Providence Reformed Church is a growing community of believers in Jesus Christ with diverse spiritual histories who share a common story. Our spiritual hunger to know God and His Word more deeply has led us to the great truths of the Gospel as they were restored and restated during the Protestant Reformation.
As a local congregation, we are affiliated with other congregations across the USA and Canada, known as the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). This united body of local churches is strongly oriented to reaching our neighbors and the world. We especially focus on planting new churches, establishing biblical ministries on college campuses, and sending missionaries worldwide.
Click here to read more about our denomination and its ministry.
Our History
Six faithful, godly, and much-beloved men have served us as our pastors over the years. Our first pastor was an assistant at a PCA church, Calvary – Glendale, in the Los Angeles area. When a formative group in Bakersfield reached out to Calvary for help and encouragement, Calvary responded by making Brent Bradley available for an afternoon and evening once each week to lead a pioneering Bible study. In some respects, Calvary was our mother church.
After several months, the core group formed a mission congregation out of the Bible study, and Brent Bradley and his family moved from LA to Bakersfield. Within two years, in September 1979, the church particularized as a congregation of the PCA.
Brent Bradley continued as founding pastor through 1982. Succeeding pastors include Robert Ferguson (1983-1987), Dave Crenshaw (1987-1994), Doug Vanderpol (1995-2001), Randy Martin (2006-2020), and Jonathan Key (2023-present).