Local pastor loses appeal in lawsuit against local GOP leader, pastor and church

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District affirmed a trial court's decision in a lawsuit that had one St. Joseph pastor suing another local pastor, a church and a local GOP leader.

According to court documents, the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a defamation case filed by First Christian Church pastor Brian Kirk.

Kirk filed an appeal after he filed his defamation case in Jackson County Circuit Court in November 2024, and the motion court dismissed Kirk's petition in May 2025.

Kirk cited that the trial court made an error in "dismissing his claims after improperly considering materials outside of his petition and ordering Kirk to pay $15,000 in attorneys' fees under Missouri's anti-SLAPP statute, because his petition makes a claim for the common-law tort of defamation, which is expected from the anti-SLAPP statute."

In court documents, the appeals court did not find any error in what the trial court did and affirmed its decision.

Kirk filed the lawsuit and alleged that "in an effort to prevent his reelection to the (St. Joseph Public) Library Board, (Josh) Blevins, who works for Grace Chapel, and (Steven) Greiert sent emails 'claiming that (Kirk) presented a danger to society and children because he would try to 'indoctrinate' other people and children into becoming part of the LGBTQ community while on the Library Board."

You can find the full Missouri Court of Appeals Western District opinion below.