Calvary Chapel

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Logo of many Calvary Chapel parishes. The logo depicts a dove, which symbolizes the Holy Spirit .

Calvary Chapel is a non- denominational , evangelical association of Christian churches that originated in southern California in 1965. In 2017 there were over 1,400 parishes in 51 countries worldwide.

The 21 Calvary Chapel congregations in Germany are evangelical free churches , which in some cases are affiliated to the evangelical alliance through the local alliance circles. Each Calvary Chapel is a self-reliant, independent community and is usually funded through voluntary donations from community visitors. The name of the parishes is derived from Calvary , the English name of the mountain Golgotha and thus refers to the death of Jesus on the cross (see also Calvary ).

history

In the USA

Chuck Smith first worked for the Foursquare Gospel Church after successfully completing the LIFE Bible College in Los Angeles . Despite his success in this church, however, he did not feel comfortable within the denomination, whereupon he investigated other denominations, but seemed to find the same criticisms. Smith was bothered by the denominational structures and strategies.

In the early 1960s, Chuck Smith began another successful job pastoring a non-denominational church in Corona . He left that church in late 1965 and accepted an offer from a small California church in Costa Mesa to serve as a pastor there. This congregation, called Calvary Chapel, consisted of 25 members at the time and was about to be dissolved. Smith began broadcasting his sermons on the radio. The resulting increase in church attendants was unexpectedly high, so that after two years the congregation consisted of almost 2000 members. The growth was so strong that the radio broadcasts were discontinued because there was not enough space for new members.

When the hippie culture reached its peak in the mid-1960s, Smith got in touch with young Christians of the Jesus People from the hippie scene through his teenage daughter . Despite initial prejudices against the hippies, he began to make his house available as a meeting place and residence for some hippies. The hippie preacher Lonnie Frisbee won many young people for Calvary.

The “come as you are” attitude rooted in the mentality of the Calvary Chapel congregations also dates from this period. Chuck Smith realized that many hippies were turned down by other churches because of their looks. Many of his later collaborators and many of the elders of his church were hippies from that time.

Over the years, Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa has planted more than 700 other churches worldwide, but there have also been spin-offs. The Vineyard Movement, founded by John Wimber , split off from the Calvary Chapel Movement due to different emphases on supernatural signs and wonders.

Today there are approximately 1,500 Calvary Chapel parishes worldwide. Most of the parishes are in the United States, mostly on the West Coast.

In German-speaking countries

Nick Long, former pastor of Calvary Chapel in Siegen , has come to Germany several times with his band since 1984 to give Christian concerts. During these visits his desire to plant a church grew stronger. In 1987 he moved to Siegen with his family and began to hold church services in a public park. Within the next two years, it became the first Calvary Chapel in Europe. Until 2012 the congregation developed and its three Sunday services were very well attended. In 2013 Long left Siegen with his family for health reasons and returned to the USA. His assistant pastor, Alexander Kruse, took on Long's role as the main pastor.

In the following years, more Calvary Chapels were created in Germany, several of them from the community in Siegen. In addition, there were church planting through the missionary work of other USA churches. There are now over 20 Calvary Chapel congregations in Germany, e.g. B. in Freiburg, Hanover, Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Herborn and many other cities in Germany, as well as Calvary Chapels in Austria.

Teaching

General

Calvary Chapel congregations profess the Apostles' Creed and hold fast to the inspiration of the Bible as God's Word. The orientation of the congregations ranges from more evangelical to moderately charismatic piety.

The Holy Spirit

Calvary Chapel churches believe in the continued effectiveness of the spiritual gifts. They accept speaking in tongues and modern prophecy when interpreted. Private practice of speaking in tongues is more common.

Baptism and communion

Calvary Chapels practice the baptism of faith by immersion in water. Baptism is not seen as necessary for salvation, but as an outward sign of inner change and turning (conversion) to God. Therefore, infants are not baptized in these churches . Babies are blessed. Calvary Chapel churches understand the sacrament as a symbol.

Eschatology

Congregations in the association of the Calvary Chapel stand in their eschatology especially for the dispensational and premillennialist perspectives. They believe that the rapture of the Church must come first, followed by the seven year period of the Great Tribulation , which in turn will be followed by the second coming of Christ. One believes in an actual millennial kingdom of Christ on earth. The times are taken literally. Calvary Chapel rejects substitution theology , believing instead that the Jewish people will continue to be God's chosen people and that the Israeli nation will play an important role in the end times .

