Mission City Church

Santa Barbara lies on California’s Central Coast situated between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Spanish settlers provided its unique architectural style. Due to its beautiful climate, the tourism, wedding, and hospitality industries thrive. It is made up of a series of neighborhoods: Goleta, Downtown Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria.

The Santa Barbara area is home to multiple colleges and universities. UCSB and Santa Barbara City College both boast enrollments of over 17,000 students. The city is a mixture of college students, the creative class, young families, and baby boomers. The Santa Barbara area currently ranks #21 on Barna’s Least Church Cities in the U.S. and #2 on the Never-Churched List.

The Barkers have over twelve years of ministry experience. Their sending church is Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis, IN. Jake led the student ministry, preached on weekends, developed the multisite strategy, and most recently served as an executive pastor.

The Barkers have been married for ten years and have three beautiful children. They are incredibly excited to move to Santa Barbara, get to know the city and its people, and introduce them to Jesus.