ABOUT US

At Calvary Chapel we believe in all the fundamental doctrines of the evangelical Protestant church. We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, that the Bible, Old and New Testaments, in the original autographs, is the inspired, infallible Word of God, a complete and final written revelation of God. We believe in one personal, transcendent, and holy God, the creator of all, Who is eternal, and Who manifests Himself in three separate persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe in one personal, transcendent, and holy God, the creator of all, Who is eternal, and Who manifests Himself in three separate persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe that Jesus Christ, though fully God, became a man for the suffering of death, that He is the promised Messiah, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, provided for the atonement of our sins by His vicarious death on the Cross, was bodily resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit, ascended back to the right hand of God the Father, and ever lives to make intercession for us. After Jesus ascended to Heaven, He poured out His Holy Spirit on the believers in Jerusalem, enabling them to fulfill His command to preach the Gospel to the entire world, an obligation shared by all believers today.

We believe that all people are by nature separated from God and responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption, and forgiveness are freely offered to all by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. When a person repents of sin and accepts Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, trusting Him to save, that person is immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all his/her sins are forgiven, and that person becomes a child of God.

We believe in the person and work of the Holy Spirit who indwells, seals, and empowers every believer, baptizing them into the Body of Christ. We further believe that the Holy Spirit will come upon any believer who asks in faith, enabling him/her to preach the Gospel in power. We also believe all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Scriptures are valid for today if they are exercised within the scriptural guidelines. We believe that love is more important than all the gifts, and without this love all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless.

We believe Jesus Christ is the head of the Body, His church, and that church government should be simplistic rather than a complex bureaucracy. We desire to be led by the Holy Spirit in all the functions and directions of the ministry of the church.

We await the pre-tribulational rapture of the church, and we believe that the Second Coming of Christ with His saints to rule on the earth will be personal, pre-millennial, and visible. This motivates us to holy living, heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent study of God’s Word, regular fellowship, and participation in baptism by immersion and in Holy Communion.

We seek to teach the Word of God in such a way that its message can be applied to an individual’s life, leading that person to greater maturity in Christ.

We reject doctrinal viewpoints or spiritual phenomena, which are based solely on experience. We look to the Word of God for the basis of all our faith and practice.

We believe in a personal devil called Lucifer who, along with all his evil angels, called demons, is destined to spend eternity in hell, and who now seeks to deceive believers and defeat the work of God, but who can be resisted by believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, protected by God, and interceded for by Jesus our Lord.

We believe that the nation of Israel has a special place in God’s plan and that all the promises of God of Israel will be fulfilled.

CHARACTER, BELIEFS, ORDINANCES

Section 1

Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria shall be a non-denominational church. It shall seek to emphasize the spiritual unity of all true believers. It shall be the policy of this church to give preeminence to the preaching of the gospel, to studying the Word of God, and to the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Section 2

Articles of Faith

We believe that there is one living and true GOD, eternally existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all things. (Gen 1:1; Deu 6:4; Matt 28:19; John 10:30; Heb 9:14.).

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired, without error in the original manuscripts, and the infallible rule of faith and practice. The Word of God is the foundation upon which this church operates and is the basis for which this church is governed. We believe that the Word of God supersedes any earthly law that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures. (Isa 28:13; Neh 8:8; John 17:17; 2Tim 3:16-17; Heb 4:12; 1Pet 1:23-25; 2Pet 1:21.).

We believe in the person of God the Father, an Infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all those who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Deu 33:27; Psa 90:2; Psa 102:27; John 4:24; 1Tim 1:17; Tit 1:3.) .

We believe in the person of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings, his substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal, visible return to earth. (Isa 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matt 1:23; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2; John 8:58; John 11:25; 1Cor 15:3-4; Heb 1:8; 1John 1:2; Rev 1:8.).

We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, Who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ. (Acts 1:8; 2Cor 3:18; John 16:8-11; Rom 15:13,16; Heb 9:14.).

We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide. (John 14:16-17, 16:8-11.).

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and in the exercise of all Biblical gifts of the Spirit. (1Cor 12:1-14:40.).

We believe that all people are sinners by nature and, therefore, are under condemnation; that God regenerates based upon faith by the Holy Spirit, those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord. (Acts 8:15-17; Tit 3:5.).

We believe in the universal church, the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all who are born again are members. (1Cor 12:12-13; Eph 4:15-16.).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ committed two sacraments to the church:

Full immersion water baptism in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Lord's Supper (Matt 28:19; Acts 2:38; 1Cor 11:23-26.).

We believe also in the laying on of hands for the baptism of the Holy Spirit; and the ordination of pastors, elders, and deacons; and for the receiving of the perpetuity of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:6, 8:17; 1Tim 4:14). With it comes the infilling of power for life and service, and the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (Luk 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 1Cor 12:1-31). This experience may be distinct from, and subsequent to, the experience of the New Birth (Acts 2:38; 10:44-46; 11:14-16; 15:7‐

We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ which is His personal, visible return to earth and the establishment of His millennial kingdom, in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous and endless suffering of the wicked (Matt 16:27; Acts 1:11; Rev 19:11-16, 20:11-15.).

We believe in what is termed "The Apostles' Creed" as embodying the fundamental facts of the Christian faith.

We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell, and that all those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Heaven with the Lord, while those who reject Jesus’ free gift of salvation will spend eternity separated from the Lord in Hell (Matt 5:3, 25:31-34; Heb 12:23; 1Pet 1:4; Psa 9:17; Matt 5:22, 18:9; Luke 12:5.).

We believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church where all believers will meet the Lord in the air and be taken out of this world prior to the Tribulation that will come upon the earth (Matt 24:29-31; Luke 21:36; Rom 1:18, 5:9; 1Thess 5:9; 2Pet 2:7-9; Rev 5:7-10, 7:13-14.).

Section 3

We believe every minister, board member, employee, or volunteer shall affirm their agreement with Article 4 of the By-Laws of Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria, and shall conduct themselves in a manner consistent therewith.

Section 4

The Senior Pastor and the Board of Elders are the final authority for matters of faith and conduct within Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria. The Senior Pastor and Board of Elders are solely authorized to state Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria’s beliefs and practices on any disputed issue.

Section 5

These Articles of Faith do not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Senior Pastor and Board of Elders are Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.

Section 6

Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male and female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4.) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt 15:18-20; 1Cor 6:9-10.)

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria’s members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by these Articles of Faith and this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1Thess 5:22.)

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1Cor 6:9-11.)

We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria.

We believe that membership is a biblical mandate instituted for the protection of the church, and the healthy growth of the congregation (Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:17-18). Therefore, each person, male and female, that desires to be married in the church, or by any pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Maria, must become a member prior to their wedding date.