I am a 7th grade Riptide student and I started coming to Journey online in around 2020 or 2021. Recently (November 2022) I began going in person to Riptide and fell in love. This place is amazing. It has done so much for me and helped me to learn to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your sould, with all your mind and with all your strength." (Matthew 22:37 NIV) like I had never before. They also taught me: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters" (1 John 3:16 NIV) Jesus Christ is my Savior. I accepted Jesus into my heart through Journey and decided to get baptized in May of 2023. I joined the Riptide Worship Team and am playing as the guitarist/vocalist on April 23, 2023 (Aka my 13th birthday). There is no greater honor than to worship the Lord Jesus Christ and lead others to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. I love Jesus and I am learning to share Him with others. I have invited my best friend (formerly Jehova's Witness) to Church and even some non believers. I have also invited my boy best friends. The one that came was a christian already but there were some things he has never seen before, like the Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross happened around Easter 2023. They were lovely and I loved the connections from the stations to your own life. Leaving your burdens on the cross as Jesus intended. If you are wondering if you should attend Journey the answer is yes yes a thousand times yes. Shoutout to my former Riptide leader Josh and my current leader, Gary! You guys rock! read more

This church is a good church to begin your walk in Christ. Many of the people attending are new Christians and working out their faith and their hope. This Church offers discipleship classes which helps us to understand what it means to relate and to connect to God in a patient way and involving way. No church is perfect. But they do care for the "unchurched"... In other words maybe you didn't grow up attending church. They just accept you and they allow you to grow the way God allows it . They just opened a new Elementary School for the children and they support sending kids to summer camp with scholarships. read more

Absolutely not I was looking for a living friendly church family church they are very much all business people were very uniformed they had no smoke no feeling of welcome it felt like a country club of members and you walked up into there house and didn't not belong read more

I went to visit this church on Sunday April 24th, and I was shocked to hear the blasphemous words coming out of this man's mouth. He was asked about baptism and he just kept talking nonsense. The pastor never opened the Bible to answer the questions and all he did was to talk about the foolishness of what he thought the right answer was instead of reading what the Bible says about this subject. I'm extremely disappointed and all I thought was what Matthew 7:15 says... "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." I had to leave in the middle of the service as I could not continue to listened to this man. A pastor must be able to teach (Titus 1:9; 1 Tim 3:2). All of the other qualifications are character qualities. This is the only ability-based requirement. He is to be able to teach sound doctrine, not just be able to communicate in an excellent manner. read more

I am not a member at this church but I have to give a big kudos for their Summer Fun Camp. I sent my 5 and 7 year old on the recommendation of a friend who has family who attend services here. Her exact quote was, "they go all out!" and she was not wrong! Walking in I felt such a fun and positive energy. They were careful with checking kids in and had different colored shirts to track each grade. The classrooms were brightly lit and spacious. The counselors for the small groups within each grade were young and energetic. They kept parents well-informed with descriptions of each day's activities and what to bring. They had waterslides Monday, a foam party Tuesday, a bus ride and scavenger hunt Wednesday and a movie on Thursday. The last day was a water color fight! So much fun! We will be joining again next summer! read more

I was reading through the comments & it broke my heart to hear a lot of the negative comments. The fact that some expect things to be "perfect " whether it be the sermon that day or the worship music, which both are always wonderful, some have forgot that we are all human & not perfect. We try our best and this church helps provide love & direction. I've quietly sat back for years and observed and had my own relationship with God while going to this church. I have seen a lot of true love and community spread throughout and please don't read the negative comments and think this community/church is not worth trying. We should also be focused on our relationship with Jesus and not so much on what other people are or are not doing. But thank you to Journey & it's team for having a wonderful , safe place for my child & worship for myself. read more

These guys are so amazing! Thank you for everything you do. Thank you for keeping our spirits high. Really incredible work.

There is a tall sign in the parking lot of this church that says Journey placed there ostensibly to mark the property, you know to make finding the church easier. To the casual observer the sign marks the end of your Journey, you've arrived at the location; however in reality, it's just the beginning of your Journey. It can mark the beginning of a spiritual Journey, one that challenges your view of the world all the while affirming Gods love for us. Don't come to this church expecting to nod your head and go on your way, Journey allows you to grow, examine and expand your knowledge and love of God. The staff is spiritual, welcoming and deeply philosophical. You're going to learn things about yourself and your relationship with Jesus. I love this church they have aptly named, Journey. It's an all consuming thrill ride without a height limit. read more

