Built in 1914, the 4000-seat Church of the Open Door was conceived by

R. A. Torrey Reuben Archer Torrey (28 January 1856 – 26 October 1928) was an American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. He aligned with Keswick theology. Biography Torrey was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, the son of a banker. He graduated from ...

who had come to Los Angeles to start a Bible institute (now known as

Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's, ...

) similar to

Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have i ...

. The church was to be strictly

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

, though

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

. Its mission was to reach the lost of Los Angeles, which was reflected in the name based on two passages of Scripture: John 10:9 and Revelation 3:8. Other pastors have included Louis T. Talbot (1932–1948) and

J. Vernon McGee John Vernon McGee (June 17, 1904 – December 1, 1988) was an American ordained Presbyterian minister, pastor, Bible teacher, theologian, and radio minister. Biography Childhood, education, and early ministry McGee was born in Hillsboro, Tex ...

(1949–1970). The current Pastor is David Anderson.

Founding and history

In 1915 Torrey announced plans to organize an independent church that would meet in Biola's auditorium called the Church of the Open Door. This decision proved controversial with local Presbyterian and Baptist clergy. For 70 years the church was located in downtown Los Angeles on Hope Street and 6th St. (536 South Hope St.). Among its members was

Rudy Atwood Rudolph Atwood (December 16, 1912 – October 16, 1992) was an American Christian music pianist, known primarily for his years as accompanist on the long-running ''Old Fashioned Revival Hour'' radio program led by Charles E. Fuller from 1937 to ...

, who became staff pianist in 1968. The church held large

Youth for Christ Youth For Christ (YFC) is a worldwide Christian movement working with young people, whose main purpose is evangelism among teenagers. It began informally in New York City in 1940, when Jack Wyrtzen held evangelical Protestant rallies for teenagers ...

rallies on Saturday nights, with Atwood playing piano. The church relocated to

Glendora, California Glendora is a city in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California, east of Los Angeles. As of the 2020 census, the population of Glendora was 52,558. Known as the "Pride of the Foothills", Glendora is nestled in the foothills o ...

in 1985. The original downtown church building was demolished in the late 1980s. Despite efforts led by the late William Eugene Scott to prevent the building from being sold to developers and to have the building saved as a historic landmark, the building could not be saved. It was so damaged in the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake that it was declared unsafe and the cost of repairs deemed prohibitive. One of the two historic "Jesus Saves" signs from the original building can now be seen atop the

Ace Hotel Los Angeles Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, originally built as the California Petroleum Corporation Building and later known as the Texaco Building, is a , 13-story highrise hotel and theater building located at 937 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, ...

. It was relocated there by the late William Eugene Scott who took it with him when his church (Los Angeles University Cathedral) relocated following the earthquake.

Glendora

When the church moved to Glendora in 1985, it purchased land from

Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The uni ...

. It is still a thriving congregation, with about 500 worshipers every Sunday. David Anderson is the current Senior Pastor, with David Schaller serving as Associate Pastor and David Newkirk serving as Next Generation Pastor. There are three services every Sunday at 8:00 am, 9:45 am and 11:00am are in the Worship Center, which is located just South of the gym. A variety of Sunday School classes are available, including ones for adults, and ones for children and teenagers. HUB (Home Unity Bible) groups meet weekly in local church families homes. This small group ministry is centered on fellowship and discussion of the pastor's sermon from Sunday. COD kids Church during the 9:45am service and young adults Ministry Intersect is on Sundays at 5pm https://www.churchoftheopendoor.com/intersect/

Pastors

*Senior Pastor: David Anderson *Associate Pastor: David Schaller *Next Generation Pastor: David Newkirk *Worship Pastor: Josh Kim *Children's Pastor: Jessica Lee *Student Ministries Pastor: Ryan Berkman *Jr High Lead: Parker Vincent

References

External links

* Churches in Los Angeles Evangelical churches in California Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles Demolished buildings and structures in Los Angeles Demolished churches in the United States Former churches in California {{LosAngeles-struct-stub

Founding and history

Glendora

Pastors

See also

References

External links