The Conejo Valley Church of Christ has gathered on East Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks since March 11, 1973, when a small group of members organized a new congregation to serve the growing Conejo Valley and to welcome the population that arrived with the opening of Pepperdine University's Malibu campus the year before. Today the church counts 105 active family units, with a typical Sunday morning attendance around 150 and holiday services drawing closer to 225. Known for its simple, scripture-centered worship, a cappella congregational singing, weekly communion, and a far-reaching missions program, Conejo Valley Church of Christ draws families, professionals, and a sizeable contingent of children and teenagers into a tight-knit community that worships each week at 2525 E. Hillcrest Drive. As part of the churches of Christ, an autonomous restoration tradition that emphasizes the unity of believers and the restoration of New Testament practices, the congregation governs itself through a team of lay elders and a small paid staff, with no denominational headquarters above the local church.
Worship Without Instruments
The Sunday worship service at Conejo Valley Church of Christ lasts seventy-five to ninety minutes and follows the pattern of worship described in the New Testament. There is no instrumental accompaniment; congregational singing is a cappella. The church points to the very phrase "a cappella," which means "in the manner of the church," as a fitting description of the practice. The singing is led from the front by a worship team under the direction of Rene Heard, who joined the office team in March 2006 and now serves as worship and media manager.
Several prayers are offered during the service, sometimes for specific needs and requests. Each week the congregation observes the Lord's Supper, following the practice of the first-century church, which broke bread on the first day of the week. Pieces of unleavened bread are passed throughout the auditorium, and each participant breaks off a piece and eats it. Trays of small cups of "fruit of the vine," usually grape juice, are then passed; each participant drinks the contents of one cup. Visitors who choose not to participate may simply pass the plate or tray along.
An offering is taken following the Lord's Supper as a way for members to support the ministries of the church; occasional collections support special needs in the community and around the world. Guests are welcome but not expected to give. The sermon, generally twenty to twenty-five minutes long, is preached by Andy Wall, who has served as preaching minister since January 2001. He holds a Master of Divinity from Abilene Christian University and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is generally addressed by his first name, and the absence of clerical titles reflects the church's belief in the priesthood of all believers.
At the close of some sermons, an invitation is extended. Those moved to do so may come forward while the congregation sings a hymn. Responses vary: some come for baptism, some to confess sin, some to ask for prayer, and some to place membership. Baptisms take place during the service by immersion, for the remission of sin.
Sunday Mornings for Every Age
Bible classes for every age meet each Sunday morning at 9:00 AM, an hour before the worship service. Three adult classes run in parallel. The auditorium class is led by a rotating team of teachers and follows a series that wrestles with the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of the shared Christian faith. In the overflow room, a discussion-oriented class explores what it means to live a good life. For post-college young adults, a third option meets in the overflow classroom nearest the coffee and donuts, providing a place to grow in faith while building community with peers. Parents of children in the Children's Ministry can gather in the conference room to the right of the stage in the auditorium for the Growing Families Class, a space to catch their breath and connect with other parents over a cup of coffee while their children are in class.
Children are directed to age-appropriate Bible classes at 9 AM. The curriculum is WonderInk, and during the sermon each week, children from toddler age through fifth grade are dismissed for a children's worship time that includes singing, prayer, scripture memory, and Bible storytelling. The nursery is staffed weekly during both Bible classes and children's worship and is always available for parents and the youngest children.
Small Groups Around the Conejo Valley
Beyond Sunday morning, the church maintains a wide network of small groups that meet weekly, monthly, or quarterly in homes, online, and at the church building. The Monday Guys' Group draws its inspiration from the story of the lame man lowered through the roof to meet Jesus, which John Ortberg called the "Fellowship of the Mat." The group meets weekly from 6:30 to 8 PM at a member's home for prayer, study, fellowship, and the occasional viewing of Monday night football.
The Monday Night Women's Bible Study meets via Zoom at 7 PM each week. Multi-generational, the group spends time in study, shares what is going on in life, and prays together. All Conejo women are welcome; the Zoom link is available from the church office. The Fifth Commandment Small Group meets on the last Tuesday of each month at 7 PM via Zoom, providing a space for adults navigating the care of aging parents to share concerns and pray for one another.
On Wednesdays, Flourishing Families meets from 6:15 to 7:30 PM at the church building. Designed for parents and couples, the group includes a separate kids' activity led by rotating parent volunteers. The Life Group at the Reynolds' gathers Wednesdays at 6:45 PM for Christ-centered conversation, Bible study, and prayer over dessert and coffee, with a monthly potluck. The fall schedule includes a video series on creation, followed by discussions of "The Chosen: Season 6."
Thursdays bring the Foster Life Group, which meets at a member's home from 7 to 8:30 PM with refreshments for all ages and family stages. Women's dinners take place quarterly at the church building from 6 to 7:30 PM with childcare provided. Other activity-based groups include the Saturday Guys' Golf Outing at Los Robles Greens, the Hiking Trails Ministry that explores Ventura County trails every eight to ten weeks, and Crafty Women, which meets one Saturday or Sunday per month at the building for an afternoon of friendship and project work.
Children and Youth Ministries
Children and teenagers form a large portion of the Conejo Valley family, and the church maintains dedicated staff for both. Amber Johnson serves as Interim Children's Minister. She attended Pepperdine University and earned a BA in Liberal Studies in 1999. She has spent her career as a classroom teacher, mentor teacher, and substitute teacher, and she and her husband Jeremy have four sons. The children's ministry philosophy is built around helping children fall in love with Jesus by engaging with the stories of the Bible, dwelling with God in prayer and worship, sharing his love with others, and joyfully serving in the community and the world.
