Calvary Chapel Distinctives

Spiritual Worship

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.

Inspirational Worship

We believe worship of God should be inspirational; therefore, we give great place to music in our worship.

Intelligent Worship

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 on how He should be worshiped.

Fruitful Worship

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.

Gifts of the Spirit

We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Scriptures, and that they are valid for today and are to be exercised within 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 love, all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless.

Church Government

We believe that the church government should be simplistic rather than a complex bureaucracy, and that we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead, rather than on fleshly promotion.

Pre-Trib and Pre-Millennial

We await the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, and we believe that the Second Coming of Christ with His saints to rule the earth will be personal, pre-millennial, and visible. This motivates us to holy living, heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent study of God’s Word, regular fellowship, participation in adult baptism by immersion and Holy Communion.

Teaching For Growth

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.

What We Don't Believe

We do not believe in “positive confession” (the faith movement belief that God can be commanded to heal or work miracles according to man’s will); human prophecy that supersedes the Scriptures; the incorporation of humanistic and secular psychology into Biblical teaching; the over-emphasis of spiritual gifts and experiential signs and wonders to the exclusion of Biblical teaching; or that true Christians can be demon-possessed.

God's Sovereignty and Its Relation to Free Will

We are neither Five-Point Calvinists nor are we Armenians. We adhere firmly to the Biblical teaching of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. We avoid any theological systems of belief, which go beyond the written Word and thereby divide the body of Christ.

Gifts In Love

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 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. afterglow services and small groups where their benefit can accomplish the purpose for which they have been given – the edification of the body of Christ.