The pastor of a church who is also president of the church corporation has actual legal authority from the corporation’s bylaws to bind the church to a legal services contract, an appellate court in Missouri has held. The fact that a law firm might also have collected its fee from the pastor personally does not preclude its collection from the church. Parishioners of the Richmond Heights Church of God in Christ filed suit against the church’s pastor and the church seeking to enjoin the sale of some church property. The pastor entered into a fee agreement with a law firm to provide services for defense. He signed the agreement individually and as president. After the case was settled, the...