Open Hearts, Open Doors
Torrance Community Church of ChristThree miles from Torrance Community Church of Christ, the Pacific Ocean keeps a steady rhythm — going out, then coming back in, each motion depending on the other. Torrance’s members have chosen to reflect this natural, steady occurrence. Going out to serve their neighbors and meet the people God places in their path, and being ready to welcome whoever comes through their doors. This consistent ebb and flow has gained momentum through Heritage21’s Renewal Coaching.
Two Significant Challenges
Attendance at Torrance dwindled to a fraction of what it once was. Previously numbering over 300, attendance was down to about 20 people on Sunday mornings. Without a significant turnaround, leaders knew the church would surely close its doors within a few years.
Fewer worshipers were not the only problem. A quieter, easily overlooked issue needed to be addressed. The church’s bylaws and governing documents were outdated. Multiple versions existed with no clear sense of which was the most accurate and current. This oversight left the church and its members at risk and legally unprotected, prompting the leaders to take action.
The Discovery
A relationship between Heritage21 board member, Scott Lambert, and Torrance’s minister, Marcus Lyons, existed a few years before the formal partnership with H21. After learning of the church’s desire to reach their community, Scott and Executive Director Doug Peters reached out to Heritage21 Renewal Coach, Jon Reed, a minister already trusted by the congregation, to discuss how a coaching relationship might benefit the church and the greater kingdom of God. Soon, Marcus and his wife D’Laine attended a seminar in Southern California hosted by Heritage21 team members. The Empty Church seminar, led by Dr. Stan Granberg, addressed the very issues that Torrance was facing. The timing was right, and momentum for a collaboration continued to build.
The Partnership
Members of the Heritage21 team spent a full weekend in Torrance with the church’s leadership team. They conducted a church assessment, helping the leaders see their current reality and offering hope and direction for increasing the church’s kingdom impact. The Torrance leaders committed to a central focus: become a blessing to the surrounding community and develop a strategy for outreach in the name of Christ.
Concurrently, H21 legal counsel Mike O’Neal began working alongside church leaders to address outdated and conflicting bylaws. Together, they reviewed each version for accuracy, then rewrote the legal documents to reflect the desires and unique needs of the congregation. Torrance’s leaders now have bylaws they can trust, giving them one less thing to carry while they focus on the church’s renewal. “We are able to have bylaws that are accurate and adhere to our specific needs,” Marcus and D’Laine share. “As leaders, we feel a release of stress by having them in place.”
The Solution
With clear direction from Heritage21’s assessment and a vision for serving their community, Torrance began building an outreach strategy centered on going into the community rather than waiting for it to come to them. “We have a clearer vision and are more focused on how Jesus would want us to look as a church. He wants us to be willing to welcome the lost, brokenhearted, and those burdened with guilt and shame. We are attempting to go outside of our routine and be there for those who are struggling,” states D’Laine. Leaders and members welcome people from neighboring apartments that surround the church building, ready to greet them with a simple welcome of “Hello, we are glad you are here!”
The posture is simple: Go and serve; go and meet. It takes shape in tangible ways. Torrance recently launched a service initiative they call “Socks for Seniors,” blessing a nearby senior living community. Members bring socks, cookies, ice cream, and most importantly a gentle touch and warm hello to the residents who may not remember them after they leave. But for the moments that they are present, their simple kindness brings the love of Christ.
Relationships with local school principals mean the church’s phone number is on speed dial when underserved children and families in their schools have a need. The church partners with the school to organize and execute a mass clothing giveaway to families that are unable to provide everyday necessities. They added, “God is using our church family to be a light in the community. The stories of what families are going through today are heartbreaking, but we are seeking to plant seeds and care for the youngest of widows and children through this outreach.”
There is plenty of activity at the Torrance church. People in the church asked for more Bible study opportunities. So every Friday evening, the church shares a meal and joins together in a video Bible study. Members bring friends who bring friends. They also plan specific outward facing events regularly — In ‘N Out Burger Night, a Sno-Cone event, a petting zoo at Christmastime. These offerings bring people to the members who are ready to open their eyes to the needs of their community.
The Christians at Torrance began noticing the number of people who walk near their building. Some are walking to the worship assembly from neighboring apartment buildings. Others are just passing by. But every walker is seen as an opportunity to share the light of Christ.
The Transformation
The consistent rise in attendance at worship gatherings reveals an important part of God’s story in Torrance. Their numbers began at 20 people and have climbed to a consistent 50-60, with some months averaging 75 or more. Baptisms are a regular occurrence rather than a rare celebration.
More of the transformative story is revealed in the individual lives of people. A worker hired to service the church’s baptistry is invited to join the Sunday worship assembly. After initial hesitation, he shows up. Later, his wife and children begin coming with him each week. A year later he is baptized in the same baptistry he was hired to service! When speaking about this brother in Christ, church leader Patrick Avina says, “He shares the Word of God with others. He brought a guy to church who was later baptized. He has a huge heart. He and his wife drove an hour to pick up someone who wanted to come to the church to be baptized.”
