Mariners Church has shaped Southern California's spiritual landscape for more than fifty years, growing from a small gathering at a Costa Mesa elementary school into one of the region's largest multi-campus congregations. In Mission Viejo, the church meets in a thoughtfully designed Worship Center on the Plaza Level of the Kaleidoscope Mall, drawing families, students, and seniors from across south Orange County into a community built around worship, teaching, and service. From that single anchor location, Mariners has multiplied into a family of congregations reaching from Anaheim through Irvine and south to San Clemente and Oceanside, with companion ministries in Los Angeles and a thriving online expression that broadcasts services throughout the week.
A Church Family Spanning Southern California
What began as one congregation in the early 1970s has become a network of fourteen worshiping communities, each with its own lead pastor and ministry team but united by a common mission: inspiring people to follow Jesus and fearlessly change the world. Mariners Church now meets in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Mission Viejo, North Irvine, Oceanside, San Clemente, Santa Ana, and Trabuco Canyon, with two new congregations set to launch in Tustin and La Mirada/Fullerton in December. Two additional Sunday gatherings take place inside partner facilities: Mariners at OC Rescue Mission meets at 1 Hope Drive in Tustin, and Mariners at Union Rescue Mission meets at 545 South San Pedro Street in downtown Los Angeles.
Each congregation runs its own weekend services, kids ministry, student ministry, and small-group network, while the church as a whole staffs shared teams for worship, communications, outreach, and pastoral development. The Irvine campus, anchored on Newport Coast Drive near Crystal Cove, remains the headquarters and hosts the bulk of Mariners' central resources, including the Mariners Cafe, the Mariners Bookstore, the Mariners Church Preschool, the Mariners Thrift Store, and the Mariners Food Pantry. Every campus shares the same teaching schedule and the same weekend message, which is also broadcast live through Mariners Online.
What Mariners Believes
At the center of Mariners' identity is a simple confession. "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," the Statement of Faith reads. "We believe all who in faith trust Him as their Lord and Savior to forgive their sins are part of the worldwide body of Christ." From that foundation flows the rest of the church's teaching about the Bible as God's Word, the atoning death of Christ on the cross, the resurrection, and the promise of salvation to all who confess Jesus as Lord.
Mariners teaches that transformation is a lifelong process, not a single moment, and has named that process the Transformational Loop. Each point on the loop represents a stage of discipleship: following Jesus, growing together in community, serving one another, and changing the world. Every ministry at Mariners is designed to help people take a next step somewhere along that loop, whether through Rooted, Life Groups, serving on a team, or going on a faith adventure overseas. The church holds a Statement of Faith and a Leadership Commitment that all pastors and ministry leaders affirm, and the church hires only those who share its core beliefs.
The Mission Viejo Congregation
The Mission Viejo campus is pastored by Erin Kerr, a twenty-year ministry veteran who has led church plants and large churches before coming to Mariners. Kerr graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in graphic design and later earned a master's degree in theological studies from North Park Theological Seminary. He and his wife Joy have three daughters: Autumn, Eden, and Phoebe. The family lives in Mission Viejo itself. Kerr is known for his love of coffee, CrossFit workouts, and a stubborn devotion to the Dallas Cowboys.
Worship in Mission Viejo takes place on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 10, and 11:30 a.m. inside the Worship Center on the Plaza Level of the Kaleidoscope Mall, 27741 Crown Valley Pkwy. The Plaza Level entrance is reserved for families, with direct access to the Kids Space inside the Ministry Center, and the full four-level parking structure means visitors rarely struggle to find a spot on Sunday morning. A parking team member greets guests at each level to direct traffic, and the front lot on Plaza is set aside for first-time guests, families with small children, and anyone needing assistance.
Weekend Services and What to Expect
Mariners' weekend gatherings are designed to be a first step into the life of the church. A typical service runs about an hour and includes congregational singing, prayer, a Bible message, and an opportunity to respond, followed by a patio gathering where newcomers are invited to ask questions and meet the pastors. Services at Mission Viejo follow the same teaching as the other Mariners campuses, drawing from book-by-book Bible series, seasonal studies, and ongoing topical work. The teaching rotation has covered Genesis, Exodus, the Parables of Jesus, Nehemiah, the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Revelation, taught by the church's teaching team.
