Fifty Years on Alicia Parkway
Mission Hills Church sits on Alicia Parkway in Mission Viejo, a few blocks east of Interstate 5 in the heart of the Saddleback Valley. The congregation traces its roots to 1970, when Pastor Jim Folkers was approached by the Conservative Baptist Association to consider planting a church in the area. After months of knocking on doors and personally inviting families, the church held its first worship service in October of that year. For two years the group met in area schools before moving into the current Alicia Parkway campus, where it has ministered ever since.
The church's stated purpose is to live for God's pleasure by serving those who don't know Christ and strengthening those who do, and its identity is shaped by a long-running welcome to anyone who walks through the doors. Today that welcome takes the shape of three Sunday worship services, a full family ministry from nursery through young adults, men's and women's ministries, a Wednesday recovery ministry, a disability ministry, a food pantry, and a community resource center that connects neighbors to a wide range of services.
Sunday Mornings at Three Services
Worship at Mission Hills is offered three times each Sunday at 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11:30 AM at 24162 Alicia Parkway. The church describes itself as a place full of families, and each service has a Sunday morning track designed for every age. Friendly volunteers are stationed around the campus to help newcomers find their way, and a Welcome Center is set up with coffee and people who can answer questions. The campus is wheelchair accessible and has plenty of handicapped parking. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
All three services include nurturing and fun classes for kids and students from birth through sixth grade, and the 9:30 and 11:30 services connect into Sunday Morning Groups for adults as well. After the 11:30 service once or twice a month, newcomers and regulars are invited to a taco lunch on the patio. Coffee with one of the pastors can be arranged by emailing the church office.
What Mission Hills Believes
Mission Hills holds to a historic evangelical Protestant faith rooted in the Bible. The congregation affirms that the Old and New Testaments are the only inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God and serve as the supreme authority for faith and conduct. It confesses one eternal God who exists in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Creator and Sustainer of all things.
About Jesus Christ, the church teaches that he is fully God and fully human, born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, provided atonement through his vicarious death on the cross, and was bodily resurrected. He ascended to the right hand of the Father, where he lives to intercede, and the church looks for his personal, visible return. The Holy Spirit is described as poured out on believers, indwelling every Christian at conversion, sealing them, and empowering them to live godly lives. The church practices two ordinances, the baptism of believers and the regular observance of the Lord's Supper, and is governed by a plurality of biblically qualified elders.
The Discipleship Pathway that orients the congregation's life is summarized in three movements. Be With Jesus means daily Bible reading, a daily prayer rhythm, and practicing his presence. Follow Him With Others means weekly worship, life groups and discipleship classes, and Christ-centered friendships. Practice His Way means serving regularly, giving generously, and sharing his love in neighborhoods and nations.
Children, Students, and Young Adults
Family ministry is a defining mark of Mission Hills, and the church has a dedicated pastor and team for nearly every stage.
Mission Kids. Children's ministry at Mission Hills, branded Mission Kids, is designed to be fun, friendly, and safe, with screened staff and a stated goal of partnering with parents to make kids disciples of Jesus. Classes meet at all three Sunday services for children from birth through sixth grade. A midweek program called Mission Kids JAM (Jesus and Me) brings kindergarten through sixth graders to the Alicia Parkway campus on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 PM for Bible teaching, energetic worship, games, and small groups. An annual Vacation Bible School rounds out the year with a week of games, songs, crafts, and Bible teaching for kids who are potty trained through sixth grade.
Rise (4th through 6th grade). Preteens have their own ministry called Rise, designed to bridge the gap between children's ministry and student ministry.
Junior High and High School. Mission Hills Student Ministries exists to love God, engage new believers, and encourage students who already have a personal relationship with Jesus. High school students gather on Sundays at 11:30 AM for verse-by-verse Bible study and on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 PM for Youth Nights, an environment designed so students can bring friends who may not know Jesus. The first Wednesday of each month is a Community Night, and the group meets on Tuesday instead. Annual events include a Winter Camp and a Summer Studies series on topics such as a Christian response to sexuality.
Young Adults. The Young Adults ministry serves college-aged students, roughly 18 to 23, with the stated aim of cultivating a godly community through expositional Bible study, meaningful connection, and practicing the way of Jesus. The group gathers Monday nights at 7:00 PM in a room called the Underground on the church campus, with food, worship, and an in-depth study of God's Word. The ministry also runs an annual summer camp, typically a road trip to a state park with tent camping, worship, and study.
Life Groups, Classes, and Spiritual Growth
Beyond Sunday services, Life Groups are described as the primary place where Mission Hills disciples are strengthened. Life Groups meet weekly in homes throughout South Orange County for about an hour and a half to two hours, working through the previous Sunday's sermon with guided discussion questions, praying for one another, and developing Christ-centered relationships. Groups are intentionally mixed across age, life stage, and marital status, and new participants sign up for the night of the week that fits their schedule before being placed in a group close to home.
