Churches of Coffeyville Unite to Defend Religious Rights
COFFEYVILLE — The City of Coffeyville has formally withdrawn its attempt to classify an active ministry property as “vacant” and impose escalating annual penalties after the action triggered constitutional scrutiny and a formal legal challenge.
The City’s enforcement of Ordinance No. G-25-04 threatened a $500 annual fee, compounded year after year, unless the property—actively used for ministry and chaplaincy work—was registered as vacant. The building was neither abandoned nor vacant.
When Rev. Dr. James F. Linzey, a retired U.S. Army chaplain, a Wounded Veteran and pastor of Coffeyville Worship Center, went to City Hall to correct the record, the inquiry raised immediate alarm.
“I was asked what the contents of my building were, how my ministry uses the space, and whether my ministry has set office hours,” Linzey said. “Those are not neutral questions. They are constitutionally forbidden.”
Linzey warned that such inquiries cross a clear legal line.
“When government examines religious use, internal operations, or imposes financial penalties based on those judgments, it is no longer regulating buildings—it is regulating religion.” The City’s actions were not isolated.
At the same time, a historic African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in Coffeyville was also reportedly subjected to similar scrutiny under the ordinance. That congregation likewise challenged the designation and ultimately prevailed, reinforcing concerns that the ordinance was being applied in a manner that swept in active houses of worship across denominational lines.
Local taxpayer advocates echoed the concern. Joe Ferguson, a Director of the Montgomery County Taxpayers Association, addressed the issue publicly on Coffeyville radio, warning that overly broad enforcement of the ordinance could expose churches, nonprofits, and small property owners to intrusive oversight and unlawful penalties.
“This wasn’t about safety,” Ferguson said on air. “It was about power—and power unchecked always looks for the next target.”
Legal counsel for Linzey formally challenged the City’s action, citing the City’s own ordinance definitions and constitutional protections under the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Kansas Preservation of Religious Freedom Act, and due-process law. The challenge also warned that excessive fees and coercive regulation imposed on religious use can constitute de facto confiscation of property, even absent physical seizure.
The result was decisive.
On December 5, 2025, the City of Coffeyville confirmed in writing that the property at 113 E. 8th Street, leased to and actively used by a nonprofit religious organization, “does not meet the definition of a vacant or abandoned non-commercial structure” and was removed from the City’s vacant-building list the same day clarification was provided.
In other words, the city reversed course.
“Churches do not exist at the pleasure of city hall,” Linzey said. “Ministries are not retail storefronts. And the First Amendment is not a suggestion.”
Linzey told the city commissioners, city manager, and city attorney at a formal hearing that ministries often operate quietly and irregularly by design.
“Faith does not punch a time clock,” he said. “And government does not get to demand one.”
Community response has underscored the broader implications of the case.
“This should serve as a warning well beyond Coffeyville,” Linzey added. “When local governments attempt to pressure religious organizations through fees, registrations, or inquisitions into religious activity, they will be met with resistance—and they will lose.”
The resolution stands as a reminder that religious liberty is a constitutional right, not a municipal favor, and that attempts to erode it—whether by ordinance, penalty, or administrative pressure—carry consequences.
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About Rev. Dr. James F. Linzey
Rev. Dr. James F. Linzey is a retired U.S. Army chaplain, pastor of Coffeyville Worship Center, and president of the Military Bible Association. He has served in military and pastoral leadership roles for more than two decades and is an advocate for religious liberty and constitutional protections for faith-based organizations.
