The Town of Castle Rock and Rock Church released a joint statement last week announcing an end to the litigation between the two parties, which began last year.
The agreement allows Rock Church to operate its On-Site Temporary Shelter Ministry located in its existing parking lot, and the city will pay the church’s 225-thousand-dollar legal bill.
First Liberty Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys, whose organization helped to represent the church, released a statement last week celebrating the settlement, calling it “a welcome resolution that goes far to encourage churches who care for those in need.”
In recent years, Rock Church has provided shelter for the homeless in campers on its property. It has also been looking into building short-term housing on its campus.
Castle Rock said the housing was a violation of zoning laws where the church is located.
In its lawsuit, the Church claimed that the city was preventing it from exercising its religious beliefs by not allowing the church to operate its homeless shelter.
Last December, as part of the efforts to avoid further litigation, the town issued a revised Letter of Determination that explicitly allowed the church to operate the temporary shelter ministry and clarified that they could provide emergency shelter and work with the Red Cross, while the lawsuit worked its way through the courts.