A young man facing addiction was introduced by his friend to a member at the church who developed a relationship with him. He began attending as the church member walked with him and he was eventually baptized. He now brings people and they bring people. “He is really into the word of God and leads devotionals. He is turning the transition home where he lives into a Christian transition home!” Patrick reports with a huge smile.
D’Laine shares about an encounter with a woman in the church parking lot. “I said hello and waved. The woman seemed surprised that I was speaking to her. She said, ‘No one has ever greeted me like that before.’ She began coming to our gatherings and was baptized last Easter.” Patrick describes the new sister this way: “You can tell how she has been transformed.” D’Laine joyfully adds: “She loves to serve.”
A city on a hill cannot be hidden. A gentleman with a difficult past consistently walks in front of the building. One day, he boldly strolls in and asks if it would be ok for him to worship there. Eventually, he was baptized, followed by his son. He continues to plant seeds and bring people to the Lord. The welcoming continues. Underlying every welcome and work of service is the goal of bringing people to Jesus. The group holds a simple conviction: “accept people where they are, while helping each other become what God wants us to be.”
On any given Sunday, as many as seven different nations are represented, bringing fresh meaning to Jesus’ words to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). H21 Executive Director Doug Peters says, “The crowd at Torrance looks a lot like the international terminal at LAX!”
The newly baptized have become the church’s most effective inviters, and children now run through the church halls with joy reminding us of David’s visionary words: “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).
The transformation doesn’t stop at Torrance’s city limits. Members who have moved away send notes back to the church in Torrance thanking them for being a place where they felt welcomed. They now seek to be welcoming of others in their new communities and places of worship.
The Testimony
For Renewal Coach Jon Reed, the turnaround at Torrance is a story he does not take for granted. “Only 5% of churches in America can actually revitalize after years of decline,” he reflects. “Torrance Community Church of Christ is among the 5% that God has given another chance to make a kingdom impact in their community.”
D’Laine and Marcus continue, “Many stories of renewal were shared with us in our assessment weekend and coaching sessions. We began to implement some of the practices. Previously, we were blind to the things we were doing and not doing in our ministry here at Torrance. We knew and trusted that Heritage21 cared about God’s kingdom.” That trust extended into the legal work as well, where Mike O’Neal walked alongside their leadership team. “Mike made the process easy to understand,” they recall. “No question that we asked was too minor to be answered. He always answers in words we can understand.”
Torrance members have caught the vision for the lost of their community modeled by their leaders. Two recent Yelp reviews tell the story. Vincent shares, “I have been attending Torrance Church of Christ for about two years and really enjoy the church family and the heart the church leaders have for sharing the love of Jesus with the community. It was an In ‘n Out Burgers community outreach that led me to this church! My 8 year old daughter has memorized all the books of the Bible and does a different arts and crafts project every week that instills solid Bible messages.”
Garry adds, “I have been coming to this church for over a year and have come to love the church as my home. It’s a place of worship and a place to meet like minded people who want to help and give back as much as they receive. I’m proud to be a part of something greater than myself.
The Lessons
Torrance’s turnaround establishes principles other congregations can put into practice.
- Renewal progress and legal stewardship can work in tandem. An assessment gave leaders hope and direction for reaching their community for Christ. Updated, trustworthy bylaws now give them the stability to freely take action on their outreach strategy.
- A posture matters more than a program. The Torrance Church lives out a posture of humility through consistent, repeatable rhythms of going out to meet and serve in the community, then being ready to receive whoever God brings to them. It reshapes how members at TCCC spend their time. God turns acquaintances into intentional relationships and as those relationships grow, lives are changed through Christ.
- Reputation follows faithfulness. Torrance did not set out to become known in its community. The church became a trusted name simply by consistently showing up, meeting the needs in front of them, and living like Jesus among their neighbors.
- Multiple entry points reach diverse people. By offering various ways for people to connect — through service events, Bible studies, and Spirit-led encounters — Torrance welcomes people of different backgrounds and cultures in ways a single program cannot.
- An outside voice multiplies a small team’s capacity. Renewal Coach Jon Reed’s outside perspective gave Torrance’s leaders clarity and confidence they may not have found if working on renewal alone. Additionally, allowing the Heritage21 team to assist with legal review left more time and energy for direct disciple-making and kingdom service.
The Future
Torrance continues to impact its surrounding community for God’s kingdom. They no longer wonder if the church doors will remain open. These Christians are living out a simple truth from scripture: God prepares good works in advance for his people to do — in fact, that’s what they were created for. (Ephesians 2:10.) Marcus and D’Laine recognize the renewal transformation they are witnessing is truly from God. “These stories are all about God sending people to us. This is what we have always prayed for.”
Just as the waves of the nearby Pacific keep flowing, the Christians in Torrance continue to live into an evangelistic rhythm. Their willingness to prayerfully “go out” and graciously “welcome in” gives God room to keep building on a commitment made early in their coaching journey: “To be the most welcoming church on the planet!”
Read other impact stories: