Calvary Chapel Elk Grove

OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH
We Believe	Calvary History	Our Church Government	Worship	About Elk Grove
WE BELIEVE We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe the Bible is the inspired and infallible, authoritative Word of God. Our ministry emphasizes the exposition of God's Word from Genesis to Revelation, verse-by-verse, line-upon-line, precept-upon-precept. We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments were divinely inspired of God and are our sole basis for faith. They are the complete, full and final authority on all matters of faith and practice for the Christian Church. We believe in the deity of Christ, in His Virgin Birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, His death on the Calvary's cross to atone for the sins of mankind through His shed blood, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His forthcoming return in power and glory. We believe He is the only mediator between God and man. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful humanity, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential, and that repentance from sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the only way to come into a relationship with God. We believe in the present and working ministry of the Holy Spirit. That He dwells in and enables the born again believer to comprehend and apply the Word of God; to live a godly life; and that His power and gifts are at work and available to believers today. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they who are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they who are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. We believe it is important to uphold the scriptural practices of the early church. Therefore, we hold to the practice of water baptism and participating regularly in Communion. We do not believe that either of these practices is essential for salvation, but that they serve as a demonstration of our living faith in Christ. [top of page]
HOW CALVARY CHAPEL GOT ITS START Calvary Chapel began in the late 1960's as a small non-denominational church of 25 members pastored by Chuck Smith. Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa is home to some 30,000 believers, The Word for Today publishes Bible study books and tapes all over the world, KWVE broadcasts God's Word to all of Southern California, and Calvary Chapel's Bible College provides Bible education to thousands at its home campus in Twin Peaks, California and at over 20 extension campuses world wide. CALVARY CHAPEL ELK GROVE HISTORY Our church began in the Fall of 1980 with a small neighborhood Bible study in Elk Grove. As more people started to attend we eventually moved into the clubhouse of my townhouse association and began Sunday morning services in January of 1981. God was so good to us. None of us had any experience in starting a church. We just trusted the Lord and taught His Word and He gave the increase. Over the years we have continued to see the faithfulness of God as He has provided our needs and brought in wonderful people to serve. In the process He made us a family and filled our little church with His love and Spirit. Since those early days the Lord has allowed us to plant several other churches around the area and eventually He opened the door for us to teach His Word on the radio. Our whole ministry can be summed up this way: to glorify God by faithfully serving and reaching out to others through His love and the teaching of His Word. We are a testimony to all that the eyes of the Lord truly go about the face of the whole earth looking for people that He can use for His glory. They don't have to have any special abilities or talents for He uses the weak, the foolish, the nobodies of this world to show Himself strong through. To God be the glory for the great things He has done! May the Lord bless you richly as you walk with Him day by day. Pastor Phil and Cyndi Ballmaier [top of page]
CHURCH GOVERNMENT Church government at Calvary Chapel is very simple; it is not a complex bureaucracy with committees and sub-committees. We believe that scripture has provided a perfect model for His Body, the Church to function here on earth. Ultimately, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, Who guides His flock here on earth, but by the power of His Spirit, He appoints and raises up earthly shepherds to oversee and care for the flock. (1 Peter 5:1-6). With this in mind, the pastor is accountable for all matters of his fellowship, and all such matters fall under the accountability umbrella of our church leadership. As outlined in scripture, the pastor is an overseer ultimately and personally responsible for His sheep. Seeking God's will for His church, the pastor is responsible for feeding (teaching), guiding, caring for and loving His people faithfully. The Lord raises up elders and/or assistant pastors to help the pastor care for the spiritual needs of the congregation, as are deacons to help the pastor care for the material and functional needs of the church. Any major decision facing CC Elk Grove are approached with much prayer and patient waiting on the Lord. [top of page]
WORSHIP We believe worship of God should be spiritual, therefore we remain flexible so the Holy Spirit may lead our worship. We believe worship of God should be inspirational, therefore we give a great place to music in our worship. We believe worship of God should be intelliigent, therefore, in our services we emphasize Biblical teaching so God may instruct us how He would be worshiped without distraction. We believe worship of God is fruitful, therefore we look for His working in our daily lives as evidence that we are truly worshipping Him. [top of page]
If you have additional questions, please feel free to speak with Pastor Phil or one of our Asst. Pastors following church services.