How it all started...
Pastor Josh comes from a rich tradition in ministry on both sides of his family and currently serves as the Lead Pastor alongside his wife, Pastor Bunmi, at Mission Ebenezer Family Church in Carson, CA, a church founded by his grandparents in 1959 and pastored by his parents from 1978 until 2018. In addition, he has served as General Presbyter for the Southern Pacific District since 2016 and will begin his new role as Assistant Superintendent of the same district beginning in October 2026. Before entering ministry, Josh pursued a career in athletics while being drafted by the Oakland A’s out of high school in 1997, but opted to play college baseball for Univ. of Florida & UCLA until being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the MLB draft in 2001. Pursuing his childhood dream, he spent three seasons in professional baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers & Houston Astros.
Then, in 2003, with a contract renewal from the Houston Astros sitting on his table, Josh was called into full-time ministry, making the decision to retire from professional baseball. In 2004, he founded the Rock Youth Sports Center, a community center aimed at reaching at-risk youth for Christ through boxing, baseball, skateboarding, cross-training, etc. He also served on staff with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for seven years before joining his father full-time at Mission Ebenezer Family Church in January of 2013. Josh was featured in a short film www.iamsecond.com due to a life-changing tragedy that took place at the age of 21. As an inspirational speaker, he aspires to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through sharing God’s word powerfully and passionately, while incorporating real life testimonies that have shaped his own faith. He has a God-given gift to lead culturally diverse settings and develop people for ministry.
Josh is married to Bunmi, a former professional Track Athlete out of UCLA (wife of 23 years), and they have 2 sons and a daughter, Elisha (20), Judah (17) and Adelola (9). His greatest joy is knowing that all three of his children serve the Lord and are dedicated to the proclamation of Jesus Christ.
Then, in 2003, with a contract renewal from the Houston Astros sitting on his table, Josh was called into full-time ministry, making the decision to retire from professional baseball. In 2004, he founded the Rock Youth Sports Center, a community center aimed at reaching at-risk youth for Christ through boxing, baseball, skateboarding, cross-training, etc. He also served on staff with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for seven years before joining his father full-time at Mission Ebenezer Family Church in January of 2013. Josh was featured in a short film www.iamsecond.com due to a life-changing tragedy that took place at the age of 21. As an inspirational speaker, he aspires to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through sharing God’s word powerfully and passionately, while incorporating real life testimonies that have shaped his own faith. He has a God-given gift to lead culturally diverse settings and develop people for ministry.
Josh is married to Bunmi, a former professional Track Athlete out of UCLA (wife of 23 years), and they have 2 sons and a daughter, Elisha (20), Judah (17) and Adelola (9). His greatest joy is knowing that all three of his children serve the Lord and are dedicated to the proclamation of Jesus Christ.
Senior Pastors Josh and Bunmi Canales
Church Identity
We are Mission Ebenezer Family Church, The Mission. We are a multicultural, multi-generational, family-oriented, Pentecostal church that seeks to be a lighthouse in Los Angeles. We are a church on a mission. That mission is to restore, equip and send people to impact the world for Christ. We will do this through commitment to worship, prayer, the word and service.
The Problem
Broken relationships breed brokenness in the world. The first broken relationship we seek to address is the relationship between us and God. This is made possible through Jesus Christ. Then, we believe God has called us to restore relationships with one another (the world). We believe the role of the church is to provide the opportunity for this restoration to take place. We will do this through our mission.
Our Mission
"We exist to Restore, Equip, and Send people to impact the world for Christ."
- Restore - Restoring people to God, family, church, and community (2 Cor. 5:17-20).
- Equip - Equipping people for a life of ministry and growth (Eph. 4:11-13).
- Send - Sending people to impact family, community, and the world (Acts 1:8).
The 4 Cornerstones of The Mission
Worship, Prayer, The Word, Service
