Welcome to “Voices from Ukraine”, a mini-series inside look at the resilience, faith, and service of Calvary Chapel believers in Ukraine during the difficult months since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

In this special edition, we sit down with Tanya Kotelenets from a church in eastern Ukraine. Kotelenets shares her harrowing experiences from the first days of the war – the fear, uncertainty and eventual decision to flee the city with her church community. Despite difficult conditions, God’s provision and grace sustained them.

Though she returned home months later, the impact of war remains. Kotelenets’s husband ministers at funerals almost daily, including that of a coworker who recently died in combat. Our listeners are reminded that all parts of the body of Christ feel the suffering of others.

Kotelenets asks for prayers for the children enduring so much change and loss, and for strength to continue living through this conflict with hope. If you’d like to support relief efforts in Ukraine, donations can be made through calvaryglobalnetwork.com/relief

Join us next time for another firsthand account of courage, sacrifice and faith continuing to burn bright within the Calvary Chapel family amidst the darkness of war.

Ted Leavenworth is the Lead Pastor of Reliance Church in Temecula, CA. In addition to pastoring Reliance, Ted leads the Care and Coaching Team for CGN.

In this episode, Ted discusses the benefits of coaching and church assessment, and describes how their team is able to help provide support for leaders, but also practical training to up-skill those who desire help from other leaders with more experience.

Prior to planting Reliance Church, Ted worked as a paramedic and was the founder and Executive Pastor of a large church in Menefee, California. He shares how his experience in those roles shapes his approach to ministry today.

Check out the Leadership Collective Podcast.

We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. You can email us at CGN@44.229.177.13

Wayne Taylor is the founding pastor of Calvary Fellowship in Seattle, Washington. As part of the first generation of Calvary Chapel pastors, Wayne has been in pastoral ministry for over 40 years, during which time he was involved in the planting of over 50 churches in the Pacific Northwest, Europe, and Russia. Wayne is passionate about prayer and evangelism, and in this episode, he shares about how the work of CGN is carrying on these important aspects of what the Calvary Chapel movement has been about since the beginning.

We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. Contact us at CGN@44.229.177.13

Richard Cimino has been a pastor for over 40 years, the majority of which was spent in Northern California. In this discussion, we talk about the importance of cultivating friendships in ministry.

Richard shares very candidly about some of his hardest experiences as a pastor, including closing down a church, and how it was his friendships with other pastors and ministry leaders which God used to encourage him and give him direction in those times.

We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. Contact us at CGN@44.229.177.13

Kellen Criswell serves as the Global Strategist for Calvary Global Network. In many ways he is the architect of CGN. In this episode, Kellen shares about his background as a worship leader and church planter, and the events which led to him being involved in helping build CGN as an organization. Kellen is currently based in Hungary, and we discuss God’s work through Calvary Chapel in Europe in the past and to this present day, as well as what Kellen is excited about for the future of CGN.

We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. Contact us at CGN@44.229.177.13

Bill is the pastor of Calvary Chapel in Inglewood, California — a community that is rapidly changing, and in this episode, Bill shares about some ways they are addressing those changes, reaching out, and discipling the people God is bringing their way.

Bill is also the father of a child with a disability, and he shares how his son’s disability has shaped him and his family, and how it has changed the way he approaches ministry and leads his church to love people who have unique challenges.

As a member of the CGN Executive Team, Bill also talks about what he is excited about in regard to Calvary Global Network in regard to “gospel unity” and the ability to do more for God’s Kingdom together than we can separately.

We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. Contact us at CGN@44.229.177.13

Tommy Cota is the pastor of Hope Alive Church in Santa Ana, California. In this episode, Tommy shares about his background, growing up in Los Angeles and being involved with drugs and gangs, and how God took hold of his heart and transformed his life. Tommy also shares about his journey of planting a church in Santa Ana, and how God has opened doors for him to minister to youth in public schools.

Tommy is a member of the CGN Executive Team, and he also talks about what he is excited about in regard to the future of Calvary Global Network.

We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. Contact us at CGN@44.229.177.13

In this bonus episode, Nick Cady speaks with Zhenya Chekushkin, the leader of the Calvary Chapel network of churches in Ukraine.

