Some 120 people gather in the sands of Redondo Beach near Los Angeles for worship service every Sunday. Worshipers come for a wide variety of reasons, ranging from those who feel scorned by traditional church services to those who simply enjoy their churchgoing with a side of ocean breeze.
Now, after nearly two decades of beachside ministry, Los Angeles County has a message for this longstanding Christian service: Take it inside.
Church on the Beach
For the last 18 years, King’s Harbor Church in Los Angeles has been bringing the gospel to parishioners at Redondo Beach in what they call “Church on the Beach.”
The service was properly permitted by the county, but after Church on the Beach became its own 501(c)(3) last year, the permit needed to be reissued. That’s when the church learned that the county recently changed their policy, and that the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors would no longer be issuing yearly permits for religious services.
They were told that Church on the Beach was grandfathered into a plan allowing continued religious service – but only six per year. That's a far cry from the 52 they typically hold.
In response, the church has lawyered up and is prepared to move from the beach to the courtroom.
A Sandy Situation
LA County is “expressly discriminating against religious groups in public spaces” reads the lawsuit brought by Church on the Beach’s legal team, The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Their lawyers argue that faith groups are being held to a different standard than non-faith groups – who have no such restrictions on the frequency or regularity of beach meetings.
“It is unlawful for a public entity to treat religious groups differently or less favorably than non-religious groups with regard to the access of public forums,” reads the suit. “Accordingly, we demand that LA County immediately cease from discriminating against Church on the Beach for its religious activity, and instead immediately agree to allow the church to continue meeting.”
According to the ACLJ, a county official told a Church on the Beach pastor that they “don’t need the beach” because they can “meet in a building,” which they say shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the beach service. "The beach location isn't merely a preference,” says Nathan Moelker, ACLJ Associate Counsel. “It's a crucial component of their ministry's outreach to those who might never step foot in a conventional church."
Is It Discrimination?
Church on the Beach’s lawyers argue that it is blatantly unconstitutional to limit religious gatherings in a public space, especially when other non-religious groups do not have such restrictions. They say that they simply cannot take their worship inside, and that the beach location is not some gimmick; It is a crucial part of their ministry and a necessary setting to reach those scorned by traditional church services.
The county says the rules are clear: permits for religious activities at the beach are no longer being issued, and the church is not entitled to use a public beach as their weekly worship location. However, they did offer the group a special plan to hold services six times a year in honor of their longstanding relationship.
What do you think? Is this a case of religious discrimination against a Christian group spreading the gospel at the beach? Or is the county fully within their right to decide what sorts of events can take place on public lands?
23 comments
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Merlin
The 501(c)3 designation makes them Tax exempt. They must have started bringing in some serious money.
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arawngraalrd
I don't think it's rightful that a church ask permission of any public authority. Be a good neighbor, and where might we gather to sing and dance? Hold the Services, but it's easier to ask Forgiveness than Permission.
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White Owl
"Render unto Caesar what is Caesars" It is Caesar's beach, asking permission is the right thing to do. To violate anything in anyway, especially with the attitude of asking forgiveness is wrong. Would you forgive me if I came to your house and held my worship in your home without permission?
Peace to you all
White Owl
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Robert Gagnon
If it's private or county property they have the right to restrict activities on their property. You don't like it, buy a beach. Maybe be happy with the decades of free use you did have.
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arawngraalrd
No private beaches, from what I understand.
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Douglas Robert Spindler
No private Beaches in California.... It's the law.
Why Christians think they are above the law is sad.
What they are doing is illegal and against the law.
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White Owl
They are not breaking the law. They have been meeting, legally, weekly on the beach for 18 years. Due to their registering as a 501(c)(3) they had to re-permit to reflect the new status 501(c)(3) at that time the county cancelled their grandfathered in weekly and made it a 6 times a year. They never broke the law. That is what they are now legally challenging in court.
Not sure why you presume Christians think the law doesn't apply to them when they are following the law and its process.
Peace to you all,
White Owl
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Mountainsage
The county officials miss the point entirely. The beach IS the church. Restricting its use denies religious freedom.
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Douglas Robert Spindler
Christians are missing the point... They are breaking the law and doing something illegal.
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White Owl
They are not breaking the law. They have been meeting, legally, weekly on the beach for 18 years. Due to their registering as a 501(c)(3) they had to re-permit to reflect the new status 501(c)(3) at that time the county cancelled their grandfathered in weekly & made it a 6 times a year. They never broke the law. That is what they are now legally challenging in court.
