When I contemplated the title of this article, I considered: “Why you need” and “Why we need,” and for many reasons, they would have been appropriate choices. Nevertheless, I want you to know some of the reasons why I need CGN and the Connect Team. My hope and prayer is that you will find them relatable, persuasive, and motivating so that awareness (information) results in action (your next steps).

I live in an agricultural oasis that produces 575 million strawberries, 216 million lemons, and 179 million avocados annually. I regularly ride my bike past groves of citrus and avocado trees. While a towering tree with expansive branches is undoubtedly impressive, groves communicate “better together” and undoubtedly yield more fruit than any individual tree could. It was during a long ride among this scenery that I contemplated why I need CGN and the Connect Team.

1. The value of a healthy (emotionally + spiritually) expression of Calvary Chapel that welcomes other like-minded evangelicals.

I was saved at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa (CCCM) at the College and Career group meeting in the gym. CCCM was the first church I ever entered. I can point to where the pew was where I first sat and the section of the sanctuary where I served. Pastor Chuck was my pastor and mentor. I taught at CCCM’s School of the Bible. I was commissioned to plant a Calvary Chapel (CC) by Pastor Chuck; and he came and dedicated the campus where I presently serve. I was blessed to write a few books related to the CC movement that Pastor Chuck asked me to send to our entire network of churches. All that to say, my perspective has been honed through decades of experience.

I am not an elitist. I do not want my thoughts to be misconstrued. I am not asserting that CC is better than some other movement, denomination, association, or family of churches. Unfortunately, in certain times and in certain circles, CC developed a reputation as “elitist” (or at least “elitist-lite”). At times, we were not renowned for playing nice with other evangelicals. I contend that is not good for our movement, or Christendom generally, and seems to be in direct contravention of Jesus’ desire for His Church (see, John 17).

Nevertheless, there is something pretty special, at least to me, about this “idea” that is Calvary Chapel. What is special is not a dove on the wall, Hawaiian shirts, the name Calvary Chapel, or even the image of our founder and patriarch, Pastor Chuck.

Some, but certainly not all, of the trees that made this grove special include the emphasis on Bible learning. I was raised in an observant Jewish home and was stirred to jealousy by how Gentiles at CCCM loved the Scriptures! The dependency on the Holy Spirit that characterizes CC at our best. The attitude of grace that elevates God’s redemptive work through the gospel in all of our dealings with others who struggle through this fallen world and flesh along with us. A respect for prior generations, but an unrelenting passion to reach the next generation(s). At our best, we have a reputation for humility and love.


At times, we have not been humble. CC was at the epicenter of the most recent great revival in this country. Countless articles, podcasts, books, documentaries, and feature movies have sought to tell the story of CC and the Jesus Movement. That attention, praise, accolades, and affirmation can foster pride and hubris, and discourage meaningful accountability to examine blind spots. But at our best, we recognize that it has all been a result of God’s grace; we humbly receive correction where it is needed, put others before self, and learn from others.

Our movement, at its best, is characterized by love. This love is palpable. Describing this love is challenging, like describing a sunset to someone who cannot see. Gathering at conferences with our family of churches feels incredible to me. At our best, we personify 1 Corinthians 13; at our worst, we profane it.

Missiologists have written volumes about the place of the CC movement in the long arc of Christendom, but God does not need Calvary Chapel. Yet, I do believe that Christendom is better with a healthy Calvary Chapel movement. I feel a very strong desire for an emotionally and spiritually healthy expression of Calvary Chapel that welcomes other like-minded evangelicals.

As most are aware, there is a schism among the CC family. I have a tremendous love for my fellow CC family whether they are more closely aligned with my side of the grove or another area of the grove. There should be no fence between us, and there should be no flame throwers or axes being wielded against another tree bearing fruit in His groves. That is neither emotionally nor spiritually healthy (to say the least)!

I believe that CGN is a grove in which to cultivate an emotionally and spiritually healthy expression of Calvary Chapel that welcomes other like-minded evangelicals. That it has an inherent value that should not be neglected, ignored, or forsaken. We can easily know the price of something, but we may not perceive its value.

2. The value of a family of churches.

I feel very fortunate that I meet at least monthly with other like-minded evangelical leaders in my community, and I have seemingly countless friends in the Calvary Chapel movement. So, it could be easy to neglect appreciating the value of CGN.

