HILLIARD, Ohio -- A Hilliard, Ohio, church has sued city officials, claiming they violated the U.S. Constitution by refusing to allow the congregation to worship in a rental hall where secular groups regularly meet.
New Life Church Hilliard alleges its free-speech rights were harmed by a zoning code that prohibits worship in a conference center, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The 100-member nondenominational church, formed in January, signed a one-year lease in April to worship at the Makoy Center. The church's first worship service was held May 5, according to the newspaper. In June, New Life's pastor, Matt Chittum, received a letter from the city claiming the church was violating a zoning ordinance and must cease worship at that location.
"Hilliard has clearly overstepped its authority by attempting to evict the church from the center," said Erik Stanley, an attorney representing New Life. "It makes no rational sense to allow so many secular assembly uses, yet to pick on a new start-up church simply because it is religious."
Details of the lawsuit were not disclosed.
Hilliard city officials are resisting a request from another congregation to rezone a former home-improvement store for use as a church, according to the newspaper. City officials say they're worried about losing tax revenue since churches are tax-exempt.
