The Summit Church, the North Carolina megachurch led by Pastor J.D. Greear, is suing Chatham County, alleging religious discrimination after county commissioners denied a rezoning request. In a federal lawsuit filed on Feb. 14, the church claims that the Chatham County Board of Commissioners violated the 25-year-old Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), with its unanimous December denial of the church’s plans.
During meetings about the zoning issue, county commissioners discussed concerns about traffic, an influx of “outsiders,” tax and revenue issues, and the need to preserve the area’s “rural character.” After the lawsuit was filed, the county attorney insisted that local leaders are not “hostile to religious institutions and practices.”
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The Summit Church, which is in fellowship with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), has 13 campuses in 12 locations across the Raleigh-Durham area. One of those campuses, which has been meeting in an Orange County high school, hoped to build a new facility in nearby Chatham County.
The Summit leaders identified a 50-acre site that had previously been approved for a multi-use active-adult community; development of that project fell through. The church proposed a two-story, 82,000-square-foot building with a 1,200-person capacity, plus some additional smaller buildings, a play area, and an athletic court.
During an initial public hearing, county officials indicated the church’s proposed plans were reasonable. But at subsequent meetings, officials and residents voiced concerns about having such a large church in the community.
The Summit Church Aims To Defend Its Rights
In a statement, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners said the church’s rezoning request was inconsistent with the county’s development and conservation plans. Having a church on that land, it added, wouldn’t lead to high-quality jobs or diverse tax revenue.
About its lawsuit, The Summit Church said in a statement:
The Board of Commissioners unanimously rejected our rezoning request, claiming that we were too big, after previously approving large commercial and retail developments within approximately three miles of our proposed location. Their statements also made it clear that our church is not welcome at all in the County. We view this to be unjust and in violation of federal law, specifically the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), and are appealing to the courts because we believe we have a responsibility to defend our constitutional rights and the rights of all churches, regardless of beliefs, size, or methodology.
Chatham County has until March 7 to respond to the church’s request for an injunction. The church is also asking that the county pay its legal fees.
Bob Hagemann, the county’s attorney, said they are reviewing the complaint. “That said, we reject the notion that Chatham County is hostile to religious institutions and practices,” he added. “On the contrary, the County respects and supports the right of its residents to freely hold and exercise their religious beliefs.”