Services are also livestreamed through Mariners Online, with weekend broadcasts available on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings, plus a daily weekday devotional broadcast Monday through Friday at 8:30 a.m. Pacific. The teaching team includes Senior Pastor Eric Geiger, Pastor Emeritus Kenton Beshore, Christine Caine, Doug Fields, Ines Franklin, Steve Bang Lee, and Ed Stetzer, the Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University who also serves as Scholar in Residence. Live translation of the weekend services is available at Irvine, North Irvine, and Anaheim in Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Arabic, Farsi, and Russian, with English captions for guests who are hard of hearing.
Mariners Kids
Every weekend service at Mission Viejo runs a full Mariners Kids program alongside the adult gathering, with three age environments: Early Childhood for infants through age five, Elementary for kindergarten through third grade, and Bridge for fourth and fifth graders. Each child is paired with a consistent small group and a trained leader for the school year, and every volunteer working with children has been interviewed, background-checked, and trained. The check-in system uses a unique claim code for each family, and every classroom is cleaned and resanitized before services. Kids programming is available at every weekend service at every Mariners congregation.
Elementary students at Mission Viejo meet in dedicated small groups at the same time their parents are in the Worship Center. Mariners Church does not baptize infants; instead, parents are invited to participate in Child Dedication, the first faith milestone, while children who make a personal decision to follow Jesus are prepared through the Kids Baptism Class. The class is designed for second graders and older, though younger children can attend after a conversation with the Kids team. Mariners also runs a Junior Leadership Class for older elementary students who want to serve in kids ministry themselves.
Junior High, High School, and Young Adults
Junior High Ministry (JHM) gathers in Mission Viejo on Sunday mornings at the 10 and 11:30 a.m. services, then again on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for JHM Life Groups. High School Ministry (HSM) gathers in the Student Section of the 11:30 a.m. service, sitting together as one large group, with midweek gatherings on Wednesday nights as well. Both programs pair students with caring adult leaders in small groups designed to be a place where they can be known by name and share what's really going on in their lives. The Mariners Junior High Ministry also streams JHM Live every Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. through the Mariners JHM YouTube channel.
For college students and twenty-somethings, the Thursday Nights service at Mariners Irvine at 7 p.m. is the flagship gathering of Mariners' Young Adults ministry. Before service, college students meet for Family Dinner at 5:30 p.m. at The Coffee Stand, and Rooted groups for college students launch in January, April, and September. The 20s/30s ministry hosts hikes, dinners, talks on careers, and other community events throughout the month. Youth Pastors Tammy Kanei, Chris Li (High School), and Josh Griffin (Junior High) lead the church-wide youth strategy, and a dedicated Special Needs team welcomes students of all abilities into age-appropriate environments.
Rooted and Life Groups
Rooted is the discipleship program Mariners considers the gateway into community. It is a ten-week experience that brings together ten to fifteen people from all walks of life to study the Bible, engage in prayer and serve experiences, share stories, and practice the spiritual rhythms that defined the early church in Acts 2. Each group is paired with a trained facilitator. Rooted launches three times a year, in January, April, and September, and graduates are encouraged to move into a Life Group. Rooted is currently offered in Mandarin and Spanish as well as English.
Life Groups meet in homes, coffee shops, parks, and workplaces, usually weekly or every other week, to study the sermon discussion questions, practice the same rhythms from Rooted, and serve together. Groups launch three times a year in winter, spring, and fall, and a Life Group Finder tool helps Rooted graduates connect with an existing group or start one of their own. For those who want to keep going deeper, the Deep Dive program offers three distinct courses on studying Scripture, the image of God, and partnering with God in the world. Other courses such as Marriage Matters, the Pre-Marriage Course, How to Pray with Kaye Geiger, and the Revelation midweek course taught by Ed Stetzer and Steve Bang Lee run throughout the year.
