A California satellite campus of Mark Driscoll’s Seattle megachurch has run afoul of city officials for violating zoning laws.
Mars Hill Orange County meets on Sunday mornings in a concert venue, but Santa Ana officials say the 600-member church must move to a zoning district that allows churches. Driscoll says Mars Hill is investigating whether “we are just getting bullied by a political discriminatory agenda against Christianity and the church,” while Santa Ana, noting that two-thirds of its zoning districts allow churches, says Mars Hill Orange County “need[s] to comply with the same rules to which all other churches abide,” according to the Christian Post.
CT has reported on the recent trend of multisite churches crossing state lines, as well as a Mars Hill satellite logo dispute and whether churches should trademark their names and logos. CT has also profiled Driscoll’s rise to celebrity status.
CT has also reported on the recent increase in church-city zoning battles during the recession.