Community leadership

Some Calvary Chapels consider themselves largely episcopal- led. Calvary Chapel believes the Bible has four forms of church leadership:

  1. Congregationalism
  2. Presbyterianism
  3. Episcopalism
  4. Theocratism

However, they reject congregational church leadership because they are of the opinion that this system has not proven itself in the Old Testament and has led to bad decisions. In this context they cite Exodus 16: 2 LUT as an example: "And the whole community of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness". They believe that the New Testament clearly orders the Presbyterian and Episcopal leadership form (cf. Acts 14.23 LUT and 1. Tim. 3.1 LUT ). Many Calvary Chapel congregations have adopted a hybrid of episcopalism and theocracy for their church leadership model. The pastor leads the church and a group of male elders advise him. The final decision-making power lies with the pastor of the church. Because of their literal understanding of the Bible, they have no women pastors.

admission

The Calvary Chapel Association is responsible for the admission of churches into the Calvary Chapel Association. An affiliate community often - but not necessarily - uses the name "Calvary Chapel + city or district". There are three prerequisites for a connection:

  1. The pastor must adopt the characteristics of the Calvary Chapel Movement as described in the Calvary Chapel Distinctives .
  2. The community must have the character of a community in the sense of movement
  3. An applicant must show a willingness to partner with other Calvary Chapel communities.

The pastor does not need a theological degree to be accepted. The senior pastors of a region exercise some form of mutual accountability. Since there are no legal or financial ties between the individual communities, exclusion from the association can only be used as a disciplinary procedure.

Practices

The general philosophy of Calvary Chapel about the purpose of the church is based on the verses in Ephesians 4:11–12 NIV : “And he gave some as apostles and others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as shepherds and teachers Equipping the Saints for the work of service, for the edification of the body of Christ. ”Chuck Smith noted that the church is used to honor God and act as his instrument of service, and, more broadly, the church for those services equip. The aim is to equip the congregation members for a faithful life and for service in the congregation and society through biblical teaching.

The central position of the Bible is probably the most important practice for Calvary Chapel. Calvary Chapel pastors tend to prefer expansive sermons to thematic ones, and often teach in sections from Genesis to revelation through the Bible ( lectio continua ).

Many Calvary Chapel congregations offer age-specific groups for children during the service (for example, 0-3 years, 3-7 years, 7-12 years, teen and youth groups). These are usually led by volunteers on a weekly basis. Many members see this as a way to impart Christian values , the love of Christ, and age-appropriate Bible teaching to younger ones, while allowing adults to focus on worship, fellowship, and preaching.

Praise and worship mostly consist of contemporary Christian music. The style of worship music is mostly adapted to the worshipers.

Most Calvary Chapel congregations do not have a fixed membership system. Designating a Calvary Chapel as your “home church” usually means attending regularly and being part of the community, groups, and ministries. Calvary Chapel relies heavily on and specifically encourages the participation and participation of lay people in the various ministries of the community.

Calvary Chapel Bible College

Technically, Calvary Chapel only operates one Bible school, the Calvary Chapel Bible College (CCBC), based in Murrieta, California . However, there are over 50 secondary campuses worldwide. Some of the secondary campuses only offer a limited program. After it was founded in 1975, the company originally only offered an intensive short-term program, but over time a two-year training program with a final certificate for the " Associate in Theology degree ", an American degree that is mostly not recognized in Europe, has emerged. A bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies can also be achieved, but this depends on the educational background of the student. Regardless of the degree to be achieved, the requirements for the college program remain the same.

For some time now, the Costa Mesa campus has also been offering a master’s degree. The college does not require accreditation . This allows the Calvary Chapel curriculum and content to be determined and teachers without a qualification to be employed.

Calvary Chapel congregations in German-speaking countries

The name of the parish is usually the name "Calvary Chapel" followed by the place name.

Germany

There are currently 21 Calvary Chapel parishes in Germany.

Austria

There are currently four Calvary Chapel parishes in Austria.

Switzerland

In Switzerland there is currently a Calvary Chapel parish in Sankt Gallen.