My background for churches is long and distinguished. I come from the south where church is an all day and night affair. This is the only church I've been to which makes you feel at home immediately! It is very family oriented; they do provide daycare services and a lot for the youth. There's even a private worship room for nursing mothers (parents) to go that's right out in the open! As a Christ follower, I have endorsed this church to all my non-believing friends and even had a few go and still continue to go. The "Teaching Pastor" is awesome and will definitely set your fears at ease as he explains God's word. Take a trip and your life will be ready to shift for the change! read more

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Not starting off well. Their website is inaccurate; I rushed to get here at 9, the time posted on their website, and it doesn't start until 10. I will come back after after the service to post about that. read more

This church has been amazing. While it's a larger church, people go out of their way to connect with you. The head pastor ed noble is funny and smart. You might have to get used to the informality if you're used to a more traditional church. He goes by Ed, not Pastor Noble. What I really like is that it's pretty much a judgment free zone. Dress how you want to dress. Come with all your problems and imperfections. The head pastor doesn't shy away from pointing out his own. It's a great place for new believers, experienced Christians, and even non believers. read more

It was my first time and my last time at journey. I sat front row center made eye contact with pastor Ed several times. I remembered my phone was on, so I pulled it out and put it on mute. I did not want it to ring and interrupt since I was so close to the pastor. Then he says, "if you don't understand what I am saying, now is a good time to check your phone". I was turning the ringer off!! Nope, this place is not for me. read more

As to Journey it will most likely not be my new home church. While having communion weekly is not Biblical it is something I grew up with and Journey does not hold communion very often. They also do not seem to promote Baptism a lot. I strongly believe that believing in Jesus as your Lord and savior along with being Baptized in his name is what we are to do for salvation. That said Journey has a lot going for it and I recommend you give it a try for yourself and family. Read below if you are interested why I recommend it even though I will not make it my church. Journey has the problems and benefits that all large churches have. The biggest benefits are: They can do more in Christ name throughout the world, their church and the local community. These are all really important things that Christians are suppose to do. I try to attend each church I'm looking at for at least 4 Sundays and to attend their new persons meeting. I figure every church will have a few sermons a year that do not live up to my standards. My standards are simple they must be Biblical based as I'm a follower of Jesus Christ and believe the Bible is the word of God. I'm not perfect by a long shot I'm amazed God even cared about me now or for sure before I became a Christian. I look for sermons to stimulate me and give me thoughts so as I read my Bible I'm able to gain a better understanding. All of Journey's sermon's have been soundly based on the Bible. I have heard 3 pastors preach 6 sermons. The senior pastor Ed sermons seem to be the most interesting for me. I will give a break for the youngest one as it was his first sermon not particularly well presented but none the less it was still biblically sound. Music is a little louder than I like but I'm a little older than most. The music is designed to praise the Lord and not just be entertainment. Being designed to praise the Lord is the only requirement I set for praise music and if it is entertaining at the same time so much the better. The cons: They are a big church if you want to make this your home and want to develop church friends which you should. You must take the initiative. You must become involved in one or more of their small groups do not expect people to come to you and drag you into a group. Once a church gets over 300 people at a service and is growing this capability no longer exists within the church. The complaints about being not friendly should not be take seriously. This is a Big church they are different than small churches. You want friendly people try Christian Church of Lemon Grove. Just do not expect the same quality presentation of the service. It is a simple choice decide first if you like a big church over 250 per service or a small church. Do not go to a big church expecting it to act as a small church. read more

My family and I have been going to Journey for the past seven years. I love what Ed Noble has to say. Kids programs are excellent. Their fifth and sixth grade program is especially good. Both my children really grew in their foundation of knowing God. The church community and staff were very helpful when I was going through a stressful divorce. Very welcoming atmosphere. read more

Every time I visit San Diego/LaMesa, I attend various events at this church. I have always felt like I belong, everybody is so friendly. They have an area with coffee and people walk up, have a cup and enjoy fellowship with others. For some, this may be the only family around until next week. The kids area is amazing!!!! I visited a toddler play day during the week. The lady in charge was excellent and had a great schedule including reading, lessons on things like colors and relating it to her Book. She interacted with all the kids and adults like she knew them all. She included outside play and snack during their toddler play. She also had coffee for adults who interacted with each other sharing kids stories and lessons they learned as parents. I washed my hands and helped the others get snack together. What a fun morning with people who all welcomed me, thanked me and hoped I would come again . Some days, they have had a fellowship meal after service. There are a lot of military who don't have family in the area and I thought this was such a nice way for families to interact and find friends and people they know that will be there for them. I love the singing during the service, so energizing. I am sad to see people make ugly comments trying to ruin churches. If you don't like it, move on. If you really didn't go, don't make rude comments. read more

