(Granite Bay, California) If you live in the Sacramento area, you've probably heard of Bayside Church. The church has 10 campus locations, including Granite Bay, Adventure, Blue Oaks, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Santa Rosa, Orange County, Davis, and Auburn with an average weekly attendance across all campuses of about 20,000 people.
Pastor Ray Johnston, founding pastor of Bayside Church, didn’t grow up in a faith-filled home. In fact, it was the opposite. Raised in southern California by an atheist father and an agnostic mother, faith wasn’t just absent—it was dismissed. By his own admission, he once talked someone out of becoming a Christian. Not exactly the résumé you’d expect from someone who would one day lead tens of thousands to Jesus.
But God had a different plan.
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Ray’s childhood was marked by instability and pain, as both of his parents struggled with alcoholism. Nights were often chaotic, filled with fear and uncertainty. Yet even in that brokenness, seeds were being planted—seeds that would one day grow into a story of redemption that could only be written by God.
At 18, everything began to shift. A friend invited him to church, and what started as skepticism slowly turned into curiosity. Over time, the evidence of faith began to outweigh his doubts. One day, he realized something had changed—he believed. And in that moment, he made a decision that would alter the course of his life forever.
“I’m in,” he said.
That decision didn’t just change his future—it transformed his family legacy. After generations marked by divorce, Ray and his wife Carol celebrated over four decades of marriage. A pattern that had lasted 150 years was broken in a single generation. That’s the power of Jesus.
And yet, becoming a pastor was never part of the plan.
When the opportunity came to start a church, Ray said no. More than once. Fear held him back—fear of failure, fear of responsibility, fear of the unknown. But God kept pursuing him. In a late-night prayer meeting, through Scripture that spoke directly to his heart, the message became undeniable: “Do not be afraid.”
That was the turning point.
With trembling faith, Ray stepped into the calling he never wanted—and watched God do what only God can do.
What began as a small Bible study with just a couple dozen people quickly grew. A test service drew far more than expected. Then another. And another. Lives were being changed. People were meeting Jesus. Momentum built, not through strategy, but through simple obedience—teaching the Bible, worshiping authentically, and inviting people to respond to God.
Today, Bayside Church has grown into a thriving, multi-campus community reaching tens of thousands. But for Pastor Ray, the story isn’t about numbers—it’s about transformation.
One of the most defining moments in Bayside’s journey came through a powerful realization rooted in the early church in Acts.
The message was simple but profound: "Good deeds lead to good will, which opens the door for the Good News."
That shifted everything.
Instead of focusing only on preaching, the church began leaning fully into serving—meeting needs, loving people, and showing up in tangible ways. Whether it was supporting families in crisis, providing resources during COVID, or helping vulnerable communities around the world, the mission became clear: live out the gospel, not just speak it.
And God moved.
From funding life-changing initiatives to rescuing those in desperate situations, the ripple effects have been extraordinary. But Pastor Ray is quick to point out—it’s not about him. It never was.
Pastor Ray shared one truth that stands out as both simple and powerful: the most important thing you can do is stay encouraged. Because discouragement is often where things begin to unravel—but encouragement fuels faith, hope, and perseverance.