Calvary Chapel has been formed as a fellowship of believers in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our supreme desire is know Christ and be conformed to His image by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not a denominational church, nor are we opposed to denominations as such; only to their over-emphasis of the doctrinal differences that have lead to the division of the Body of Christ. We believe that the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ's (Agape) love, which is greater than any differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.
1. We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ’s (agape) love, which is greater than any difference we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians (Phil 2:1-2 1 John 3:10-16).
2. We believe worship of God should be spiritual. Therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship. (John 4:23-24).
3. We believe worship of God should be inspirational. Therefore, music is an important part of our worship. Our worship is contemporary, with the emphasis on “worship” rather than “contemporary.” (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).
4. We believe worship of God should be intelligent. Therefore, our services are designed with great emphasis upon the teaching of the Word of God that He might instruct us how He should be worshiped. We seek to teach the Word of God in such a way that its message can be applied to an individual’s life, leading that person to greater maturity in Christ (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 4:1-2).
5. We believe worship of God should be fruitful. Therefore, we look for His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have been truly worshiping Him (Luke 6:43-44; John 13:35).
6. We believe in one personal, transcendent, Triune God, the creator of all, who is eternal, and who manifests Himself in three separate persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Gen. 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 5:7).
7. We believe that God the Father is the personal, transcendent, and sovereign Creator of all things. We believe in the person of God the Father, an Infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all those who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalms 90:2; Psalms 102:27; John 4:24; 1 Timothy 1:17; Titus 1:3).
8. We believe that Jesus Christ, though fully God, became a man for the suffering of death. We believe that He is the promised Messiah, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, provided for the atonement of our sins by His vicarious death on the Cross, was bodily resurrected, ascended back to the right hand of God the Father, and ever lives to make intercession for us. After Jesus ascended to Heaven, He poured out His Holy Spirit on the believers in Jerusalem, enabling them to fulfill His command to preach the Gospel to the entire world, an obligation shared by all believers today (Is. 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matt. 1:23, Matt 28:19-20; John 1:1-2; John 8:58; John 11:25; Hebrews 1:8; 4:15 1 John 2:2, Acts 17:31; 1 Cor. 15:3-8, Mark 16:19; Rom.8:27; Heb. 7:24-25 , Acts 1:9; Acts 2:1-4 ; 1 John 1:2 Revelation 1:8).
9. We believe in the person and present work and ministry of the Holy Spirit who indwells, seals, and empowers every believer, baptizing them into the Body of Christ. We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Scriptures, and that they are valid for today if they are exercised within the Scriptural guidelines. We further believe that the Holy Spirit will come upon any believer who asks in faith, enabling him/her to preach the Gospel in power. We also believe all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Scriptures are valid for today, and that they are to be exercised within the scriptural guidelines set forth by the Spirit. We believe that love is more important than all the gifts, and without this love all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless (1 Cor. 12:1-11 , 1 Cor. 12:27-31 , 1 Cor. 14:12; 1 Cor. 12-14). We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Scriptures, and that they are valid for today if they are exercised within the Scriptural guidelines. We, as believers are to covet the best gifts, seeking to exercise them in love that the whole Body of Christ might be edified. We believe that love is more important than the most spectacular gifts, and without this love all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless. We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, Who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ. (Acts 1 :8; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 14:16-17, John 16:8-11; Romans 8:26 and 15:13, 16; and Hebrews 9:14). We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide to the believer (John 6:13, 14:16-17, and 16:8-11; Romans 8:26). We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and in the exercise of all Biblical gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14).
10. We believe that all people are by nature separated from God and responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption, and forgiveness are freely offered to all by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. When a person repents of sin and accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, trusting Him to save, that person is immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all his/her sins are forgiven and that person becomes a child of God, destined to spend eternity with the Lord. (Rom. 3:23; Is. 59:2; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 1:13-14, 1 John 1:9, Eph 2:8-9; Acts 8:15-17; Titus 3:5).
