Calvary Chapel Association

Calvary Chapel was once part of the "Jesus Movement" in the late 1960s. The first Calvary Chapel was Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa in Costa Mesa, California.

Pastor Chuck Smith and evangelistLonnie Frisbee, both of Calvary Chapel, are considered by many to have been most instrumental in this revival. Smith's evangelical teachings centered on leading souls to salvation in Jesus. C. Peter Wagner, in his book Churchquake, lists Calvary Chapel as the point of origination of the New Apostolic Reformation, although Calvary Chapel denies any affiliation with the movement.

Calvary Chapel is a non-denominational church, and has over a thousand affilliated churches world-wide. Calvary Chapel also runs several Bible colleges,in the U.S.A., U.K., Australia, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Spain, Russia, Phillipines, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, and Hungary.

Theology

Calvary Chapel's teachings are evangelical and moderately charismatic in nature. Calvary Chapel's theology have become a new wave of thought in systematic doctrine, as seeing that they pull from the pietist, anabaptist, wesleyan, and fundamentalist traditions, yet fuses them so as to form what they call "a balance". According to the movement's leader, Pastor Chuck Smith emphasizes strongly the need for dependency on the Bible and also on the Holy Spirit. Calvary Chapel is orthodox in their views of all essential Christian doctrines, however distinctively they hold to a moderate dispensational tenet that discourages the Reader-Response approach to scripture but rather uses the Authorial-Intent formula for interpreting scripture, thus they believe the Church and Israel to be two separate institutes of God. In their eschatology they are primarily pre-tribulation premillienialist. Calvary Chapel also exhibits a strong tendency toward criticism of other Christian denominations. Calvary Chapels place a heavy emphasis on the exposition of the Bible book by book, chapter by chapter, having a regular schedule of reading through the entire Bible throughout the year with sermons covering the readings of the week in Sunday services.

Church Government

Unlike mainline denominations, Calvary Chapel does not affiliate churches. Rather, it affiliates pastors. A church whose pastor is affiliated with Calvary Chapel is a Calvary Chapel and may use the name (most Calvary Chapels have one or both words in their names). New Calvary Chapels may be created either by an existing non-denominational church's pastor becoming a Calvary Chapel affiliate or as a church plant from another Calvary Chapel. Every Calvary Chapel pastor is directly accountable to another pastor, usually at a larger church nearby. In the case of a church plant, the pastor will be accountable to the pastor of the originating church. Usually, the pastor of one large church will be responsible for all of the churches in his area, forming a sort of informal diocese. This loose hierarchy extends upward to founder Chuck Smith at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa in southern California. However, the only disciplinary procedure available within this structure is disaffiliation. Because churches are not directly affiliated, the Calvary Chapel organization does not have the authority to remove a pastor from his position. However, this disaffiliation process does ensure that all Calvary Chapels teach doctrine compatible with the basic statement of faith issued by Costa Mesa.

Within each Calvary Chapel, the power of the pastor is essentially absolute. Calvary Chapel pastors may not be removed by anyone within the church, and congregational voting is not practiced on any issue, except perhaps as a non-binding opinion poll. Most Calvary Chapels have elders who inform and assist the pastor. Only the pastor has the power to appoint or remove these elders at will, therefore the elders answer to the pastor alone. Women may not be elders, although the wives of male elders usually assist them in their ministry. Most churches do not have deacons or other boards.

Because Calvary Chapel does not have a formalized system of church membership, census information is not available. Only informal "belonging" to a local Calvary Chapel is practiced though regular attendance, communion (Eucharist), tithing, mid-week bible study discussions, and (occasionally) baby dedications, water baptism (youth and adult), weddings, and funerals.

Ordination/Affiliation of Pastors

Calvary Chapel pastors need not hold a seminary degree. Pastors who do hold a seminary degree and have some experience in another denomination are considered sufficiently trained. Those who have not previously been pastors in another denomination generally take a two year course of study at a Calvary Chapel Bible college, for which a bachelor's degree is not a prerequisite. Calvary Chapel does not affiliate women or homosexuals as pastors; as they believe to do such would be contradictory to the bible. Calvary Chapel teaches the "Moses Principle," which compares their pastors and their authority to Moses of the Old Testament over the Children of Israel.

Practices

Calvary Chapel is known for "teaching sermons" which may last 45 minutes to an hour. In these sermons, a pastor reads and expounds upon a lengthy section of Scripture, going wherever the text leads. Chuck Smith will begin from the very beginning of the Bible and, over the course of a few years, preach all the way through to the end. Because of its length, most Calvary Chapels hold Sunday School for children during the sermon.

Although Calvary Chapel believes in the continuing efficacy of the gift of tongues, it does not permit uninterpreted tongues to be spoken during public services, as per 1 Corinthians 14. Interpreted tongues and modern prophecy are affirmed doctrinally by Calvary Chapel but rarely practiced. Private prayer tongues are much more common. Believer's baptism by immersion is practiced. The frequency with which communion is taken and the practice of other sacraments varies.

Calvary Chapel worship services are known for being relaxed and informal, although becoming traditional. Most Calvary Chapel services are "come as you are" affairs at which ties and "Sunday dresses" are not required.

Broadcasting

Calvary Chapel, particularly the Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls, Idaho, operates radio and television outlets including CSN Radio and Effect Radio, and the church owns many broadcast translators and low-power outlets across the U.S. that carry these services. There are reportedly 30 full-power and 325 low-power/translator transmitters owned by the organization spread around the country. Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa owns and operates radio station KWVE 107.9 MHz, with its tower in the hills above nearby San Clemente. It has separate programming from CSN Radio.

External links

• Harvest, a history of Calvary Chapel by Chuck Smith
• Calvary Chapel Distinctives, The Foundational Principles of the Calvary Chapel Movement by Chuck Smith
• Calvary Chapel official homepage
• Pastor Bob Coy of Fort Lauderdale
• KWVE 107.9, Calvary Chapel's Southern California Radio Station
• Watch Bible Studies 24/7, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa
• Mike MacIntosh - Horizon SD
• Article: Reinventing American Protestantism
• Calvary Chapel Attacks Against Other Denominations