About The Commons LA

Pursuing reality with Jesus in everyday life, for the good of the world.

We believe that following Jesus* is not merely about believing the right truths, attending an event on Sunday, or championing the right causes. Rather, following Jesus means living as an apprentice community that is serious about knowing and experiencing the kind of life with God that Jesus called “eternal life.” That kind of life can be experienced here and now as we wait for God’s renewing of all things. We strive to live in alignment with Christ’s teaching about the gospel, God’s Kingdom, and life in the Spirit as 21st century Angelenos.

*the language of “followers of Jesus,” “disciple(s),” “the believers,” “the church,” and “Christian” are all ways the New Testament refers to God’s people as the Church.

Our Beliefs and Doctrines

Statement of Belief

The Kingdom of God in West LA.

Jesus’s first public sermon in Mark’s Gospel is simple yet profound: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). With the coming of Jesus, God’s presence and power have come to earth so that anyone who turns to Jesus as the Christ (Greek for “anointed one” or “king”) for life can have it. This glorious reality of life with God changes everything. It is God’s answer to the darkness of our world, in which we have grown accustomed to aloneness, suffering, hatred, injustice, unforgiveness, and rebellion against God. The Commons LA is devoted to being a communal witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God for the transformation of people, communities, the university, and the city.

Cultivating Global Movement

Kingdom Partners

Elders and Deacons

  • Devin Deuell

    Staff Elder

  • Bryan Elliff

    Staff Elder

  • Ellesse Wong

    Deacon

  • Paul Yoder

    Deacon

  • Meredith Evans

    Deacon

  • Daniel Carpenter

    Deacon

  • Brisa Kaufman

    Deacon

  • Dustin Wen

    Deacon

Staff Team

  • Devin Deuell

    Staff Elder | Vision and Leadership

    Devin grew up in a suburb of Tacoma, Washington, as a smart kid who loved sports and video games. After a lonely childhood full of image-management to meet the lofty expectations of his family, he began following Jesus in while a sophomore at the University of Washington. It changed everything. Jesus saved him from depression, self-righteousness, and a deep addiction to pornography. God wired a passion for starting churches in urban university ecosystems into his heart early on.

    Devin and Kate were married their senior year at UW ("What did you do for spring break? We got married!") and had Hudson in 2011 (who said you couldn't have kids when you're 23 & 24?). After helping start a church near UW, the Spirit led the Deuells to Westwood in 2013 to start a church in a similar context surrounding UCLA. Soon after, Devin joined staff at Reality LA in Hollywood and during his four years on staff, completed a pastoral residency program, and The Commons LA was begun in 2017.

    With our world undergoing rapid, radical change, Devin's ambition is to see Jesus establish a model for churches here at TCLA that can reach future generations through urban university regions across the globe.

  • Bryan Elliff

    Staff Elder | Shepherding and Community

    Bryan grew up as a pastor's kid in Kansas City, MO. Though immersed in the church as a child, by his teen years he found himself lacking a relationship with God. That's when God met him powerfully as he took steps of obedience into Scripture, prayer, and the life of allegiance to Jesus. This encounter with God was mediated especially powerfully through Scripture in the early years of his faith. This led him down a path of formal education in the field of Biblical studies and theology, first in Louisville, then in Jerusalem, and finally at UCLA. In his academic study of the Bible, Bryan has never lost the passion to see it become a conduit of encounter with Jesus and life transformation.

    Bryan and his wife Joey got married in 2013. In the first few years of their marriage, they worked in inner-city and church ministry in Kansas City. When Bryan and Joey moved to LA in 2018, they had two children... now they have five! Bryan and Joey love to serve together in growing strong marriages and strong families.

    Bryan has a particular heart for reaching skeptics and developing believers' theological imagination. He thinks that one of the greatest needs of our time and place is the ability to see afresh.

  • Brennan Book

    Staff Intern | Formation and School of Discipleship

    Brennan grew up as a Cru staff kid in the Santa Clarita Valley. Given his parents’ job, he grew up around UCLA college students and a love for the community at and around UCLA has grown in him since he was a kid. He ended up at UCLA for college, and has been involved at The Commons since his sophomore year.

    After graduating from UCLA, Brennan furthered his studies at Talbot and received a Masters of Arts in Philosophy. His particular interest is the intersection of philosophy and spiritual formation. Brennan longs to see the gospel of Jesus be spread wide at UCLA, but also see followers of Jesus grow in the depth of their intimacy with God which is ultimately what leads to transformation.

    His particular role at TCLA is to develop the discipleship pathways for the church and to lead the School of Discipleship for college students in the church. It is his passion to see students learn how to experience real communion with Jesus daily and be transformed from the inside out as a result.

  • Francesca Book

    Staff Administrator | Operations