Went yesterday for the first time. Awesome worship, great and funny message and very friendly people. I just moved here, and I got contact information from lovely ladies who wanted to welcome me! Very easy ways to get plugged in. Can't wait to go back! read more

I have been attending Journey for 5 years. As a M.D. with many needs Journey supplies them all. The men's group is amazing as well as their small groups. Jesus is at the center of come as you are. Feel free to email mail me with any questions. wellnessmd51@gmail.com read more

Journey Community Church - Churches Near Me - La Mesa, California

I went to this church for the first time today and I have to say this was the best experience I have ever had. The Band was incredible, the Pastor was amazing, the people there were all awesome. I felt at home with everyone. Parking was great, place was very big, nice cafe next to it. read more

I will limit my comments to this church's Praise and Worship team. While all the members seem to be very talented musicians and singers, their song choices leave much to be desired. Looking around at the congregation I only see a handful of people singing along. Yes there are lyrics on the screen but the songs themselves don't lend themselves to congregational singing. To be honest, more often than not the songs are overly wordy, whiny emo songs or creepy converted love songs where the word "Baby" is switched with the word Jesus". You all know what I mean. Here's the thing, the Praise and Worship team seem to be having a great time being up on stage and performing for an audience, kind of like they are rock stars or something, but it's not Praise and Worship for the Congregation. We are left passively watching you all stroking your egos. I attended services here over a dozen times so what I observed wasn't just a one off. Don't get be started on their do-it-yourself Communion. read more

I love this church so much! I have been coming here for a few months now and have felt such an amazing presence of the holy spirit since day one. I love their come as you are attitude and always feel so comfotable and welcomed by every single person. Pastor Ed is awesome and I love how he focuses on how we can be more Christ like. Come check them out. They literally have something for everyone there. read more

Awesome church. So willing to help the community. Everybody has a great personality everybody so happy no discrimination. And they're also willing to pray for you. Love this church read more

A very family and community-oriented church. It is located in, and has purchased a major part of, the shopping center facilities located on Center Drive, up the hill from Citibank. It is sandwiched between Dixie-line on one side, and Carl Burger Dodge on the other. Sunday morning services feature mostly contemporary music, more choruses and worship songs, accompanied by guitars, drums, and keyboards. The pastor that speaks most Sundays is an absolutely brilliant speaker, humorous, self-deprecating, and insightful. He does not act as demagogue or dramatist, but rather as a teacher who asks you to consider and reflect on what is being said. Gentle, persuasive, and insistent that we call ourselves by what we are, "Christ followers", rather than Christian. A sample thoughtful moment from last Sunday was, "There are two Gods in this world. One is the one we create and build up in our mind, our creation, and the other is the real one, the God of the Bible, the one described in scriptures. Some of our problems are reconciling those differences and deciding which one we want to serve, the safe one we keep at a comfortable distance, or the "dangerous" one that calls us to get to know him on his terms." Beyond great sermons, the church has nurseries, young Sunday school ministries, another for middle school age, and a separate high school group. There are multiple small group fellowships, men's nights, women's groups, outreaches to the poor, and support for those in foreign lands persecuted for their Christian commitments. You can be as involved or anonymous as you want. If you haven't been in a while, or you want a great "starter" church, you could not ask for more than what you get at Journey. I started about a year ago. Remember - "A man's life does not consist of the abundance of what he possesses" - A man will take from this life into the next only those treasures that he sends on ahead with his heart and soul! read more

pros: great facilities, great community, well equipped buildings, somewhat sound teaching, great worship. cons: size of church makes it difficult to stay connected between people. [signed up for mens bible study but never heard anything back] very low to none discipleship programs [without it, what's the point of a church?] preaching is more directed to non-believers and never exposited in depth, occasionally confused with preachers explanation, non Christ-centered, i walk out confused, and un-convicted almost every Sunday, I don't want to be "wow'd", I want to be redeemed from a week full of shamefulness. i think that a christian church should be different as most churches claim to be but with sound doctrinal teaching through simple preaching from the word. most of these churches are caught up with the new media and try to hard to fit in to attract non-believers. preach the word as it is, don't add mens ideas and dilute it with fanciness to make it "cool". there's simply too much going on during service at this church and it's distracting. God will prevail and will work according to His will if we follow Him. read more

If your looking for a place that helps you expand on your religion NOT THE PLACE.....If you want to be part of something bigger than yourself....NOT THIS PLACE.....notice I don't say Church I say place.......Its a place for community clicks to hang out. I went several time never felt welcomed met no one created no friendships and my son was actually bullied by kids and hated it ...I guess if the Adults are cold and clickish why should I be surprised the kids are that way. Stopped going and in search of a church that cares about people and god. read more

