Shepherd Church: No. 3 Fastest-Growing Church, 2017

“I’m excited about what God is doing through Shepherd Church on a daily basis,” says Senior Pastor Dudley Rutherford. “Not a day goes by that I don’t meet somebody whose life has been changed by God’s amazing grace.

“In Los Angeles, people have tried it all, and the culture leaves them broken, scarred and empty. And yet at Shepherd Church, the Holy Spirit is moving through the worship, preaching and the invitation time at the end of services. Week after week, I weep as I see men and women lay their lives fully before the Lord. We are seeing a revivallike atmosphere in our main worship facilities, as well as in our student ministries. It’s a multigenerational movement that has a ripple effect throughout our community.

“One cannot travel far in this city without hearing about what God is doing over at Shepherd Church. From large events that involve 20,000 to 50,000 people, to the smaller groups of 12 who meet in our LIFE Groups for discipleship, we see people from every background imaginable coming together to be the hands and feet of Jesus here in Los Angeles.

“We’re also excited to see our media influence—our television and radio ministry—expanding globally through LiftUpJesus.com. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful! We want to be a part of reaching the world for Christ through every avenue possible.

“Recently, after years of planning and fundraising, we went from a 1,400-seat facility to an auditorium that seats 3,500 people. When that happened, our attendance increased by about 35 percent.

“A second factor contributing to our growth is that we’ve always been intentional about being a racially diverse church. For 30 years, we have been almost dogmatic in making sure our platform, staff, leadership and curriculum is racially diverse. Shepherd Church is around 25 percent Latino, 25 percent Asian, 25 percent Caucasian, 20 percent African-American and 5 percent other.

“But the third and primary reason for our growth is simply preaching the Bible in an uncompromising manner. We do not sugarcoat anything, nor do we shy away from talking about issues most people avoid for fear of being politically incorrect. We lift up Jesus, and he draws all people (John 12:32).”

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SHEPHERD CHURCH
Porter Ranch, California
Senior Pastor: Dudley Rutherford
Website: ShepherdChurch.com
Twitter: @PastorDudley@ShepherdChurch
Facebook: /ShepherdChurch
Founded: 1995
Affiliation: Independent Christian Churches
Locations: 4
A 2017 OUTREACH 100 CHURCH
Attendance: 10,555
Growth in 2016: +2,243 (27%)
Fastest Growing: 3
Largest: 34