A worshiper sways to the religious music played by the band at the beginning of Sunday services at Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Shepherd of the Hills Church has six weekend services, attracting more than 8,000 people and offering an instructive lesson about the growth of evangelical Christianity in California. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Senior pastor Dudley C. Rutherford, one of 29 ministers on staff at Shepherd of the Hills Church, delivers his Sunday sermon. “We’re not big on ritual and form. We’re big on touching your heart and letting the word of God speak to you.” (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Holding a Bible, pen and notepad, a congregant listens to the Sunday sermon at Shepherd of the Hills Church. The number of megachurches has grown steadily for the last four decades. Researchers say there are now at least 1,350 such churches nationwide, more than double the number of a decade ago. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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A worshiper sings along with the band at Shepherd of the Hills Church, which is rapidly outgrowing its home at the foot of the Santa Susana Mountains in the northwest part of the San Fernando Valley. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Worshipers emerge from Shepherd of the Hills Church after Sunday services. It has opened satellite church campuses in Agua Dulce, Lancaster, Woodland Hills, the Westside and Fremont, near San Jose. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