11. We believe Jesus Christ is the head of the Body, His church, and that church government should be simplistic rather than complex and bureaucratic. We desire to be under the authority of the word of God and led by the Holy Spirit in all the ministry of the church and we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead, rather than on fleshly promotion. (Acts 6:3; Eph. 1:22).
12. We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture: That the Bible, Old and New Testaments, in the original autographs, is the inspired, infallible Word of God, a complete and final written revelation of God. We reject doctrinal viewpoints or spiritual phenomena which are based solely on experience. We look to the Word of God for the basis of all our faith and practice. ((Isaiah 28:13; Nehemiah 8:8; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
13. We await the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the church, and we believe that at the Second Coming of Christ He will visibly set up His throne on earth and personally rule with His saints for 1000 years. This motivates us to holy living, heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent study of God’s Word, regular fellowship, and participation in baptism by immersion and in Holy Communion. We believe that the nation of Israel still has a special place in God’s plan and that all the promises of the God of Israel will be fulfilled. We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ which is His personal, visible return to earth and the establishment of His millennial kingdom, in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous and endless suffering of the wicked. We believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church where all believers will meet the Lord in the air and be taken out of this world prior to the Tribulation that will come upon the earth. (Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 21:36; Romans 1:18, 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Peter 2:7-9; Revelation 5:7-10, 7:13-14; Matthew 16:27; Matt. 24:44; 25:31; Acts 1:10-11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18, 5:9; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; Revelation 19:11-16, 20: 11-15).
14. We believe in a personal devil called Satan, and fallen angels who are destined to spend eternity in hell. We believe they now seek to deceive people and defeat the work of God. However, they can be resisted by believers, as they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, protected by God, and interceded for by the Lord Jesus. (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28; Revelation 20:2 1 Peter 5:8-9; 1 John 4:4).
15. We seek to teach the Word of God in such a way that its message can be applied to the individual’s life leading that person to a greater maturity in Christ (Eph. 4:11-12; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
16. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the Church: 1) full immersion baptism, and 2) the Lord's Supper. We believe in baptism by immersion and communion, both of which are open to all believers in Jesus Christ. We believe it is important to uphold the Scriptural practices of the early church. Therefore, we hold to the practice of water baptism (immersion) and the regular taking of communion. We do not believe that either of these practices are essential for salvation, but that they serve as a demonstration of our living faith in Christ. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
17. We believe in the laying on of hands for the sending out of pastors and missionaries, and in conjunction with the anointing of oil by the elders for the healing of the sick. We believe also in the laying on of hands for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the ordination of pastors, elders, and deacons, and for the receiving of the perpetuity of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 6:6, 8:17; 1 Timothy 4:14; James 5:13-15).
18. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ validated the ordinance of marriage. We Believe that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female, sanctioned by the church and recognized by the state as evidenced by a marriage ceremony. We believe in the Creation and God as the Creator. We believe that God created man and that He created them male and female. As such, He created them different so as to complement and complete each other. We believe that God instituted marriage as a monogamous relationship between one male and one female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society and as such, we believe that marriage is exclusively the legal union of one man and one woman. For this reason, homosexuality and all other “sexual preferences” or “orientations” are unnatural, sinful, and unacceptable to God. Accordingly, this ministry will not perform any marriage ceremonies between two individuals of the same sex. It will not condone or recognize such same sex marriages, civil unions, or domestic partnerships, even though state law provides for recognition of such unions. We also believe that sexual activities such as, but not limited to, adultery, fornication, pre-marital sex, incest, polygamy, homosexuality, bisexuality, transgender, cross-dressing, pedophilia and bestiality are inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and the Church. Further, lascivious behavior, the creation, viewing, and/or distribution of pornography and efforts to alter one’s physical gender or gender related appearance are incompatible with a true biblical witness. ( Matthew 19:4-6 and John 2:1-11)Genesis 1:24-25 Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; John 4:16-18; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-11, 6:18-20, and 7:1-3 and 8-9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-7; and 1 Timothy 1:9-11).
19. We believe in all the fundamental doctrines of orthodox evangelical Christianity. We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, that the Bible,(Old and New Testaments) is the inspired, infallible Word of God.
