) filed a complaint against Second Baptist leadership, naming Ben Young, Homer Edwin Young (Ed Young Sr.), Lee Maxcy, Dennis Brewer Jr. and the Second Baptist Church Corporation as defendants.

A nonprofit formed by current and former members of Second Baptist, JCC, accused church leadership of wrongfully enacting new church bylaws at a sparsely attended church business meeting in May 2023.

JCC claimed in a statement that, at the 2023 meeting, the defendants “deceived and manipulated the members of the church via a misleading vote to amend the by-laws in such a way to deny all 90,000+ members of their right to vote.”

“Church members were not given copies of the proposed by-laws, nor were they told that if they voted for the new by-laws, they would never again have transparency to the financial affairs and governance of the church or be permitted to vote on any church business going forward,” stated JCC.

“The Senior Pastor, without a vote of the membership or a board of trustees elected by the members, now has ultimate control over the church and its $1 Billion in assets that came from tithes and offerings.”

The group claims Second Baptist leadership “has allowed this situation to get to a place where the only path remaining to safeguard the church, and its assets is legal action to overturn the improper vote that occurred in May 2023.”

Although Senior Pastor Ben Young has denied any wrongdoing with the bylaws changes, the group intends to appeal the decision, reported The Chronicle.

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