Calvary Chapel has had a presence in Ukraine since the early 1990’s, and currently has around 20 churches in different cities throughout the country.

Recently a group of CGN leaders travelled to Western Ukraine to encourage those in the Calvary network who have been ministering to others in their country since the full scale invasion in February 2022. This retreat provided an opportunity to recharge physically and spiritually.

In this episode, Zhenya shares about some of the ways Calvary Chapel churches have been serving people, and how God has been working, even in the midst of these difficult circumstances.

We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. You can email us at CGN@44.229.177.13

On this season of Mission & Methods, hosts Nick Cady and Brian Brodersen are interviewing some of the members of the CGN Executive Team, so that you can get to know who they are and what they are passionate about.

Nate Holdridge is the Pastor of Calvary Monterey, in Monterey, California. He is the author of several books, including his recent book: Whole-Hearted Work, which you can find on his website: nateholdridge.com. Nate is a pastor’s kid, and in this episode, Nate talks about what it was like growing up in a church planting family, and what he learned through that about how Pastors can help their children to grow up in a way that helps them love the church and follow Jesus.

Nate is also a member of the Pastoral Care and Coaching Team for CGN, and so we talk about the importance of pastoral care and sabbaticals, and how to access those resources through Calvary Global Network.

We’d love to hear your feedback on these episodes. Email us at cgn@44.229.177.13

Calvary Chapel has been recognized as one of the greatest church planting movements of recent times. What are we at CGN doing to make sure we keep this aspect of our heritage alive in this generation, and in those to come? How can we, as a network, use the relationships and resources God has given us, to encourage, train, and support the planting of Bible teaching, gospel-centered churches – around the world?

In this episode Nick Cady and Kellen Criswell discuss one of the key initiatives that CGN is developing called: Cultivate. Cultivate is a program designed to assess, train, and deploy new church planters and missionaries — using the local church as the garden in which those leaders are cultivated. Kellen and Nick explain the design and heart behind the Cultivate program, as well as how to get more information and register.

Listen for a clip from Pastor Chuck Smith from the 1980’s, in which he talks about how many Calvary Chapel churches had been planted back then, and what he envisioned for the future.

New episodes come out every two weeks, on Wednesday mornings. Make sure to subscribe, and new episodes will be delivered to you as soon as they are released.

Nick Cady and Aaron Salvato talk with missionaries Jed Gourley and Pam Markey about the situation in Ukraine! We at CGN wanted to do what we can to help our Calvary family understand what is happening in Ukraine during the start of this war and how we can all be praying.

Starting a new ministry can feel like a daunting task. It is hard not to feel overwhelmed with what to do first, wondering if it will succeed, and then feeling uncertain if you are doing it right! These feelings are understandable. In three churches, I have had the opportunity to lead in women’s ministry. In two of those three ministries, I transitioned into an existing leadership role, and in the third, I opened a new ministry. Each time, I wondered if I was going about it wrong.

As part of the Calvary Chapel heritage, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa has been a thriving ministry to women over the decades from Kay Smith’s Joyful Life, teaching the Bible and helping women grow in faith. Likewise, we at CGN desire to see women in our churches grow in Bible literacy and reap the benefits, which we list in our previous article, “Is Women’s Ministry Necessary?”. So, how does one go about starting a women’s ministry? Here are simple steps I have learned:

It is crucial to evaluate the season your church is in and to give thought to the timing of launching a new ministry. Do you have many new believers who are eager to get together and learn the Bible? Is your church busy with commitments? What type of obligations do the ladies in the congregation have, whether at home, work, school, etc. Would it be a good time to introduce a new women’s ministry?

As you assess the right timing, here are a few guidelines I have learned to use:

Pray

Seek the Lord’s guidance. Then invite one or two like-minded women to join you in praying for a ministry to start. Do not talk about it publicly until you speak to the leadership of your church, out of respect for their decision-making process.