We are not a denomination. We do not seek to exercise authority. We are not a movement per se. We are, in a sense, a network or association of churches that share similar, but not identical, values, DNA, philosophy of ministry, and systematic theology. Yet, we are aiming to be a family.


I believe that we would likely all agree that families are healthiest when everyone contributes at an appropriate level. It seems axiomatic that you will not perceive value unless you cooperate; and cooperation requires participation.

Calvary Chapel is not immune to the laws of physics that govern His Creation. Thus, absent energy applied to a system, it moves to disorder (entropy). I am not advocating for human striving, but I also assert that it is naïve to abdicate human responsibility in the name of the Holy Spirit.

I am convinced that a healthy family of churches is better. As a fruitful grove is a superior environment to produce fruit compared to isolated fruit trees, so too is a family of churches compared to isolated independent churches. Our legacy of independence should not blind us to our interdependence. We need one another, like a family, and our actions should reflect this reality. We need to recognize our need to be part of something healthy to model healthy to others (isolation and independence can be unhealthy).

As Nehemiah exhorted God’s weary people, “Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren…” (Nehemiah 4:10). We are not called to fight against our brothers but to sacrifice our comfort, time, talents, and treasure to ensure a healthy family of churches.

3. The value of connection, support, and encouragement.

There was a time when I thought, “Why do I need CGN?” I have also thought, “What has CGN done for me?” Perhaps you have had those thoughts. I think, to some extent, that CGN has perhaps not cared for our family of churches as well as we could have and as well as we should have. It should also be recalled that CGN is still in its early development.

For some time, I wanted someone representing CGN to encourage me: to occasionally reach out and let me know that I matter, that I am cared for, that I am part of a family — and, despite any dysfunction in our family, that we are family! I wanted someone to take the initiative to help me be better connected to other family members, resources, and support that is implicit in the term “family.” I wanted all of us to be able to get advice and counsel from wise, godly leaders in CGN. I needed CGN to have a Connect Team that would do those things in my area of the grove, and among the global groves where we are bearing fruit.

CGN recently created a Connect Team! In the coming months, our global team will be providing connection, support, and encouragement to our family so that ideally, no one ever wonders again, “Why do I need CGN?” or “What has CGN done for me?”

Today, I no longer have those thoughts. I have a greater appreciation for global initiatives like: “Cultivate,” which supports planting gospel-centered churches; “Expositors Collective,” which is equipping the next generations of public proclaimers of biblical truth; and “When She Leads,” which supports, equips, and edifies women in their various leadership roles in our family of churches. I also cherish the abundance of great content and resources produced and provided by CGN. I rejoice as I reflect on the love that I experience at our conferences and gatherings. And I am confident that the Connect Team will help us experience the value of a healthy (emotionally + spiritually) expression of Calvary Chapel that welcomes other like-minded evangelicals.

Interested in joining the CGN Connect Gathering at Calvary Nexus? Mark your calendar for lunch on Wednesday, October 2nd, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and be sure to RSVP!

Join us for the 2024 CGN International Conference from June 23-26, 2024, at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. This year’s theme, “Hope, Suffering, and Glory: Studies in 1 Peter,” promises to deepen your faith and strengthen your connections with fellow believers. Experience three full days of impactful teachings, dynamic panel discussions, and practical workshops led by global leaders.

Who is this conference for?

Pastors, elders, ushers, worship or youth leaders, individuals involved in administration or children’s ministry, and anyone seeking to be equipped and inspired in their Christian walk!

What should you expect at the 2024 CGN International Conference?

• Speakers & Workshops: Featuring 9 keynote speakers and 12 workshops over two days, with six 90-minute sessions per day.
• Children’s Ministry: Curriculum and program provided by Child Evangelism Fellowship for children ages 5-15, with a nursing mom’s room available.
• Spanish Translation: Available in-person and online throughout the conference.
• Consultation Services: Access to consultation services.
• Group Discount: Save 20% on registration for groups of five or more.
• On-Demand Archives: Free access to archives of all sessions and workshops post-conference.
• Refreshments: Free coffee and snacks are provided, with specialty coffee available for purchase.
• Special Events: Sunday evening worship and dinner, as well as a sit-down “CGN Family Feast” on Monday evening.

Secure your place now!

Dear friends,

Last March my book The God I Won’t Believe In: Facing Nine Common Barriers to Embracing Christianity was released. 

By God’s grace it was well received; it has sold more copies than I ever expected, and has been used by many churches as a curriculum for their small groups and youth groups.

On December 7, 2023, the Spanish translation of the book was released.

I pray it will be a helpful resource for those in the Spanish-speaking world, that God uses to help build faith in Jesus and confidence in the Bible, as well as equipping Christians to serve their friends and loved ones who are deconstructing their faith or grappling with doubts.

If you know anyone who would benefit from this book, please share it with them. Below is the Spanish description and information.

¿Cómo completarías esta oración?

“Nunca podría creer en un Dios que…”

En el 2019, el pastor Nick publicó esta misma pregunta en Internet. Las respuestas resaltaron nueve temas comunes que, según la gente, hacen que el cristianismo sea difícil de aceptar. Lo que comenzó como una serie de mensajes de 9 semanas que abordaban estas barreras, rápidamente se convirtió en la serie más popular y solicitada en el podcast de Nick, el programa de radio, del sitio web de la Iglesia e incluso en unidades USB en la librería de la iglesia. Este libro es la culminación de las solicitudes, investigaciones y retroalimentaciones adaptadas como un recurso para ayudar a tus amigos, a tus familiares y a otras personas a tener respuestas a algunas de las preguntas más difíciles sobre Dios y la Biblia.

Si usted es una persona que lucha con estas preguntas, o si desea estar preparado para ayudar a otros, este libro fue escrito para usted. Este libro también ha sido utilizado por muchas iglesias para estudios en grupos pequeños y como plan de estudios de nueve semanas para ministerios juveniles.
Se pueden comprar copias en línea aquí.

Partner With CGN

What is Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement that takes place the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. It was created to encourage people to give back during the holiday season. For CGN, this is an opportunity for us to highlight our mission and encourage new and increased participation in what God is doing in and through our family of churches around the globe.

What is Our Mission at CGN?

To fulfill the Great Commission by working together to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and plant churches.

How Do We Fulfill Our Mission? Primarily through these four CGN Initiatives:

Expositors Collective fulfills our mission of proclaiming the Gospel by equipping, encouraging, and mentoring the current and next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

Connect and When She Leads are two CGN initiatives that exist to equip CGN leaders to more effectively make disciples. Connect is a relational initiative that provides coaching, care, and resources so pastors, leaders, and churches within the CGN family can flourish. The When She Leads initiative is a community designed to support women in ministry who serve in various capacities of church leadership.

Cultivate Church Planting fulfills our mission to plant Gospel-centered churches through empowering and supporting CGN fellowships and leaders to assess, train, and deploy new church planters.

Other Resources from CGN

Conferences and Gatherings

CGN serves thousands of leaders by organizing and facilitating dozens of gatherings and several larger conferences around the globe every year, including the International Conference, When She Leads, Expositors Collective, Local Connect Gatherings, World Wide Prayer, and many more.

CGN Relief

Through your donations to the Relief Fund, CGN was able to provide practical care and financial support to our brothers and sisters impacted by the war in Ukraine, the wildfires in Maui, and beyond.

Content

Through CalvaryChapel.com, CGN publishes several articles each week to build up and encourage leaders and Jesus followers in our family of churches and beyond. CGN Media hosts over 44 podcasts reaching tens of thousands of listeners with a wide variety of ministry themes.

When you give to CGN, you are helping us provide content, training, and support to fellow believers and ministry leaders worldwide.

Will you help us continue to provide resources by donating today?

Click the button below to donate, or TEXT your donation of any amount to 84321.

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The Country Chapel: Lessons in Rural Ministry podcast has been launched!

It is a show dedicated to bringing lessons in rural ministry to the broader CGN network. Within this show, I will be interviewing pastors, church planters, ministry leaders, and various rural network directors. Each of them have answered the call to minister in small and often overlooked places. The aim is to gain wisdom, guidance, and vision and to help encourage and equip those already engaged in rural ministry—and to hopefully make the need for rural ministry more apparent.

The Needs of Rural America

On September 27, 2022, CGN published my article “Rural America Matters Too.” My purpose was to highlight the overlooked needs of rural Americans by the broader church. Certainly there are many churches scattered across rural America. However, much of the attention given by seminaries, Bible colleges, and conferences are to the more urban and suburban contexts, while communities of 10,000 or less that are not near any sort of urban core are often overlooked.

There is a divide within our country, and it is present in our churches as well. As much as we want to say we are all united in the Gospel, culturally we may as well be living on different continents. How you view agriculture, governmental regulations, nutritional science, hunting, fishing, and environmental stewardship shows a lot about who you are. While we all like to claim objectivity in our views, the fact is our immediate culture has a lot to do with how we view the world near and far.

As an example, if you were to ask an urbanite to describe a farm, their answer would likely be drastically different than what someone who lives in farm country would say. In Glenn Daman’s book The Forgotten Church: Why Rural Ministry Matters for Every Church in America, he describes such an interaction, one he had with a local barista in the small town he serves:

“She moved from an urban area into our small community so that she could have a garden and a couple goats. Her goal was to have a self-sustaining farm on a few acres in her pursuit to get back to nature. She further complained that all the farms were now becoming corporate farms operated by large companies that were destroying our food supply by genetically modified organisms in their pursuit of profits. But the reality is that 96.4% of all farms are still family owned.”^[1]

Why do I bring up this example? Because it matters. It might not seem like it should, but it does. This demonstrates one of the many differences that shoves a wedge between urban and rural cultures. If you were to show up as a minister in a farming community, such a mindset would quickly alienate you from the very people you are trying to reach. Your definition of a farm would appear quaint and more along the lines of something from a storybook than reality.
 

Now, there is nothing wrong with having a garden, a few goats and perhaps some chickens mixed in there. Heck, add a couple of emus and you would be describing the home of my youth, but I would never have called it a farm. My wife grew up on a multi-generational family farm of a few hundred acres where they raised cattle, corn, wheat, and soybeans. That is a farm. Did I mention the crops were GMO? (gasp).

The Hard Realities of Ministering in Rural America

Now, there is room for people to disagree over proper land stewardship, GMO or organic, and free-range vs warehouse raised chickens. Yet for the minister of the Gospel, they need to be aware of the culture they are walking into. What things desperately need to be challenged and what needs to be recognized as just being a part of the people. Those who care about seeing lost souls saved, who plant themselves in rural America, will need to come to grips with the culture of the people they hope to reach.

Rural America is becoming a ghetto in many places. As Osha Gray Davidson puts it:

“The word ‘ghetto’ speaks of the rising poverty rates, the chronic unemployment, and the recent spread of low-wage, dead-end jobs. It speaks of the relentless deterioration of health-care systems, schools, roads, buildings, and of the emergence of homelessness, hunger, and poverty. It speaks, too, of the inevitable outmigration of the best and the brightest youths. Above all, the word ‘ghetto’ speaks of the bitter stew of resentment, anger, and despair that simmers silently in the those left behind. The hard and ugly truth is not only that we have failed to solve the problems of our urban ghettos, but that we have replicated them in miniature a thousand times across the American countryside.”^[2]

Worse even than the social, mental, and economic plight of rural America is the spiritual plight. Like many places, active Christian faith and church attendance is on the decline, while people who claim to be Christians because of cultural conservatism is on the rise. Meaning there are a lot of lost people thinking they are saved who do not even realize they are lost. They may claim a religious affiliation but their heart has yet to be regenerated by the gospel message of Jesus Christ. They need to be unconverted in order to actually then be converted.

Addressing the Needs of Both

The Country Chapel: Lessons in Rural Ministry podcast hopes to address these issues and more. Ministry in the forgotten places can seem lonely, painstakingly slow, and frustrating, but it is a work worth doing. There are people in need of Christ for the salvation of their souls and hope for this life. It is the goal of this podcast to remind us of the goodness of Christ toward those in rural places and encourage those who have entered this work to stay the course—and hopefully inspire some to this unique mission field. This is a work that desperately needs doing. “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal. 6:9).

Subscribe to the Country Chapel Podcast at CGN Media!

References:

^[1] Glenn Daman, The Forgotten Church: Why Rural Ministry Matters for Every Church in America (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2018).
^[2] Osha Gray Davidson, Broken Heartland: The Rise of America’s Rural Ghetto (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1996).