About
Our Team - All in for Jesus
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Session (Church Board)
In the Presbyterian Church, the Session and pastors make the key decisions relating to the spiritual life of the church. You might think of the Session (which includes the ordained pastors) as the church’s guidance committee or board of directors.
The Presbyterian system of governance is not unlike the American system. It’s democratic in the sense that church officers (elders and deacons) are elected through a vote of the church membership. It’s republican in the sense that the officers exercise their authority within governing bodies (the Board of Deacons and the Session) as representatives of the whole church family.
The Nominating Committee that nominates officers for service (Deacons and Elders) conducts a prayerful search for mature Christians who are striving to live in obedience to Jesus and are grounded in God’s Word. Our Session includes 18 ordained elders who have been elected to serve 3 year terms (and sometimes a second consecutive 3 year term). Service years on Session are staggered, so that each year one third of the elders – 6 – move out of leadership and are replaced by a new class of 6.
Our Session generally meets monthly to discuss, pray over and make decisions about the important matters facing the church. The Session and staff cast a vision for the church based on their understanding of where the Spirit is moving. All 14 of the committees and ministry areas of the church are under the authority of the Session and pastors.
Deacons (Church Care Team)
Deacons are church officers who also provide spiritual leadership. But the Board of Deacons focus more intentionally on the physical, material, social and emotional needs of the church family. The Deacons also address needs in the wider community.
The Deacons and pastors meet monthly. They stay in close touch with the church family- especially those who are sick, home-bound, stressed, hurting or troubled. Prayer is a big part of their ministry. They organize food deliveries, visit or call people in hospitals or their homes, mail cards and notes, assist with Communion, organize 2 annual church-wide meals, and offer friendship, counsel and prayer. Deacons oversee a special fund they can use to help people experiencing financial emergencies.
Like the Session, the Deacons Board includes 18 ordained officers who have been elected to serve 3 year terms (and sometimes a second consecutive 3 year term). Service years are staggered, so that each year one third of the Deacons – 6 – move off the board and are replaced by a new class of 6.
Our Beliefs
Vision Statement:
We are a community of imperfect people, united by God’s Spirit, discovering new life in Christ. Our mission is to love God with all our heart, love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and become better disciples of Jesus who will make new disciples.
We believe that apart from God we’re dead in our sin. The good news of the Gospel is that God offers us
forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus!
We receive that gift through faith in Jesus that leads to sincere repentance and joyful obedience to God’s Word.
We believe the Church is a community of people who've been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, through whom Jesus is building his kingdom. The Lord calls his Church to continue the work he began when he walked among us, loving others as he does.
In all we do, our goal is to help people to know Jesus and become like him. We grow in his character as we
apply his teachings in our daily lives.
We encourage everyone in the Church family to seek intimacy with God by practicing the disciplines of Bible study, prayer and worship.
We believe God created us to bless others, especially those who are poor, lonely, marginalized, afflicted or oppressed. We seek to grow God’s kingdom by engaging in ministries of justice and compassion. All in for Jesus | Sent out to serve.
Our History
The church currently known as La Crescenta Presbyterian (we’ve been through more than one name change!) was established in 1885. Grover Cleveland had just been elected President. Mark Twain was about to publish Huckleberry Finn. It was a long time ago. It happened at a meeting between members of the Presbytery of Los Angeles and several highly motivated Jesus followers living in the Crescenta Valley.
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Those eager first members taught local children to know and love the Lord. That concern and focus has been a huge theme for LCPC throughout our history. If you explore our Children’s Ministries, Center for Children and Abide Student Ministries pages, you’ll see that ministries with young people and families are still top priorities for us. Other big historical themes that continue to shape our family life are missions, where the goal is to send disciples to make new disciples of Jesus, and music, with an emphasis on joyful and passionate worship. As we build on the foundation we've inherited, doing our best to represent Jesus to the world, we honor God and those who've gone before us.
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