Capistrano Community Church

About CCC

History | Who We Are

With the first step onto the lush 170-acre property of lakeside gardens and towering palms, you can feel the calm serenity and inspiring beauty of this "spiritual oasis." Located just a few miles north of the historic San Juan Capistrano Mission, Rancho Capistrano is the south campus of the Crystal Cathedral Ministries.

Our History

Once belonging to the Franciscan missionaries in the 1700's, Rancho Capistrano been passed through the hands of several owners, from cattlemen to Pennsylvania homesteaders. Rancho Capistrano and its Spanish mission-style architecture is a reminder of the history behind this California land.

In 1968, the John Crean family purchased Rancho Capistrano and lived here with their four children until 1982. They donated the property to the Crystal Cathedral Ministries to be used as a place of spiritual growth. In November, 1981 Robert A. Schuller founded Capistrano Community Church. When Robert moved the church to the grounds of Rancho Capistrano, the church became Rancho Capistrano Community Church. Since then, Rancho Capistrano has become home to its community church, Christian schools, athletics and camps, conference/retreat center, and "Possibility Living" ministry.

In 1997 the church formed a collegiate relationship with the Crystal Cathedral of Garden Grove, California. In November, 2001, the church reorganized and dissolved its collegiate relationship with the Crystal Cathedral. Under the reorganization the church name was changed back to its original name, Capistrano Community Church, also known as CapistranoCC for short. With this reorganization, CapistranoCC became self-governing and self-supporting. Today, CapistranoCC maintains a friendly relationship with the Crystal Cathedral.

When the grounds of Rancho Capistrano were sold in 2010, CapistranoCC temporarily moved to Aliso Viejo to worship at the Temple Beth-El at 2A Liberty while a permanent church building is being identified and prepared for the congregation to be able to use for worship, ministries, small groups, offices and all that God has in store for Capistrano Community Church.