Mariners Church
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Mariners Church is a non-denominational evangelical Christian megachurch located in Irvine, California, situated in central Orange County. The weekend worship services feature use of contemporary music, video, drama and biblical teachings, and are held 4:30 and 6:30 pm Saturdays, 9 am and 11 am Sundays.
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[edit] Leadership
Kenton Beshore serves as the senior pastor. The church is governed by a board of elders elected by the congregation. The church is a member of the Willow Creek Association of churches.
[edit] Facilities
The church campus sits on 46 acres of land at the corner of Newport Coast Drive and Bonita Canyon Drive in Irvine, California. Church facilities include an 81,000 square foot worship center that seats 3,300, bookstore, café, a 63,000 square foot children’s ministry building named "Port Mariners" with a capacity of 2,000, junior and senior high school facilities, a three story church administrative building, parking lot, and play fields. Proceeds from the "Global Bookstore and Café" go toward the church's international missions and outreach programs. The church also operates a separate Mariners Resource Center located in Santa Ana, which sells used items donated by church members.
[edit] Attendance
Typical weekly church attendance ranges from 8,000 to 10,000, with annual growth in the 6%-10% range, making it the second largest church in Orange County, after Saddleback Church, and one of the largest churches in California. Mariners Church is ranked as the 48th largest church in America [1] according to the 2007 Outreach Magazine report of the 100 largest churches in America. Mariners Church is ranked as the 52nd fastest growing church in America [2] according to the 2007 Outreach Magazine report of the 100 fastest growing churches in America.
[edit] Statement of Faith
“We believe Jesus is the only Son of God, who came to earth as a man, died for our sins, and came back to life again. We believe in all who in faith trust in Him as their Lord and Savior to forgive their sins are part of the worldwide body of Christ”[3]
[edit] Guiding Values
a) Teach God’s Word; b)Be God’s Loving Family; c)Every Believer is a Minister with a Ministry; d)Be Innovative in our Ministry and Relevant in our Community; e)Be Contagious in Sharing Jesus Christ[4]
[edit] History
Mariners Church began as a small group of Christians who met for Bible studies in homes in the Newport Beach area starting in 1963. In 1964, this group organized the first Newport Beach Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, an event that has occurred annually ever since. As the church grew, it moved from holding services in a family home, to a series of rented locations, including Monte Vista School, Mariners Elementary School (the location from which the church derives it’s name), Corona Del Mar High School, and a small office building on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach.
In 1967 the first full time pastor was hired. The church purchased and built its first owned facilities at the corner of Bison and Jamboree in Newport Beach. In 1980 the church split, and a portion of the church formed a new church called South Coast Community Church on a portion of the property where the church is located today. In 1995, the church reunited. For several years, services were held in both locations.
In 1998, the church swapped the Bison property with Liberty Baptist Church, which had a property adjoining the South Coast Community church property. Finally, the church purchased another adjoining property from the Irvine Company for $18 million, expanding the campus by 18 acres to reach its current size. The church built and opened Port Mariners children’s building in June of 2005 and the new Worship Center, bookstore and café in November of 2005 at a cost of approximately $35 million. In November 2006, the church raised initial funds to build a new student ministries facility (Student Center), a chapel, a parking garage (completed October 2007), and remodelling of the administrative building, at an expected cost of $33 million. This construction project is expected to be completed in late 2008.
[edit] Kenton Beshore
Raised a pastor's son in Orange County, Kenton graduated with his Bachelors from Biola University in L.A. and his Masters from Biola's Talbot School of Theology. In 1978, Kenton came to Mariners as a college pastor. He loved Mariners' dream to reach out to those who weren't currently attending church - for whatever reason - and share the truth that God loved them more than they could ever know and, in 1984, he became Mariners' Senior Pastor. He has overseen Mariners stunning growth from a church of less than 500 to one of almost 10,000.[5]
