About Guidance
“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.”
Ernest Holmes
Science of Mind
Religious Science, also called Science of Mind, is a spiritual philosophy and way of life founded in Los Angeles by Ernest Holmes in the 1920s. His aim was to bring together the insights of religion, philosophy, and the language of science in service of everyday human life.
Religious Science is rooted in the Christian tradition and takes the Bible seriously, especially the teachings and example of Jesus. Holmes understood Jesus as a way-shower: one who revealed what becomes possible when a person lives consciously aware of God’s presence, love, and power. At the same time, Holmes drew from the wider New Thought movement and remained open to wisdom from many spiritual traditions.
God is present in all creation.
Every person is an expression of Divine Intelligence.
Prayer, renewed thinking, and loving action can facilitate greater healing, purpose, and freedom.
We challenge people to discover and practice what a more conscious relationship with God can make possible.
Our Senior Minister
Senior Minister & Spiritual Director
Rev. Dr. Seth Watson Pickens leads Guidance with spiritual depth, intellectual curiosity, humor, and a passionate commitment to human flourishing. Since becoming Senior Minister in 2023, he has helped lead Guidance into a new season of energy, community connection, and possibility.
Since 1967
Sunday, January 15, 1967
Guidance Church of Religious Science was founded on Sunday, January 15, 1967, by the late Rev. Dr. Daniel Lee Morgan and a small circle of visionaries who believed that spiritual truth could help transform both individual lives and the life of the community.
Nearly four decades
For nearly four decades, Dr. Morgan served as Guidance’s founding minister, building a vibrant Black spiritual community rooted in the Science of Mind. A respected Religious Science minister, scholar, civil-rights leader, and advocate for justice, he taught that spiritual growth belongs in the real world: in our homes, our neighborhoods, our relationships, and our shared pursuit of freedom. His ministry helped form and inspire generations of Religious Science leaders.
Carrying the ministry forward
After Dr. Morgan’s retirement, Guidance was led by Rev. Dr. Reginald “Nirvana” Gale, one of Dr. Morgan’s ministerial protégés. Dr. Gale carried the ministry forward with devotion and spiritual conviction until his transition.
A season of transition
In the period that followed, Rev. Dr. Clara Mosley faithfully served Guidance as interim minister, providing steady pastoral care and helping preserve the congregation’s spiritual life through a significant season of transition.
2023
In 2023, Rev. Dr. Seth Pickens became Guidance’s Senior Minister and Spiritual Director, ushering in a new chapter of renewed vision and tangible improvements to this historic spiritual home. Grounded in the legacy of those who came before, Guidance is building toward a future marked by deeper community, wider service, and broader spiritual imagination.
Today
Today, we remain a spiritual community where people can pray, learn, laugh, heal, serve, and grow. We draw on Science of Mind, prayer, the teachings of Jesus, and the enduring truth of unconditional love.