Luxembourg

In Luxembourg there is a Calvary Chapel parish in Esch-sur-Alzette.

literature

  • Chuck Smith: Harvest. Thugs, drug addicts, freaks - the scum of society. Chuck Smith's amazing story of how Calvary Chapel was made and the men God called into his harvest. Calvary Books, ISBN 3-934957-00-5 .
  • Gayle D. Erwin: The Jesus Style. A concept of life. Calvary Books, ISBN 3-934957-01-3 .
  • Bob Hoekstra: Couch or Bible? - Psychology or God's advice? Calvary Books, ISBN 3-934957-02-1 .
  • J. Edwin Orr: Total dedication. Calvary Books, ISBN 978-3-934957-05-3 .
  • Greg Laurie: Nils Neubekehrt's Growth Book for New Believers. Calvary Books, ISBN 978-3-934957-06-0 .

Movie

  • Frisbee: The Life And Death Of a Hippie Preacher by David Di Sabatino (Jester Media Production)
  • A Venture in Faith - History and Philosophy of the Calvary Chapel Movement

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Matthias Pankau: Satan's strongest tool is pride In: ideaSpektrum 36, September 6, 2017, p. 52 (Germany) and p. 32 (Switzerland).
  2. ^ University of Virginia - Religious Movements: Calvary Chapel ( Memento September 8, 2006 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  3. ^ Larry Eskridge: God's forever family: The Jesus people movement in America . Oxford University Press, New York 2013, ISBN 978-0-19-532645-1 , here p. 73 : “However, it was the hippie preacher Lonnie Frisbee, clad in bellbottoms and speaking in the vernacular of the street, who seemed to be the key in pulling in the crowds of young people during Calvary Chapel's early expansion. "
  4. ^ Larry Jones: History of Calvary Chapel. (PDF; 208 kB) April 23, 2001, archived from the original on November 28, 2011 ; accessed on January 18, 2010 (English).
  5. ^ History of the Calvary Chapel Siegen . Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  6. ↑ The history of the Christian Church Spittal  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved January 19, 2010.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.calvaryspittal.com  
  7. ↑ Larry Taylor: What Calvary Chapel Teaches. (PDF) p. 2 , archived from the original on September 6, 2012 ; accessed on January 12, 2010 (English).
  8. ↑ Chuck Smith: Living Water. (PDF; 1.5 MB) p. 120ff , archived from the original on August 16, 2009 ; accessed on January 12, 2010 (section: Limited use in the church).
  9. ↑ Larry Taylor: What Calvary Chapel Teaches. (PDF) p. 4 , archived from the original on September 6, 2012 ; accessed on January 12, 2010 (English).
  10. ↑ Chuck Smith: Features of a Calvary Chapel Ward. (PDF) Calvary Chapel Distinctives. Pp. 43–58 , archived from the original on January 3, 2012 ; Retrieved January 12, 2010 .
  11. ↑ Calvary Chapel Distinctives - Characteristics of a Calvary Chapel Congregation - Chapter 2 ( Memento of the original of September 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.calvarychapel.com
  12. ^ Calvary Chapel Association. In: calvarychapelassociation.com. Retrieved October 28, 2016 .
  13. ↑ CCOF FAQ ( Memento of May 29, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on January 12, 2010 (English)
  14. ↑ Chuck Smith : The Philosophy of Ministy of Calvary Chapel . Somebody Loves You Publishing, Diamond Bar, CA 2009, ISBN 978-1-934820-12-4 , pp. 1 ( digitized version [accessed January 12, 2010]).
  15. ↑ Chuck Smith : The Philosophy of Ministy of Calvary Chapel . Somebody Loves You Publishing, Diamond Bar, CA 2009, ISBN 978-1-934820-12-4 , pp. 11 f . ( Digitized version [accessed on February 2, 2010]).
  16. ↑ Affiliate Campuses ( Memento from July 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on January 18, 2010 (English)
  17. ^ Affiliate Schools. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012 ; accessed on January 18, 2010 (English).
  18. ↑ Calvary Chapel Bible College Graduate School ( Memento July 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed January 18, 2010 (English)
  19. ^ Austria: City Chapel Klagenfurt ; The Chapel Salzburg ; Spittal (currently offline) ( Memento of the original from January 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; Vienna @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.calvaryspittal.com
  20. ↑ Switzerland: Sankt Gallen ;
  21. ↑ Luxembourg: Shelter Calvary Chapel ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.shelter.lu
  22. ↑ Frisbee: The Life And Death Of a Hippie Preacher in the Internet Movie Database
  23. ↑ A Venture in Faith - History and Philosophy of the Calvary Chapel Movement on vimeo.com