I have been a member of Capistrano Church for over 10 years and I've learned one thing if you've got nothing positive to say say nothing at all and all All employees and personnel volunteers included are always professional and courteous. The food they serve in the cafeteria is unbelievable. I can practice my belief here in freedom. Thank you. read more

Great Church! Place to call home when life is pleasant or tough. Personally grateful for the people, sermons, community and friendly faces that come with this church!! Lord continue to Bless this Church and everyone who enter, Amen. read more

Capo Beach Church - Capo Church - Churches Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Unfortunately this church has taken a recent turn for the worst. I used to really enjoy services here but the content and atmosphere is not what it used to be. The new leadership is on a power trip which has really affected the culture and sense of community and love in a dark and depressing manner. read more

As a former employee of nearly 14 years under Lead Pastor Craig Whittaker, I cherished my time at Capo Beach Church. The staff and community were vibrant, and under Craig's leadership, the church truly lived out its mission: putting people in touch with God. Sadly, that era ended abruptly. The board of directors, influenced by a younger teaching pastor with grand ambitions, made a devastating decision to terminate Craig's employment after nearly 50 years of faithful service. But they didn't stop there--misinformation and divisive tactics followed, leaving deep fractures within the congregation. Half the church left in response. Why? Because many could not in good conscience continue to worship under leadership that betrayed a man who spent his life serving Capo with humility and integrity. My recommendation if you're considering attending Capo Beach Church: Don't. The current leadership does not reflect the spiritual integrity or biblical standards God calls for in His house. For those still attending, I encourage you to visit CBCtruth.org and compare the church's actions to the very messages now being preached. Pastor Matt teaches lessons he ought to live by. read more

Zero stars! Went here for 40 years. It was my home. But that is all over. The current leadership's egos, selfishness and total disregard for the opinions of nearly 500 congregants has ruined CBC. Nearly 500 congregants requested a town hall meeting to discuss the current leadership's coup and the flippant, callous, and outright untruthful statements by the new Lead Pastor. Current Leadership denied their request. The 500 congregants even presented a Motion of No Confidence to the Board which was callously ignored and mocked by the current leadership. Needless to say, hundreds have left. The church is coasting off the excellent previous reputation and great financial management & planning the former leadership had set up. Check out CBCTRUTH.ORG for more information. If you want a good church go anywhere else. Harbor Point, South OC, Paradigm are all great choices. read more

I've been a member of Capo Beach Church for years and have found it to be an incredible community of faith. I am very involved in the Men's Bible Studies, and the men I gather with each week are like brothers--encouraging one another, holding each other accountable, and walking together as we grow in Christ. Like any church, there have been seasons of change and even challenges in leadership. Change is not easy, and in this case, it could have been handled better by all sides. But what I know to be true is this: our church is not about personalities, rumors, or politics--it is about Jesus Christ. Our focus is on Him, and Him alone. Pastor Matt Whitlock is one of the most gifted teaching pastors I have had the privilege to learn from. His heart for the Word of God and ability to make Scripture come alive each week has been a blessing to me and to countless others. Unfortunately, some reviews here focus on conflict rather than Christ. I chose not to get caught up in gossip, because gossip divides, and division is never from the Lord. If you are reading this and wondering whether to visit, my encouragement is simple: come and see for yourself. Don't let secondhand negativity keep you away from a place where people genuinely love God and love others. Capo Beach Church is not perfect--no church is. But it is a place where lives are being changed, where people are being strengthened in their walk with Christ, and where God's Kingdom is being advanced. That is the truth I have personally experienced, and I invite you to experience it as well. read more

