About Calvary Chapel
As Calvary Chapel, we worship the Lord from where we stand in our lives, not only at the church.
It is a coalition of evangelical protestant Christians established by pastor Chuck Smith.
During the time of political and economic turmoil in the United States in 1960-70, Calvary Chapel began from Jesus Movement, with Pastor Chuck Smith as a catalyst. At the time, many young souls immersed in the secular culture returned to Christ through deep Bible studies with the exposition of the Word and praise ministries. Through Calvary Chapel’s Jesus Movement, which stretched out through the coastal line of California, they performed large scale baptisms on 900 people every month. Thousands of people came to the beach into a flock and waited for their turns, and it was like the ripe field ready for harvest. This new wave that began spread throughout the United States, to the point where media (Times Magazine, Look, Life, etc.) made publications about it. Currently, the mother church, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, consists of about 35,000 members. There are about 2,000 churches around the world under the Calvary Chapel network, and 5,000 pastors are serving in ministries. Moreover, through Calvary Chapel Bible College, pastors are being trained, and they have active broadcasting ministries, such as publishing companies, media ministries, and Calvary Chapel FM radio (107.9MHz). Theologically, Calvary Chapel stands neutrally in between Calvinism and Arminianism, and they emphasize teaching the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelations verse by verse. Pastor John Macarthur, a famous preacher, also did ministries here.
Maranatha Music is the root of Calvary Chapel praise and worship.
Calvary Chapel realized early on that the faith of Christians were deeply related with people’s hearts than the sound of music and outer appearances. At the time, the music which the youths expressed in Calvary Chapel was of contemporary music with Christian lyrics, and pre-existing churches found it hard to accept. However, it was an important way of heartful expression for the youths who repented. These transformed youths of Christ were able to receive deep training spiritually and musically through Saturday conferences, and the songs that were created sang about honouring Jesus or the words from the Bible with rock or folk-style music. Such music style began to be known to the people as Jesus Music. Also, they named a recording company with biblical hope, and it was called “Maranatha Music.” The praises from Maranatha music led the Christian culture towards what is now called CCM, which employs rhythm and chords from popular music, away from traditional hymns. Famous praises created through Maranatha Music are: ‘As we gather,’ ‘In His time,’ ‘Lord I lift Your name on high,’ ‘As the deer,’ ‘In moments like these,’ and ‘The sweetest name of all.’
Why Chapel!
The reason why
Calvary Chapel uses the word, Chapel, rather than Church!
It emphasizes how we worship in various places, not just in church buildings.
It emphasizes the life marked by continuous worship during weekdays, not just on Sundays.
It emphasizes the missional life, marked by how believers and nonbelievers gather to share biblical values.
The meaning of word, Chapel
It emphasizes the principle of gathering for God and being used by God.
Aside from a church, the location of worship for schools, hospitals, and social welfare facilities is called a chapel.
For a church, worship is usually held on Sundays, but one can worship every day at a chapel.
A church may have a smaller room for worship, which is often referred to as a chapel.
(From Wikiepedia)