the light project.

The Light Project is…

The Light Project is a spiritual journey that our church undertook in late 2017 to become a light to the city, the nations, and generations. The project involves the construction of a worship facility on our church-owned 6-acre property at the intersection of Highway 8 and College Avenue.

Project Update

After years of public engagement and processing of our development application, The Light Project was denied on a split vote by the San Diego City Council.  Our Church leadership believes the decision to deny was inappropriate and  discriminatory against us as a religious institution. 

As a result, we have decided to take legal action to seek a fair redress of our request to build a home for our congregation on this property we own at 5555 College Avenue. This action was taken after careful consideration, in depth discussions with legal experts, and much prayer. 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes, the Church is the harmed entity and, therefore, the plaintiff against the City of San Diego for their inappropriate and discriminatory decision to deny our development application.

  • Despite working for years in good faith and favorable findings from our environmental review, which resulted in a unanimous Planning Commission recommendation in favor of the Church’s approval, the San Diego City Council denied our project on a split vote relying on false information and a justification in conflict with the City’s own professional staff judgement, city procedures and in contrast with decisions made to approve other similarly situated non-church, non-religious projects.

  • Yes, the Church has provided a page for those who are curious or hesitant about the process of taking legal action. CLICK HERE for more info.

  • Federal law and our US Constitution protects the fair and equal treatment of all people, including religious institutions. If a development application for a Church is denied for the simple and clear fact that it is a Church, then it is an inappropriate and discriminatory decision in conflict with federal protections on equal treatment under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA). In this case, the City Council based its decision on community opposition to a Church, not on facts that could be applied equally to all potential developments in a similar situation. The City, in fact, broke its own rules of environmental review, as well as their professional staff recommendations and informed positions in attempting to justify this decision amidst a torrent of hate filled, anti-Church rhetoric, hyperbole and misrepresentation.

  • The best place for a person of the Press to get info is on the PRESS page in the main menu, which has the full press release, contact info, as well as links to the full complaint and the Project Info webpage which has more extensive project information.

  • The Church is seeking for the Court to overturn the inappropriate and discriminatory decision to deny The Light Project. In overturning this denial, the Church is seeking to build its new home at the College Avenue site consistent with the facts presented during the hearing process.

  • Yes, you can access the lawsuit here: CLICK HERE

  • The legal process can be lengthy, so it could be a year or longer to receive a decision. Given the facts in this case and the clear record of discrimination, the Church’s lawyers are asking for a more immediate resolution and are hopeful the Court will grant our request.

Brief History

Starting in summer of 2018, the church embarked on a public engagement effort to further the pursuit of a new home for our congregation. The Church engaged in 19 meetings over several years with our Del Cerro neighbors and greater Navajo community, forming relationships and receiving input for the project.

The tone of these meetings changed when a different group of residents formed to block the project. The church continued with the city’s process despite harassment and various false and defamatory accusations. Six years later, after a thorough environmental analysis, a positive staff recommendation, and a unanimous vote at the Planning Commission in late 2023 to support the project, the Church received a denial vote at City Council in January of 2024.

Biblical Grounds

As Christians, there can be many thoughts that arise when one considers taking legal action. 

Therefore, even though this will not be a comprehensive theological treatise, our desire is to give some biblical underpinning behind Christians taking such an action.

Some Christians immediately have a negative reaction towards taking legal action. Much of this stems from a loving and caring heart, and immediately thinking of Scripture teaching us to not hastily take a brother to court, (I Corinthians 6:1-6) but to try to settle disputes before going to a judge. This would certainly be the position we would take.