A Church in the Heart of Santa Barbara
Oceanhills Covenant Church gathers every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. at the Marjorie Luke Theatre on the campus of Santa Barbara Junior High, tucked along East Cota Street a short distance from the coast. Doors open at 9:45, and the welcome team encourages first-time guests to arrive a few minutes early so children can be checked in and visitors can meet the Connect Tent greeters out on the patio. The 1002 Anacapa Street building downtown serves as the church's offices and midweek ministry hub, with a parking lot behind the theatre for Sunday mornings accessed from Cota Street.
Oceanhills exists, in the church's words, to love and lead people of all ages into a life-giving, life-changing, and life-long friendship with Jesus. The atmosphere is described as come as you are, with heartfelt worship, engaging teaching, and a warm welcome for those just beginning to explore faith as well as long-time Christ-followers.
The Six Affirmations of the Evangelical Covenant Church
Oceanhills is part of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a family of more than 1,000 congregations that share six central affirmations:
- The centrality of the Word of God
- The necessity of the new birth
- A commitment to the whole mission of the Church
- The Church as a fellowship of believers
- A conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit
- The reality of freedom in Christ
The community emphasizes that it is a Jesus-centered church rather than an issue-centered one, values relationships over rules, and intentionally leaves politics and giving decisions to the conscience of each member. Pastoral staff and lay leaders frame the church's vision in the language of becoming a Christ-like multiplying disciple-maker.
From the Veterans Memorial Building to the Marjorie Luke
Oceanhills was founded in 1998 by lead pastor Dr. Jon Ireland, with the support of Montecito Covenant Church. The first shared office was above a McDonald's restaurant in Santa Barbara, and for the church's first three years the congregation gathered at the Veterans Memorial Building before moving into the Marjorie Luke Theatre, the venue it still calls home on Sunday mornings.
Two seasonal traditions accompany that venue history. Each summer, Church on the Beach moves services outdoors, and on Christmas Eve a candlelit Church Under the Stars gathers in the Rotunda near the water. A prayer team also gathers most weeks after the Sunday sermon, meeting people in the front corners of the theatre for prayers of blessing, healing, and care.
What a Sunday Morning Looks Like
The service begins at 10 a.m. with heartfelt, contemporary worship music and teaching from the pastoral team. The service is livestreamed on YouTube for those unable to attend in person, and a full archive of past teachings is posted online. Communion is served on the first Sunday of every month, framed as a practice for those willing to admit their need for God's grace.
Children from birth through fourth grade are invited to Okids Ministry during the service. The team is made up of intergenerational volunteers who have had background checks and training to provide a safe, age-appropriate, Jesus-centered environment. Nursery care focuses on attending to a child's physical, emotional, and social needs in a God Family setting. Preschool programming introduces the stories of God Made Me, God Loves Me, and Jesus Wants to Be My Friend Forever. Kindergarten through first grade walks through the Jesus Storybook Bible over a two-year arc, and second through fourth graders follow a three-year scope and sequence that explores God's character and personal faith.
Students in fifth through eighth grades begin the Sunday service with the whole congregation and are then dismissed out the back to Room 114 at Santa Barbara Junior High for their own programming. High school students stay in the main service, joining communion with the congregation on first Sundays. After the service, everyone is invited to the patio for Dune coffee, event information, and conversation.
Youth Ministry Beyond Sunday Mornings
Oceanhills runs three distinct youth ministries that meet midweek or Sunday evenings, each gathering at the downtown headquarters at 1002 Anacapa Street. Summit 56 serves fifth and sixth graders on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. EPIC Junior High serves seventh and eighth graders during the same Wednesday window. High school students in grades 9 to 12 meet on Sundays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The youth ministry describes itself as a community where you can belong before you believe, encouraging students to become lifelong followers of Jesus and to serve courageously in the world around them.
LifeGroups and Discipleship Pathways
LifeGroups are the small-group engine of Oceanhills. Each group of four to twelve people meets weekly for spiritual growth, connection, and fun, with three seasonal seasons running in the fall, winter, and spring. Newcomers are first invited into a two-week Intro to LifeGroups experience that orients them to group life and helps place them in a new group.
Two longer-form studies sit alongside LifeGroups. The Alpha Course gathers on Monday evenings at the downtown headquarters and is framed as a friendly, non-judgmental space for skeptics, the curious, and anyone wanting to ask honest questions about faith, often beginning over a meal before a short video and table discussion. Practicing the Way is an eight-session primer on spiritual formation, an on-ramp to following Jesus that lays out a Rule of Life, meeting God in pain, and growing in community through guided exercises and weekly practices.
Men, Women, Moms, and Young Adults
Men's ministry at Oceanhills is led by Pastor Jono Shaffer, who welcomes questions and helps men get plugged into prayer cohorts and small groups. The women's ministry and a mom-focused ministry called The Mom Thing round out the adult discipleship offerings. The Mom Thing gathers moms for larger speaker events on topics ranging from friendship and mental health to body image and passing down faith, then opens up two follow-up dinner gatherings per series for smaller circles of conversation. Young adults have access to seasonal family dinner groups and church-wide events.
Compassion, Mercy, and Justice in Santa Barbara
Oceanhills partners with several local organizations to put faith into action. The church organizes reading and mentoring at Franklin Elementary School, a monthly meal share at Alameda Park, and active involvement with Westmont College, SB ACT, AMOR Outreach, and Team World Vision. The church puts it this way: focused on living out God-given marching orders to love everyone always, across the street and around the world.
Baptism is treated as a significant milestone rather than a background program. Those interested take part in a short orientation group before being baptized in a Sunday service.
Support, Counseling, and Resources
A directory of community resources points church members toward grief support groups through Hospice of Santa Barbara, mental health and family support groups at the Mental Wellness Center (including a Spanish-speaking group called Grupo Calibri), an Al-Anon meeting called Shared Hope, Alateen for teens affected by someone else's drinking, a peer-led bipolar and depression group, a Project Re-Entry social group for stroke survivors and others with disabling conditions, and a Project Reboot course on resetting tech habits. A second list recommends local therapists, spiritual directors, and denominational Covenant Church resources.
Plan a Visit
Sunday morning visitors should plan to arrive a few minutes before 10 a.m. at the Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 East Cota Street. Parking is in the lots reached from Cota Street, and the welcome team will point guests to the main entrance on the right side of the junior high. Children can be checked into Okids before the service begins.
For visitors who want to learn more, the church periodically hosts a Next Steps Lunch at the downtown headquarters on Anacapa Street. Online giving is available through Pushpay, and an audio version of recent teachings is on Spotify.