Mass. Court Says Associate Professor at Christian College Is Not a Minister
An associate professor at a Christian liberal arts college is not considered a minister and is therefore protected from discrimination during her employment, the Massachusetts Supreme Court has found.
Typically, the ministerial exception applies to employees of religious institutions who carry out the duties of a minister, such as teaching religion or religious texts, leading prayers or delivering sermons. The exception means that these employees are not subject to the same protections of civil law prohibiting employment discrimination based on things like race, religion, national origin, sex or sexual orientation.