The Groups and Classes menu also includes Bible Discussion Groups that meet throughout the week around the Sunday message, a Spanish Bible Study in Room 103 on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM, a monthly Prayer Night with Lead Pastor Brian Anderson on the first Wednesday of the month from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, and Sunday Morning Groups including the Kingdom Builders class for developmentally disabled adults at 9:30 AM and the Explorers adult class at 11:30 AM.
Several longer-term classes round out the discipleship pathway. Learning to Follow Jesus is a three-week class for new believers. Everyday Evangelism is a four-week class built around the BLESS framework: Begin with prayer, Listen, Eat, Serve, and Share Stories. Freedom in Christ is an eleven-week discipleship course with a required Saturday Steps to Freedom in Christ experience. Beholding Jesus focuses on building a devotional life.
Men's Ministry and Women's Ministry
Men. Mission Hills Men's Ministry connects men to God and to one another through weekly studies, monthly events, and an annual retreat. A monthly Men's Breakfast gathers on the first Saturday of each month from 8:00 to 10:30 AM for food, fellowship, and teaching. Helping Hands sends teams of four men once a month to homes in the congregation where widows, single mothers, and families facing job loss or illness could use practical help; teams meet at the church at 7:30 AM and serve from 8:00 to 10:00 AM on the third Saturday of each month. A twelve-week workshop called Faithful and True provides a confidential setting for men who have struggled with sexual temptation or pornography. Father-and-child events such as an annual Father Son/Daughter Nerf War and a Dad Camp have also become traditions.
Women. Mission Hills Women's Ministry focuses on helping women grow in a real relationship with Jesus. The Well is a Thursday-morning gathering for mothers of preschoolers that runs from 9:00 to 11:00 AM with breakfast, coffee, and childcare provided. A seasonal Women's Bible Study, a Women's Book Club, an annual Women's Gathering in January with worship and testimony, and a Women's Retreat round out the year.
Restoration Recovery and Disability Ministry
Two care-focused ministries meet on Wednesdays. Restoration Recovery gathers in the Worship Center on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM with worship music, testimonies, and chip celebrations, followed by Open Share Small Groups. There are separate groups for men, women, and families affected by addiction, and the ministry exists to be a safe and welcoming space for individuals dealing with hurt, habits, and hangups.
Disability Ministry reaches out to the local disabled community with a weekly Bible study designed to teach biblical truths and strengthen participants' Christian walk. The Kingdom Builders class, part of the Sunday Morning Groups track, gathers at 9:30 AM on campus for developmentally disabled adults.
The church also lists a Counseling ministry for those seeking pastoral or professional referrals.
Food Pantry and Community Resource Center
The Mission Hills Food Pantry and Community Resource Center is built on the conviction that hunger is more than food. The food pantry distributes nutritious groceries to neighbors in need on Tuesdays from 3:00 to 5:00 PM and Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:00 PM, with Monday and Thursday hours being added. The Community Resource Center partners with other organizations to offer services such as periodic financial literacy workshops, one-on-one job coaching, one-on-one financial coaching, government insurance enrollment assistance, life-skills classes, and computer access for searching for jobs, housing, or other needs. Resource Coaches are available by appointment.
Broader outreach efforts are organized under three headings: In Our Church (volunteering and serving within the body), In Our Community (the food pantry, resource center, and local partnerships), and In Our World (global mission engagement).
The Ministry Team
Lead Pastor Brian Anderson came to Mission Hills after seminary at Talbot School of Theology and years of ministry experience, and he now lives in Lake Forest with his wife Geraldine and their four children. Around him is a pastoral team that includes Karen Buchanan (Executive Pastor and Connections Ministry), Matt Garcia (Worship Pastor), Nick Sabio (Discipleship and Men's Ministry Pastor), Jake Saenz (Student Ministries Pastor), Everest Jilke (Young Adults Pastor), Allison Hoier (Children and Family Ministry Pastor), Tammy Guiso (Local Outreach Pastor), Ian Faulkner (Recovery and Community Care Pastor), and Megan McDaniel (Women's Ministry Pastor). Supporting staff include a Tech Director and Student Ministry Associate, an Early Childhood Director, and a Children's Ministry Coordinator.
Worship, Giving, and Staying Connected
Each weekend service is livestreamed on YouTube, with full messages and sermon notes available afterward, so anyone who cannot attend in person can still follow along. A podcast is also available, and recent sermon series are accompanied by downloadable outlines.
Giving can be done online through the church's giving platform, through the GYVE app for iPhone and Android, at giving boxes at the back of the Worship Center, or by mail to the church office. Questions about giving, including gifts of stocks or other assets, can be directed to the church office.
Visitors who want to plan ahead can use the Plan Your Visit page and a Get Directions link from the main campus address at 24162 Alicia Parkway, Mission Viejo, California 92691.