For students in sixth through twelfth grade, Chandler Darby serves as Youth Minister. Darby joined the staff in the summer of 2025 and holds a BFA in acting from the University of Northern Colorado and an MDiv from Pepperdine University. The mission of the youth ministry is to encourage and equip young people to become lifelong Christ followers through coming to know Jesus, learning to follow Him, and living to serve others.
The youth group meets Sunday mornings from 9 to 10 AM in the teen room for Bible study; the group works through books of the Bible in multi-week series, building a big-picture view of Jesus' life, work, and ministry. Sunday evening devos run from 5:30 to 7 PM, gathering at Paige Lane Park during the warmer months and moving indoors to the church building after the time change. Volleyball, flag football, capture the flag, and kickball fill the time alongside a devotional.
Three annual retreats shape the youth ministry calendar. The HS Pismo Retreat each fall is followed by the IMPACT middle school retreat in November and a winter high school retreat, typically in Big Bear. The youth group also hosts two fellowship and fundraiser events during the school year to support their summer mission trip. For more than thirty years, students entering eighth grade and older have spent a week in Mexico building a house for a family with Amor ministries.
Missions Across Continents
The Conejo Valley Church of Christ embraces its identity as a missions church, following the command of Matthew 28:19 to go and make disciples of all nations. The congregation currently supports mission partners in Panama, Mexico, Cambodia, Ghana, Greece, Kenya, and the United Kingdom.
In Panama, Raul and Betty Alvarado serve with the Metro Church in Panama City, with several congregational visits in recent years. In Baja California, Mexico, the church supports medical and outreach missions in partnership with local churches and clinics. Across the Pacific, Julie Broyles serves as director of the Bible English Study Center (BEST) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Her blog, "Clips from Cambodia," shares stories of her work and the people she encounters. In Ghana, two members delivered medical supplies and spent time getting to know the team at a medical clinic during a spring trip.
Daniel and Karly Napier serve in Thessaloniki, Greece, and have visited the Conejo Valley congregation to share about their work. In Kenya, the church has long partnered with Made-In-The-Streets (MITS), a ministry to street kids in Nairobi, with teams of members traveling there to learn, help, and be encouraged by the children and staff. Megan Randolph serves with TeachBeyond in the United Kingdom.
In Ensenada, Mexico, the church shares a fifty-year-old partnership with City of Children, a Christian home for orphaned and neglected children. Members of the church serve as ministry champions for this outreach, and many of Conejo's people have made weekend trips there to play with the children and serve surrounding families.
Tutoring Neighbors and the Wider Community
The Conejo Academy Tutoring Program reflects the church's commitment to its immediate neighborhood. Members of the congregation volunteer on Thursday evenings from 6:15 to 7:15 PM, working one-on-one with first graders at Conejo Elementary School on reading, math, and games. The fall season runs from October through December, with the spring season continuing from January through April. The principal has made a special request for tutors comfortable working with children in Spanish, although most volunteers never need to use any Spanish.
Each year around Thanksgiving, the church hosts Armloads of Love, an opportunity for families to provide holiday meals for families from the neighborhood elementary school. Members also participate in the Conejo Valley Homeless Housing project in collaboration with other area churches and synagogues, and the church offers marital counseling services.
For those interested in health and well-being, the Health Ministry Team shares resources and educational opportunities related to the connection between physical and spiritual health, including a current listing of zoom and in-person classes on a variety of topics.
Lay Elders and a Small Staff
The church is led by a team of lay elders who serve in a volunteer capacity, providing spiritual oversight and direction for the work of the paid staff. The congregation currently has seven elders. The named elders include Michael, an English professor at Pepperdine University who has been a member since 1993; Bill, a member since 2016 active in adult education and children's and youth summer camps; Chris Heard, an Old Testament professor at Pepperdine University called to the eldership in 2022; David, a member since 1986 and longtime educator; Mike Rivas, a former secondary education professor at CSUN who has been a member since 1996 and helps lead the Young Professionals class; and Tim Willis, an Old Testament professor at Pepperdine University and member since 1989 who also preaches occasionally.
The paid ministry staff is small and largely long-tenured. Andy Wall has served as preaching minister since January 2001. Chandler Darby joined as youth minister in the summer of 2025. Amber Johnson is the interim children's minister. Rene Heard has been on staff since March 2006 and now leads worship and media. The office can be reached at office@conejochurch.org or 805.371.1381, and the elders collectively at elders@conejochurch.org.
What to Expect on Your First Sunday
Visitors are welcome to sit anywhere in the auditorium; no seats are reserved. A welcome card may be filled out and placed in the offering basket as it is passed or dropped in the offering box in the foyer on the way out. The cards can be used to submit prayer requests or other information to the elders and ministers, and they help the congregation thank guests for coming.
The Sunday rhythm is simple. Bible classes for all ages meet at 9:00 AM, with fellowship and refreshments between classes. The main worship service begins at 10:15 AM and typically lasts seventy-five to ninety minutes. Children's worship is available for children through fifth grade during the sermon, and the nursery is staffed throughout. Services are also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those unable to attend in person. The church maintains an active calendar of weekly meetings, small groups, and events through its Church Center calendar, and online giving is available for those who wish to support the work of the church.