San Diego Church Reviews & Guide

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San Diego Church Review & Guide is made up of several individuals who believe it is extremely important for non-christians, new believers and mature believers to find a church that is centered on the Bible. Amongst the reviewers we have several pastors, the editor of San Diego Christianity DMOZ, people with Masters in Theology and more.

If you would like to join us and write reviews, please feel free to apply, email: San Diego Churches. There are two criteria to accepting reviews:

(1) You can’t write a review of your home church.
(2) Further, San Diego Churches is not unbiased. Frankly, no one is unbiased. We all have a particular viewpoint in which we decide to value things by. So all applicants will be asked a few questions to help understand these biases. A few biases in which we evaluate churches by.

a) Does the Church believe scripture is true?
b) How do they interpret Scripture?
c) Does the church have a heart of mission both locally, culturally and worldwide?
d) Does the church desire to glorify God and worship Him, rather than people?
e) Does the church have a community that lives out an active involvement and desire to disciple/hold people accountable and grow them?

These areas are the areas in which we value churches. Some people may not agree with these. We would encourage you to add your comments under the churches in which you disagree. We also would encourage you to start your own website to review churches based on the standards you see fit. We recognize some people may be upset with reviews of particular churches. Our desire is not to make people upset but to pursue God and hopefully, the Pastors of these churches will prayerfully consider any areas that are evaluated as settling for less than the Glory of God.

Missional? Is that a Real Word?

A church that is not missional is not really a church. A church exists by mission as the sun exists by burning. When the sun loses its burn it ceases to be the sun. When a church loses its mission, it ceases to be a church. Missional is an adjective describing all of the activities of the church body as they are brought under the mission of God (missio dei) to bring salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “The world has hated them [My followers] because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You [God] should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one…As You [God] sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:14-16, 18; emphasis added).

A missional church understands it has been sent into an irreligious world to proclaim the Gospel of Redemption that is made possible by the Son’s sacrifice for our sins and the Father’s love for us. Every believer is sent into the world by God just as Jesus was sent into the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Submit Events for Churches to gather or Church leaders. Email [email protected] to submit an event. Please do not submit events that relate to only one church. Events must be gospel-centered.

Website: http://www.vertexcoronado.com/

Church Review
Scriptural View: 3/5
Beliefs: 4/5
Community: 3/5
Preaching: Topical
Worship: Band
Service times: 6pm

Website Review
Site Usability: 2/5
Site Design: 3/5
Site Content: 2/5

“We’ve tried a number of ways to reach out to people in the community. We’ve tried TV, parades, door knocking, all of this didn’t work. Creating the additional service is the best outreach we’ve ever done” Pastor Larry Hamblen said. First Baptist Church of Coronado calls the new service, “The Vertex.”

The Vertex launched one year ago as an evening service, catering to a younger audience. “A couple of people wanted to make the church more exciting. They wanted to have a service with a higher energy and more upbeat music,” Pastor Hamblen told me. Hamblen described the service as having a “postmodern flavor”.

Wedged between homes on Coronado Island, First Baptist Church’s steeple rises a story above the white building. Inside, ten candles in sconces hang on the walls. The candle glow provides a faint light to the room. Thin stained glass windows, black from the night, line one wall. The small sanctuary houses nine rows of cushioned pews. A cross, six feet in height, hangs on the front wall. Nearby, a large screen displays artistic images along with the words to the songs.

The 38 congregants at the service were primarily college-aged students. Common attire was a PLNU sweatshirt, jeans, T-shirt and an occasional baseball hat turned backwards. I asked Taylor Dwyer, the lead guitarist and vocalist in the band, about who attends the service. “Half of the people live on the island. They either have been involved with the church or heard about it when we posted door-hangers in the neighborhood. The other half are friends of ours from Point Loma Nazarene College.” Dwyer and the entire band graduated from PLNU last spring.

The service began with a welcome from Dwyer. Through the service, the band performed nine songs. The volume of the music filled the small sanctuary as a drummer, keyboardist, bass guitar, electric guitar and acoustic guitar accompanied the singing. Later, Pastor Hamblen told me they had purchased a new sound system for the evening service.

Dwyer classified the band’s sound as “a little harder than Dave Matthews Band. We play a lot of songs from the Passion Movement and the Vineyard, but we would like to write our own tunes.” The songs for the evening included Trading My Sorrows, Blessed Be Your Name, Hear Our Praises, Lord Most High, You Alone and How Great is Your Love.

The keyboardist from the band, Tim Gaines, preached the sermon. Gaines based his message on the gospel of John, chapter eleven. This chapter tells the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. The shortest verse in the Bible is this chapter: “Jesus wept.” Gaines connected the story to the congregation’s life by saying, “I believe Jesus weeps when we come to him without faith, when we give up on our brothers who are spiritually dead. Just like in the story of Lazarus when we see people give up on Lazarus who is physically dead. The people didn’t have faith that Jesus would raise him from the dead. I believe that is why Jesus wept.”

After service, Gaines told me he preaches every four to five weeks. Gaines studied philosophy and theology at the undergraduate level at PLNU. He is in graduate school and would like to teach theology at the college level. “Theology is bigger than anything that I know. It’s so much bigger than me. I love being caught up in something bigger than me,” Gaines said. “I like how theology influences a church to live and do local ministry.”

Philosophy comes to play into his preaching. “You can’t take theology and philosophy apart. Theology has, over the last 1,000 years, basically followed philosophy. Philosophers and theologians have been in conversation and so you can’t really study one without studying the other. You have to have both together.”

The Vertex is a service reaching the postmodern generation with a band, candles, and dark lighting.

We’ve launched a new site to review churches in Orange County. Visit our sister site at: Orange County Church Reviews.

Website: http://www.lamesaumc.org

Church Review
Scriptural View: 2/5
Beliefs: 2/5
Community: 2/5
Preaching: Topical
Worship: Hymns
Service Times: 8:30am, 11am

Website Review
Site Usability: 2/5
Site Design: 1/5
Site Content: 1/5

Review: I attended a service in October 2004. Service began with seven hand bell players ringing out a hymn, as the congregation observed silently. Reverend Fanestil invited the children up for a short story, based on a rose he pulled out of a mystery box. Following this, was a prayer, a testimony and a reading from scripture. Next, Reverend Fanestil walked to the pulpit to preach.

“All human beings live by stories. It’s a matter of which stories you live by. Christians have to rely on the stories and images; these are the stuff of which this faith is made.”

After service, Reverend Fanestil spoke with me about the Christian faith and the Bible’s stories. “The Bible is much more like a bookshelf than a single book. As reading the Bible as a bookshelf instead of a single book, I end up feeling like the Bible speaks with many voices. These voices challenge me and I am forced to struggle with them. It isn’t always if the Bible says it, I believe it. I believe that is an unhelpful way to read the Bible.”

“(The Bible) is inspired by God, but I don’t believe it is inerrant,” Fanestil explained. “The gospel of John was written at the end of the first century, when the church was in great conflict with the Jews. There is an anti-Jewish polemic to the New Testament that needs to be put in its historical context.”

I asked Reverend Fanestil how his view of scripture affects his stance on the controversy regarding homosexuality within the United Methodist Denomination. “There is a split over the issue of homosexuality. A majority of (United Methodists) nationwide adhere to a traditional stance that homosexuality is a sin. They believe we should love the sinner but hate the sin. A majority of people at our church, myself including, believe homosexuality is an orientation for a vast majority of people that is given by nature. And I’ve preached that. The Bible doesn’t always speak with a single voice. We need to treat the words of scripture in ways that demands some tension and complexity.”

I asked Reverend Fanestil how does someone determine what is true in the Bible. “That’s what we all do. We have to choose (what we want to believe). I am very comfortable with saying I don’t know about a lot of things.”

“I believe Jesus is the way, I’ve experienced that in my life. I don’t feel called to pass judgment on the world’s other religions. I don’t feel qualified to pretend to know God’s minds on the worlds other great religions traditions. I certainly am reluctant to conclude that all folks who belong to other religious traditions are all destined for some state of eternal damnation. It doesn’t ring true with the spirit of the Jesus I know.”

The bottom line is La Mesa First United Methodist does not preach that Scripture is true. Therefore, we cannot recommend this church.

Website: http://www.oldcatholic.com/francis.html

Church Review
Scriptural View: 2/5
Beliefs: 2/5
Community: 2/5
Preaching: Liturgical
Worship: None
Service Times: 4pm

Website Review
Site Usability: 3/5
Site Design: 1/5
Site Content: 4/5

Review: I must confess, I am not a Catholic and do not agree with much of their doctrine. For the Catholic Church to believe their traditions (the Magisterium, Papal Infalability) can be equal to God’s Word is the crux of the problem. There are many things I cannot see in the Bible that are held by the Catholic Church. These include Transubstantiation, Purgatory, Indulgences, Papal Infallibility, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, Venial and Mortal Sins, and a host of others. The Protestant Church cites the Bible alone as the source of doctrinal knowledge. The Catholic church, on the other hand, cites the Bible and Tradition. Consider the following:

“. . .the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, ‘does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence’.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 82.)

