Youth for Christ Sues Michigan Township Over Denied Bible Study Permit

Youth for Christ filed a 169-page federal lawsuit on August 10, 2026, against Leland Township, Michigan, after the local planning commission denied a permit for a Bible study and youth ministry clubhouse.

The property at 110 North Lake Street was purchased in 2025 by James and Elizabeth VanSteenhouse through their company, Apollos Properties, LLC. Campus life directors Micah and Kya Cramer planned to use the space for high school students to gather for prayer, Bible study, and youth activities.

The planning commission voted 4-1 on April 15, 2026, to deny the special use permit. Officials classified the proposed use as a religious assembly rather than a permissible club under the township's C-1 commercial zoning rules.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, names Leland Township, the township supervisor, the clerk, and members of the planning commission and zoning board of appeals as defendants.

Plaintiffs argue the township's zoning ordinance violates the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the Michigan Constitution and federal civil rights protections. The complaint also notes that the township's own legal counsel had previously advised the planning commission that the proposed use was permissible and that denying the permit could violate federal law.

The plaintiffs allege the denial resulted from a coordinated campaign by local activists who pressured the township to block the ministry. Opponents had raised concerns about the group's activities, while supporters characterized the opposition as religious persecution.

Youth for Christ is seeking a preliminary injunction to render the planning commission's decision unenforceable and is asking the court to declare the township's zoning ordinances regarding religious institutions unconstitutional.