Living in the Way of Jesus with the Heart of Jesus.
At Emmanuel Faith Community Church we love God and people. We are honored to be the home church of a few thousand Jesus-followers in North San Diego County. Our welcoming church family includes a variety of ages, stages, and ethnicities, with ministries designed to help people walk in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Founded in 1939 in Escondido, California, our name encapsulates who we are:
Emmanuel
The core of our belief is that God is with us. He is a loving, personal God who cares deeply for every human being.
Faith
We believe that Jesus Christ is God who came to earth in human form to reveal God’s love for us and willingly pay the price for our sin by dying on a cross. He rose three days later to conquer death so that anyone who believes in Him can fully live in a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe.
Community
Our heart is for our community. We strive to share Christ’s love with those around us in both spiritual and practical ways.
Church
We are the body of Christ. We provide support and encouragement through life groups, a wide variety of ministries and by providing opportunities for people to serve others. We love to gather together to worship the Lord through prayer, music and the teaching of the Holy Scriptures.
As an elder-led church, we base our teachings on God’s Scripture and its central figure, Jesus Christ. We believe the Scriptures are God’s instructions to us and should be obeyed and embraced. CLICK HERE to learn more about our Elders.
Because it is the believer’s privilege and personal mission to carry the gospel of Christ to others, EFCC is also a missionally-focused church. People are encouraged to share the love of Christ with those in our community and around the world. EFCC continues to send out many full-time outreach workers around the globe and is committed to providing short-term, cross-cultural outreach experiences for those within our church body.
Our Mission & Vision
OUR MISSION
Living in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
OUR VISION
To be an inter-ethnic, inter-generational community of disciples partnering with Jesus to bring about renewal in Escondido, North County, and to the ends of the earth.
Our Key Functions
(1) Worship is God’s desire from his people. Therefore, we will respond to God’s presence with us in all of life’s circumstances. (Exodus 20:4-6; 1 Peter 2:9; John 4:23; Colossians 3:23; 1 Corinthians 10:31)
(2) Fellowship is God’s method for connecting his family. Therefore, we will participate in a “life-sharing” group in which spiritual growth is nurtured, loving care is practiced and godly relationships are developed. (Acts 2:42, 44-47; Hebrews 10:23-25; John 13:34-35; and Ephesians 1:5)
(3) Spiritual maturity is God’s design for every believer. Therefore, we will strive to grow in Christ-like love and care for each other, serving in our area of spiritual giftedness. (Ephesians 4:13-16; Colossians 1:28-29)
(4) Evangelism is God’s “heartbeat.” Therefore, we will lovingly proclaim the gospel locally and internationally. (1 Timothy 2:4; Luke 19:10; John 3:17; 2 Peter 3:9)
(5) Prayer releases God’s power for ministry. Therefore, we will pray regularly for God to transform lives through the ministry of EFCC. (Colossians 1:11; Ephesians 3:16; Exodus 17:8-13; Ephesians 6:18-20)
Our Beliefs
We firmly believe the historical doctrines of Christianity as they are revealed in the Scriptures. CLICK HERE (click here to view it in Spanish) to view our full current Statement of Faith, which is also available in the church’s Constitution & Bylaws document.
Here is a brief summary of some of our beliefs:
We believe the Scripture, both the Old and New Testaments, to be God’s written word.
We believe there is only one God, Creator of all things, eternally existing in three equal but separate persons, revealed to us in the Bible as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
We believe that Adam and Eve were originally created in the image and likeness of God, free from sin. They sinned by a voluntary act of personal disobedience to the revealed will of God and were thereby subject to spiritual, physical, and eternal death which is separation from God.
We believe that God, because of His great love, offers salvation as a free gift to be received by faith alone in Jesus Christ. This gift was purchased through Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection.
We believe that all who receive God’s grace by faith in Jesus Christ are given new spiritual life by the Holy Spirit; are completely forgiven of their sins; and are eternally secure, persevering by His grace.
We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are united by the Holy Spirit into one Church of which Christ is the Head.
We believe in the personal, bodily, and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ to gather up His Church, exercise judgment, and establish His Kingdom reign on earth.
We believe that at death, the souls of believers pass immediately into the joyful presence of Jesus Christ while the souls of unbelievers experience anguish apart from God.
Please read our entire Statement of Faith here, or click here to view it in Spanish).
A Brief Church History
In October 1939, Rev. Earl Morgan launched Emmanuel Faith Community Church at Central Elementary School in Escondido. Over 200 men, women, and children attended this first church meeting.
EFCC’s first full worship services took place in the Women’s Club House that stood at Grand Avenue and Broadway. As the love of God poured out from the congregation into the community, the growing church family later moved to a new church property at 7th and Maple in Escondido. Within a couple of decades, the ministry at the church continued to expand, and more and more people flocked to the church that was becoming well-known for its strong teaching of the Scriptures.
In 1971, Pastor Coy Maret, who shepherded the church from 1944 to 1971, participated in the groundbreaking ceremony at our current campus at 639 E. 17th Avenue in Escondido. Later, under the wise and loving care of Dr. Richard Strauss, senior pastor from 1972 to 1993, and Pastor Jim Welch, the church continued to grow, reaching thousands in our community along with an expanding global outreach ministry.
Pastor Dennis Keating stepped into the role of senior pastor in 1993. He continued the tradition of strong scriptural teaching with an emphasis on outreach globally and locally within our community. When Pastor Dennis decided to step down, an extensive pastoral search brought us our current Lead Pastor, Ryan Paulson, in August 2019.
Current Lead Pastor Ryan Paulson was EFCC’s college pastor from 2007-2012 and was the Lead Pastor at South Fellowship Church in Colorado (2012-2019).
Ryan, who is married to Kelly and has three children, loves to creatively communicate the timeless truths of the Scriptures in a relevant and culturally engaging way. He is convinced that the local church is the hope of the world and has dedicated his life to preaching the gospel and building disciples of Christ. CLICK HERE to read Pastor Ryan’s bio.