As a 35-year member of our church family, I feel compelled to share with you some deeply troubling experiences I've had with Pastor Matt Whitlock that reflect a pattern of behavior that concerns me greatly regarding his character. We served our church community for decades. My family and I have faithfully supported CBC with our attendance, prayers, financial contributions, and volunteer work --long before Matt's arrival. Recently Matt suggested that those of us with concerns should "go start our own church." This dismissive comment deeply wounded me and others who have invested our lives in this congregation. When several members peacefully sought transparency regarding church leadership decisions, Matt labeled us "insurrectionists" and spread untrue accusations about me and others who simply want accountability. He even falsely claimed that I brought in employees to disrupt a church service. Matt claimed that I deceived a local church to secure their facility for the Town Hall Meeting by saying our gathering was merely a "prayer meeting." The truth is the Director of that church acknowledged I never misled him. We were forced to seek an alternative venue because Matt and the Board denied us the opportunity to gather at our own church. While speaking with my husband about distributing informational flyers Matt "warned" him twice that "there were people ready to make sure we would not be able to walk back to our cars." Making a thinly-veiled threat of violence against us, in particular, and against church members who merely disagree with leadership decisions is alarming to say the least...all from a "so-called" man of God, a term I use extremely loosely. What man of God threatens church members with PHYSICAL violence?? I am dismayed by the lack of transparency surrounding major church decisions. The Board of Directors (now renamed as "Elders") appears to be making significant changes affecting our entire church family without congregational input or proper communication. When questioned, Matt invoked "Ministerial Exception" hiding behind the church's legal ability to circumvent anti-discrimination laws rather than addressing legitimate congregational concerns. As a former missionary himself I was saddened to learn that Matt was unfamiliar with our CBC supported missionaries Jon and Shannon Haslett and questioned why we continue to support them. This reveals a concerning disconnect from our church's longstanding mission commitments. I write this letter out of love for our church family. After 35 years of fellowship here, I believe we deserve transparency, truthfulness, and leadership that values the entire congregation's voice--especially regarding significant decisions about our church's direction and the treatment of dedicated, longstanding staff members. Recently and most disturbing is that Pastor Craig Whittaker, for attending the church he so faithfully led for almost 50 years, is now being accosted by board members questioning his integrity and his love of God just for attending Sunday services at the church he FOUNDED. The audacity of this "Board" is breathtaking. Christ has truly left the building. To find out the TRUTH of what happened at CAPO BEACH CHURCH, I invite you to visit: CBCTRUTH.org Cynthia Vargas Sieloff read more

Capo Beach Church - Churches Near Me - Dana Point, California

Apparently the new 'lead' Pastor is taking his kids on a long 20 country 'missionary tourist' vacation at church expense. Extremely lame and superficial. My aunt and uncle spent over 20 years in Burma translating the Bible into the Chin dialect and building a church while teaching, their daughter and her husband spent over 20 years in a remote location translating and teaching in Indonesia until the Muslims threw them out and their kids are living in Thailand doing missionary work. Short missionary trips are ego driven. If you are truly a missionary, you live there and serve. Short term evangelical trips are selfish and just used for sermon ego sound bites. I grew up with true missionaries who dedicated their lives. Not some person who is so busy riding his bikes, surfing, and posting on the Internet read more

Capo Beach Church opens their door to the community with a love for all. It is a friendly church that offers a helping hand for ones in need and have people willing to pray for anyone who needs prayers for at anytime. They have a wonderful children program along with middle school and high school. The trips and events planned for these kids are amazing and they will make it work for the ones that need financial help no kid left behind Pastor Matt along with the worship team honors the beliefs of biblical teachings. The church is not only a church its a gathering place for all to come feel Gods love and make it a home away from home read more

What could improve ? The church Bring back pastor Craig ! After 45 loving years at Capo beach church my heart is aching with sadness over what has happened at my second home .I felt I could always count on head Pastor Craig being on stage and sincerely available dedicating his life leading the church. As he was pushed out,not out of choice. Time for me to find a new home. read more