Care and Recovery
The Care and Recovery ministry at Mariners is built around Re:generation, a Bible-based, twelve-step discipleship program offering healing, recovery, and freedom from a wide range of struggles. Re:gen groups begin with a newcomers week, move into a Groundwork curriculum, and then enter a step-group of eight to ten people that progresses through the twelve steps over eight to ten months using daily homework and weekly group support. Groups meet across nearly every Mariners congregation. Re:gen is also available online through Mariners Online.
In addition to Re:gen, the church hosts a wide range of support groups in the Ministry Center at the Irvine campus. Daily and weekly meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous (co-ed, men's, and women's), Al-Anon, Ala-Teen, CoDA, Gamblers Anonymous, and Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous all meet on the second floor. Care and Recovery's other offerings include GriefShare, DivorceCare, the Dementia Caregivers Support Group, the Cancer Support Group, the Chronic Pain Support Group, OCD Support, the National Alliance on Mental Illness family support group, a DBSA depression and bipolar peer group, Healing Hearts for women walking through sexual betrayal, Living Grace for women navigating mental health, the Mental Health Support Group for Men, and Guys Like Us for men working through disordered intimacy. A Pastor of the Day is also available seven days a week at 949-769-8450 to provide prayer and guidance for urgent spiritual or emotional needs.
Worship and Music
Worship at Mariners is led by the Worship Collective, a new large ensemble of singers and musicians formed to model vibrant, Spirit-filled worship at the Irvine weekend services. Collective members commit to a monthly team night and serve once a month filling the worship stage for the five weekend services at Irvine. Beyond the Collective, vocal teams and musicians serve at all congregations, and a Production team runs the lighting, slides, and sound across the church. Mariners Worship has released two original albums, with music available on every major digital platform and a YouTube channel dedicated to live recordings and music videos.
Local and Global Outreach
Mariners' Outreach ministry is organized around Local, City, and Global work. Local Outreach is focused on vulnerable and under-resourced communities across Southern California. The Mariners Food Pantry operates as a choice-based experience where families can shop for shelf-stable food, fresh produce, protein, and dairy. The pantry in Irvine is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; the Anaheim pantry on Mondays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; and the Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, and Oceanside pantries on Saturday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. The Mariners Thrift Store in the Irvine Community Center is open Thursday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m., with proceeds funding outreach work.
Other Local Outreach ministries include Foster Youth and Families, partnering with Orangewood Children's Home, Orangewood Foundation, and Olive Crest; Homework Help in Santa Ana for K-12 students; Prison Ministry in partnership with Prison Fellowship, supporting Hope Events, Prison Fellowship Grow, and Angel Tree; the Unborn Ministry, which operates a mobile medical clinic offering free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and options counseling in three Orange County cities each week; Military Ministry, supporting the Marines and Sailors of the 3/5 "Darkhorse" Battalion and additional battalions with Sunday Chapel BBQs at Camp Pendleton and family events; Homelessness Ministry through partnerships with local shelters; and Mariners Hosted Here, which brings Mariners services inside homeless shelters, senior living communities, military bases, at-risk youth programs, and mental health facilities.
Global Outreach partners with Ministerios Transformación in northern Baja California, which has planted more than sixty churches and serves through community outreach, education sponsorship, and home building. Other partnerships include Communaute De Gloire in Haiti, where a partner organization has raised fifty-two children orphaned by the 2010 earthquake and now supports two sustainable schools; Church of Good Changes and New Life Church in Ukraine, which minister to soldiers and civilians on the front lines; an unnamed evangelical partner in Egypt that reaches more than twenty countries in the Arab world; Un Jour Nouveau in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Un Jour Nouveau School serves 2,300 students; Gaba Community Church, Soroti Community Church, and Wentz Medical Center in Uganda; and Mavuno Church and Nairobi Chapel in Kenya, with frontline initiatives including Bawa Hope, Living Room Ministries, and Logos School. Volunteers serve as Volunteer Advocates stateside and join Faith Adventures for short-term mission trips throughout the year.
English Language Learning and Live Translations
Mariners has invested heavily in welcoming non-English-speaking neighbors. The English Language Learning program offers free English classes and conversation cafés for adults at every level. Classes meet at Anaheim on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon; Huntington Beach on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; Irvine on Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 4 to 5:30 p.m.; North Irvine on Sundays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Crean Lutheran High School; Santa Ana on Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; and online on Mondays from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. and Fridays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. A weekly Easy English Bible Study meets Wednesdays at Irvine from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and on Zoom on Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m.
