Calvary Culture
Calvary Chapel has its roots in Southern California. If you didn’t know that now you do. 
In light of that I think there is a definite So-Cal surf culture feel to our style of ministry. Laid back soft spoken pastors, casual dress (can you say tacky Hawaiin Shirts and flip flops…well the flip flops are cool but the Tommy Bahama shirts have got to go!), comfortable atmosphere, services that start late (Calvary Time), the perpetual use of the apparent pronoun Dude, etc.
But does this So-Cal feel work everywhere? Not the philosophy of ministry (teaching through the Bible, balance theologically, simplicity, so on) but the whole surf culture…does it work in let’s say Des Moines, Iowa…Little Rock, Arkansas or Prineville, OR?
I would say no.
I think it is incumbent upon Calvary Chapel guys to understand the cultural context that they are planting their churches in and allow the feel of the ministry to be molded by that instead of trying to force So-Cal on midwesterners, southerners or rednecks
For some reason the word “culture” is kind of taboo in CC circles. I’m not really sure why that is except that it’s a knee jerk from the emergent’s overuse of the word. The reality of it is, there is a definite culture to the roots of our movement, and when Calvary pastors begin to realize that it will free us up to embrace the culture where we live and pastor.
Culture, like money, sex, music, or alcohol is innocuous in and of itself. Culture is people…people are culture. We are called to reach people, therefore we are called to reach culture. So rather than trying to force a foreign culture on people calling it “The Calvary Way” we should bring our philosophy of ministry to these contexts being sensitive to the people we are trying to reach.
Feel free to weigh in…
*This post was inspired by a conversation I had with my brother-in-law Tony Parla who leads worship at Oasis Church in Bend, OR.
And a post on the Phoenix Preacher that you can read here.
February 18th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
el…just tell your pastor to get sick or something.
February 18th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
ha-ha You wouldn’t want him to be “sick” ’cause then you wouldn’t both be able to go out for some good grub after the service.
You’ll just have to be our guest.
February 19th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Bill, first Jay invited himself to teach at your church, now Ryan has!……. I want to point out that this puts Gerson, John, and myself as the friends you minister with who have not tried to bleed an honorarium from Cornerstone:)
February 19th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Ryan,
Love this post, I didn’t have time to write this yesterday.
Genuine is the key. As God has made each of us uniquely different, and He doesn’t make mistakes, we need to serve Him in our own genuine and unique self. All cultures will recognize when they see something real.
Chuck ministered to us hippies in a business suit, but that was who he was. He never required his proteges to wear suits. You, out of love for those God has given you, will not belittle or downplay their culture.
My brother in law, a wicliff bible translator, spent 21years with tribe in the mountains of Bolivia. They did not drop in a 40 foot 5th wheel, but they did wear shoes and US made clothing.
A Redeemed Surfer from SoCal should be nothing else, nor should he require any else to be something their not. Otherwise he is saying that in order to be a “Better Christian” you need to pretend to be someone else. And we know what Jesus thought of pretenders, or posers (White Washed Tombs).
A genuine lover of Christ will endorse others to be genuine lovers of Christ. So, it doesn’t matter if you wear Agajanian’s cowboy hat or Erwin’s suspenders, if it’s not you, you.re posing. Let’s be who God made us to be.
February 19th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Jeff,
Ryan is setting the bar for you guys. Of course, first it was Jay, and well…..you know Jay…..
Actually, it was great to have him teach.
Ryan’s comment was a joke from an offline conversation we had, but I would love to have you and Gerson come up any time. Maybe on your way north this summer? Stop by and bless us. We already had John once or twice, and Gerson, well, no one would be able to understand his Spanglish.
On second thought, maybe we could have Gerson. Raul gets by O.K., and I think Gerson has him beat.
Consider this your official invitation to preach in God’s country.
February 19th, 2008 at 11:57 am
bill…ugm
btw…r u sure u want to invite the likes of Jeff and I to teach? You don’t know what you’re in for… =)
February 19th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
jim…great point! Very freeing…be who you are and model Jesus.