Talk to the Pastor

Make an appointment and ask the pastor to discuss plans for this ministry with you. Explain what you feel God has put on your heart to do. Ask the Lead Pastor what his vision is for the church, and consider how a women’s ministry could help fulfill that vision. For example, if the vision for the church is to win souls and disciple people, a women’s ministry can help meet that.

Vision

Solidify your vision for this ministry, which means asking the question, “What would you like to accomplish in a women’s ministry?”

Leadership

The leader does not have to be the pastor’s wife, although that is often the pattern seen in our Calvary Chapel circles. If she is not called to this role, it is ok! It is a matter of gifting and calling, rather than a traditional way of fulfilling that leadership role.

Accommodation

Choose accommodating meeting places, times and frequency. I suggest taking breaks over summer and holidays to bring anticipation for the ministry, when a fall and spring semester begins! It also gives women a chance to join the group and for others to take a break, if needed, rather than seeing it as a lifetime commitment.

Plan

Decide what you will do in your meetings. This will determine if you have a Biblical and mature teacher who can “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). If such a teacher is not available, there are many materials available for your group to use: Bible teachings on video with discussion materials, books to read through together, breakfast and prayer time, or Scripture reads and discussion.

Invite

Make the invitation for women to join the ministry in the way that your church makes announcements. Put it on social media, the church website, request a pulpit announcement, print flyers and start talking to the ladies to inform them!

Begin

Have your first meeting! Provide a little hospitality and show appreciation for each woman who joins you. Start with introductions and a little explanation of what your plan is. Don’t be surprised if you are the only one talking at the meeting, as women may need some time to get to know the group and build trust.

There is no need to think about all these steps at the same time! Just focus on one task, and when that step is complete, move on to the next one. The women will be reached through the power of Christ!

The start of this ministry may be a small group, and that’s ok! Be faithful to them, teach them, and lay a solid foundation on the Word of God. Do not “despise the day of small things” as, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much” (Luke 16:10). The ministry will earn a good reputation if the focus is on God, and the women in your church will develop an interest in it. It is God who adds the increase, as 1 Corinthians 3:6 says.

Finally, do not hold onto this ministry as if it were your own. The women belong to the Lord, and it is His church you are serving. Keep praying as you lead, asking God to guide you, and be willing to adjust the ministry as the Lord shows you.

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Rosemary cohosts a new podcast for women in ministry titled “When She Leads.” Learn more about the podcast and start listening today! Have a topic for the show? Share it with us at whensheleadspodcast@gmail.com

The Leadership Collective podcast is a roundtable discussion with seasoned pastors, focusing on the nuts and bolts issues of ministry. Each month, we tackle the common challenges that leaders face and discover the practical lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News joins Rob & Ted for an honest conversation on navigating through church conflicts and splits.

CGN is a family of churches working together for Gospel-centered renewal.

One of the primary ways to see global Gospel-centered renewal realized effectively is in the formation of healthy, autonomous, Gospel-centered churches – both locally and overseas.

This fall CGN is excited to introduce and implement a new Church Planter Training Program called “Cultivate”.

The vision of Cultivate is to see these churches planted not haphazardly or in solitude, but in partnership with the local church. Thus, our mission is to create a program which empowers local churches to assess, train, and deploy new church planters and missionaries.

Coaching / Training
The process begins with a three-step assessment and is characterized throughout by a methodical, relational, and pastoral approach to training the “church planter in training” based on their unique needs, in order to equip them with the character, skills, and knowledge necessary to fulfill their calling. Training will take place via a curated experience using resources primarily (but not exclusively) from Western Seminary’s Center for Leadership Development (CLD), some of which will be designed and taught by CGN leaders. A team of CGN leaders will oversee this process in conjunction with the local church in which the church planter in training is based.

The training portion is a two-semester, eight month training, focused on the head and the heart with an optional summer internship (a four-week intensive experience) in an applicable context (e.g. urban, foreign, etc).

LEARN MORE

We are so excited at what God has done in and through the Calvary Global Network as we look back at 2020. As we prepare for a new year, will you pray for us, and consider supporting the mission of CGN financially, as we continue to preach the Gospel, make disciples, and plant churches? We couldn’t be more excited about what is next, and invite you to be a part of it!

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