From the Forward:
Calvary Chapel began as a move of God—an outpouring of grace, renewal, and mission that no one could have scripted or contained. It was not the product of strategic planning or institutional ambition. It was the fruit of God working through ordinary people who simply loved Jesus, trusted His Word, and followed the leading of His Spirit.
Movements like this demand regular reflection. As our Pentecostal brothers and sisters often say, “Missions at dawn, missiology at dusk.” First comes the movement—the outpouring of God’s Spirit—and then comes the need to look back, to trace His hand, and to articulate what He has done so that the work might continue with clarity and faithfulness into the future.
This book is written in that spirit. It does not aim to redefine Calvary Chapel or to add burdensome structures. Nor does it claim to say everything that could be said. Rather, it seeks to recognize and articulate the essential convictions and commitments that have shaped our life together—those core features that have consistently animated our churches, our mission, and our fellowship across decades and continents.
Whether you have been part of Calvary Chapel from the beginning or are just stepping into this family, our prayer is that you will find here a vision that feels both familiar and fresh: a call back to the heart of who we are, and a call forward into all that God still desires to do through us.
These are not exhaustive claims but core convictions: the irreducible complexity of Calvary Chapel. If any of these values are missing, something vital is missing.
We offer this book not as a final word, but as a first word—a beginning of conversation, not a closing of it. Our desire is not control, but clarity—not to draw lines of exclusion, but to rally hearts around the fire that first warmed and animated us.
As Gustav Mahler put it, “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
It is not enough to simply remember, or even to celebrate, what God has done through Calvary Chapel in the past. The true honor is to carry it forward—to guard the fire, to feed it, and to pass it on.
Our prayer is that the flame God kindled decades ago would continue to burn brightly—not for our name’s sake, but for the glory of Jesus Christ and the good of His church around the world.
The chapters that follow were shaped by conversations among members of the Calvary Global Network (CGN) Executive Team—conversations where we simply asked one another the question: What is Calvary Chapel? And what emerged was not division or debate, but a beautiful, Spirit-born unity. Without coercion or coordination, the same themes rose again and again, confirming what so many of us have known instinctively for years.
Although these words have been penned by particular members of our team, they reflect the collective heart and prayers of many leaders across the broader Calvary Chapel family. And while we serve together in CGN, we do not write here as representatives of an organization. We write as Calvary Chapel pastors—men shaped by this movement, grateful to have been part of it, and eager to see it flourish for generations to come.
For me personally, this project is more than editorial work; it is both a small act of gratitude and a larger act of hope. I came to saving faith through the ministry of a Calvary Chapel. I was discipled and equipped at Calvary Chapel Bible College. I was raised up and encouraged by first-generation Calvary Chapel pastors—men who welcomed me, showed me the ropes, believed in me, and spurred me on. Their examples still shape me today.
This book is written to honor the fire they kept burning and to entrust that flame to those who will come after us—praying that the heart, convictions, and Spirit-led values that have marked Calvary Chapel from the beginning will take deep root in the next generation so that the work God began might continue and bear much fruit long after us.
My deep conviction is that the fire of Calvary Chapel still burns. It burns for the glory of God. It burns with love for Jesus, trust in His Word, dependence on His Spirit, and a longing to reach the lost. It is my prayer that this book will help keep that flame burning brightly for many years to come.
— Justin Thomas, Editor
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