Our Vision
To love God, because He first loved us when he gave His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins; showing that love by believing and receiving His Word. To keep God at the center of our lives, leading us to worship and exalt Him everyday.
To love people; creating a community that shows compassion to others by encouraging, equipping, and serving them. To welcome all people to a faith in Christ and a relationship with the God of the Bible.
What We Believe
1. There is One Eternal, Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 Tim. 2:5; Is. 45:21; 2 Cor. 13:14). These three persons are the One True and Living God and are co-equal and co-eternal (Is. 44:6; Is. 48:16; John 10:27-33; Heb. 1:8; Acts 5:3-4).
2. Jesus Christ is the Word become flesh, born of the virgin Mary, fully God and fully man, who is the only mediator between God and man (John 1:14; Matt. 1:20-23; Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5). He lived a perfect life without sin, the perfect revelation of the Father (Heb. 4:15; John 8:46). He submitted Himself to the death of the cross once and for all to provide salvation to all that would believe in Him (John 3:16-17; Rom. 6:10, Phil. 2:8). He rose again bodily from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and will return at the end of the age to judge the living and the dead, the just and the unjust (John 2:18-21; Matt. 13:49; 2 Tim. 4:1; Acts 24:15).
3. The Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates, teaches, empowers, sanctifies, and resides within all believers (John 16:8; John 14:26; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Cor. 12:13). He produces the fruit of love and bestows His gifts to all that receive Christ Jesus as Lord (Gal. 5:22-23; 1 Cor. 12:7-10).
4. In Adam, man was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26). However, through the fall of Adam and Eve, all men became sinners by nature, which caused all men to then be made in the image and likeness of Adam (Gen. 5:3). Man became corrupt and alienated from the life of God (Ps. 53:3; Eph. 4:17-18). Man is spiritually dead and completely unable to save himself (Eph. 2:1-3; Eph. 2:8-9).
5. Everlasting punishment awaits all those who reject the salvation provided in Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:9; Matt. 25:46). Those who reject God’s love and salvation in Christ will be cast into the lake of fire with Satan and all his host (Rev. 20:7-10).
6. Salvation has been provided for all mankind by God's grace alone through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ (Rom. 11:6; 2 Thess. 2:16). Repentance and faith are the means by which a believer appropriates Christ's death and the benefits of His grace (Mark 1:15: Luke 7:50). This repentant faith will naturally bring forth works that will be in harmony with the Word of God and true righteousness (James 2:20; 1 John 2:29).
7. The Scriptures, which include the Old and New Testaments, are fully inspired by God and infallible in their original writings (Rom. 15:4; 2 Peter 3:15-16; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21). They are the supreme authority for a believer's faith and conduct (2 Tim. 3:15).
8. The Church is the gathering of all those who have received God's grace and salvation in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; Eph. 5:29-30). They are individual members of His Body and will become His bride at the Second Coming (Acts 26:17-18; 1 Cor. 12:12-13). The ultimate purpose of the church is to know, love, and worship God (John 17:3; Matt. 22:37; John 4:23-24). The ultimate task of the church is two fold. First, the church is to build up every believer for the work of the ministry for the edifying of itself in love (Eph. 4:11-13; 1 Peter 2:5). Believers are built up through the systematic teaching of the Word of God and the exercise of each believer's gifts in personal service on to another (1 Peter 2:2; John 21:15; Eph. 4:15-16; 1 Peter 4:10-11). Second, the church is to go into the world, sharing the Gospel as ambassadors for Christ to win the lost and make disciples (Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:19-20). As Christ was sent to reach the lost, so we have been sent to seek and to save those who don’t know Him in this world (Luke 19:10; Luke 10:2-3; John 20:21).
9. Marriage has been ordained and established by God (Gen. 2:18-25). This church defines “marriage” as the exclusive covenantal union of one man and one woman in which such union is a lifetime commitment (Matt. 19:3-6). A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized as a legitimate marriage by the church only to the extent that it is consistent with the definition of “marriage” found in this statement of faith and our bylaws.
10. Legitimate sexual relations are exercised solely within marriage between a man and woman (Heb. 13:4; Matt. 19:4-6). Hence, sexual activities outside of marriage (referred to in the New Testament as “porneia”), including but not limited to adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, and pedophilia, are inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and the Church (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Further, lascivious conduct; transgender behavior; and the creation, distribution, and/or viewing of pornography are incompatible with the biblical witness of a Christian.
11. When the Lord returns, He will first come as a thief in the night to snatch away His people and receive them unto Himself. One will be taken and another left (Matt. 24:37-44; Luke 17:34-37; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). The Second Coming of Christ will occur in the same manner in which He ascended into Heaven; it will be visible so that every eye will see Him return to the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9-11; Rev. 1:7; Zech. 14:4). At that time, He will judge the world in righteousness and begin a thousand-year reign with His kingdom in full control of the earth (Rev. 11:15; Rev. 20:4-6). He will reward the righteous and judge the wicked (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 22:12). After the thousand-year reign of Christ is completed, God will create a new heaven and earth where righteousness will reign forever and ever (Rev. 21:1; Rev. 22:3-5).
12. Every minister, board member, regular congregant, and employee shall affirm their agreement with the articles of faith and shall conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent therewith. This shall be a prerequisite and continual condition for holding a position of employment or authority in this church. To be considered a regular congregant of Calvary Chapel Arroyo Grande, you must have regularly attended this church for six months and agree with this Statement of Faith. The determination of who is a regular congregant will be decided upon by the eldership of this church.