Calvary Chapel Churches

Calvary Chapel is representative of the newer independent churches characterized by lively, young congregations and free worship.

Almost a quarter century has elapsed since the first "Jesus People" began to populate the pews at Calvary Chapel to hear pastor Chuck Smith. Raised in a variety of religious backgrounds and emerging from lifestyles that involved everything from LSD to Eastern religions and free love, these new believers expressed their faith in ways that were consistent with their culture rather than the language of the church. Through Calvary Chapel they found love, life, and learning in the things of Christ. Over the past two and a half decades, the numbers of those touched by this church have grown as has the number of Calvary Chapels that have now been planted across the United States. Worship at Calvary Chapel has not changed significantly during this time. The emphasis is still on intimacy in worship, contemporary praise, and straight to-the-point Bible teaching. The songs used include a blending of contemporary choruses and older hymns. While some services may use a large worship team, at other times the music may come from a single guitar or keyboard and a singer. The service simply flows as people are lead to sing, share, pray, read Scripture, and hear the Word taught. During the many services held at the Costa Mesa church, the music styles vary from night to night. Sunday services remain quite consistent and revolve around the teaching ministry of the pastor. According to John Wickham of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, the best word to describe their worship is open. Just as Mary sat at Jesus' feet while Martha prepared the meal, the church takes time to sit at his feet, clear their minds of things of the world, and commune with him. Usually weekly worship alternates between contemporary worship of hymns and choruses with teaching and two or three hymns with time given for baby dedications and other ministries. While Calvary Chapel does encourage the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit, it is not in a strict sense charismatic. As people have come and continue to worship, receive feeding from the Word, and become mature in Christ through the ministry of Calvary Chapel, the church has felt no need for change in its structure of worship.