Is Every Calvary Chapel Pastor Trustworthy?
Q: Should believers automatically trust all Calvary Chapel pastors as God-anointed, or is discernment still necessary when choosing a church?
A: I’m a Calvary Chapel guy. Calvary Chapel was the first Protestant church that I ever walked into. Pastor Greg Laurie was the first Protestant preacher or pastor that I ever heard, at Calvary Chapel Riverside. That’s the church setting where I came to Christ, grew up, and got trained in ministry. That’s the church setting in which I’ve been a pastor in three different congregations and the director of a Calvary Chapel Bible college campus. I’ve got hundreds of pastor friends in the Calvary Chapel world.
So yes, I am a Calvary Chapel guy, but I can’t personally vouch for every single Calvary Chapel pastor. There are some 2000 Calvary Chapel congregations around the world. Logistically, I simply can’t vouch for everyone, so you just need to judge it by individual basis.
I’m sure that among 2000 Calvary Chapel churches, there are some pastors in the Calvary Chapel family out there that aren’t doing a good job. Don’t just assume God anointed a man. Look to his ministry. Look to his character. Look to the fruit of the ministry. I’ll say this twice: look to his character and then decide whether he is part of a church leadership that you can submit to.
Even within my beloved Calvary Chapel family, I would counsel you to judge everything on a case-by-case basis. But if there are men of godly character, men of proven ministry, men of integrity in what they do, then yes, I think you can recognize the authority and leadership of such men.