Live translation of weekend services is available at Irvine, North Irvine, and Anaheim in Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Arabic, Farsi, and Russian, with English captions for guests who are hard of hearing. Guests bring their own headphones to listen to the translated audio, which they can launch through the Mariners Church app or the translation page during any service time. The Refugee Ministry partners with Voice of Refugees to welcome and support refugees as they build a new life, and the International Student Ministry partners with Bridges International and Mariners College Ministry to host students from around the world. A Spanish-language service meets every Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Santa Ana campus.
Women, Men, and Flourish
Mariners Women and Men of Mariners are active across the church, with dedicated gatherings, Life Groups, conferences, and outreach projects. Teaching Pastor Christine Caine, an internationally known speaker and the founder of The A21 Campaign and Propel Women, leads women's ministry alongside Ines Franklin. Men of Mariners hosts large gatherings at the Irvine campus for worship, community, stories, and breakfast, plus annual overnight adventures including Man Camp and a Kayak Retreat. The Flourish ministry gathers adults 60 and older every Sunday at 10 a.m. in Room 208 of the Irvine Ministry Center, named for Psalm 92's image of those planted in the house of the Lord flourishing in old age. The Marriage Matters events, led by Teaching Pastor Doug Fields, bring couples together several times a year for dinner, laughter, and practical tools to strengthen their relationships.
Special Needs Ministry
The Special Needs Ministry works to make every child, teen, and adult feel seen and welcomed. Exceptional Buddies provide one-on-one attention in age-appropriate classrooms, a Sensory Room is available during services, Exceptional Worship for teens and adults meets Saturday evenings at 5:30 p.m. at Irvine, and Life Group support is available for high school students. Tuesday morning socials gather adults with special needs for activities and connection. Parents of children with special needs at Mission Viejo fill out an intake form before the first visit, after which the team schedules a call to discuss next steps. The Special Needs program is currently available at Irvine, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, and Oceanside.
The Chapel, Preschool, Cafe, and Bookstore
The Mariners Chapel at the Irvine campus hosts weddings and memorials for the Mariners community. To reserve the Chapel for a wedding, couples must have attended Mariners in person for at least six consecutive months, completed Rooted, be active in a Life Group or ministry, and completed the Mariners Pre-Marriage Course or SYMBIS. Weddings are hosted on Fridays and Saturdays for a four-hour reservation window at a fee of $3,500, which includes a licensed Mariners Pastor or Elder, a day-of wedding coordinator, and a professional audio technician. A Mariners Pastor or Elder must lead the ceremony, though outside pastors may participate in specific elements with prior approval. Senior Pastor Eric Geiger is not available to officiate weddings due to his teaching and ministry schedule. Memorials are also hosted in the Chapel for those who have lost a loved one, with the Mariners Care team walking alongside families through the planning process.
The Mariners Church Preschool serves young families on the Irvine campus, and church employees receive a tuition discount for the preschool. The Mariners Cafe offers coffee, snacks, and meals, and the Mariners Bookstore in Irvine, Oceanside, and Santa Ana sells books, gifts, and resources with all net proceeds supporting Mariners' outreach initiatives. The church also operates a Safety and Medical Team that supports weekend services and events, helping create a safe, distraction-free environment across every campus.
How to Connect
Visitors and newcomers are invited to begin with the Welcome to Mariners lunch, a casual gathering where guests meet pastors, hear about the church's mission and next steps, and find a place to belong. From there, Rooted is the recommended next step into community. The Mariners Church app, available for iOS and Android, gives access to live weekend services, archived messages, sermon guides, the translation tool, and event registration. Giving is available online through Pushpay, including stock and cryptocurrency donations, with offering boxes also located at weekend gatherings.
Mariners Church is a 501(c)(3) religious organization registered in California, accredited by the ECFA, and holds to a simple belief that those who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior are part of the worldwide body of Christ. The church welcomes all who hold that belief as brothers and sisters in Christ and invites them to call Mariners Church their church home.