Church members sue over minister's pay

NEW YORK, April 22 (UPI) -- A group of members at Riverside Church in New York have sued over the $600,000 salary to be paid the new minister.

The Rev. Brad Braxton is to be installed next Sunday, the New York Daily News reports. A state court judge refused Tuesday to grant an injunction to delay the ceremony.

The litigants say they were not told when Braxton was approved last year that he would be getting twice the salary his predecessor earned. He is also to get perks including private school tuition for his child and a full-time maid.

Riverside in interdenominational, operating as a joint United Church of Christ-American Baptist church. The church has a long history of advocating for social causes and one of its best-known ministers was the Rev. William Sloane Coffin, who became famous as an opponent of the Vietnam War.

Diana Solomon-Glover, who sings in the choir, believes Braxton's pay runs counter to tradition.

"Where's the social justice in this?" she told the News. "We have an economic crisis in the country, and none of the church staff are getting raises this year, but a few people at the top are getting these huge salaries?"