This is definitely a church for people who don't like church. I love the authenticity that flows through the leadership. Pastor Ed is great as well as his teachings. This church teaches people to live in a community of grace. I wish there were more churches like this one. Unfortunately, it isn't my home church because I live approximately 45 miles away but every chance I get to visit I feel welcomed. read more

This is a great church for all ages to come to,this isn't my home church,but if your in the area,new believer or old time,it's a great place for everyone..from Jason the lead worship leader,to Ed the teaching pastor & Rod who somehow keeps the whole thing going flawlessly read more

I've recently started my walk with God about 2 years ago but couldn't find a church I felt comfortable at. Been coming here for about a couple months and I absolutely love it here. I love its no frills approach ..come as you are..we won't judge. Exactly the type of place I wanted. Ed Noble lead pastor is really cool and passionate. The music...aw the music is sooo touching, I find myself tearing up at every service, they are soo good. Highly recommend anyone to come visit. A real feel good place. read more

This is a place where your starting point is irrelevant, you're given the tools you need to grow closer to Jesus and you can do it in a loving community. read more

I only went to Journey one time, yesterday, for my father in law's memorial service. The "pastor" was an unkind, unprofessional man. I didn't appreciate the way he rushed the service, got personal information about the deceased wrong, and snatched the sign in book away from my husband. Based on the service yesterday, I have to give Journey a FAIL in all areas. read more

We just went to this church this morning as a first try when moving here for the first time and all in all it is a good environment. The community along with the Java shop and the separate buildings for the different bibles schools are all really unique and very inviting for any generation. It is a bigger church but it doesn't make you feel like the service is superficial because pastor Brian is very good and energetic. The band also all have beautiful voices. The only thing that made me weary is that he didn't have a bible on his podium (I'm just used to using paper rather than digital) but he did present the verses on the screens. We are very excited to get more involved in this church! read more

My boyfriend and I started coming to Journey about 1 1/2 years ago. We were looking around at different churches and once we visited Journey never went anywhere else again. The sermons seem to always directly relate to our lives and help us to learn how to accept Jesus into our everyday lives, not just Sundays. This is now our home church and we couldn't be happier. They practice what they preach, especially with the "come as you are" motto. Journey is truly accepting of everyone and does so much to help the local community and beyond. I encourage anyone to come to a service and check it out for yourself. read more

I have been going to Journey Community Church for about a year now. It has been great for me, since I used to be a nonbeliever and Journey is "a church for people who don't go to church." I feel like Journey has helped me understand how to change my heart and become true christ follower. I never feel pressured to believe or conform to any of the typical religious fog. Pastor Ed is funny and engaging. Tic and the rest of the leaders of the church are down to earth and easy to talk to. Lastly, if you have kids, they will love it at Journey. The kids programs are fun and enlightening at a kids level of understanding Jesus. read more

I have been looking for a church for several years and found Journey. The music is great. No matter your background or lifestyle the cultural is one of acceptance. Regardless of your church traditions or whether you have any belief in God, Ed Nobel's teaching is excellent. read more

Really liked the worship at this church. However, my child was not allowed to attend church with us. Without being given the chance to sit in church with us (which he does every week at our home church without incident). When we first got there we were told that there was a separate place for children. We told the woman that we would be taking him to church with us. She seemed annoyed but let us go in with him. About 20 minutes into the service, she came in and told us we needed to take him out (even though he was still not making noise at this point). Was disappointed because I feel like families should be able to worship together. Sadly, we haven't returned. read more

So I started off looking for a spiritual community about 18 months ago... thinking something simple and St. Francis like would be good... plain, wooden kneelers, meditation. And where do I end up? Journey. A far cry from Assisi, my friend. As others have noted, it's big, and high tech. Ed Nobel, the pastor, is the real deal. There's nothing fake about him. The pastor looks deeply into scripture and has considerable background in Hebrew and Greek as well as the geo-politics of the areas around Israel. He speaks from the heart, with intelligence and love. A fundamental Journey belief is what the church is referred to as the "Jesus Creed," loving the Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind and loving each other as yourself. Sermons are compelling, respectful of theological differences, real life - always with an eye towards following Jesus. And the pastor has me in hysterics on a regular basis, a big plus. Theologically, the church spans from left to right; my impression is that congregation as a whole tilts towards the right a bit; I'm on the left leaning end of the spectrum. There are families with young children galore - but a whole lot of other people too, like me - a middle aged spinster, with Catholic background who remembers Bonanza and stuffs tissues up her sleeves. Be forewarned: don't expect hymns. The rock music and band are excellent. Come as you are, friendly, casual environment. (read: pastor and 25% of congregation wear flip flops.) Community service is giant: an awesome summer camp for kids in Tecate and another in Haiti, a La Mesa food bank, partnership with local schools to help kids learn music, outreaches to veterans and victims of sex-trafficking, and a yearly round-up of thousands of classroom supplies for local teachers. As for me, I just help run some cameras, and love it. Any large worship environment is kind of overwhelming at first - you'll get a warm welcome and abundant coffee here to ease you in. The real community for me is in the small home group I'm in... getting to know some people deeply, building friendships, and having real-life, genuine conversations. read more

