Pastor Mel Ayres
Pastor Mel Ayres.
Mel Ayres is the Founding and Senior Pastor of In His Presence Church, Woodland Hills, California. During Pastor Ayres’ 10-year pursuit of acting and his appearances on such shows as Days of Our Lives, Three’s Company, General Hospital and Falcon Crest, the Lord called him into full time ministry. From there, he and his wife served as assistant pastors in their home church before pioneering In His Presence Church in 1993. Since then, the church has consistently grown from just a few people to over 1000 and continues to be a powerful, effective ministry, serving through many avenues.
Having been a part of the entertainment industry, Pastor Ayres has a unique call to minister to those in the arts. Many actors, directors, writers, producers, dancers, and those in the music industry have made In His Presence Church their home. His vision includes the establishment of a successful arena from where front-line, Christian independent filmmakers can create anointed, entertaining, and relatable films, television projects, as well as theatrical and musical productions to fill the airwaves with the Glory of God.
Pastor Ayres’ dynamic and diligent teaching of Biblical principles is uncompromising and passionate while being encouraging and uplifting. A strong element of his ministry is stirring people to spend time in the presence of the Lord through prayer and the Word, thereby guiding them to discover God’s destiny for their lives. Nationally, Pastor Ayres has addressed pastors and laymen alike in conferences held at Christian Faith Center, Resurrection Life Church and Living Word Bible Church.
Along with his teaching, he writes music for the church’s praise and worship team and during services, leads with a Psalmist anointing, with words of knowledge and prophecy being a frequent part of the meetings. Pastor Ayres is a published songwriter and has been recorded by various artists. In 1989, his first published song, “The Little Ones,” was featured at the Presidential Prayer Breakfast, and in 1994, he released his debut album, In His Presence, which has ministered to many around the world. Recording with the IHPC worship team, Pastor Ayres’ second album, Going Deeper, was released in 2002.