PASTOR MICHAEL CLAYTON
SENIOR PASTOR AND YOUTH MINISTRIES

Growing up right next door to a church, in the City of Los Angeles, Pastor Mike has been around, or associated with, the things of God most of his life.  Part of that upbringing came from being raised in a Christian home, which placed their core values on the Word of God.

Working for God is nothing new to Pastor Mike as he served as an altar boy at age 9, performed his first “street preaching” message at age 12, and provided church caretaker services at age 16. It was at age 24, after graduating from UCLA with a degree in psychology (due to an athletic scholarship), that he was called into the ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but he did not answer the call! Not until 1990 did Pastor Mike accept his calling and attend a ministerial program at the International Denomination of the Foursquare Gospel.   There he became an Evangelist and Youth Pastor.  Later, he went on to earn his ministerial license and ordination at the Emmanuel Community Church at the Sea, in Santa Monica, CA.

As an ordained minister, Pastor Mike founded the Philadelphia Church at Los Angeles in his living room, based on scriptures found in Revelation 3:7-13.  He also produced a weekly cable television program called “A Word For Your Pastor” which lasted for 10 years. 
Pastor Mike eventually moved his ministry out of his living room and into the Abundant Life Christian Church on Sunday afternoons, where he continued to labor in the vineyard, until God called him to pastor the Church of Divine Guidance where he is currently the Senior Pastor. Pastor Mike is married to Cookie Clayton, and has 3 children, Deanna, Mike Jr., and Cameron, and 6 grandchildren.  He resides in Gardena, CA.