It certainly couldn't hurt to talk to the pastor. I agree with Mr. Silver that some churches don't seem to mind, while others do. When in doubt, ask for permission or park elsewhere. There's a church lot that some cyclists, including myself, use periodically. They're used to us and don't seem to care, but I wouldn't park there on Sunday. We often use church lots for our club rides, but we get express permission to do that--given the number of cars and liability issues.

When I first started riding, I often did a ride that was marked and maintained by a local bike shop. Instead of parking at the shop and having to cross a busy street, I would instead park in the adjacent neighborhood that is along the route. A homeowner spotted me once and asked only that I not park near his mailbox. Fair enough. A few months later, however, that same man approached me and told me that I'd been the topic of a recent HOA meeting. He'd been enlisted to inform me that I wasn't to park in the neighborhood--that the streets are for residents and their guests.

I was too stunned and tired to tell him to go jump!!!! The neighborhood isn't a gated community and last I checked, I'm free to park on a city street, even within a subdivision. It really burned me up that someone would be that petty. Plus, after having talked to the bike shop about the situation, we both agreed that the HOA was probably just a front and that it was really just this guy's beef with me. I haven't parked there since, but mostly because I don't do that route much anymore.