Church History

Pastor Hoerger was raised in Christian Science and a little in Mormonism until He was saved at age thirteen. Lyn was raised in a Christian home, but in some ways didn't have a personal walk with the Lord. They both met at Biola University (then a college), and after much prayer and developing a friendship, they were engaged for eight months, and were married with their parent's blessing on September 11, 1971. After both graduating with a B.A. in Christian Education, Eric attended Talbot Seminary for a semester while being on full time staff at Grace Baptist Church in Wilmington, California. He transferred from Talbot Seminary to California Graduate School of Theology, and two years later earned his M.A. in church administration. During this time, he was the youth pastor and Christian education director at Grace Baptist Church.

One month after completing graduate school, he reluctantly attended Jack Hayford's first Minister's conference, and at the end of those meetings, he and Lyn were both baptized with the Holy Spirit through the ministry of Ray Mosholder. This was significant because they had both been taught against these things, and Eric had been obstinate, objecting, and confrontational with anyone who believed this way.

With no Bible school training on the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, he started to understand from Scripture that this was a Biblical based experience. He started to notice the new power and anointing in His life to reach the hurting, the unsaved, and the Body of Christ. He had a new love for others, and joy that he couldn't explain.

Two months after he and Lyn received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, through a series of God-directed events, he became the pastor of Green Valley Lake Community Church in the San Bernardino mountains in Green Valley Lake, California. He and Lyn pastored for three and a half years. During that time, the church grew from fifteen to about sixty. Later Pastor Hoerger resigned and a year later desired to go back to Bible school. He attended Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1979 and graduated in 1980. The Lord directed him and Lyn to go back to Green Valley Lake, California, and he pastored there in the same church from June 1980 to May 1983. Again the church grew from about four people to fifty people.

Then the Lord directed them to start Big Bear Believer's Chapel in May of 1983. They have been the founders and pastors now for over twenty-four years. They started the church renting the former woman's club (now a part of the BV Community Church); [we will try to get a picture of these buildings] then the Roller rink; later the building behind the Big Bear City Community Market; and finally their present site in the Moonridge Triangle Market on Moonridge road.

Pastor Eric Hoerger and Lyn have been in full time ministry for thirty-three years. They have been married over thirty-five years and have two children, Ruth and Josh. Both Ruth and her husband, Joey, were deeply involved in the youth and missions of Cottonwood Christian Center in Los Alamitos, California. After over ten years helping with the youth, They went full time on the mission field in Lira, Uganda, Africa [we will try to get a picture of the orphanage, the school, and church]. They will have been there helping the last two years with Path Ministries and a children's orphanage, school, and church, which Joey helped build. Josh and his wife Kristin were married January 2002, and He works for a missions ministry, Good Shepherd Ministry. He is the operations director and business manager.

As Pastor Hoerger said, "Lyn and I have tried to practice what we preach...to consider that the greatest ministry wasn't first the church, but our children...our family.' We have seen this pay off as our children love God and are still serving Him." He and Lyn are the proud grandparents of Joey and Rue's four boys and Josh and Kristin's three girls.

Pastor Hoerger has been involved with the ministerial association since their coming to Big Bear. . Lyn is the worship leader, and teaches the women's Bible study. The most important thing to Eric and Lyn, besides they children and family, isn't titles, but their commitment to people to grow in the things of the Lord, and with God's grace, to become all that God wants them to be.