CC Distinctives

There are more principles, of course, that guide our church, but these are the basics. And these principles have been used of God to build healthy churches throughout the world as He is doing here. Someone might say, "But these seem so simple." We have found that if we stay with the simple things, the basic things, God blesses His church. We do not go after spiritual fads for one simple reason: Jesus is the center of the church, and He is enough. In God's love, Rich Jones, pastor

The Main Thing

The main thing at Calvary Chapel is very simple: we should love the Lord our God with all our heart. Some measure the health of a church by its size, but we believe that the greatest and most important measure of a church is the love they have in their hearts for the Lord. When Jesus was asked, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" He replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:36-40). Everything in the church should be centered on the main thing - loving the Lord our God with all our heart.

Preach the Word

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). We teach through the Word of God in its entirety because in so doing we gain the "full counsel" of God as He has revealed His heart for us there. In this way, we don't miss any of God's insights for our lives, even the difficult things. The Word of God also reveals Jesus, the Son of the living God; we see God revealing His Son from Genesis through Revelation. And in Jesus, we also see the heart of the Father.

God-centered Worship

Worship in song is an opportunity to express our love and adoration for the Lord. It is a time of close intimacy. Therefore, worship should be centered and focused on God. We desire our worship in song to draw us closer to our Lord; it's about relationship.

Servant Leadership

It is clearly the heart of the Lord that those whom He would use to lead should be servants. Jesus said, "... whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:44-45). In a practical sense, this means that we look for leaders among the servants. It is there we will find those that have captured the heart of Christ for His church.

Simple Government

Church politics can be a great distraction for the body. It is our desire to see the Lord be the center of all we do, and so we have adopted a very simple, biblical form of government. God ordains His leaders, and we simply agree with whom He is choosing (Acts 13:1-3). We do this through building consensus rather than by voting. Any decision is made unanimously by the elders. It is our heart to see the church stay in unity in the bond of peace, thereby being the most effective witness for Jesus Christ.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit

"'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord" (Zechariah 4:6). We believe the Holy Spirit provides the power in the life of the believer to give him victory over sin and the flesh. We are taught to walk after the Spirit and not the flesh. The Holy Spirit is the power in our life to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ. This is the work of the Holy Spirit within us and not our own. But not only does the Holy Spirit work within us, He also works through us. The Holy Spirit is the "dynamic" power in our lives that allows us to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ. It is God's plan that our lives be the instruments that He uses to reach the world around us as the Spirit flows through us.

Where God Guides He Provides

You will never see a thermometer on the church walls keeping track of the latest effort to raise money. We believe that people should give to God's church because they are in love with Him and want to give out of a joyful heart (2 Corinthians 9:7). We will not make money or finances a focus of what we do. The center of our church is Jesus, and as He guides the direction of the church, we believe He will also place it on people's hearts to support His vision.