Christian Youth Ministry In Leland Sparks Contentious Debate

Should a youth Christian ministry be allowed to set up shop in Leland’s business district? The Leland Township Planning Commission will consider that question at a public hearing scheduled for 5pm today (Wednesday) at the Leland Township Library. The matter has already sparked considerable controversy in Leland this fall. While the ministry’s proponents insist the group has become a beacon of hope and positivity for local youth, some families have expressed concern about the organization recruiting teens without parental knowledge or consent, among other issues.

The Leland LightHouse is a branch of Youth for Christ, a multi-national “Christian movement” that, according to its website, “pursues young people who often feel overlooked, to build relationships at pivotal moments.” Established all the way back in 1944, Youth for Christ now has more than 130 chapters across the U.S. Husband-and-wife duo Micah and Kya Cramer established the Leland YFC ministry in July 2024, building connections with local youth in part by volunteering at Leland Public School.

The LightHouse offers two weekly programs. On Friday mornings before school, “all highschoolers are welcome to come by The Cramer House” for an event called “Arise and Shine Friday Morning Coffee,” which features free beverages sponsored by Leelanau Roasting Company and “a devotional brought to us by a student or Youth for Christ leader.” From 6-8pm each Sunday, the Cramers host students – also at their private residence – “for a meal, community, games, worship, and a message followed by small group time where we intentionally dive into God's word.”

The LightHouse also organizes a other activities depending on the season, including trips to a local pumpkin patch, movie nights, and summertime boat cruises. At the end of June, the Cramers held a large-scale baptism event at Van’s Beach.

For months, the Cramers have been touting their new space in downtown Leland, the Lighthouse on Lake Street. The couple plans to convert a unit in the Harbor Shops building, located at 110 North Lake Street, as a clubhouse for their ministry. That space (pictured, left) was previously occupied by Grand Traverse Distillery, whose lease expired at the end of November. (A representative for the distillery says the company is “in the process of moving to a new stall in Leland,” with hopes of opening “by late spring.”)

The Cramers are waiting on a special land use permit (SLUP) that would allow them to proceed with plans for the clubhouse. The Lake Street building is zoned C-1 (or “village commercial”) which only allows certain business types by right – including retail, personal services, professional offices, and restaurants. Clubs can also be permitted in the C-1 district, but only by SLUP. Jim VanSteenhouse, Micah Cramer’s uncle, purchased the Lake Street property earlier this year, and an LLC he owns – Apollos Properties – is the applicant of record for the SLUP, which the Leland Township Planning Commission will consider this evening.

The permit application, and Leland LightHouse in general, has generated significant controversy this fall. On October 22, dozens of local parents sent “letters of non-consent” to Micah and Kya Cramer, expressing concern with the methods the LightHouse has used “to ‘pursue’ our youth.”

“Let us be clear, the families herein are pro-faith, but we are also pro-parent – parents who wish to be clear and transparent that you do not have consent to contact, coach, minister, speak to, preach to, photograph, record, or physically come in contact with our children,” the cover letter stated.

On November 24, local resident Bartlomiej Skorupa published an 11-page white paper titled “Youth for Christ as a Chain-Scale Operator: Risks for Leland.” Skorupa raised concerns about Youth for Christ and its controversies in other communities where it operates – including alleged discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, litigation between Youth for Christ-branded ministries and local municipalities, and sexual abuse scandals.

Last week, 27 Leland small business owners sent a “memorandum of concern” to the planning commission contending that the Leland LightHouse is a church, not a club, and therefore should not be granted a SLUP to operate on Lake Street.

“The Leland Township Zoning Ordinance has dedicated standards for religious institutions…and the standards expected of religious institutions are not met with [the Leelanau LightHouse’s] requested use of 110 North Lake Street,” the memo argued. “The undersigned members of the business community in Leland share the concern that allowing this zoning interpretation would create a precedent-setting, detrimental effect on commerce revenue, now and in the future. The harmful and lasting effects of such a choice include, but are not limited to: straining already-untenable parking during a busy season that continues to expand; reducing job opportunity; limiting tax revenue; and discouraging pedestrian patronage in a C-1 zone that is incredibly small, and fixed, in its footprint.”

VanSteenhouse and the Cramers defended their SLUP application at a November 5 planning commission meeting. VanSteenhouse, who relocated to Leland with his family in 2018, said the area was “missing faith-based initiatives” for kids, and argued that “what this community needs…is a youth center for these children.”

“There's a multimillion-dollar project to internally turn [110 North Lake Street] into something incredibly special,” VanSteenHouse said. “This place is amazing, and I hope as we go through the special use permit, you will see what we're talking about. We are not a cult.”

“Using the building a little bit this summer, we could see the benefits,” Micah added. “It’s visible, has giant windows, right in the central location… It provides safety for year-round students during our gatherings. The streets will be [plowed in the winter], the parents can see what's going on…and [we’ll be] providing, I believe, a much-needed safe place during these cold winter months for the students. And a much-needed refuge for a lot of the summer students as well, who are here and trying to find a place to fit in in the summer.”