Peace to you all, White Owl
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Douglas Robert Spindler
It's a cult.
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Samuel Tamayo
The Big One . it is written ;
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John P Maher
WITH ALL THE MONEY " O M G " HAS BUY THE BEACH and SHUTTHEF---KUP
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Elizabeth Jane Erbe Wilcox
Meh. The christians always whine about being treated unfairly. Yawn…
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John Robert Milner
California
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Colleen McAllister
Public beaches should be available to the public. Unless the church fences off the area and keeps others from entering or joining in, then they should be permitted to continue to hold the services.
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JT Sunrise
On California shores—a time when a long-held tradition of meeting by the sea has been challenged by a decree, telling the “Church on the Beach” to take its worship elsewhere. In the sand and surf, many have found a sanctuary, a place where the sacred meets the natural, where souls are stirred by the rhythm of the tide and the whisper of the wind. For decades, those gatherings have been a testament to a faith that sees no walls, that finds God in the open, wild spaces of our Mother Earth.
Yet, here we are, confronted by new regulations and by voices—some in praise of order and public space management, others in protest for what they see as an assault on religious freedom. I have read the words of both the dissenting comments and those calling for respect for the public good. And in my heart, I sense the deep yearning of all who worship: the yearning to belong, to be seen, and to be united in love.
Let us reflect on this: our public spaces, like the beach, are not just parcels of sand and sea, but canvases where the beauty of creation is celebrated. When we gather there, we are not intruding upon a neutral ground—we are reclaiming a space where the divine speaks in the crashing waves and the open sky. And yet, society too has its needs for regulation, for ensuring that the rights of all are safeguarded.
I invite you now to see these tensions as an opportunity to explore the deeper currents of our shared human journey. In the midst of what some call a social power war, we are reminded that true unity is not achieved by suppressing differences but by embracing them. For our sacred texts remind us that our oneness transcends the confines of institutional boundaries or public permits; our unity is woven into the very fabric of our souls.
The first tide of unity calls us to honor every human being’s dignity—whether gathered by the sea or in a hall—recognizing that the Creator’s breath is in all of us. The second tide bids us to seek honest dialogue, to speak our truths with humility even when our voices tremble. And the third tide invites us to extend grace—grace that can transform regulatory conflicts into chances for reconciliation, where differences are not weapons but stepping stones toward a fuller, richer fellowship.
In our daily lives, let us remember that the Church is not confined to a building, a beach, or even a legal charter. It is the gathering of hearts, the shared laughter and tears, and the unyielding hope that we are all children of one God. So let us not be divided by the shifting sands of policy or the loud clamor of dissent. Instead, let us build our spiritual home on the rock of compassion, where every voice is valued and every soul is welcome.
Rev JTSunrise
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Nicholas J Page
So what is wrong with church on the beach you don't have to go there although parties and BBQs are allowed which causes more damage to the environment.
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Rev. Carol M Anaski-Figurski
Can the church on the beach park districtize & put a rentable pavillion up that is still outside on the beach & can be used for gathering purpose every or any day or the year. Let's gather there.
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James Riggle-Johnson
As a lifelong California resident, I find it embarrassing to witness our local and state government impose unnecessary restrictions on a group that has responsibly held services on the beach for nearly 20 years. If they had never declared their 501(c) status, this situation wouldn’t even exist. It’s bewildering that other groups can meet freely while the Church on the Beach faces limitations. It’s not surprising that many attendees feel more comfortable in an outdoor beach setting, and honestly, what harm is there in allowing them to continue? It simply doesn’t make sense, and it reflects poorly on the local and state government.
Najah Tamargo-USA
People have parties on the beach, get married on the beach, get drunk on the beach, but you can't have a church meeting on the beach???? Literally, what the hell???!!!
That's the law. Not sure why Christians think the law doesn't apply to them.
They are not breaking the law. They have been meeting, legally, weekly on the beach for 18 years. Due to their registering as a 501(c)(3) they had to re-permit to reflect the new status 501(c)(3) at that time the county cancelled their grandfathered in weekly and made it a 6 times a year. They never broke the law. That is what they are now legally challenging in court.
Not sure why you presume Christians think the law doesn't apply to them when they are following the law and its process.
Peace to you all, White Owl