It is the second-fastest growing church in the U.S., and in 2012 ranked 23rd in size, in the country, according to Outreach magazine.

Just two years after moving into its current 162,000-square-foot space on South Boulder Road in Lafayette, the church recently purchased the vacant $5 million, 51,200-square-foot Lookout Mountain Community Church in Genesee to develop that site into a second campus. Citing Matthew 19:4-6, likeД«urgen, he added, вЂњI believe based on the Bible, which is my authority for life and the number one value at Flatirons, that God defines marriage and no human institution can change that, we can only choose whether we want to acknowledge it or not.вЂќДЇlatirons has seen its numbers mushroom in recent years, from 10,000 to 15,000 today. Nickell, while claiming that heterosexuals вЂњhave done far more damage to the institution of marriage than homosexuals ever have,вЂќ also turned to the Bible in making his case.

We deny the right of a bi-sexual to marry a man and a woman.вЂќ He went on to state, вЂњWe deny the right of a person to marry an animal or a tree. We deny the right to be married to groups of people, 3 or more who wish to be married.вЂќ вЂњWe deny the right to be married to children. вЂњThe вЂrightвЂ™ to be married is one of the most often denied rights in our country,вЂќ he stated. In making his case, Nickell wrote that there is a non-Biblical argument in support of denying marital rights to same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage is a topic that also has gained added currency in Colorado with the recent passage of a bill allowing for legal recognition of same-sex unions, which takes effect in the state May 1.

Nickell stated in the blog that he and Burgen have been вЂњbombarded with questions from folks in our church about вЂgay marriage'вЂќ in light of the Supreme Court this past week hearing oral arguments about CaliforniaвЂ™s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

In its first 24 hours, BurgenвЂ™s post had generated more than 1,000 вЂњlikes,вЂќ had been shared 250 times and generated in excess of 350 comments - many of which were supportive, some in opposition, and plenty representing a very lively debate.ДЄlso late in the week, Scott Nickell, one of two teaching pastors at the 15,000-member nondenominational church, wrote a lengthy blog entry on the Flatirons website in opposition to what he termed вЂњso-called вЂgay marriage.'вЂќ Why canвЂ™t we just be FOR what Jesus said was right, best, true and good? Jesus said вЂthis is what marriage was designed to be from the beginning.вЂ™ IвЂ™m just sticking with that as the best plan.вЂќ Jim Burgen, lead pastor at Flatirons, on his Facebook page Thursday, March 28, advised that, вЂњAll a follower of Jesus needs to do is say that you are hanging onto the definition of marriage that you find from Jesus who said that it was between one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4-6).вЂќД«urgenвЂ™s Facebook statement concludes with, вЂњChristians are always being labeled as вЂagainstвЂ™ something. Following landmark gay-marriage arguments before the Supreme Court last week, two top officials at LafayetteвЂ™s Flatirons Community Church - which claims the largest congregation in Colorado - have taken public stands in support of marriage being defined solely as a union between a man and a woman.

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