This is a very painful tragedy that is occurring currently at my beloved Capistrano Beach Church (CBC). I have attended there for about 35 years when it was Calvary Chapel of Capistrano Beach being led by Chuck Smith Jr. The new church board of 'elders' fired their Senior pastor Craig Whitaker about 3 months ago and have made a bigger mess since then of alienating their most valuable giving members who have donated, volunteered, given so much of their time in so may ways that we can ever know. Makes no sense to me. If you don't care how and why this happened -then I feel sorry for you. Craig has led the flock of believers for about 40 years. Why would the new 'elders' fire him without warning to the church in advance? Why would they force him out as he was just about to retire? This is not about me being a great fan of Craig. I just hate to see innocent Godly people or anybody be treated so poorly by those who should be loving Jesus (or whoever they worship) more than themselves. Always follow the money. Did an audit of CBC recently show any improprieties? Answer is no. Was their any allegations of substance abuse, sexual accusations, or any other crimes? Again the answer is no! So WTF! WWJD? Talk about indignation and insults to Craig and about 1/2 and growing of the congregation. CBC is a multi million dollar not for profit business. Please Google the 'CBC Truth Seekers' for much more info and fight against this Coup to end. This is truly a tragedy that will not go away soon. What can be done? Join the CBC Truth Seekers online and follow along as there is a lot there that needs to be shared to form your own opinion. May God, Jesus, and the Angels set us free to find and seek the truth and the way of our Holy Trinity, Amen. read more

Corrupt leadership who don't follow biblical teaching. With the firing of lead Pastor Craig Whittaker, this church has been on what i feel is a downward spiral. The way Matt Whitlock and the board treated Craig after his almost 50 years of service is disgraceful. He still has not been recognized by current leadership for all the amazing things he and his wife have done for Capo Beach Church. Matt Whitlock and the current board of elders should truly be embarrassed. Hopefully the Financials and tithes will represent the mistake leadership made. I don't see this church surviving much longer. It's really sad to witness what happened. Go to CBCTRUTH.ORG if you want to know more. It has all the information about what kind of people have taken over and how they disrespect the elderly and longstanding faithful members who help build and fund CBC for decades. Just look at the picture I posted from Christmas Eve service 2025. Attendance must reflect what an amazing job Matt Whitlock is doing. What a disaster to see the church empty and struggling like that. Christmas Eve services in the past were packed full of faithful worshipers. read more

Capo Beach Church - Christmas Eve service 2025. I guess attendance reflects how good of a job the new lead Pastor Matt Whitlock is doing. So sad to see this. - Churches Near Me - Dana Point, California

Capo Beach Church has been destroyed by pathetic, ungodly leadership. The only church I have attended since living in Dana Point for the last 44 years Capo Beach Church has been ruined by pathetic leadership. Decisions have been handled in ungodly, unkind, and dishonest ways, leaving behind hurt and division. What was once a Christ-centered, loving community has sadly become a place of disappointment and broken trust. Jessie read more

Love this church ! Worship is beautiful ! Friendly people and good vibes are always here !

I absolutely love coming to this church. Pastor Matt has been such a big puzzle piece when it comes to my faith and relationship with God. He has such a great way of spreading the word of Jesus and no other church has given me that positive reinforcement like he has. My boyfriend and I have been coming here for years and truly feel like we are part of this family. You will not regret coming here. read more

You know, I normally reserve a "Yelp" review for a new hot spot or a great meal. It's unfortunate that this review is not the case. Selecting a church is an intimate decision and my family stumbled upon Capo Beach Church years ago and the fit just seemed right. Over the years we saw some changes and that's ok, but the fellowship felt the same. I'm not one of those church goers that's heavily involved in church day to day operations and I would assume that most of the congregation is not. I'm not going to name anyone good or bad, but the feeling after all of the changes just felt different and less whole. It's too bad that the previous leadership is the reason most (myself included) gave handsomely to purchase that property years ago. So, it stings just a little to find ourselves looking again for a place to worship.... again. read more

Plenty of rooms here with an office. Looks nice in the hallway. Problem is lack of welcome as a whole and parking. Wish there are ushers out there to guide. Got a prayer room though at least. read more

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Our church endured a hostile takeover by the assistant pastor recently that hundreds of long-time attendees found very disturbing. I'll spare the ugly details, but the whole way things were handled was un-Christian. It's difficult to trust the leadership at this point. Sadly the church has changed. Something has gone terribly wrong. read more

New part-time resident to the area from TX. We needed to find a local church for when we are in town and found CBC. Wonderful church! Great music and Bible based message. Looking forward to attending every time we're in town! read more

Once great, now a train wreck. Yelp had at one time put a super favorable rating for Capo Beach but now that rating is dropping each month. Pastor Matt is a not in the same league as Pastor Craig. His behavior is troubling. Such a shame that this church has lost so many people so quickly to a forced change in leadership. read more

Pastor Matt is amazing. The worship music is top notch. Did some "church shopping," and glad I landed here.

