Chuck Smith started the first non-denominational Calvary Chapel in 1965 in Costa Mesa, California. Pastor Chuck took over a struggling church of 25 people, which became the first Calvary Chapel. Over the years, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa has grown to approximately 30,000 members. Since then, other Calvary Chapels who follow Pastor Chuck's model have sprung up all over the nation and the world.
Back in the '60s, our country was in chaos politically, morally, and spiritually. Pastor Chuck's wife, Kay, developed a real compassion and burden for the hippies during that time. People back then often called them "dirty hippies," but Kay would cry and pray for them, as she would see them around town. Pastor Chuck and Kay felt the Lord calling them to reach out and minister to the hippies, so a major part of the growth of their church in the '60s was made up of hippies who came to know the Lord. When Calvary Eastside decided to welcome Aroma of Christ to become a ministry of the church, I felt they were following Chuck Smith's example of reaching out to people who often feel like outcasts in society.
Two of the most important distinctives of the Calvary Chapel movement are:
1. The teaching of the whole Word of God: Calvary Chapel pastors typically teach the Bible verse by verse, going through one book of the Bible at a time. Chuck Smith feels that believers will be the healthiest spiritually if they are taught the whole counsel of God. Therefore, teaching the entire Bible is a big priority. Chuck doesn't believe in "gimmicks" to draw people to church--He simply believes in preaching the Word of God.
2. Worship: Worship is also of utmost importance in Calvary Chapel churches. Along with teaching the Word of God, worship is a vital part of Calvary services.
As far as giving is concerned, you will not find most Calvary Chapels placing an excessive amount of time on asking people to give financially to the church. Chuck Smith's philosophy is "Where God guides, He provides." Even though Calvary Chapels believe and teach that tithing and giving are a very important part of a believer’s life, people are not made to feel that they must give under compulsion.
A few verses that are the foundation of Chuck Smith's ministry are:
1. Zechariah 4:6 "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty."
Pastor Chuck believes in letting the Holy Spirit guide the direction of the church.
2. Ephesians 4:11-13 "It is he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
Chuck Smith believes in letting people in the body of Christ work together to exercise their gifts. He believes in being flexible to the needs of the body without having to get bogged down with a lot of committees and red tape.
Comments from others about the Calvary Chapel Movement:
According to John McArthur, the lack of pretentiousness and the ability to make anyone feel comfortable, are hallmarks of Calvary Chapel churches. Hank Hanegraaff says that Calvary Chapels are not a place for the pompous, but for the lost.
FAITH MOVEMENT: For those who suffer from chronic illness, I thought it would be important to point out Calvary Chapel’s view on the Faith Movement. The following excerpt is taken from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa’s website: “At Calvary Chapel, we also reject the teaching of "positive confession," which is the doctrine put forth by the faith movement teachers that says that we as human beings can have unlimited health and wealth because we, like God, have the ability to create our own reality by the confession of our lips. These people teach that if a person will confess health and wealth consistently, then that is what they will have, and, conversely, the Christian living in sickness or poverty is settling for less than his full inheritance in Christ. At Calvary Chapel, we believe that many believers both in the Bible and in daily life are often afflicted not because their confession is wrong, but simply because we live in a foreign world. We believe that the health and prosperity doctrine is a perversion of Scripture and is often used to fleece the flock of God. We do not believe that God can be commanded by man to heal or provide, but that we must always submit to His perfect will even in affliction.” (http://calvarychapel.com/bitterrootvalley/history.htm)
I hope this brief summary helps give you a little better view of what the Calvary Chapel movement is all about. Most of this information was taken from the video A Venture in Faith, which was produced by Michael MacIntosh and Raul Ries in 1992. For further information, see: http://calvarychapel.com/bitterrootvalley/history.htm.