A ‘Vivid’ church plant in Southern California

After pastoring a pair of non-denominational church plants in Indiana, Joe and Krissy Angelo thought they were done with such challenging endeavors. God had other ideas.

That’s the shorthand version of how the 39-year-old pastors wound up launching Vivid Church in Brea, Calif., a diverse city of about 50,000 people in affluent Orange County, in September 2023.

Just a little over two years later, the church is searching for a larger space. In addition to accommodating more worshipers, the pastors want to start a second service for Spanish speakers, as about 25 percent of Vivid attendees are Hispanic, which aligns with the city’s Hispanic population.

Still, the most fascinating aspect of the Angelos’ story is the fact that they even came to Southern California in the first place. The Michigan natives had spent more than a decade in Indiana and had no plans to move—until God stirred in their spirits.

The Spirit speaks

One day, in prayer, Krissy sensed the Holy Spirit saying, “California.” That didn’t make any sense; they had never even visited the state.

“We prayed about it for six months,” Krissy recalls. “I thought, ‘This has to be the Lord’ because I didn’t want to plant another church. I know how hard it is.”

Finally, they scheduled a trip to Los Angeles. During chats at the beach, in coffee shops, and in retail outlets, the couple asked folks about the area’s spiritual climate. The most common reply: “People are wearing masks, inside and outside the church.”

They timed their visit so they could also attend a Foursquare Multiply conference at The Church on the Way (Van Nuys Foursquare Church) in Van Nuys. After hearing Multiply Director Russell Joyce speak at a breakout conference, they were convinced that Foursquare was their new family.

“We had been part of an organization in the Midwest where they said they were all about family, but we never felt it,” Krissy says. “That first conference was like, ‘These are our people.’ We connected with so many people; it was the Holy Spirit. We said, ‘This is us, for sure.’”

Multiply equips

While the network they had worked with provided sound operational guidelines, Foursquare Multiply went deeper. In addition to providing the operational nuts and bolts, Multiply helped the Angelos discover a deeper focus on spiritual development and resources to ensure pastors’ health.

“Multiply wasn’t just the systems and saying, ‘Here’s how to fundraise and get a launch team,’” Joe explains. “It was about the heart, soul and mind—knowing our rhythms and following daily habits of rest, and staying emotionally healthy.”

Russell says the Angelos’ story of hearing and following the voice of Jesus is laudable and inspiring, and he is grateful Multiply could play a part in reaching more people for Jesus.

“Multiply exists to support pastors called to plant churches,” he says. “We do that through coaching and training on the important skills of casting vision, building a core team, developing values and discipleship pathways. But, where we differ from other networks, is that we’re equally committed to the planter’s health, believing that ministry is an overflow of our personal relationships with the Lord.”

So is the deep connection the Angelos formed with Foursquare after realizing their hearts and theology were tailor-made for this movement.

A heart for marriage

“Marriage ministry has been significant in their story,” says Russell. “And lo and behold, the area where God called them to has high rates of broken and dysfunctional marriages. To me, that sounds like the Holy Spirit knows what He’s doing.”

Serving as marriage advocates has been a cornerstone of the Angelos’ ministry in Orange County, which suffers from a 69 percent divorce rate. In February 2025, Krissy released a 51-page workbook titled, The Blueprints of Marriage. The couple’s marriage ministry has garnered more than 70,000 followers online.

At the church level, last July they hosted a five-day marriage cruise to Mexico. Classes met every morning, and couples enjoyed dinner as a group, with afternoons reserved for socializing.

“We also do marriage group coaching on Zoom calls,” Joe says. “It’s been fantastic to offer people resources like the workbook and say, ‘We care about you and want to invest in your marriage.’”

Nurturing marriages is just one aspect of discipling their congregation, primarily between ages 25 and 45, many with children. Most are also new in their faith, whether they accepted Jesus as Savior at Vivid or came from another church.

A “Vivid” picture of Christ

Joe says they chose “Vivid” as the church’s name because they want people to have a vivid picture of who Christ is; that’s why Joe spent the first six months of 2025 in a verse-by-verse explanation of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.

“We want people to be faithful to Jesus,” he states. “We’re seeing that happen, which comes through discipleship and spiritual growth.”

Among their wins for the kingdom:

• A convert from Judaism who was “radically saved” at Vivid and stays in touch, even though his employer has transferred him to another city.
• Krissy’s personal trainer accepted Christ as Savior after coming to services.
• Then there are the people they have welcomed who have been hurt in other churches—folks they aim to encourage and raise up to become leaders themselves.

“Like Krissy says, a measure of success is changed lives,” Joe affirms. “We want to see changed lives because we believe that when you see that, you can see mobilization. We want to empower them to make an impact in the community for what God has laid on their heart.

“The guy who oversees our volunteers loves soccer and loves kids,” continues Joe. “We told him, ‘Start doing a free soccer clinic. That’s a way to serve the community and use your gifts. That’s success.’”

More on Multiply

Interested in learning more about Foursquare Multiply, the church-planting arm of The Foursquare Church? See how this network is making a difference, and be inspired by more Multiply church planters.