Chalk up a significant win for religious freedom—this time from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The court ruled that religious organizations have the right to hire people who share their faith, even for non-ministerial roles like administrative assistants or technicians. In other words, faith-based organizations don’t lose their religious identity the moment someone steps out of the pulpit and into an office.

The decision applies only to religious organizations themselves, not to secular businesses or hospitals they may operate. But it still matters a great deal.

At stake is a basic principle: religious groups exist to advance a mission grounded in shared beliefs. Every employee contributes to that mission in some way. Forcing a religious organization to hire people who reject its core convictions undermines its very purpose.

Kudos to the Ninth Circuit for recognizing this simple truth.