From Preservation to Purpose: Revitalizing a Church in Azusa

When Pastor Adrian Greer stepped into leadership at Foothill Community Church, he understood that revitalizing a church comes with both opportunity and responsibility. He was not starting from scratch. He was stepping into a church with a rich history, a faithful congregation, and decades of ministry in the Azusa community.

For Adrian, this work is deeply personal.

Azusa is his hometown, and years before becoming lead pastor, Adrian felt called by God to intentionally invest in the neighborhood surrounding the church. Over time, that calling grew into a desire to help the church continue reaching the community around it in fresh and meaningful ways.

After serving on staff for several years, Adrian stepped into the lead pastor role nearly five years ago. While honoring the church’s foundation and the faithfulness of previous leadership, Adrian also sensed God leading the church into a new season focused on discipleship, prayer, and community engagement.

Like many revitalization journeys, the process came with challenges.

Leading change within an established church requires patience, humility, and trust. Adrian shared that there were moments where he wrestled with balancing the expectations of others while also remaining faithful to the vision he believed God was placing on his heart.

During this season, Adrian remained committed to participating in CTC SoCal gatherings and retreats. He describes one particular alumni retreat in Palm Springs as a major turning point that brought renewed clarity, encouragement, and confidence as he continued leading the church forward.

While at the retreat, Adrian participated in a Mastermind session with other CTC SoCal alumni. Through the process of honestly sharing his struggles and receiving thoughtful feedback and encouragement from fellow pastors, Adrian began to recognize a deeper tension he had been carrying as a leader. When he returned home, he shared this realization with his congregation: “I had been living into a version of who you all wanted me to be, and that’s not who I am and that’s not who God has called me to be.”

Following that season, Adrian and the church leadership entered into a time of listening, prayer, and discernment together. Through conversations with ministry leaders, small groups, and church members, they reflected on the church’s strengths, hopes, and vision for serving the surrounding community. Out of those conversations emerged several renewed areas of focus, including making everyday disciples, prioritizing the next generation, and tangibly loving their neighbors.

Over time, Adrian began seeing signs of renewed spiritual engagement throughout the congregation. Members started stepping into discipleship relationships, building stronger connections with neighbors, and becoming more intentional about living out their faith in everyday life.

One especially meaningful moment happened within Adrian’s own family.

After hearing the church’s mission and discipleship focus regularly, Adrian’s teen daughter asked her parents, “How come I’m not making disciples?” She later asked for 12 Bibles, prayed over 12 girls in her life, and began leading her own small discipleship group.

For Adrian, moments like these are reminders that revitalization is not simply about maintaining programs or structures. It is about helping his own congregation grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus and empowering them to live out their faith in their communities.

Today, Foothill Community Church continues moving forward with renewed vision and purpose, seeking to faithfully serve both longtime members and the surrounding city of Azusa for generations to come.

“I don’t think we get a map for these things,” Adrian shared. “But we do get a guide. And our guide goes with us.”

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” — Isaiah 43:19