M A N U E L  L U Z  M I N I S T R Y

C R E A T I O N  &  C A L L I N G

As an Artist of Faith...   I believe God has called me to a number of things. Being an advocate for Christian creatives. Being a Christ follower who composes, writes, performs, speaks, and produces. And being a pastor and spiritual guide to others along the journey of life. So my mission statement below is what you are supporting through your giving.

Mission Statement  Arts Advocate, Author, Songwriter, Performer, Speaker, and Mentor, to further the Kingdom of God through the arts.

Donate  I'm grateful and humbled that you would support me as I continue to serve God and the people of God, especially artists of faith. Your tax-deductible contributions—and your prayers—are much appreciated! To give, please scroll down to the bottom of this page.

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M I N I S T R Y  C O N N E C T I O N S  2 0 2 6

Worship Album Project (January-April 2026)  Along with dozens of friends, I'll be in GS Studio in Sacramento, cutting my first worship album of original music in over thirty years. Please read below for more details, and look for updates throughout the coming months!

Oak Hills Church Men's Retreat (March 13-15, 2026) I'll be leading worship at the annual Oak Hills Men's Retreat in beautiful Zephyr Point in Lake Tahoe, California. Zephyr has always been a sacred place for me, one of the "thin places" where we can meet God up on the mountain. 

Stories of Hope (March 20, 2026)   I'll be performing as a solo artist at this very special fundraiser for Folsom's Hope, a ministry providing early intervention for children at risk. 

Intersections: Arts & Faith Conference (May 15-16, 2026)  I'll be once again leading the Intersections Conference 2026 sponsored by Artists in Christian Testimony, Intl. I strongly encourage all dancers, actors, writers, musicians, filmmakers, visual artists, etc., to this Sacramento regional event where—together with other artists of faith—you can be encouraged, inspired, and educated. Click the link to find out who are special speakers are as well as other details for this fun and inspiring conference.

Worship Album: IN YOUR HOUSE (September 26-27, 2026)     OI'm grateful for the opportunity to record and release some of the dozens of worship songs I've composed over the past 25 years. This project, IN YOUR HOUSE, has been produced with the help of about 40 of my closest musician friends, and will be released this Fall. You're invited to the Album Release Party on September 26 and the All-Worship One Service Celebration on September 27, both at Oak Hills Church in Folsom. More details at oakhills.org or on my website, manuelluz.com.

R E T I R E M E N T   2 0 2 7

I've been a full-time Creative Arts Pastor at Oak Hills Church in Folsom since the Fall of 1990. In that time, I've married and buried and baptized people, preached sermons, led Bible studies and small groups, did hospital and prison visitations, pastored scores of artists of faith, and of course, led the congregate in literally thousands of worship services. I know that I'm an anomaly in many ways, because most worship arts pastors usually "age out" of their respective roles or churches, and I feel not only blessed by God for the opportunity to give a good portion of my life to this, but upheld and validated and sustained by the people I've been called to serve. 

Since 2009, I’ve ministered internationally to the Philippines, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Peru, Italy, Bahamas, Ecuador, Hungary. I’ve spoken at conferences in Alaska, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Illinois, Washington, Florida, Tennessee, and throughout California. I’ve lectured at Liberty University in Virginia, Friends University in Kansas, Jessup University in Rocklin, and Bicol Center for Christian Leadership in Legazpi, PI. I’ve authored two published books, five solo albums, 300+ blog posts, and performed at thousands of concerts, gigs, and events. And all the while pastoring full-time at Oak Hills.

Recently I announced my retirement, effective the spring of 2027. Although I will no longer wear the pastor hat in my local church—I really feel that God isn't done with me yet. He has still called me to be an Arts Advocate, Author, Songwriter, Performer, Speaker, and Mentor, to further the Kingdom of God through the arts.

If you've been affected through my ministry in these areas, I'm asking you to please consider being a monthly supporter of Manuel Luz Ministry (MLM). This will allow me to continue to lead the annual Intersections: Arts & Faith Conference, perform and minister through international missions trips, travel to speak and mento as an arts advocate through ACT International, and continue to do projects (like produce more music or write my next book). THANK you for your consideration and support!

S O M E  O F  M Y  A D V E N T U R E S ...

"The balance of cultivating excellence, substance, spiritual discipline against a backdrop of liberty, humility, service and grace paints a meaningful and rich canvas of creativity and unfettered imagination. … Encouraging, challenging, inspiring, Imagine That is a gift to the artist in all of us.”  —Worship Leader Magazine	“This book is precisely the kind of help that gets pastors and parishioners worshiping honestly before a gracious God, for whom such worship is deeply pleasing.” —W. David O. Taylor, Fuller Theological Seminary	My fifth solo album, A Different Kind of Love Song, was released in 2022. Find it on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite streaming service. From the Liner Notes: "There are a million love songs. And most of them get it wrong. There just aren’t many songs that speak to the deeper aspects of love—fidelity, faithfulness, grace. So this collection is about that different kind of love—that trusts, hopes, perseveres."
Leading worship classes and concerts in Legazpi, Philippines.	Lecturing at the Intersections: Arts & Faith Conference in Sacramento, California.	Performing outreach concerts throughout Croatia.
Outdoor outreach concerts in Rome and Naples, Italy.	Speaking at the ACT International Gathering in Nashville, Tennessee.	Leading international missionaries in worship in Budapest, Hungary.

Leading worship and speaking at the Apprentice Gathering in Wichita, Kansas.

Recording a worship album at Evergreen Studios, Burbank, California.