Times Have Changed; Zoning Laws Haven’t.
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Wed, July 02, 2008
- Viewed 52
- (3) comments so far
What follows is a very thought provoking article on zoning issues and the growing megachurch. We’re hearing more and more of these issues as churches grow in suburban areas.
Read the whole article here, then share your thoughts. Do we need more zoning laws? When do churches cross over the line (if ever); and when do community residents have a right to complain (if ever)?
I’d love to hear what you think!
According to an article in StyleWeekly, "Despite its convenience-store-like operating hours, as a house of God, Faith Landmarks Ministries isn’t too far removed from Chamberlayne Heights United Methodist Church, a much smaller house of worship located on the same brief stretch of Chamberlayne Road in Henrico County’s North Side.
God lives in both of these houses, but while he may stop by the 300-member Chamberlayne Heights United Methodist on Sunday morning for the sermon and on Wednesday night for Bible study, at the 8,000-member Faith Landmarks he also shops for books and CDs, grabs a latte at the coffee shop, graduates from high school, attends rock concerts and counts money in the church’s state-of-the-art business offices.
Both churches are close neighbors to each other as well as the subdivisions that line this stretch of highway between Richmond and Hanover County.
But each has a very different impact on Henrico County. While the smaller Methodist church goes largely unnoticed, Faith Landmarks has had to work hard to make sure its rapid growth doesn’t strain its relationship with neighbors and county planners.
Comments
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Peter Hamm on Wed, July 02, 2008
What I’m about to say is not a judgement on either of those churches… but if we in the church were known more for adding to and positively impacting our communities instead of for creating traffic problems on weekends, I wonder if stuff like this would even come up.
Opie on Wed, July 02, 2008
This may start a fight, but I’ve been thinking for a long time that it may not be a bad idea for the church to not have tax exempt status. Why not just pay the taxes? If we really want to help our neighbors, lets provide for roads, maintenance, etc. As for the building part, we tried to build on our campus and our neighbors started a petition. Not because they don’t like us or don’t want us to grow, they just didn’t want large buildings in their line of sight. We got approval, but the fight disheartened the congregation and the program was put on hold. We fell victim to the 80% rule and lost alot of momentum and growth.
Richard on Sun, July 06, 2008
Opie,
I would almost agree with the paying tax issue, but don’t forget the reason churches are tax free to begin with is because communities used to think they were valuable if not down right necessary to the functions of a neighborhood. Church’s were considered part of the infrastructure of the area just like water, sewer, power etc. Maybe this is a sign that Church’s no longer serve the local community as effectively, or the local community doesn’t value their service.
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