Colleges and churches are not the same thing, according to a ruling of the Board of Zoning Appeals. Capital Bible Seminary, a division of the Lanham, Md.-based Washington Bible College, had opened a satellite campus within the McLean Bible Church on Leesburg Pike.
The church is in a residential zone and was granted a special exception to operate there in 1999. Another exception was granted in 2003 for a not-yet-built respite center to serve families with children who have special needs.
However, the exception did not cover allowing a third-party to conduct college classes on site. "They did not have permission to do that," said Jim Robertson, planning and zoning chair of the McLean Citizen’s Association.
REPRESENTATIVES from the church and the seminary each signed a Memorandum of Agreement in August 2001. According to the terms, the seminary would be able to operate a 2,500-square-foot area for a library and office space and use additional classroom space on occasion. The total size of McLean Bible Church is 229,400 square feet.
While the students pay tuition to the seminary, the seminary does not pay for the use of church facilities. Full-time church staff receive a 75 percent discount on tuition, while part-time staff receive a 50 percent discount. The memorandum would expire five years from the time of signing, after which it could be renewed.
The seminary also conducts classes at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield and at Cherrydale Baptist Church in Arlington. The three campuses had a combined enrollment of approximately 90 students, said Homer Heater, president of the Capital Bible Seminary.
In October 2004, the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning ordered that the classes be halted. A seminary, wrote Barbara Byron of the county’s Zoning Evaluation Division, constitutes a college and as such needs specific permission to operate. "The addition of such a use would require the submission of a special exception amendment application and its approval by the Board of Supervisors," Byron wrote.
The church appealed the decision, saying that the classes, as part of a seminary, served the overall mission of the church. "This would be an entirely different case if a college wanted to conduct courses such as on American History or on a foreign language at the Church, because those classes would not be in [sic] integral part of or accessory to the mission of the church," wrote Jerry Emrich, attorney for the church.
ON MARCH 15, the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals agreed with the Department of Planning and Zoning, and found that the church will need to go through the special exception process, which would involve hearings before the Fairfax County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.
The process, Robertson pointed out, would likely result in some conditions being placed on the seminary. "One of the problems with the seminary as it was being conducted is the seminary could operate without any bounds," he said.
The seminary is allowing the church to decide if it will pursue an exception. "We are not taking the lead on that," Heater said.
Supervisor Joan DuBois (R-Dranesville) concurred with the finding of the Board of Zoning Appeals, and is now waiting to see if the church makes an application before she comments on whether she believes it should be permitted. "You don’t pre-judge something like that," DuBois said.
She noted that the community at large would be consulted in any decision. "Community reaction would weigh heavily," DuBois said.
Heater said he does not know if the Springfield church has permission to have classes there. However, the seminary is undeterred in its mission and hopes to restart classes. "We are committed to our Northern Virginia ministry," said Heater. "Even if it means renting our own place some day."
Representatives from McLean Bible Church did not return phone calls for comment.