Calvary Chapel Association

Calvary Chapel is an international association of charismatic evangelical churches, with origins in Pentecostalism. It maintains a number of radio stations around the world and operates many local Calvary Chapel Bible College programs.

Beginning in 1965 in Southern California, this fellowship of churches grew out of Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. It became a hub of the Jesus Movement in the late 1960s through connections with Lonnie Frisbee and John Higgins, attracting thousands of young converts and fostering contemporary Christian music through Maranatha! Music. Known for its verse-by-verse Bible teaching, casual style of worship, and emphasis on expository preaching, the movement expanded into a worldwide fellowship of independent churches. Calvary Chapel identifies as neither a denomination nor strictly Pentecostal. It holds to evangelical doctrine with charismatic practices like tongues and prophecy while maintaining a strong pretribulationist, premillennialist eschatology.

The movement faced controversies, including leadership disputes that led to the split between the Calvary Chapel Association and Global Network, and controversies around accountability and sexual abuse cases.

Calvary Chapel remains influential through its Bible college, radio stations, and Harvest Crusades.

Many well-known pastors and musicians, such as Greg Laurie, Skip Heitzig, Switchfoot, and P.O.D., have roots in Calvary Chapel.