Court enforces sanctions for contempt by pastor

An appellate court in Wisconsin has enforced sanctions for contempt against the pastor of a church who claimed he had authority to administer the business of the church after he became the Successor Pastor upon the death of his father.  A trial court had previously ruled that new bylaws had been properly adopted that provided that the Successor Pastor had authority only over the “spiritual” affairs of the Church while giving the board of directors supervision of the business affairs.