this church gets it, God, Grace and Love. The services are impactful and the music is great.

I have been a "christian" , NOT a "christ-follower" for quite some time. Forgive me, I very much dislike that term because it is both ambiguous and lends to distract in the way of apologizing for being a "christian". A true called and confessing believer should never apologize for being christian. Anyways, I come from a more traditional pentacostal background, i.e. Foursquare, Assembly of God, and Calvary Chapel. I started to worship here because Journey's background was that it formed as an extension of pastor Mike McIntosh's Church, Horizon Christian Fellowship. So, the teachings, at first were fairly similar and the theology and ecclesiology were also similar. However, after several years, they formally separated themselves from Horizon and started to embrace a seeker sensitive/ seeker friendly gospel, commonly referred to "Willow-Back" preaching( Willow Creek Church and Saddleback Church), which predominately teaches and preaches more to the non-believing audience. I now attend a reformed church. So, I began my journey to further investigate this new style or theology and found it desparately wanting. This seeker-sensitive style of both theology and preaching is basically a very watered down gospel, if you can even call it that at all, without or rarely discussing and teaching the Law, Sin, and then following up with an sound exegetical exposition of the text to preach the Gospel. The problem really starts with their hermenuetic and topic based teaching/preaching generally tends to resort to biblical texts being used out of context. Like the old saying goes, "a text out of context, is a pretext for a proof text." I read the Purpose Driven Life and many of the other recommended books that the leadership prescribed, but it continually left me with more questions than answers. There was no foundational statements or teachings about the "Gospel" Further, after deeper analysis, many of the recommended author's writings, I found that their teachings were contrary to sound biblical teaching. I am not suggesting heresy per se, but simply abberant teachings . After a few years of trying to understand this new seeker-sensitive theology that was rampant not only at Journey, but also in the evangelical community, I discovered that Journey was also heavily involved with those associated with what is known as "emergent village" and the theology of the Emergent Church. This greatly disturbed me further and I had to make a decision for both myself and my family to find another place of worship that really understood what the Gospel was really about. This church has alot of appeal. I can certainly see how many would want to give this church a try and why so many stay. They cater to the non-believers, they have nice big video screens, they have a great audio/video department, lots opportunity to get involved with the various church outreaches, ministries and community support. The do truly care for their people and most certainly have their best interest in mind. Their method of bringing in the lost is tantamount to a Rock Star Crusade for Jesus. The audience is full of both really committed christians and fans of Jesus Christ. However, what saddens me is that there is no true gospel preaching or teaching, and no true discipleship training. Rarely do I leave this church on Sundays feeling ashamed, convicted, or feel remorse about my sin which should lead me to both private and corporate confession. Rather, I leave with a feeling that I am ok just the way I am, and that no matter what, God loves me. Well, that is certainly true, but God is more than just love. That is just "1" of his many attributes. God is also Holy, Just, etc. Acutally, I think God is refered to as "holy" many more times than "love" in the bible. I don't like the idea that Jesus and I are buddies. We are not equal, He is God, and I am not. There just does not seem be enough reverance being practiced there and hence the casualness of the overall vibe of this church. I recall during the late 80's and early 90's when the "prosperity gospel" was a very popular "abberant theology" being practiced in many protestant churches. They proposed that it is directly tied with the "atonement". Unfortunately, this is not the case. We live in a cursed world and are still subject to its curse. Not until Christ returns will we not have to suffer. In similar fashion, the "Emergent Church" and the theology that Journey now embraces, incorporates a gospel of "Social Justice" and has seriously confused the gospel with the great commandment. The great commandment is not the gospel that is to be worked out. We DO NOT LIVE the gospel. The gospel is an announcement and is supposed to be preached! The great commandment is something that is worked out as a result of our salvation .A works gospel is no gospel at all and this sadly is the resulted influences of from Brian Mclaren, N.T. Wright, Doug Paggit, Tony Jones et al. read more