Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez, was born in Guatemala and migrated to the United States of America in 1976 to Los Angeles, California, where he resides and has been locally engaged as an advocate for social justice for over 30 years. As founder and president of Churches for Action, he oversees a coalition of 2300 churches, who mobilize on behalf of the needy and destitute. He has founded 40 churches, including the “Dream Center”, formerly Bethel Temple Los Angeles, heads the Annual Mayor's Inter-Faith Prayer Breakfast in Los Angeles, has worked on the U.S. Congressional Forum on Immigration and has organized hundreds of Prayer Breakfasts for elected officials at the municipal, state and national levels. In Washington D.C., he has hosted Congressional summits. He serves on the board of numerous boards both nationally and internationaly.  

After his graduation from Vanguard University in 1990 with a degree in theology and Liberal Arts, Bishop Mendez completed two master degrees: Multicultural Education, Public Administration, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Bishop Mendez was ordained in the Assembly of God denomination, and has served in numerous capacities during his ministry. Mendez' passion leads him to train pastors both nationally and internationally, where he is frequently called upon to speak at leadership conferences. Bishop Mendez is also a prominent media figure, from 1996 to 1999 was the host of the Spanish language radio show "Guerreros del Tercer Milenio” which aired twice daily reaching millions throughout the U.S, has founded different TV stations and is frequently featured on national TV.

In his early career years, Bishop Mendez served in the Los Angeles Unified School District as a k-12 teacher and administrator at different high schools and downtown Los Angeles Schools as schools administrator. Bishop Mendez is also known as an entrepreneur, at the age of 17 he started a number of successful small businesses.