The cancer ministry is a very strong full of angel, volunteering n working there to minister to the sick Bravo to Janet David Sharon ‍ These Angel on earth are Jesus in the flesh and really cares about brother and sister in Christ read more

This is a good church to start with if you are new to the lord! The music is amazing, but I need something stronger! I am looking for a gospel church, More Holy Spirit type is what I am craving. They have great events and I haven't stop bc my kids have learn a lot. But for me it doesn't feed my spirit. People just stand and not worship like I was used to when I lived in LA with a " strong church" . Also not a good example for the leading staff to not wear a mask. 2 years ago they did salsa couple lessons, which I was against. Due to the music is not for the church but that is just Me. Again music is amazing but it's a "baby church " for me, I don't walk out learning about the lord or feeling like God spoke to me! read more

Wonderful, wonderful church! Very supportive with arms wide open. Excellent small groups to join and get to meet new people in our community. Very grateful for my time here. Thank you! read more

Went here this morning for our first visit while vacationing in Dana Point. Wonderful Easter service. Both the worship service & sermon were very good. The Holy Spirit moves thru this church. So many young people here worshiping & coming together. If we lived here, this would be our church home. read more

Darren and Steve are great leaders here at the church. I had the pleasure of working with them and have to say they are both genuine good guys who work hard to keep the church clean and safe. read more

I attended community service at this church, expecting it to be a safe, accepting environment. I have never met people who are as condescending and rude as the staff at this church, specifically the security, Darron and Steve . You would think that an institution like this, a church, would be kind and welcoming to everyone but it was just the opposite. They do not represent the Christian faith and their actions blatantly display this by the way they treat people. Do not do community service at this institution unless you want to be treated like a dog. read more

Great comunity church. The full band is great. A Saturday night service and on Sunday has 3 services. I love the 11:30 am service. Lots of free parking. Services are great with great sermons that leave you inspired for the nexr week. Come join us we welcome all to our Christian church in Capistrano Beach. And the best Christian church in Orange County. read more

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I have visited this church with my sister over the years and I loved this church. Lately I have been and the music was so loud it hurt. I love the worship team I think they are amazing but I am not able to worship anymore with the volume. It makes me sad . read more

If you are looking for home church near south Orange County, prayerfully consider this fellowship. This church has awesome worship team, but what sets apart this church is the powerful teaching of Peter-Jon Courson. Pastor Peter-Jon is a gifted teacher and his fresh biblical insight is practical and insightful. Every Sunday I walk out of the service with new scriptural insight and inspiration. I also enjoy the home like environment! read more

Capo Beach Church - Churches Near Me - Dana Point, California

I was down by this church this past weekend (I live in Irvine) with my 2 kids ages 11 & 15. They haven't been to church in years & I usually go to one in Irvine but I went to this church about 6 years ago a couple times & remember I really enjoyed it. There has been a lot of remodeling which was simple yet productive. They have a deli, a beautiful gift shop and the worship room is perfect. My kids didn't want to go to the youth classes (they are shy & weren't sure how they would like church) so we sat in the worship room together. My kids kept saying how "cool" the inside of the church was, it looks very simple from the outside. The phrase " dynamite comes in small packages" comes to mind when describing this church. My daughter wanted to sit in the very front row to my surprise! The worship music was AMAZING, playing all my favorite songs, I told my family I literally felt like I was at a concert. Lol (I went to the 11:30 am service btw) The pastor gave the sermon in such a way my kids could understand. My 11 year old son couldn't stop smiling saying how amazing it was and how he loved it! He said he kept getting the chills (we all know that's the Holy Spirit) and all teary eyed. The kids said they would love to keep coming back so I may just have to drive from Irvine every Sunday. Lol If you're looking for the Holy Spirit, I can say with all my heart and soul that HE is ALIVE in this church. It was truly amazing for me and my kids. Gods not dead He's surely ALIVE!!! read more