Who We Are

At South LA Christian Life, we love life! God is the author and creator of all life. What he brought forth was good. When the first man Adam turned from God, sin and death entered the picture. Jesus came to give abundant life (John 10:10) – he said he is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). He has defeated sin and death, and through his resurrection he offers eternal life (John 5:24). We are recipients of that life through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23; John 3:16).

In light of the life we have through faith in Jesus Christ, we are committed to learning from him and following his lead. He has called his followers to love God with everything (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 22:37-38), love all others (Matthew 22:39; Luke 6:31), experience freedom (John 8:31-32; Romans 8:1; Galatians 5:1) and fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8). God has given us everything we need to sustain life through his Word, the Bible (Psalm 110:105; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12). We trust, read, study, teach, and meditate on the Bible as we grow together in life.

Identity

We are students and teachers, grown-ups and kids, married and single representing a diversity of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We are united by God’s Holy Spirit alive in us. As a church we seek to live out five identities:

  • Servant

    We look for ways to serve in our community and bless those around us (Philippians 2:5-11).

  • Learner

    We study the Word and seek God together (Luke 6:47-48).

  • Family

    We celebrate, encourage and build each other up in the Lord (John 15:12).

  • Missionary

    We boldly share the hope that we have in Jesus Christ and make disciples, teaching them to observe his commands (Matthew 28:18-20).

  • Worshiper

    We desire that Christ be exalted to his rightful place in our hearts, and we direct our worship to the only one worthy of our worship (Revelation 4:11).

Leadership

South LA Christian Life is led by a team of elders and deacons. Meet our elders:

Greg Christman

Elder (staff)

Greg is passionate about serving as a priest in Christ – in Greek, a “bridge builder” – in the diverse and complex city of Los Angeles.

Greg grew up in Indiana and started following Jesus in high school after reading the book of John for the first time. After college, Greg worked with a campus church to plant new churches, including in Italy, and then finally here in Los Angeles.

Greg studied Architecture and Communication Studies at Ball State University and holds a Master of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine University. He has worked in consulting and counseling, and outside of work is a surfer, cyclist, hiker and explorer. Greg has been married to Julie since 2005, and together they have three kids, Cana, Carmel and Coura.

Brian Powers

Elder (non-staff)

Brian loves South LA Christian Life’s focus on loving God, God’s Word and God’s church expressed by a committed and loving body.

Brian is from the tidewater marsh of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Brian grew up in a Christian church, but it wasn’t until he studied the bible in college that God gripped Brian’s heart with the power and grace of the gospel – and Brian determined to trust and follow Jesus. Brian graduated from Virginia Tech and then served with the Navigators in Tennessee and Japan. In 2003 he moved to Los Angeles to help with a church plant in East Hollywood, before he and his wife joined with the Christmans and others to plant South LA Christian Life.

Brian has been married to Sara since 2005, and together they have five kids, Liam, Shane, Kate, Tessa and Eiley. Brian supports his ministry and family as a civil engineer.

Statement of faith

Read our statement of faith.

Partners

M28 Alliance

South LA Christian Life is part of a larger association of churches known as the M28 Alliance.

M28 stands for the “Great Commission” Bible verses found in Matthew 28, which form the foundation of our Alliance. M28 is a US-based alliance of autonomous churches and ministries called to reach the world with the good news of Jesus Christ and to help each other disciple the nations. By God’s grace M28 will work together with a common bond of Christian mission and unity and will engage leaders in this mission by:

  • Calling courageously – defining and upholding unapologetically Biblical standards for following Christ in our culture
  • Equipping strategically – providing resources, training and conferences
  • Supporting lovingly – creating supportive leadership community and personal coaching and encouragement.

Within M28, South LA Christian Life is united with many other churches including churches in Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. We join together with these churches for activities such as marriage and youth conferences, leaders’ retreats and leadership training.

For more information on who M28 Alliance is, or to become part of the M28 Churches, please visit their website.

Other associations

From time-to-time, South LA Christian Life also partners with local churches to serve the community and communicate God’s love.

Contact us

Want to learn more? We’d love to hear from you!