Throughout 2024, many pastors and ministry leaders walked boldly into the wind when trials came their way. We’ve seen government officials pressuring ministries to compromise their faith in order to obtain publicly available benefits, dictating who they can and cannot hire, and even censoring pregnancy resource centers from sharing about the life-saving abortion pill reversal process.
Yet, in the face of these challenges, churches and ministries continue to stand firm, embodying faithfulness, courage, and resilience. By God’s grace, 2024 brought meaningful victories for religious liberty. Here’s a look at what was accomplished this year.
Two pregnancy centers and one network affiliate sued New York Attorney General Letitia James for abusing her authority by censoring the pregnancy centers because they tell women about the potential of using progesterone for abortion pill reversal. Progesterone is a safe and naturally occurring hormone that can often be successfully used to counteract the life-ending effects of abortion drugs when taken in time. In August, the pregnancy centers argued before a federal district court asking to halt state officials from violating the centers’ freedom of speech while their case proceeds. In a rapid turnaround, the federal court agreed and is allowing the pregnancy centers to tell women about the life-saving potential of using progesterone for abortion pill reversal while their lawsuit continues.
Early last year, Yakima Union Gospel Mission filed a lawsuit, with the help of ADF attorneys, against the state of Washington because in 2021, the Washington Supreme Court reinterpreted state law to prohibit religious organizations like the mission from requiring all employees to share and live out their religious beliefs. The new enforcement of the law hinders Yakima’s religious hiring practices. The district court dismissed the case, but in July, Yakima pressed on and asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to allow the lawsuit to proceed to protect its freedom to hire like-minded people of faith. The 9th Circuit allowed the ministry’s lawsuit to continue. Because the case could proceed, the ministry was granted temporary relief after its first hearing. Yakima Union Gospel Mission can now hire like-minded people of faith as the case continues.
Youth 71Five Ministries was kicked out of Oregon’s state grant funding program because it asks employees and volunteers to sign a statement of faith. With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, 71Five asked a federal district court to protect its freedom to work with like-minded individuals who share and live out its religious beliefs and mission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through various youth mentorship programs. Unfortunately, the district court dismissed the case, so 71Five immediately appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. In August, the 9th Circuit granted an emergency injunction, allowing the ministry to receive the grant funds while the appeal continues.
Vermont state officials unconstitutionally signed a law infringing on pro-life pregnancy centers’ ability to provide support to women and families seeking help with unplanned pregnancies. The law censors the centers’ ability to advertise their services and places restrictions on their ability to provide information, counseling, and other non-medical services. With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, Aspire Now, and Branches Pregnancy Resource Center teamed up to challenge the unjust law. In June, a federal district court in Vermont allowed the lawsuit brought by pregnancy care centers to proceed.
The Biden administration and California state officials unlawfully suspended Church of Compassion and Dayspring Christian Learning Center from participating in a federal food program because of their religious beliefs. The church and preschool reached a favorable settlement with California state officials with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, the National Center for Law and Policy, and Advocates for Faith and Freedom. As part of the settlement, the officials acknowledged that the church and preschool, as faith-based organizations, are free to continue participating in a federal food program while following their religious beliefs.
In July 2020, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed the so-called Virginia Values Act into place. This law compels churches, religious schools, and Christian ministries to hire employees who do not share their stated beliefs on marriage, sexuality, and gender identity—or face fines of up to $100,000 for each violation. A companion law also forced ministries to include in their employee healthcare plans procedures to make people appear to be the opposite sex. Calvary Road Baptist Church and other ministries challenged the Virginia Values Act with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom. By God’s blessing, a favorable settlement concluded the case. Virginia officials conceded that religious organizations are free to employ only individuals who hold the same religious beliefs held by the ministries.
In a victory for religious employers, a federal district court ruled in March that the Biden administration cannot force non-profit and for-profit religious employers and healthcare providers to violate their religious beliefs by paying for and performing harmful “gender transition” surgeries, procedures, counseling, and treatments. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing the Christian Employers Alliance asked the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota to prevent the administration from imposing two mandates against CEA, which the court did, finding that “CEA’s religious beliefs are substantially burdened by the monetary penalties it faces for refusing to violate its beliefs.”
Following a lawsuit brought by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson officially closed his unconstitutional investigation of a faith-based network of pro-life pregnancy centers and one of its Washington affiliates and stated he would not file litigation. ADF attorneys representing Obria Group and Obria Medical Clinics PNW challenged Ferguson for singling them out because of their life-affirming views through an unlawful investigation into their sensitive records and material. Ferguson had previously denied that his investigation caused the clinics any harm and had said this precluded the federal court from hearing the clinics’ claims. However, after the clinic in Washington showed that Ferguson’s investigation caused it to lose insurance coverage and to pay seven times more for replacement coverage, Ferguson issued an official letter closing his investigation.
It's incredible to see the number of victories in 2024! We praise God for every success and are reminded that this is only made possible because of Him.
We are excited to see what's in store for 2025. Alliance Defending Freedom will continue to advocate for religious freedom and find opportunities to work with the new administration to advance your God-given right to live and speak the truth. For the ADF Church & Ministry Alliance, we will continue to advocate for the Church and provide new resources and tools for both members and non-members.
One of the new tools you can take advantage of in the first month of 2025 to proactively protect your ministry is the Religious Liberty Assessment. Designed specifically for churches and ministries, this tool helps evaluate the legal foundation of your organization's religious liberty. It identifies vulnerabilities and opportunities to ensure governing and operational documents appropriately reflect their mission, convictions, and unique Christian identity. It's not just about avoiding legal pitfalls—it's about ensuring your ministry is prepared to live out its calling. The ADF Church & Ministry Alliance will be launching this assessment for its members in mid-January. Become a member today to access the assessment once it's live.
Throughout 2024, many pastors and ministry leaders walked boldly into the wind when trials came their way. We’ve seen government officials pressuring...
