WHO WE ARE
Our History
Veronica Springs Church began as First Baptist Church of Santa Barbara, founded on July 5, 1874, meeting first in Cook’s Hall on Ortega Street. As the congregation grew, it moved locations several times, eventually building a church downtown in 1906. For decades, the church served Santa Barbara and supported missions around the world through seasons of growth and hardship.
In 1973, the church moved to its current location on Veronica Springs Road, named for nearby springs once known for their healing properties. In 2016, the church became Veronica Springs Church, embracing its calling to introduce people to Jesus, the Great Physician, who saves, heals, and restores.Today, Veronica Springs Church is a spiritual family centered on the presence of God, devoted to prayer, worship, Scripture, and the Gospel. For more than 150 years, generations have helped shape its story. With gratitude for those who came before us, we look toward the future, trusting Jesus to lead us as we see lives restored, families strengthened, and generations awakened to His presence and purpose.
Our Vision
Veronica Springs exists to host God's presence, live His truth, and transform communities by His love.We are a Christ-centered community abiding in His Presence. We welcome all generations to receive His redeeming love and walk in His Truth. Together we establish and expand His Kingdom in Santa Barbara and beyond."So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness" Colossians 2:6-7Core Values
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In the Presence of God, truth and identity are revealed, safety is found,
healing and restoration unfold.Exodus 33:14, Hebrews 10:19, Psalms 16:11 & 140:13
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We are a community committed to intentional relationships through
radical hospitality, unified in His extravagant love.Acts 2:42-47
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We embrace biblical truth as embodied in the person, works and words of Jesus Christ.
We believe His truth is eternal, unchanging, knowable (discernable) and transformative; establishing us in freedom and abundant life.John 14:6, 16:3 & 17:17
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We embody joy as a deeply abiding gladness rooted in the presence and promises of God, transcending circumstances and radiating the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 16:11
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We behold God’s beauty as a reflection of His glory, seen in creation, and revealed in His Kingdom and goodness.
Psalm 27:4
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Generosity is our joyful response to God’s extravagant love, moving us to freely give of our time, resources and lives so all can flourish in the fullness of God’s goodness.
2 Corinthians 9:6-11
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We encourage the discovery of individuals' unique gifts and talents to fulfil their divine purpose through Kingdom adventures.
Ephesians 2:10
Statement of Faith
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We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously proposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
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We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
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We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
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We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
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We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
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We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
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We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
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We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
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We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
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We believe we will either exist eternally with God through salvation and His forgiveness of sin (accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior) or eternally separated from God by sin. Heaven is eternal union with God. Hell is eternal separation from God. One’s eternal destination is determined by their response to the love of Jesus Christ.
Leadership
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BOB RYAN
Lead Pastor
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GRAHAM VARNELL
Youth and Young Adults Pastor
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ANNA VARNELL
Director of Creative Arts and Prayer Room
Council Members
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CHRIS VAN BOGELEN
Moderator
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BRITTANY ANDERSON
Secretary
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DAN MCMANUS
Assistant Moderator
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SUE KASMAR
Treasurer