Shoreline Council Candidate Resigns From Job At CRISTA Ministries

SHORELINE, WA — A City Council candidate quit his job at Shoreline-based CRISTA Ministries this week after reports that the Christian organization asked staff to disavow same-sex relationships.

David Chen is a first-time candidate running to unseat longtime Councilwoman Doris McConnell. Chen said in a statement Thursday that he quit his job as CRISTA's general counsel in protest.

"Every person—regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, and religion—deserves equal rights and to be treated with dignity and respect. The letter sent by my former employer in July detailing their anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs made working for them untenable. The positions reflected in CRISTA’s letter are wrong. This kind of discrimination by an organization that is supposed to support and educate students is completely unacceptable," Chen's statement read.

On Monday, the Seattle Times reported that several teachers quit King's High School after leaders told staff that CRISTA's officials stance is that marriage should only be between one man and one woman.

CRISTA is a global Christian powerhouse, operating schools, media outlets, and senior living facilities. The ministry operates several schools in the area, including the King's Schools campus in Shoreline. This year, CRISTA opened the Seattle Urban Academy along Renton Avenue in South Seattle.

Chen emerged from the August primary in the top spot, earning just under 50 percent of the 13,200 votes cast in the Position 4 race. McConnell earned about 32.5 percent of the vote, but has said that she barely had time to campaign due to a family issue.