Christian Church Of Thousand Oaks

Iv been attending this church for my entire life and love it! Great youth group and youth pastor

So, I’ve only been to this church once and the associate pastor was preaching. But I gotta say, they kinda have it going on. Let’s start with the building. It’s big. Lots of different buildings, a playground, classrooms, a lower level thingy along Ave de las Flores. Maybe that’s their fellowship hall. Either way, lots of facilities. Some of the structures need maintenance. But I’d rather see them put their budget into ministry than shrines for themselves. The building maintenance was ok. The ladies room was sparkling clean and well maintained. Off from the sanctuary they have a «cry room» so there are less screaming weamies than one generally encounters at church.
The contemporary worship consisted of three dudes with guitars and a drummer with an acoustical set, locked up in a soundproof room with windows. The main guy, Marty, had an acoustic-​electric guitar. (Looked like a Taylor but I was far away.) He did the fast strumming thing that’s so stylish and annoying in churches these days, but the drummer kept the tempo up so it wasn’t a double-​time dirge that seems to infect most contemporary worship these days. The electric guitarist was… Really good. As was the drummer and the bass guitar. The guys did all the singing and leading. The keys were a range both acceptable to people whose ranges were somewhere between alto and tenor. That fits most people in the congregation, albeit not all. The volume was a bit high for good groking spiritual, congregational singing; in a sense it smacked of a performance while parishioners did their level best to hear themselves sing. Indeed it was confirmed that the songs were perceived more as a performance when, after each one, the congregation applauded.
The prayers and scripture readings were appropriate to the message. The announcers and announcements had purpose and were not too pushy or cheeky. They conducted the fastest baptism I’d ever seen. Like, it took about a New York minute to give a guy a water baptism. Alrighty then, obviously this church respects schedules and I can respect that.
The message was well organized and meaningful. It taught new concepts and it was obvious that the associate pastor was coming from a position of experience and authority.
The congregation seemed like a cross section of conservative Thousand Oaks, while seeming to know, love, and care about each other.
On balance, I felt the experience was fulfilling and meaningful. I felt that «God was there», and that this was a church I’d like to know better.
The worship needs to be less of a performance and involve the congregation more. Beyond that, I felt that this church had a good balance for a contemporary setting.
There is a traditional service as well. I did not attend that, but might some time. I’ll try to update this review as I learn more about this church.
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