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I haven't ever been to one of these churches and don't necessarily agree with everything they say (no church will ever be perfect), I think this is probably the physical church that I affiliate with the most...that and Baptist. I may not like the music (contemporary Christian worship songs) at Calvary or that the Spiritual gifts given on the Day of Pentacost are still in force today, I DO believe that the Holy Spirit can...and does...still give Spiritual gifts if they are needed or at the pleasure of God to edify the Body of Christ. We rarely hear about this denomination so I thought I'd share some things I found because it may be the church you've been seeking. Also, I believe that all mainstream denominations have a lot of truth but they also are man-made and thus are always going to get things wrong. I'm sure we can agree that there are areas in which we can agree or disagree and it is not worthy of fighting over. You must have the Gospel of Grace according to the Apostle Paul in First Corinthians 15 right -- death/burial/resurrection, believe and put our trust in Christ Jesus alone and what HE did, not of anything we can ever do or not do in order to be saved -- and that what Jesus Christ said, He meant yesterday, today and tomorrow. The timing of the rapture, the age of the earth and things not pertaining to our salvation are only dividing us when we should unite and be of one voice/one accord. So for those like me who don't fit into any denominational "box," this may be a good choice for you, even if it's not perfect. It helped me and I pray it helps you! First a commentary by GotQuestions.org and then a video. I'd love feedback from those who are more familiar with this church.
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COMMENTARY BY GOTQUESTIONS.ORG
Question: "What is Calvary Chapel?"
Answer: The Calvary Chapel church movement was born out of Costa Mesa, California, in the early 1960s. In 1965, the church hired Chuck Smith as its pastor. Under his leadership, the church has grown into a fellowship of over 1300 churches, making it one of the ten largest Protestant denominations/associations in the United States. Calvary Chapel churches are known for their vibrant worship, systematic Bible teaching, and strong missionary fervor.
Chuck Smith received his training at LIFE Bible College (now LIFE Pacific) and served for 17 years as a pastor in the Foursquare Church before beginning his ministry in Costa Mesa. In his ministry at Calvary Chapel, Smith has held firmly to conservative and evangelical theology, while also holding on to some aspects of charismaticteaching, expressing neither strict charismatic nor cessationist beliefs. With this foundation, there is a lot of room for varying beliefs in regards to the spiritual gifts within Calvary Chapel churches. While virtually all Calvary Chapel pastors are solidly evangelical, Calvary Chapel churches do not strongly emphasize doctrinal differences that can lead to division in the body of Christ.
Early in Calvary Chapel’s ministry, the church began reaching out to the hippie culture that was so prevalent on California beaches. As these hippies became “Jesus Freaks,” they were welcomed into Calvary Chapel, and the church began to grow exponentially. The church was among the first to emphasize contemporary worship and a welcoming atmosphere for non-Christians while at the same time not neglecting the proclamation of the truth of God’s Word. Willow Creek and the Vineyard Fellowship were influenced or birthed from Calvary Chapel, although they have since diverged significantly from Calvary Chapel on some beliefs and practices. The contemporary Christian music movement was also helped immensely by the church. There were several music groups at Calvary, and Chuck Smith started Maranatha! Music to help them distribute their songs.
From that start with the “Jesus Freaks” in the 1960s, the church has gradually made a change from being a fringe element of evangelical Christianity to being one of the pillars of the evangelical movement. Many Calvary Chapel pastors have ministries which are widely respected by those outside of the group. The immensely positive influences of Calvary Chapel churches and pastors are present in virtually every avenue of evangelicalism.
A possible concern about the Calvary Chapel church movement is the claim that certain Calvary Chapel pastors develop an almost authoritarian rule over their churches, following the “Moses model” of church structure and believing they are accountable only to God. Pastors who see themselves as “Moses” to their congregations may be tempted to “lay down the law” and expect everyone else to conform.
As with all other church denominations/associations, there will be variations in different Calvary Chapel churches. Overall, the Calvary Chapel church movement is solidly biblical and strongly evangelical. While we always encourage people to be prayerful and discerning about what church they attend, and while Got Questions Ministries is not in the business of endorsing specific churches/denominations/associations, we have absolutely no reason to discourage people from visiting, attending, and joining Calvary Chapel churches.
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