I have a confession to make: I have a Calvary Chapel past.
Don’t jump to conclusions though…trust me—I can explain it. I am from
Albuquerque, where for the longest time the Calvary Chapel was the
banner of evangelicalism in Albuquerque. The evangelical scene has
significantly changed since, but that is a story for another time.
When I was a sophomore in college, I had been a believer for only two
years and was one of the only college students at my church. I was
desperate for Christian friendship, and found a flier for an STM trip to
Nicaragua put on by Calvary Chapel. Since I was a Spanish major, I took
the flier to the church, and met the missions pastor. He began meeting
with me and teaching me about both missions and ministry.
That started my relationship with Calvary. I was attending the same
small non-denominational church where I had come to Christ a few years
earlier, and the Calvary pastor never asked me to leave. Because Calvary
did Saturday night, Sunday night, and a midweek service, I was actually
able to attend three services a week without disrupting my commitments
at the church where I was a member (I would not recommend this approach
to ecclesiology, by the way). By the time I graduated, I was working
with a now-defunct group called LifeLine missions, and regarded Calvary
as the source of my rapid spiritual growth. Keep Reading >>>
