PASAY CITY ALLIANCE CHURCH/CAMACOP/REV. WILLIAM CARGO v. FE BENITO

Facts:
Pettoner Pasay Ciy Alliance Church (PCAC) is one of he local churches of is co-pettoner, Christan and
Missionary Alliance Churches of he Philippines (CAMACOP), a religious sociey regisered wih he Securites
and Exchange Commission.5

Responden Fe P. Benio (Benio), on he oher hand, is a licensed Christan Miniser of CAMACOP.6 Aer
completng a degree in Religious Educaton from CAMACOP's Ebenezer Bible College and Seminary as one of 
PCAC's scholars, Benio evenually served as PCAC's Head of Fellowship and Discipleship.7 In 2005, Benio was
appoined
appoined Head of PCAC's
PCAC's Membership
Membership and Evangelis
Evangelism
m Minisry,
Minisry, which was renam
renamed
ed Paso
Pasoral
ral Care and
Membership in 2009.8 Benio served wihou a wrien conrac.9 Pasoral Care and Membership is under he
supervision of he Church Minisry Team (CMT) and co-pettoner Reverend William Cargo (Rev. Cargo).10

The presen conroversy semmed from CAMACOP and PCAC's policy requiring pasors or minisers wihou
wrien conracs o ender a couresy resignaton every year.

Issue:
By assuming jurisdicton of he erminaton case, did he NLRC violae he separaton of he church and he
Sae?

Ruling:
YES.
We disagree wih he CA's inerpreaton ha he non-renewal of Benio's appoinmen was due o her
ineciency as an adminisratve ocer for her minisry and, hus, purely secular. This conclusion ignores he
signicance of Benio's positon under conenton, as he Head of Pasoral Care and Membership, fom1erly
known
kno wn as Mem
Memberbershi
ship
p and Eva
Evangel
ngelism
ism Minis
Minisry.
ry. I also
also ove
overlo
rlooks
oks he ne line
line beween
beween ecien
eciency
cy and
eectveness. Here, he CMT cied failure on Benio's par o "share" wih new aendees, Benio's inacton on
he deah of a mem
member
ber,, and several
several oher
oher adm
admini
inisr
sratv
atvee lapses
lapses ha imp
impac
ac on he condu
conduc
c of PCA
PCAC's
C's
ecclesiastcal actvites, such as evangelism, baptsm and Sunday praise or worship actvites.

We hold ha he erminaton of a religious miniser's engagemen a a local church due o adminisratve
lapses, when i relaes o he perceived eectviy of a miniser as a charismatc leader of a congregaton, is a
prerogatve bes le o he church aeced by such choice. If a religious associaton enacs guidelines ha
reserve he righ o ransfer or reassign is licensed minisers according o wha i deems be  for a partcular
congregaton, minisry or underaking in pursui of is mission, hen he Sae canno validly inerfere.