Who We Are

Multi-generational women laughing and posing for a photo at Blue Oaks Church
Who We Are

We strive to be a community that enriches your life, helps you grow in your faith, and inspires you to love God and love others.

Our Vision

Our Vision:

The vision of Blue Oaks Church is to be a light in the Tri-Valley and beyond for the glory of God.

Being the Light

For our first eleven years, Blue Oaks Church gathered on Sundays in public school multi-purpose rooms, and, while we established a great working relationship with the Pleasanton Unified School District, we were very limited in what we could accomplish without a permanent home of our own.

Then, in 2019, through the generous and sacrificial giving of our church community, we were able to purchase and remodel a 20,000 sq ft office building on Koll Center Parkway near the Alameda County Fairgrounds. The remodel was completed in October 2023.

Finally with a permanent home, we enter a new season with new opportunities to “Be the Light” in the Tri-Valley and beyond. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” ~ Ephesians 3:20,21

Our Mission

Our Mission

The mission of Blue Oaks Church is to lead everyone into Christ-centered living.

Our Perspective

Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, our desire is to see you experience the power of God’s love and grace, to grow in your faith through communities of small groups and to use your God-given skills and passions to meet the real needs of the people in the Tri-Valley and across the world.

Your life

We want to help you discover your purpose and become the person that God has intentionally created you to be. Stuck at a crossroads? Looking for purpose? Searching for community? Whatever your next step entails, we will be with you along the way. It could start with serving, finding support, or supporting others.

Life is better when we live it with others. Don’t take the next step alone! Find a small group to join you on your journey. A small group is a judgment free community where you can laugh, grow, and serve the community together.

Your family

Strong families start with solid foundations. That’s why we partner with parents to help raise the next generation to become followers of Christ. Your children and teens have opportunities throughout the week to grow their relationships with each other and with God.

Our community and world

We are passionate about making life better for the people around us by serving the community and demonstrating God’s love to others. Whether individually or in groups, within our church and around the world, we are focused on supporting and engaging in relationships that provide relief and restoration to a hurting world.

Our Values

Our Values

These are the 9 core values that Blue Oaks was founded upon. They are vital to our church mission!

Biblical Teaching

The authentic, Spirit-led teaching of God’s Word is the catalyst for life transformation. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

A Culture of Grace

We welcome and love all people, encouraging them and giving them room to grow. Ephesians 2:8-9

Spiritual Growth

Each one of us should be intentional about growing in his or her relationship with Jesus Christ. Romans 12:2

Leadership

We value a person’s ability to influence others to pursue God’s mission. Ephesians 4:11-13

Family

We put the family first by providing environments and relationships that build biblical principles into marriages and families. Deuteronomy 6:7

Compassion

We will generously provide love and resources to our broken world, beginning in our own community. Isaiah 1:17

Introducing People to Jesus

We invest in and invite people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:15

Serving According to our Giftedness

We operate as a unified community of servants, with men and women using their unique gifts, talents and abilities. Everyone should play his or her part. Philippians 2:5-7

Community

We intentionally engage in developing and deepening relationships. Life change happens best in community.
1 Thessalonians 2:8

Our Beliefs

We believe it is extremely important to be held doctrinally accountable, therefore we have chosen to adopt the statement of faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America (as adopted on June 26, 2008) as our own. We will not add to nor take away from this statement and our teachers will be sympathetic to this doctrine in their presentation of God’s Word.

  • God

    We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory. Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14

  • The Bible

    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, all that it teaches is to be believed, obeyed, and trusted. 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12

  • The Human Condition

    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 and alienated from God. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed. Romans 3:26; Romans 6:23; 1 John 1:8-10

  • Jesus Christ

    We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate. John 3:16; John 14:6; Romans 5:9-11

  • The Work of Christ

    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. John 1:12; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-9

  • The Holy Spirit

    We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify 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. John 3:5-8; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12

  • The Church

    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. Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Timothy 3:15

  • Christian Living

    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. Mark 12:30-31, Matthew 28:19

  • Christ's Return

    We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and encourages the believer to pursue godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission. Matthew 24:27; John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16

  • Response and Eternal Destiny

    We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment, and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen. Matthew 24:1-31; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:22

Our Board

Our Elder Board:

The church is governed by at least seven self-selected elders who serve up to two consecutive three-year terms. The current elders are:

  • Jim McMillin
    Board Chair
  • Joe Hartley
    Executive Pastor
  • Judy Fong
    Board Secretary
  • Lisa Lee Akacsos
    Board Member
  • Matt VanCleave
    Teaching Pastor
  • Teena Jacob
    Pastor & Board Member
  • Tricia Dizon
    Board Treasurer

The Elder board fulfills the California State legal requirements of a religious corporation of meeting at least annually, having published bylaws, a board chairperson, treasurer, and secretary.

More importantly, the Elder board fulfills biblical requirements of spiritual leadership, doctrinal accountability, pastoral care, conflict management, and being spiritual role models. The board speaks with one voice and sets policies cataloged in the board policy document. The board protects the church through constant prayer and assessing performance and legal compliance. If any church attendee is concerned about the behavior of church leadership, the board has created a whistleblower policy and process to encourage accountability. In 2014, the board decided to become accredited by ECFA, which has seven standards of financial accountability. We publish our audited financial statements at ECFA and here.

Feel free to email our Board at [email protected]. You can also learn more about individual board members on our Contact page.