Adult and Teen Challenge (“A&TC”) of New England and New Jersey is a faith-based addiction and recovery ministry with a residential program in New Jersey. Since 2015, A&TC has met the community’s needs by operating and maintaining an 88-acre campus at its Staton Mountain Road property.
At the end of 2022, as the ministry continued to grow, A&TC applied for approval of site improvements including landscaping, occupancy certification, and building expansions. The Township of Clinton responded by initiating an ongoing administrative process regarding zoning issues related to a newly asserted need for Township approval to continue their program.
One of the fire inspector’s demands is the replacement of a battery-operated exit sign with a hard-wired exit sign in a residential building. While A&TC is more than happy to comply, the Township refuses to issue the necessary permit, citing ongoing zoning proceedings.
For seven years, the Township of Clinton raised no concerns regarding the legality of the program. No zoning enforcement was pursued, and no zoning complaints were received from neighbors.
The Township has kept A&TC locked in its administrative hearings for more than two years, subjecting it to outlandish lines of questioning and cynical comments regarding its Christian identity and parachurch status by town leaders and even the Township’s attorney. These comments also extend to questioning about the A&TC’s nonprofit mission, vocational ministry, management philosophy, and accreditation while attacking the program’s success rate.
On July 12, 2024, while the zoning proceedings were still pending, the Township alleged that A&TC had changed the use of the main house without prior approval and subsequently imposed a $2,000 fine with an additional $1,000 per week for continued violation, a heavy penalty for the organization to bear.
In response to the Township’s repeated unlawful actions, First Liberty Institute sent a demand letter to the Township, calling for officials to issue a permit to connect wires to an emergency exit sign and cease the obstructive administrative actions targeting A&TC.
“Cities should welcome ministries that help vulnerable citizens, not block them with bureaucracy,” said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel for First Liberty. “The Clinton Township has reached for the petty tools of government to harass and restrict Adult & Teen Challenge’s ministry.”
In the demand letter, attorneys state, “The Township’s conduct violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, including A&TC’s right to the free exercise of religion. The zoning-hearing record reflects evidence of religious hostility and pretext, including questioning regarding A&TC’s Christian identity, parachurch status, vocational ministry, nonprofit character, management philosophy, and accreditation. Rather than acting as an unbiased quasi-judicial body, the Board has shown barely veiled and unfair hostility toward A&TC’s mission.”
News Release
For Immediate Release: 6.10.26
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
New Jersey Township Denies Permit to Connect Emergency Exit Sign for Addiction and Recovery Ministry
New Jersey township officials’ latest actions add to years of administrative hearings and endless red tape designed to stymie Adult and Teen Challenge.
Clinton, NJ—Attorneys with First Liberty Institute sent a demand letter to the Township of Clinton, New Jersey calling for officials to issue a permit to connect wires to an emergency exit sign and cease the obstructive administrative actions targeting Adult and Teen Challenge of New England and New Jersey.
You can read the letter here.
“Cities should welcome ministries that help vulnerable citizens, not block them with bureaucracy,” said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel for First Liberty. “The Clinton Township has reached for the petty tools of government to harass and restrict Adult & Teen Challenge’s ministry.”
Adult and Teen Challenge (“A&TC”) of New England and New Jersey is a faith-based addiction and recovery ministry with a residential program on an 88-acre campus. During the first seven years of operation, the Township of Clinton raised no concerns regarding the operation of the program or identified any zoning violations. However, when A&TC submitted an application for approval for site improvements including the installation of a required hardwired exit sign in the residential building, the Township refused to issue the necessary permit, citing ongoing zoning proceedings. The Township has kept A&TC locked in its administrative hearings for more than two years, subjecting it to outlandish lines of questioning and cynical comments regarding its Christian identity and parachurch status by town leaders and even the Township’s attorney.
Now, when A&TC asked for a simple permit to wire a dormitory’s emergency exit sign, the Township refused to issue the permit citing the pending administrative hearing. Until the Township allows the permit to connect wires to the currently battery-operated sign, A&TC has been forced to relocate its residents elsewhere.
In the demand letter, attorneys state, “The Township’s conduct violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, including A&TC’s right to the free exercise of religion. The zoning-hearing record reflects evidence of religious hostility and pretext, including questioning regarding A&TC’s Christian identity, parachurch status, vocational ministry, nonprofit character, management philosophy, and accreditation. Rather than acting as an unbiased quasi-judicial body, the Board has shown barely veiled and unfair hostility toward A&TC’s mission.”
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
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