About the Pastor

Pastor Mike Hudgins
Mike has served in full-time ministry for 31 years. He was ordained into the Christian ministry in 1979, after following the call of the Lord to leave medical school and become assistant pastor in his local church. After four years of ministry there, Mike and his wife, Janiece, were sent to Hawaii to plant a new church on Oahu, and were then sent to Pasadena, California, to oversee ministries in Southeast Asia for a missions agency, New Covenant Commission.

While in Pasadena, Pastor Mike studied at Fuller Theological Seminary and the U.S. Center for World Mission, and spent a great deal of time traveling and preaching in Asia. During this time he became acquainted with John Wimber (founder of the Association of Vineyard Churches) and attended Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Anaheim.

After moving to the Saddleback Valley in 1986, the Hudgins' family made Mission Viejo Vineyard their home church. Pastor Mike became part of the staff at Mission Viejo Vineyard in 1990, where he served as an assistant pastor to Ed Piorek until 1997. In November 1997, Mission Viejo Vineyard formally sent Mike and Janiece to start Vineyard Community Church in Laguna Niguel, California.

Mike and Janiece have four children. John (28) is married to his high-school sweetheart, Amanda, has one child, Lainey (1) and serves as worship pastor for his church in Arizona. David (26) works in the Mercy Warehouse connected to VCC. Michelle (24) is finishing her English Literature degree at UCLA, and Stephen (17) is a senior at Dana Hills High School. Janiece directs the Women's Ministry and is heavily involved in various worship aspects of the church.