ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A New Jersey megachurch has had restrictions imposed on it by town officials, including a required two-hour lapse between Sunday services.
The restrictions, imposed as part of the approval for the church’s expansion program, prohibit Christ Church from holding Friday and Sunday evening events, require that Bible study be held on Wednesdays and cut the number of parking spaces the church can build.
The church formally opposed the restrictions in a recent letter to the planning board in Rockaway Township, N.J.
Christ Church has been a controversial project for nearly three years. Many residents were upset about the project’s size, the additional traffic it would cause, its environmental impact and the fact that the church is a tax-exempt organization.
In October, the planning board approved plans for a 2,500-seat sanctuary, a K–5 school and other amenities. But the approval came with dozens of conditions, some of which are contrary to the U.S. Constitution and a federal law that prohibits land use decisions that discriminate against religious organizations, church leaders said.
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