Youth ministry in Medford, Oregon, asks U.S. Supreme Court to review loss of state grants over religious hiring policy

Youth 71Five Ministries, a Christian youth ministry based in Oregon, has served children in the Rogue Valley since 1964, according to a 2023 report from Alliance Defending Freedom. That report says the ministry requires all board members, employees, and volunteers to affirm basic Christian beliefs, including the infallibility of Scripture and the Trinity. Other reports describe the organization differently: one calls it a Christian organization that serves at-risk youth, and another calls it a Medford-based Christian nonprofit and a Christian youth-mentoring organization.

The ministry previously received grants from Oregon’s Youth Community Investment Grants program and was recognized for its top-rated application in 2021, according to a 2024 report from Alliance Defending Freedom. State officials later adopted a new policy prohibiting grantees from hiring only individuals who share their religious beliefs. The Oregon Department of Education’s policy prohibits discrimination based on religion for grant recipients providing youth support services, according to The Bulletin. A 2025 report says the ministry lost over $400,000 in state funding for youth services after Oregon barred grant recipients from hiring based on religious criteria.

In March 2024, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the policy can only apply to activities directly funded by the state, according to The Bulletin. The Oregon Capital Chronicle later described the ruling as a partial decision in favor of Youth 71Five Ministries. The limit confines government authority to the work the state actually pays for, a matter of accountability and honest dealing (Proverbs 11:1).

Reports differ on the ministry’s next step in the Supreme Court. One report from Alliance Defending Freedom says the ministry asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its religious freedom case in 2024. An Oregon Public Broadcasting report, published by IJPR, says the ministry has petitioned the Supreme Court after losing state grants. The reports do not give a Supreme Court decision.

According to a May 2025 Alliance Defending Freedom announcement, the ministry’s attorneys would be available for media interviews following oral arguments in Youth 71Five Ministries v. Williams in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in Medford. That announcement described the case as a challenge to Oregon state officials for pulling funds over the ministry’s religious hiring practices. The telephonic hearing was scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, May 21.