Colorado and Teller County public health departments dismissed the lawsuit against Andrew Wommack Ministries, Inc. (AWMI) since changing their public health orders regarding Governor Polis’ unconstitutional limits on religious gatherings made all of the claims against the ministry moot.
Liberty Counsel represents AWMI in the state court lawsuit that was filed by state and county public health officials to enforce a public health order that changed three times in six weeks.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis finally dropped Colorado’s COVID unconstitutional limits on religious gatherings and declared that houses of worship are essential and removed the attendance caps on worship. This happened because of the recent Supreme Court rulings on behalf of New York City synagogues and Roman Catholic churches in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo and Agudath Israel v. Cuomo and Liberty Counsel’s case of Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry in California.
AWMI is a Colorado nonprofit charitable corporation and religious ministry that provides Christian and biblically based conferences, seminars, events, and other religious gatherings. AWMI also has an affiliated ministry, Charis Bible College, which is a Christian college providing in-person and online biblical education courses. Charis Bible College currently has approximately 652 enrolled students, and typically has up to 200 more in regular enrollment. AWMI’s facilities at Charis Bible College can seat a total of 5,000 people since the main auditorium/sanctuary seats 3,100 individuals, and the remaining classrooms and event spaces can host 1,900 individuals. Liberty Counsel represents AWMI.
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “The Supreme Court has made it very clear that the courts and the states must begin applying the First Amendment to protect houses of worship and now we are seeing the fruit from that ruling. Houses of worship in Colorado are now out from under the unconstitutional orders of Governor Jared Polis.”