February 19th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
It sounds like Bill could take the year off and have his pulpit filled.
February 19th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
That is as long as hes not worried about the t-shirt Ryans gonna wear (Feb 18th 6:58) on his stage:)
February 19th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
If Ryan’s t_shirt is inappropriate, we’ll have a Hawaiian shirt ready.
February 20th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
60 comments! You are like as cool as Chad now!
February 20th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Well well well – Ryan’s got a comment section -
Ryan, I think you’re correct that it doesn’t work everywhere. Culture is more dynamic than we give it credit. Calvary CC has it’s own unique culture within the larger culture. If you look at culture as a system it becomes intriguing….it has subsystems that reinforce larger systems. Every church operates like a family with its own system of rules, written and unwritten, norms, and behavior. It propogates this and creates a climate (or culture) that operates through social pressure and expectations just like the larger culture.
I would argue where churches get into trouble is these cultural norms become massive barriers that exclude people. Calvary Chapel isn’t for everyone and while I don’t think it sells itself as being for everyone, it is guilty of promoting a church norm as a dominate norm that sometimes leaves little room for other experiences. It’s kind of unfortunate because the dialogue between people is where God really is – at least for me. It isn’t my intention to single Calvary out, every church has the problem to some degree or another. You don’t fit in, so you leave. This is sad because if where you fit means confining oneself to a set of norms that are more comfortable, well, it doesn’t show we love one another, just that we’re real good at excluding one another by cramming round pegs into square holes. It isn’t very challenging or enriching. We grow the best when we are challenged by something that is different. If you’re a suit kind of guy, you may be challenged by flip flops and your concept of appropriate attire at church……..this opens up a door for God to sneak in and maybe say hey, you know, I care about you being here, even in your jammies. There are no prereqs for church attendance….this is significant – it opens up love, understanding, and grace by helping us to recognize that people are in different places in their spiritual walk and we actually can honor that in a loving fashion.
We have so much western culture built into our church communities that we are like frogs in a pot – slowly being cooked and we are oblivious.
If you want to read a really good book check out Volf – Exclusion and Embrace….it’s heavy material because the guy is an academic (also a Christian) but if you can get through some of his academic arguments, you’ll see the picture he’s painting is quite interesting and it’s all about culture.
A
February 20th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Apryl…glad you stopped by. Hope all is well…blessings.
February 21st, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I grew up in Iowa. I know how small town farm folk respond to someone who is “culturally different”. Show up in my home town w/the young California worship-leader look who has the freaky hair, tight t-shirt and the girl-jeans that are apparently so hip… and you will not break through no matter how hard you try. My hometown is Lake Wobegone to a tee… right down to the bachelor farmers sitting on the park bench on Main Street.
If they’re wondering why you’re wearing your sister’s jeans the whole time you’re talking… they won’t hear a word you’re saying.
I relate to this now that I’ve settled into my “new culture” here in Virginia. I live in a pretty progressive college town, but still, I’m starting to become one of those guys who has lived here a long time. I’m starting to fit in. When I see someone expressing a culture that contrasts mine… I catch myself furling my brow. It’s not intended, but I’m responding to something that is obviously different to my norm. I’m pretty open minded, well traveled and understanding… and if I react a little bit, then the common folk are going to react a lot.
The problem with the culture issue, is that it drives people to be, or present themselves as something they are not. Being ourselves has nothing to do with our haircuts and our tight snap-front grunge graphic cowboy shirts. Why do we obsess so heavily with the way we look. It’s really a crock. Be as weird/unique as you naturally are, but if you’re going to be ministering to normal everyday people… look like normal every day people. It’s not much of a sacrifice at all.. (btw.. those girl jeans look stupid).
We don’t need to go way out of our way to be like, look like or act like the “culture” we’re in. But, at the same time, we shouldn’t be so drastic in our differences that we offend their senses….
BTW.. I’ve seen that CC Culture thing before. Isn’t that the thing where everybody dresses like Bill Walden?
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:50 am
Chad – Thanx for that. I needed to hear it. I sometimes try too hard to fit in. (I would not wear girl jeans no matter what
)