Who we are...

In the late 1960s, the first Calvary Chapel was started in Costa Mesa, California, as a small nondenominational church of 25 members, pastored by Chuck Smith.  Today, there are more than 1,500 Calvary Chapel churches and affiliates worldwide.
 

From the beginning, Calvary Chapel has been focused on leading people to Christ and discipling them so that they can go out into the world and lead others. The Lord has blessed this commitment.  We truly take to heart our Lord's command in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
 

Having started as a home bible study in January 2008, Calvary Chapel Franklin began Sunday morning services on January 11, 2009, joining in God’s effort to bring the life-changing power of the Gospel to Franklin, TN.
 

At Calvary Chapel Franklin, we emphasize a verse-by-verse, expository approach to teaching the Word of God; seeking to share the whole counsel of God, from Genesis through Revelation.





 

Because of its size and influence, many Christians have asked exactly what Calvary Chapel believes and what makes us distinct. At Calvary Chapel, we have always been hesitant to answer those questions, not because we are unsure of our beliefs, but because we are cautious to avoid division within the body of Christ. After all, what really matters is what we have in common as Christians, the essential doctrines of: the infallibility of God's Word; the virgin birth of Christ; Christ's sinless life, death for our sins, and bodily resurrection; Christ's ascension to glory; and His personal return to rule over the earth. This is the essence of Christianity and agreed upon by all born-again believers.  When Christians move away from these foundational doctrines to those that are less essential, there is always a risk of setting barriers up in the church, something we at Calvary Chapel have no desire to do.

It is not our purpose to cause division or discord in the body of Christ; rather, we long for unity among all of God's people, and we allow for a great deal of flexibility even within our own church.

 

While we are not a denomination, we do share a common philosophy of ministry, centering on verse-by-verse, through the Bible teaching and Spirit-led worship. We are not opposed to denominational churches, only to the over-emphasis on non-biblical teachings that divide the Body of Christ. We believe that the true Biblical basis for Christian fellowship is God's love, which is greater than our differences. Without God's love, we have no right to call ourselves Christians.  In short:

 

* We are not a denominational church, nor are we opposed to denominations as such, only their over-emphasis of the doctrinal differences that have led to the division of the Body of Christ.

* We believe that the only true basis of Christian fellowship is His (Agape) love, which is greater than any differences we possess and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.

We believe worship of God should be spiritual. Therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct 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 intelligent. Therefore, our services are designed with great emphasis upon teaching the Word of God that He might instruct us how He should be worshiped.

We believe worship of God is fruitful. Therefore, we look for His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have truly been worshiping Him.

 

 

In addition, the following is intended to clearly express some of our specific beliefs.

 

We believe that there is only one true God, eternally existent in three Persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each of whom equally possess all of the characteristics of personality and all of the attributes of deity. By His sovereign power, He created and continues to sustain the world. He is active in human history, fulfilling His redemptive purposes.

 

Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the second Person of the Holy Trinity. Through the miraculous virgin birth, He alone is both fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life in perfect obedience to His Heavenly Father. The Son of God freely gave His life, dying on Calvary's cross, and thereby atoned for the sin of the world. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of His Father. He is the only mediator between God and man and continually makes intercession for His own. He will come again, according to the scriptures, personally and visibly to consummate human history and the eternal plan of God.

 

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. While active throughout human history, He is uniquely active in and through the Christian Church, the Body of Christ. He indwells all true believers and seals them for the day of redemption. According to Jesus' words, the Holy Spirit is working in the world, convicting the lost of sin and leading them to Christ. He is active in the church, leading it into all truth and endowing believers with gifts for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that the Christian life can truly be lived.

 

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. We maintain that the Scriptures are inerrant and infallible in their original manuscripts. They are the complete, full and final authority on all matters of faith and practice for the Christian Church.  We also believe in the need to hear “the whole counsel of God.”  For this reason, we place a strong emphasis on the expositional teaching of the Scriptures; verse-by-verse, covering Genesis through Revelation.

 

While originally created to have fellowship with God, man chose rather to exert his own will and rebel against God. The love of God found its fullest expression at the cross, where Jesus, the Son of God gave His own sinless life as a ransom for mankind. Man has no ability at all to save himself from his own sin, and therefore apart from the grace of God is hopelessly separated from God. Salvation is entirely a work of God and is therefore offered to man as a free gift of God's grace, completely apart from any human effort.

 

The Body of Christ, or the Church, is a body of believers in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Though represented in diverse denominational and non-denominational settings, there is only one true Church universal, comprised of all who acknowledge Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord. Under the care and guidance of Godly leadership, the members of the local church are to fellowship in love and unity with a mind to glorify God in all that they do and say. The Church exists to glorify God and it is through this community of believers that God reaches out to a lost world.