About Us

Our Mission

Arroyo Church's mission is: Knowing and Showing the Love of Jesus in the Bay Area and Beyond.

The love of Jesus: Jesus loves you more than you know! His love is an initiating love, which means He always takes the first step. He loved you before you ever even thought about Him. His love for us is most clearly demonstrated in the fact, “that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Knowing: Knowing the love of Jesus is not something that only has to do with head knowledge, but with heart knowledge as well. As a community we are centered on genuinely getting to know Jesus in a personal way that transforms our lives.

Showing: God’s love is not meant for us to only know it, but to show it to others too! We show the love of Jesus to others with both our words and works. We aim to passionately tell people about Jesus's love but to also show His love for them through tangible acts of service.

The Bay Area and beyond: As a church, we are rooted in Livermore, a truly unique city within the Bay Area. Our primary focus is on Livermore and the wider Bay Area; however, we also aim to make an impact beyond the region by serving people not only locally but also nationally and internationally.

Our BELIEFS

The gospel

We believe that the gospel is the good news that, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) All humans beings have sinned against God, and the result is that we are separated from Him and are not a part of the family of God. The good news is that God did not want to stay separate from us. The Father sent Jesus Christ to die the death that we deserved on the cross and rose again three days later so that if we place our faith in Him we can be forgiven forever, and be adopted into the family of God. We are not saved from our sins by our good works, but by simply trusting in the good work that Christ did on the cross for us as our substitutionary sacrifice. We believe that Christ died for us because God “SO” loves us. (emphasis added) This good news is meant to be believed, and then to be shared so that others may experience the free gift of God’s forgiveness in their life (Ephesians 2:8-10, John 3:16, 1 John 4:10, and Romans 3:23).

The Church

We believe that the local church is a community of people who confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and that the universal church is comprised of all God’s people in all times and places. In obedience to Scripture, Christians organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, practice believer’s baptism, regularly remember the cross through Communion, are unified by the Spirit in love, are corrected for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the great commandment and the great commission as missionaries to the world. Because we are members of God’s universal church, we partner with other Christian local churches and ministries for Kingdom ministry and are devoted to building up our local church family (Acts 2:36-41, Matthew 16:18, Acts 2:42, Matthew 2:11, Romans 13:1-7, and Matthew 28).

Humanity

We believe that all human beings are created in the image of God, and therefore, have intrinsic value. God created us in His image because we were created to be in His family as His children. We are also all sinners by both nature and choice. Because we have all sinned, we have all become separated from God. The result is that all people are spiritual orphans, unless we place our faith in Jesus. Once we place our faith in Jesus, we receive forgiveness and become a part of the family of God, just as it was originally intended (Genesis 1:27, Romans 3:23, and Isaiah 59:2).

Eternity

We believe that all people are created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin in hell, or be eternally united with God through forgiveness and salvation in heaven. Hell is a place of conscious and eternal torment. God does not want anyone to go to hell, but people go there when they decide to decline His offer of love and relationship. Heaven is a perfect place where we get to be united forever with God, who is perfect (Revelation 21:8, Revelation 21:1-27, Luke 16:1-31, and John 14:2-3).

The Trinity

We believe there is only one true God, who eternally exists as a Trinity of equally divine persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each member of the Trinity thinks, acts, feels, speaks, and relates, because each is a person and not an impersonal force. Each member of the Trinity is equally God, sharing all the divine attributes. Because love and community flow from the Trinity to us through the Holy Spirit, we seek to live in loving community with God and others (Genesis 1:26, Matthew 28:19, Luke 3:22, and 1 Peter 1:2).

The Bible

We believe that God has supremely revealed Himself through Jesus Christ, who Himself was the Word that was made flesh. We believe that all sixty-six books of the Bible are divinely Holy Spirit inspired, inerrant, and authoritative. The Bible exists to reveal Jesus Christ to us so we can have a relationship with Him. Because God is a loving Father who speaks through His word, we seek read, memorize, meditate on, and apply the truths found in the Bible (John 1, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, John 17:17, and Isaiah 40:8).

Our Team

Josh Smith

Lead pastor

Hi! I'm Josh, and I’ve been following Jesus since I was six years old. My journey has had its twists and turns, but Jesus has been faithful every step of the way! I’m blessed to be married to my elementary school sweetheart, Jamielynn, and together we’re raising two amazing daughters.

Serving as the pastor of Arroyo Church in Livermore is a dream come true! I grew up in the Tri-Valley, so this place will always be home, and I’m deeply committed to our community.

During my free time, you can usually find me hanging out with friends, watching the 49ers or the Warriors, or enjoying a good movie. I would describe myself as an extroverted extrovert, so if you ever feel like having a conversation, I'd be more than happy to connect and learn more about your story. Please feel free to reach out to me via email anytime at josh@arroyochurch.com

Griffin Smith

Creative Director & Worship Pastor

Hey There! I'm Griffin, and I am especially passionate about my faith and love for Jesus. Building the church has been my calling, where I strive to pour my heart and soul into fostering a community of believers. My partner in this journey is my wife, Selah, who supports and inspires me every step of the way. I am immensely grateful for the gift of life that there is through Jesus, and I strive to live it with purpose, spreading faith, hope, and love wherever I go.

Dakota Yates

Elder/cfo

Hi! My name is Dakota and I am saved by Christ! One of my life’s passions is finding ways to tell others about how they can be saved too. I’ve lived my entire life in the East Bay and building a biblical based, welcoming community here is what I believe God has called me to do. I have been best friends with the lead pastor Josh and the worship pastor Griffin since we were born and feel thankful for God keeping us together to build his kingdom. When I’m not working my day job at Amazon, I love hanging out with my beautiful wife and daughter outdoors.

Kelly Patchin

ELDEr/wise counsel

Kelly has been the Lead Pastor at New Harbor Church in Benicia for over 25 years. He serves on Arroyo’s elder board and is married to his wife Jennifer and has four children.

Jamielynn Smith

Children’s Ministry Director

Trevor Bither

Youth Ministry Director

Janna Chestnut

Women’s Ministry Director