FAQS
Agape's Sunday Services will always be livestreamed ON-LINE, on Agapelive.com as well as on Facebook and YouTube.
Please sign up for Agape's email list to stay informed of In-Person Services and events.
What are Agape’s Service Times? (Pacific Time)
Sunday Morning – Way of Meditation
6:45 Meditation and Teaching
Sunday Morning – Second Service
8:30-9:00am Meditation
9:00-10:30am Service
Sunday Morning – Third Service
11:00-11:30am Meditation
11:30am-1:00pm Service
Wednesday Evening Service
Wednesday services are temporarily postponed. Stay tuned!
Does Dr. Michael speak at every service?
Dr. Michael speaks at all three Sunday Services except when he is away on speaking engagements and international conferences. Dr. Michael himself selects guest speakers, Agape Ministers, or Agape affiliates who are renowned in their fields of expertise.
Are there services and programs for children during the adult services?
Yes, every Sunday children’s services are conducted for all ages including teens. Please contact revleon @ agapelive.com for more information.
Are there any Agape communities outside of Los Angeles? If not, how can I affiliate and study its courses?
Agape is connected to individuals and related spiritual communities outside of the Los Angeles area, inviting all to study with us, and serve our global family. To mention just a few ways to stay connected, you may livestream services, attend Agape’s transformational virtual events, such as one of Dr. Beckwith’s spring or New Year’s meditation intensives as well as subscribe to our e-bulletin to stay informed.
We also offer online classes through our University.
Do I have to be an official member to attend Agape’s services, take classes and participate in special events and volunteer?
Agape does not require formal affiliation and is accessible to all individuals on equal terms. This applies to all aspects of taking classes, receiving pastoral care services, volunteering in outreach programs, and so on. The exception applies to those individuals who wish to become a licensed practitioner/spiritual counselor or minister and therefore must fulfill the requirements relative to these licensed ecclesiastical positions.
Is Agape a church, and do its members follow a mainstream religious teaching based on scripture?
In everyday parlance, “church” is associated with Christian denominations and their houses of worship. Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith founded Agape as a local and global trans-denominational spiritual “center” because this terminology best describes the inclusiveness and diversity for which Agape is known and respected.
Agape embraces a Reality the world’s scriptures and sacred texts endeavor to describe, even as they acknowledge the impossibility of such a task. Some call it God, Great Spirit, Hashem, or Allah, while others simply prefer to leave it nameless. Agape teaches that this ultimate Reality is the Source of our life, that we are made in its image and likeness, which makes us co-creative participants in the three-dimensional world in which we live.
Through Agape’s teaching of the New Thought-Ageless Wisdom tradition of spirituality, individuals are taught the universal principles governing the cosmos and the practices by which one can apply them including meditation, affirmative prayer and The Life Visioning Process originated by Michael Bernard Beckwith. Many of these technologies have been practiced by spiritual seekers for thousands of years, teachings which to this present day are practical in meeting humanity’s challenges of 21st century living. Agape’s teachings point the way to how an individual may cultivate their own unique relationship with the Ineffable and live from a place of conscious connection with the Essential Self while being a beneficial presence on the planet through selfless service and the giving of their unique gifts.
In Agape’s services and classes, we refer to the world’s scriptures and sacred texts, as well as the writings of ancient and contemporary mystics, teachers, sages, philosophers, pundits, scientists.
Is Agape Christian? And what about the Bible and Jesus?
No, and yes.
Yes, some Agape members are Christian, and their personal encounter with the spirit of Jesus as an embodiment of the Christ Consciousness richly informs their spiritual lives.
No, if by Christian you mean the acceptance of Jesus as the only savior and Christianity as the only path to God and eternal salvation. Yes, in the sense that New Thought- Ageless Wisdom history includes the Gnostic teachings of Jesus and the earliest Christian mystical sects, as well as the founders of the uniquely American New Thought Movement including Emmanuel Swedenborg, Ernest Holmes, Howard Thurman, and transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and others.
While the Bible is mainly referenced in Dr. Beckwith’s services and Agape’s classes, the version that is primarily used is a metaphysical, Gnostic-inspired edition translated and interpreted from the original Aramaic, rather than the Greek translation used in traditional Christian churches such as the King James version or the Saint Gregory version used by the Catholic church. Also referenced are scriptures from the world’s wisdom traditions including the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Tao Te Ching, Kabbalah’s Zohar, works by the transcendentalists and more.
Agape teaches that Jesus was not the great exception, but rather the great example. Classically, the New Thought-Ageless Wisdom tradition of spirituality regards Jesus an enlightened being, one who attained cosmic consciousness, or liberation from a sense of separation from the Source of all that is. Jesus, like Gautama The Buddha, are revered as way-showers, as exemplars of unconditional love, selfless service, and self-mastery.
Can I still practice my Judaism/Christianity and become a member of Agape?
Absolutely. Many within the Agape community maintain their Jewish, Christian, Muslim or Buddhist faith, while others continue to practice the teachings of Jesus, Buddha, or other spiritual master teachers of past or present generations. As a result, mixed-tradition couples and families often find common ground at Agape without compromising other loyalties.
Are there any Agape communities outside of Los Angeles? If not, how can I affiliate and study its courses?
Agape is offers many possibilities for individuals and related spiritual communities living outside of Los Angeles to stay connected, to study with us, and to serve our global family. There are opportunities to study with Dr. Beckwith as well as virtual retreats, workshops and events that are offered through out the year. Please see our calendar for upcoming classes, retreats and events. Agape also livestreams services on Sunday mornings at Agapelive.com
Do I have to be an official member to attend Agape’s services, take classes and participate in special events and volunteer?
Agape does not require formal affiliation and is accessible to all individuals on equal terms. This applies to all aspects of taking classes, receiving pastoral care services, volunteering in outreach programs, and so on. The exception applies to those individuals who wish to become a licensed practitioner/spiritual counselor or minister and therefore must fulfill the requirements relative to these licensed ecclesiastical positions.
How do I become an Agape member?
To inquire about membership you may email Membership @ agapelive.com to receive additional information.
Is there a special protocol or etiquette I would be expected to follow during services? Is there a dress code?
Although Agape has no altar or religious icons in its sanctuary, the space itself is considered sacred and the vibration within it holy. As with all temples, mosques, synagogues and churches, Agape expects that those attending services present themselves and conduct themselves with respect and reverence for the total environment and other individuals within the space. No food or beverages are permitted in the sanctuary, but water is fine. While there is no formal dress code, we encourage respect and reverence to inform individuals about what is appropriate.
Does Agape take collections during services, and how does it support its administration?
As a non-profit, philanthropic organization, Agape depends upon the generosity of its members, congregants and friends. Agape provides various vehicles for the giving of tithes, gifts, legacy giving and more to support our administration, ministries, departments and humanitarian local and global outreach services. Donations are taken during its services, and you may learn about other tithing and giving opportunities by visiting our Donation section.
During services mention is made of “practitioners” who pray on behalf of the congregation and with individual clients.
What is a practitioner?
Practitioners are individuals licensed as part of the ecclesiastical order of Agape. They have taken specific classes in the New Thought-Ageless Wisdom teachings and function as spiritual counselors who practice a form of prayer that is in alignment with universal principles governing the cosmos.
Practitioners are available for prayer via a 24-hour prayer phone line which anyone may call and request prayer at (310) 348-1270.
Click here for the current list of Agape Practitioners
.