The history of Torrey Pines Church is one of both remarkable blessings and distinct challenges. Over its nearly 50 year history, Torrey Pines Christian Church had been a thriving community of faith on a beautiful campus in the middle of La Jolla, California. Like many similar churches, it began as a small church that grew as its leadership and members reached more and more people for Jesus. As years went by, the church added buildings, including a new sanctuary for worship, an administration and classroom building, a children’s center, and a fellowship hall. These facilities created a unique and beautiful setting for worship, teaching, and fellowship that served as the host for a season of tremendous fruitfulness for the church. But as sometimes happens over the lifespan of a church, growth eventually plateaued and in time was replaced by a season of decline. Although the beautiful grounds and buildings remained intact, their ongoing upkeep and repair placed substantial demands on the church’s finances. Over time, this led the church to begin renting out its space to other organizations and other churches, which limited the church in its ability to fully utilize its own resources. After the departure of the senior pastor, the church began to consider its options. Could it find a leader ready to take on the daunting challenge of stopping the decline of attendance and managing the church’s difficult financial position? Or was it possible that there might be another path forward?
In 2015, the leadership of Torrey Pines Christian Church began a conversation with the leadership of the EastLake Church Network about the possibility of joining as a network church location. Through extensive dialogue, prayer, and careful consideration, the leaders and members voted to join the EastLake Church Network, with their first official service as a part of the network on Easter Sunday in 2016. In the time since, Torrey Pines Church has grown to average over 500 in attendance during a 12 week period at the beginning of 2018 and hosting over 1,000 for services over Easter weekend in 2018.
At Torrey Pines Church, the EastLake Church Network has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to renovate the worship center in the North Auditorium (Hashinger Hall), upgrade the lighting, video, and carpeting in the Sanctuary, and marketing and outreach to the local community. With new families joining every week, the church now has a bright future to match its accomplished past.