A Tongan Methodist church congregation which opposes the appointment of gays as ministers has gone to court seeking ownership of an Auckland church. The congregation group has tried to split from the gay-friendly Methodist Church of New Zealand (MCNZ) but was told the church building, which they say they raised $900,000 to help build, belongs to the MCNZ. The group has asked the court to rule on who is the rightful owner. The split between the Church and the congregation has its roots in the Methodist's 1997 adoption of gay-friendly policies.