When I contemplated the title of this article, I considered: “Why you need” and “Why we need,” and for many reasons, they would have been appropriate choices. Nevertheless, I want you to know some of the reasons why I need CGN and the Connect Team. My hope and prayer is that you will find them relatable, persuasive, and motivating so that awareness (information) results in action (your next steps).
I live in an agricultural oasis that produces 575 million strawberries, 216 million lemons, and 179 million avocados annually. I regularly ride my bike past groves of citrus and avocado trees. While a towering tree with expansive branches is undoubtedly impressive, groves communicate “better together” and undoubtedly yield more fruit than any individual tree could. It was during a long ride among this scenery that I contemplated why I need CGN and the Connect Team.
1. The value of a healthy (emotionally + spiritually) expression of Calvary Chapel that welcomes other like-minded evangelicals.
I was saved at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa (CCCM) at the College and Career group meeting in the gym. CCCM was the first church I ever entered. I can point to where the pew was where I first sat and the section of the sanctuary where I served. Pastor Chuck was my pastor and mentor. I taught at CCCM’s School of the Bible. I was commissioned to plant a Calvary Chapel (CC) by Pastor Chuck; and he came and dedicated the campus where I presently serve. I was blessed to write a few books related to the CC movement that Pastor Chuck asked me to send to our entire network of churches. All that to say, my perspective has been honed through decades of experience.
I am not an elitist. I do not want my thoughts to be misconstrued. I am not asserting that CC is better than some other movement, denomination, association, or family of churches. Unfortunately, in certain times and in certain circles, CC developed a reputation as “elitist” (or at least “elitist-lite”). At times, we were not renowned for playing nice with other evangelicals. I contend that is not good for our movement, or Christendom generally, and seems to be in direct contravention of Jesus’ desire for His Church (see, John 17).
Nevertheless, there is something pretty special, at least to me, about this “idea” that is Calvary Chapel. What is special is not a dove on the wall, Hawaiian shirts, the name Calvary Chapel, or even the image of our founder and patriarch, Pastor Chuck.
Some, but certainly not all, of the trees that made this grove special include the emphasis on Bible learning. I was raised in an observant Jewish home and was stirred to jealousy by how Gentiles at CCCM loved the Scriptures! The dependency on the Holy Spirit that characterizes CC at our best. The attitude of grace that elevates God’s redemptive work through the gospel in all of our dealings with others who struggle through this fallen world and flesh along with us. A respect for prior generations, but an unrelenting passion to reach the next generation(s). At our best, we have a reputation for humility and love.
At times, we have not been humble. CC was at the epicenter of the most recent great revival in this country. Countless articles, podcasts, books, documentaries, and feature movies have sought to tell the story of CC and the Jesus Movement. That attention, praise, accolades, and affirmation can foster pride and hubris, and discourage meaningful accountability to examine blind spots. But at our best, we recognize that it has all been a result of God’s grace; we humbly receive correction where it is needed, put others before self, and learn from others.
Our movement, at its best, is characterized by love. This love is palpable. Describing this love is challenging, like describing a sunset to someone who cannot see. Gathering at conferences with our family of churches feels incredible to me. At our best, we personify 1 Corinthians 13; at our worst, we profane it.
Missiologists have written volumes about the place of the CC movement in the long arc of Christendom, but God does not need Calvary Chapel. Yet, I do believe that Christendom is better with a healthy Calvary Chapel movement. I feel a very strong desire for an emotionally and spiritually healthy expression of Calvary Chapel that welcomes other like-minded evangelicals.
As most are aware, there is a schism among the CC family. I have a tremendous love for my fellow CC family whether they are more closely aligned with my side of the grove or another area of the grove. There should be no fence between us, and there should be no flame throwers or axes being wielded against another tree bearing fruit in His groves. That is neither emotionally nor spiritually healthy (to say the least)!
I believe that CGN is a grove in which to cultivate an emotionally and spiritually healthy expression of Calvary Chapel that welcomes other like-minded evangelicals. That it has an inherent value that should not be neglected, ignored, or forsaken. We can easily know the price of something, but we may not perceive its value.
2. The value of a family of churches.
I feel very fortunate that I meet at least monthly with other like-minded evangelical leaders in my community, and I have seemingly countless friends in the Calvary Chapel movement. So, it could be easy to neglect appreciating the value of CGN.
We are not a denomination. We do not seek to exercise authority. We are not a movement per se. We are, in a sense, a network or association of churches that share similar, but not identical, values, DNA, philosophy of ministry, and systematic theology. Yet, we are aiming to be a family.
I believe that we would likely all agree that families are healthiest when everyone contributes at an appropriate level. It seems axiomatic that you will not perceive value unless you cooperate; and cooperation requires participation.
Calvary Chapel is not immune to the laws of physics that govern His Creation. Thus, absent energy applied to a system, it moves to disorder (entropy). I am not advocating for human striving, but I also assert that it is naïve to abdicate human responsibility in the name of the Holy Spirit.
I am convinced that a healthy family of churches is better. As a fruitful grove is a superior environment to produce fruit compared to isolated fruit trees, so too is a family of churches compared to isolated independent churches. Our legacy of independence should not blind us to our interdependence. We need one another, like a family, and our actions should reflect this reality. We need to recognize our need to be part of something healthy to model healthy to others (isolation and independence can be unhealthy).
As Nehemiah exhorted God’s weary people, “Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren…” (Nehemiah 4:10). We are not called to fight against our brothers but to sacrifice our comfort, time, talents, and treasure to ensure a healthy family of churches.
3. The value of connection, support, and encouragement.
There was a time when I thought, “Why do I need CGN?” I have also thought, “What has CGN done for me?” Perhaps you have had those thoughts. I think, to some extent, that CGN has perhaps not cared for our family of churches as well as we could have and as well as we should have. It should also be recalled that CGN is still in its early development.
For some time, I wanted someone representing CGN to encourage me: to occasionally reach out and let me know that I matter, that I am cared for, that I am part of a family — and, despite any dysfunction in our family, that we are family! I wanted someone to take the initiative to help me be better connected to other family members, resources, and support that is implicit in the term “family.” I wanted all of us to be able to get advice and counsel from wise, godly leaders in CGN. I needed CGN to have a Connect Team that would do those things in my area of the grove, and among the global groves where we are bearing fruit.
CGN recently created a Connect Team! In the coming months, our global team will be providing connection, support, and encouragement to our family so that ideally, no one ever wonders again, “Why do I need CGN?” or “What has CGN done for me?”
Today, I no longer have those thoughts. I have a greater appreciation for global initiatives like: “Cultivate,” which supports planting gospel-centered churches; “Expositors Collective,” which is equipping the next generations of public proclaimers of biblical truth; and “When She Leads,” which supports, equips, and edifies women in their various leadership roles in our family of churches. I also cherish the abundance of great content and resources produced and provided by CGN. I rejoice as I reflect on the love that I experience at our conferences and gatherings. And I am confident that the Connect Team will help us experience the value of a healthy (emotionally + spiritually) expression of Calvary Chapel that welcomes other like-minded evangelicals.
Interested in joining the CGN Connect Gathering at Calvary Nexus? Mark your calendar for lunch on Wednesday, October 2nd, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and be sure to RSVP!
