Dan Leitz

lead pastor


You are reading this because you want to know more about me, I get it. I am going to make it simple.

Here are the things I love. I love Jesus and His Church. I love the Gospel, and its power to transform people. I want to see many come to the saving knowledge of Jesus and learn to walk with him daily. I love God’s word (the Bible), and I love to teach it. I love my family, and I am so blessed to be a husband and a father. (1 wife four kids if you were wondering). Three boys, one girl. (Because the ladies want to know those kinds of things). I love Oceanside and the surrounding cities that God has called me to minister.

Here are the things I don’t like. I don’t like sin. I am a sinner saved by grace. If you are looking for a perfect person to follow, or a perfect church to come to, don’t come to church at CCO. I am a flawed human who makes mistakes…but by the grace of God; I will get back up. A very wise man used to tell us all the time, “failure isn’t falling down; it’s staying down.” If you are a flawed person with issues, welcome to the family.

I don’t like churches/pastors that water things down to get people to come. If you come, don’t expect to have your ears scratched (2 Tim 4:3-5). If you don’t want the truth, you won’t like CCO. I don’t like dull backstories, but I know some do, so if you want my history…keep on going.

After I received a few different degrees at a secular college, I heard the Lord calling me to study the Bible more in-depth, so I set out and earned another degree in Biblical theology from Calvary Chapel Bible College. After graduation, I was called to serve at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa where I served as the senior high Bible teacher and the Bible department head for Calvary Christian School where I taught Apologetics, Cults and World Religions, Ethics, Logic, and Old and New Testament Survey. I also had the opportunity to teach as the professor of apologetics at the Calvary Chapel Bible College extension campus in Costa Mesa. While I was at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, I also was commissioned to start up and produce a radio program on KWAVE 107.9 FM called Reaction Radio. My co-host and I would play music as well as answer questions, and talk about Jesus.

In the summer of 2004, I was blessed beyond all measure and met and married my wife, Nicole. Soon after that, we were being called by the Lord to help a fellow pastor at Calvary Chapel Washington D.C. Metro, where we were able to serve the Lord as worship leaders.

In 2008 God made it abundantly clear that my family and I were to start attending Calvary Chapel Oceanside. On July 1st, 2009, I came on staff at CCO under the leadership of Pastor Mike Reed. I have been here ever since doing various things around the church as the Lord gave me direction.

If you have any questions for me or I can be of service to you, shoot me an email or say hi after a service.

"I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him." 

Ecclesiastes 3:14