Protestant congregation in Michigan fights township over fines, limits on religious activity – Catholic World Report

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 28, 2025 / 17:45 pm

A Protestant congregation in Michigan is facing $4,500 in fines and ongoing restrictions on their religious activity imposed by Windsor Township, according to their lawyers.

The Sanctum of One God Church asserts the township has delayed permit processing and has imposed restrictions on the congregation that curtail its religious activity. The congregation’s lawyers at First Liberty Institute argue that the township is violating First Amendment protections and other federal laws related to religious land use, and that the government’s actions could affect any religious organization trying to establish a parish or ministry.

The township approved a “temporary certificate of occupancy,” which restricts operating hours to Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., a year after the church opened its doors in October 2024. The township also permitted one morning service on Sundays.

Under the rules, the congregation is not permitted to host wedding receptions, meetings, community events, or fundraisers. The thousands of dollars in fines stem from hosting three weddings, the lawyers said in an Oct. 22 letter.

The township is restricting the church’s capacity to 50 people, even though the property can hold 300 people in accordance with the Michigan Fire Code, according to the letter.

The letter argues: “No other secular assembly in the township is subjected to such restrictive operating hours or capacity limitations.”

According to the letter, the congregation received “overwhelmingly positive” public support at a township hearing back in March.

One of the strongest opponents, it notes, was Beth Shaw, the township’s supervisor and zoning administrator, whose property is adjacent to the congregation. Shaw did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

“It’s unthinkable that anyone in the Township of Windsor’s leadership would be so anti-religious that they would oppose a neighborhood church’s constitutionally protected right to freely engage in its religious activities,” Ryan Gardner, who serves as senior counsel for First Liberty, said in a statement.

“The Constitution and federal law forbid government officials from intimidating and preventing churches from using their property as a place to exercise their religious beliefs,” he said.

Gardner told CNA that he has recently seen “a lot of issues pop up around the country” with local governments restricting churches, food banks, homeless shelters, and other facilities by using zoning rules as a justification.

He also expressed concern about the potential conflict of interest from Shaw, who “does not want this church to be in her backyard.”

Gardner noted that before the Sanctum of One God Church was formed, a separate church occupied the building for nearly 60 years without these types of restrictions. “This church has been there longer than her,” he said.

He argued that such actions violate the First Amendment when a governmental body is “targeting someone who’s using their property for religious [purposes]” or “interfering or preventing people from having religious services.”

Gardner compared the case to restrictions during COVID-19, when Catholic churches and other religious groups sued state governments for facing stricter rules than secular organizations.