20. We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell and that all those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Heaven with the Lord, while those who reject Jesus’ free gift of Salvation will spend eternity separated from the Lord in Hell. (Psalm 9:17; Matthew 5:3, 5:22, 18:9 and 25:31-34; Mark 9:42-49; Luke 12:5; John 3:18; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Peter 1:4; Psalm 9:17; Revelation 14:10-11; 20:11-15)
21. We believe that the Bible clearly delineates that spiritual gifts are for the edification of the body and that they are to be exercised in love. We, as believers are to covet the best gifts, seeking to exercise them in love that the whole Body of Christ might be edified. We believe that love is more important than the most spectacular gifts, and without love, all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless. In our services, we focus on a personal relationship with God through worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word of God. We do not practice "speaking in tongues" during worship or while a Bible study is in progress because we do not believe that the Holy Spirit would interrupt Himself. God is not the author of confusion. These gifts are encouraged in more intimate settings, e.g. personal prayer times, and afterglow services where their benefit can accomplish the purpose for which they have been given - the edification of the body of Christ.
22. We believe that the Bible places a high moral standard on those who would be ministers of the Gospel. Therefore, we expect moral and ethical integrity among those with whom we fellowship. We reserve the right to remove from fellowship any who become doctrinally aberrant, philosophically incompatible, or morally compromised.
23. We believe every pastor, pastoral assistant, board member, employee, or volunteer shall be in good standing and affirm his or her unequivocal agreement with this Statement of Faith, Character, Belief and Ordinances as described in this Preamble. Any pastor, pastoral assistant, board member, employee, or volunteer whose confession of faith or behavior is in conflict with this Statement of Faith, Character, Beliefs, and Ordinances will be subject to removal and termination from his or her position in the church.
24. We believe the Bible is clear in its teaching on the sanctity of human life. Human life begins at conception. Therefore, we abhor the destruction of innocent human life through abortion-on demand, embryo research, cloning, and any other procedure that would harm or destroy innocent human life after conception.
25. We believe in the pattern and principle of male leadership and responsibility in both the home and the church, according to the sacrificial example of Jesus. We believe this limits the roles of pastoral leadership and doctrinal authority to qualified men (1 Corinthians 11:1-12, 1 Timothy 2:1-15). We believe in the universal church, the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all who are born again are a part of the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:15-16)
We reject: (1) The belief that true Christians can be demon possessed; (2) "5-point Calvinism" or "TULIP" represented in Reformed Soteriology and eschatology (i.e., a fatalistic Calvinistic view that leaves no room for free will; specifically, we reject the belief that Jesus' atonement was limited, instead we believe that He died for all people, and we reject the assertion that God's wooing grace cannot be resisted or that He has elected some people to go to hell; instead we believe that anyone who wills to come to Christ may do so); We are neither Five-Point Calvinists, nor are we Arminians. We adhere firmly to the biblical teaching of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. We avoid any theological systems of belief that go beyond the written Word and thereby divide the body of Christ. (3) "positive confession" (the "faith movement" belief that God can be commanded to heal or work miracles according to man's will), (4) human prophecy that supersedes the Scripture, (5) the incorporation of humanistic and secular psychology and philosophy into Biblical teaching, and (6) the over-emphasis of spiritual gifts, experiential signs and wonders to the exclusion of Biblical teaching. "Open Theism" or "Freewill Theism" which reduces God's timeless, unchanging, and dynamic nature and exhaustive foreknowledge of future free decisions, to creaturely modes of being and operation. The "Emergent Church" movement insofar as it departs from the historic orthodox Christian doctrines in favor of postmodernism.
In our services, we focus on a personal relationship with God through worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word of God. We teach both expository and topically. We do not allow speaking in tongues loudly during services, nor prophecy while a Bible study is in progress because we do not believe that the Holy Spirit would interrupt Himself. We have specific "after-glow services" and believer's meetings when these gifts of the Spirit may be exercised.
Click here for further details on our Statement of Faith spelled out by the Calvary Chapel Association.
