The First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood has had a significant impact on both the
Presbyterian Church
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
and
evangelical Christianity
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
around the world.
The church was founded in 1903. A large brick
gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
sanctuary was built in 1923, and seats 1,800, with a balcony on both sides and in the back. The church campus covers a full square block on Gower Street, one block north of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks from the legendary intersection of Hollywood and Vine.
History
1921–1941: Dr. Steward P. MacLennon
Dr. Stewart P. MacLennon pastored the church from 1921–1941, and it was through his ministry that the sleepy Hollywood Church turned into a thriving mega-church in the 1920s, with its growth from 651 members in 1920 to 2370 members by 1930. A renowned preacher, he dreamed that it would be a center for Christian education and a "lighthouse" for the Word of God. In 1927 he met Henrietta Mears in Minneapolis and invited her to come and be a full-time Christian Education Director at the church. From 1928-1941 they worked together as a ministry team—his preaching and her teaching—developing a nationally known ministry. When he left, the Church called Dr. Louis H. Evans Sr. to be their pastor.
1941–1953: Dr. Louis H. Evans
Dr.
Henrietta Mears
Henrietta Cornelia Mears (October 23, 1890 – March 19, 1963) was a Christian educator, evangelist, and author who had a significant impact on evangelical Christianity in the 20th century and one of the founders of the National Sunday School Asso ...
served as the Christian Education Director from 1928 until her death in 1963. She became famous for growing the
Sunday school
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
...
from 400 to over 4000 in the first two-and-a-half years of ministry at the church. The Sunday school curriculum she created became the foundation for Gospel Light Press. Mears also founded the Forest Home Christian Conference Center in the
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at at San Gorgonio Mountain ...
Bill Bright
William R. Bright (October 19, 1921 – July 19, 2003) was an American evangelist. In 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles he founded Campus Crusade for Christ as a ministry for university students. In 1952 he wrote The Four Spir ...
, and she encouraged and counseled
Billy Graham
William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...
.
“Hollywood Pres,” as it is informally known, grew to be the largest Presbyterian Church in the world during the tenure of Dr. Evans and Dr. Lindqust (below).
Dr. Louis H. Evans was senior pastor from 1941 to 1953, during which time the membership grew from 1,400 to its peak of 8,900, according to the church's website. Evans left to become “Minister at Large” for the Presbyterian Board of National Missions.
1953–1971: Dr. Raymond I. Lindquist
Dr. Evans was succeeded by Dr. Raymond I. Lindquist, who served the church until 1971. After declining somewhat, membership was restored to 8,388. During these years, the church drew congregants from an area much larger than the Hollywood community, taking advantage of its access to the Los Angeles freeway system (the church is located one block south of the Gower Street exit from the Hollywood Freeway). In Dr. Lindquist's tenure, overflow congregations were the norm, with the sanctuary filled for Sunday morning services at 9:30 and 11:00. In the early 1960s, overflow congregations were served in the church gymnasium (the pre-1923 sanctuary) by closed-circuit television. Dr. Lindquist died in 2001.
1971–1997: Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie
Dr.
Lloyd John Ogilvie
Lloyd John Ogilvie (September 2, 1930 – June 5, 2019)Marquis Who's Who on the WebRichard C. Halverson, who was pastor of 4th Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland (a Washington, DC suburb) served as Senate chaplain immediately before Dr. Ogilvie (1981–1994). Halverson had served as an assistant pastor at “Hollywood Pres” in the 1950s. Ogilvie served as Senate chaplain until 2003.
1997–2005: Dr. Alan Meenan
Dr. Ogilvie was followed by Dr. Alan Meenan in 1997. A beguiling Irishman, Dr. Meenan served the church for eight years. Four different Sunday morning services were instituted to reflect contemplative, classic, and contemporary worship styles. In 2005, Dr. Meenan was placed on leave by the PCUSA. Subsequently, FPCH dissolved its relationship with Meenan in 2005.
2005–2010: Interim Period
The church in Hollywood entered a period of upheaval after dissolving its relationship with Dr. Meenan. Two new congregations broke off from FPCH during this time. ''Ecclesia Church'' in Hollywood grew out of one of FPCH's contemporary services while ''Church for the Nations'' met in Glendale, California (under Dr. Meenan). The ministry of FPCH continued with Dr. Gary Stratman serving as interim pastor, who brought significant healing to FPCH during this season of upheaval until 2009 when the duties of a dual interim pastorship were filled by Dr. Paul Pierson & Rev. Bill Hansen.
2010–2019: Rev. Daniel Baumgartner
In 2010 Rev. Daniel Baumgartner became the new senior pastor. Commonly referred to as 'Pastor Dan', he previously served as pastor in Seattle and Minneapolis. Pastor Dan was seen by many as the "people's pastor" for his accessible style and warm demeanor. Although FPCH suffered a significant loss in membership following Pastor Meenan's time at FPCH, the interim period brought healing to a divided congregation. The Rev. Baumgartner continued this restorative work until his departure in 2019.
Hollywood Presbyterian has historically been an evangelical church in a liberal Christian denomination. In May 2013, the Session of Hollywood Presbyterian Church voted to affiliate with the
Fellowship of Presbyterians
The Fellowship Community, formerly known as the Fellowship of Presbyterians (FOP), arose from a movement started by seven pastors from some of the largest PC(USA) churches in the United States in 2010. The movement gained momentum when they met in ...
, an evangelical group of churches within the PCUSA.
2019–2021: Interim Period
After the Rev. Baumgartner's departure in 2019, the church called Dr. Tim Eichler as the interim pastor. FPCH entered a period of significant decline and staff loss under the leadership of the Session and Dr. Tim Eichler from 2020 to 2021, a decline that was exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.
See also
*
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...