The Summit Church has filed a federal lawsuit accusing a North Carolina county of denying a zoning request to build a church facility because of religious discrimination.
In the lawsuit filed Feb. 14 in the U.S. Middle District Court of North Carolina, the church — which is based in Durham — alleges that the Chatham County Board of Commissioners violated provisions of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) of 2000, a federal law that protects individuals, houses of worship and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and landmarking laws.
Background
The lawsuit stems from the Chatham County Board of Commissioners’ decision in December 2024 to deny The Summit Church’s request to rezone three parcels of land totaling approximately 50 acres to build a permanent location for its Chapel Hill campus, which currently meets in a local high school.
The Summit Church is a multisite congregation with 13 campuses that meet in 12 different locations across the Triangle region of North Carolina. Two of the campuses meet in the same location.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Chad Austin and originally published by the Biblical Recorder.
