First Baptist Church of Hollywood — Local services in Los Angeles

I really loved attending this church fellowship and serving in various capacities for almost three years, which makes writing this review especially difficult. I grew very close with the sisters in Christ here and made a lot of wonderful memories, hoping to be lifelong companions, like family. I felt like FBCH was a refuge after searching for a church home for so long. Pastor Richard and Pastor Dakota are skilled public speakers and use an expository approach to Scripture. While preaching is a beneficial skill to have in pastoral ministry, I have personal concerns regarding the pastoral actions of both men, which have affected my perception of their leadership, especially with regard to biblical principles. I had experiences, e.g. counseling and as a volunteer, that left me feeling harmed and unsafe.

When I shared my experiences and safeguarding recommendations with church leadership, I felt misunderstood and unsupported. Specifically, there were occasions where my concerns were not addressed, and I received responses that felt dismissive and invalidating, including from the women teachers, which contributed to an additional sense of isolation. I felt exhausted and discouraged whenever I made efforts to bring any challenging matters to their attention in hopes of having an opportunity for an honest dialogue and resolution.

I am concerned that close relationships within the church leadership may impact the objectivity of decision-making processes. For instance, certain decisions regarding disciplinary action or church governance seemed influenced by familial or close connections rather than objective criteria laid out in Scripture. This impacts the promotion of God’s love and justice, especially for His sheep whenever they are harmed by under-shepherds or other congregants.

I have observed a strong focus on maintaining a positive outward appearance, which could sometimes result in important issues being overlooked. For example, if hard issues within a church are handled in a manner that conceals details or context, or misrepresents information, such a community might risk resolving the underlying generational and/or systemic problems in exchange to appease public perception. That type of approach raises concerns about a church’s ability to keep itself accountable and properly respond to serious matters. It could also prevent individuals from coming to informed conclusions based on facts, disrupting subsequent actions.

Eventually, I decided to resign my membership and leave the church because I continuously felt ostracized, slandered, or stonewalled. I know being in leadership positions can be a challenge, but it requires integrity, humility, and a sincere commitment to the best interests of the sheep. I’m not trying to burn bridges. My feedback is aimed to point out concerning behaviors and is not intended as personal attacks on individuals. I love the people within this fellowship. I simply have not personally seen progress amongst the leadership whenever I made attempts to seek clarifications and/or resolutions. But, I hope positive changes are eventually implemented for the benefit of Christ’s sheep.

My experience is one of several instances where individuals have felt unsupported, prompting them to seek spiritual safety and healing elsewhere. In its current state, as I’m writing this, I do not believe this church is safe for women or vulnerable individuals on their walk with God. Of course, no church is perfect, however, I don’t want to dismiss serious concerns or justify unhealthy behaviors. Therefore, I feel it is important to caution others to be aware of these issues if they consider visiting.

My DMs are open for any sincere questions (Yelp/FB).

I encourage reading the following in your personal time: Matthew 18:5-6; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Samuel 12; Ezekiel 34; 1 Peter 4:12; Titus 1:5-16; Titus 2:3-5. The NASB translations were particularly helpful to me. Please review the whole chapters for additional context...

With my family in Hollywood this past Saturday looking for parking and had to use the restroom badly. Walked up to this little old lady working the door and asked politely if there was a restroom I could use. She looked at me like I was homeless and replied "no public restrooms". Some house of God they run over there. She visibly saw me in my rental car (we made eye contact while I drove past)....looked at the crucifix on my neckless and could care less (and no it wasnt laced in diamonds or some crazy mess like that)....

I live on the same block as this church. It’s sad to see the homeless right in front of the church ask for help and get denied. Over and over. I’ve watched them all ask the church for help just to get told to leave. The people at this church are heartless humans. They do not walk nor act like Jesus. God would be so proud of his children. Keep holding your signs in front of the church saying “Honk if you love Jesus”, while the homeless across the street show your church’s true colors. Disgusting humans go to...