The Camarillo Community Church Story

In 1961, a group of residents of Camarillo gathered for Bible study and prayer believing God wanted a church in Camarillo. This group formally established the Camillo Heights Baptist church on November 2, 1962.

The church struggled through numerous setbacks for the next 21 years having met in almost every available vacant endurable facility in town. The Baptist General Conference purchased a parcel of land at the corner of Carmen and Las Posas for a future building site and the same congregation began to repay the purchase price.

In 1983, the church still numbered just under 100. In July of that year God led Ralph Rittenhouse, our current Senior Pastor to Camarillo. Ralph is the son of a Baptist pastor and was born in Miami, Florida in 1945. He attended Florida State University and graduated with a degree in Sacred Music and in his senior year married his wife, Jackie. Ralph and Jackie have two married children and 6 grandchildren.

In 1969, they joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Chirst. Ralph received much of his biblical training through Campus Crusade's Graduate School of Theology and finished a Master's Degree in Biblical Studies at Grace Graduate School of Theology in Long Beach, California with an emphasis in Church Growth.

Leaving Campus Crusade in July on 1982, Ralph accepted the call to become the senior pastor at Camarillo Community Church. That first month the church averaged 128 in worship attendance. In February of 1987, the congregation moved into its own newly constructed building. That month we averaged a record 356 in worship attendance. In June of 1991 the mortgage on the present facility was paid off. In October of 1995, the church's name was changed to Camarillo Community Church to better assist us in reaching out to our community.

In June of 2002, Camarillo Community Church moved into a new 1,000 seat worship facility that will accelerate ministries, touching the lives of tens of thousands of residents within a ten mile driving distance of our church.

We are also able to host regional training conferences that assist other churches in developing leadership and growing mature believers.