Apparently, it is Tradition that is the source of doctrines which are clearly not taught in the Bible but which the Catholic Church still says are implicit within its text and elucidated through Apostolic Tradition. The issue is whether or not these teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are credible. For more information on the Roman Catholic Church (as opposed to the Old Catholic Church) please visit Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry.

St. Francis and St. Taricicus as an Old Catholic Church does dispel some of the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. The Old Catholic Church separated from the Roman Catholic Church over religious politics after the Reformation.

I spoke to Father Kwasek about issues like Papal Infallibility and the Immaculate Conception. These are issues that differentiate the Old Catholic Church from the Roman Catholic Church. Yet when I spoke to Father Kwasek he did not pick a side, saying, “Even with these differences, they can easily be resolved and bring both Churches into communion with each other. I can accept (the Papal Infallibility) because the Roman, Protestant and Orthodox theologians have been going back and forth on this issue for 2,000 years with no clear outcome. In the meantime, citing Mark Twain, ‘I can’t prove nor disprove these claims’, so I’ll go along with them just in case. As for Mary, who would want to upset a Jewish mother in heaven in the first place? There was a time when only Catholics believed in the Immaculate Conception. Now it seems today that Americans believe they are all immaculately conceived, considering that people seem to take less and less responsibility for their failings and blame them on their upbringing and grade B milk they drank.”

I asked Father Kwasek what happens to people after they die. He answered, “In Hebrews it tells us, ‘It is appointed a person once to die, and after this comes judgment’. There are three places people go after they die. The first is heaven, with God, for those who believe in Jesus. It is because Jesus is God and through his redemption we have an antidote (to sin). The second place people go is purgatory. When people are going through the judgment for their sin after death, there will be a temporary period of time of sorrow. This period may be short or it may be thousands of years. This is a period of purging. Lastly, God sends no one to hell. God gives everyone 70 years to figure out that He loves them and He is God. Hell is for those who decide to rebel and reject God.”

For many of my friends that were Catholic, religion became nothing more than traditions. I attended Catholic school for many years growing up, and most of my friends would say they are Catholic not Christian. After a 10-year High School reunion I asked my friend, “Do you believe Jesus was literally God?” He replied that Christ lived the example life for us but was not God. This was a typical belief. In all fairness, I have met many wonderful Catholics who are evangelical Christians. In my neighborhood I am friends with a Catholic who also leads a Young Life. His desire is to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

From my conversation with Father Kwasek it appeared he wanted to gather those who are lost to Jesus Christ. “There are two groups of people who attend Old Catholic Churches. The first are those who are not happy with the Roman Catholic Church and the second group of people were not attending any church previously,” Father Jerome Kwasek commented.

St. Francis and St. Taricicus is a good church for Catholic followers, but because of the many disagreements I have with the Catholic Church, I cannot recommend this for Evangelical Protestants.

Website: http://www.calvarysandiego.com

Church Review
Scriptural View: 4/5
Beliefs: 2/5
Community: 3/5
Preaching: Expository
Worship: Saturday 6 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 6 p.m., Wednesday 7 p.m.

Website Review
Site Usability: 2/5
Site Design: 2/5
Site Content: 3/5

Review: Calvary Chapel San Diego (CCSD), as its name obviously suggests, is an off-shoot of the monolithic movement started in Costa Mesa California in the early 1970’s under the leadership of Pastor Chuck Smith. In San Diego alone, there are dozens of fellowships affiliated with Calvary Chapel. Because CCSD (and most other Calvary’s) model themselves after the Costa Mesa church, we will examine the movement as a whole and make a view particular observations about CCSD.

CCSD is one of the larger fellowships in San Diego having just moved into a new building in the booming Otay Ranch community of Chula Vista. The sprawling property, which covers an entire block, also houses a K-12 private Christian school called Calvary Christian Academy.

As with most Calvary Chapels, they should be commended for their high view of Scripture. Nearly everyone attending the church carries their own Bible and most are feverishly scribbling on notepads and marking the margins of their Bible during the sermon. Pastor Bryan Newberry faithfully teaches verse by verse and book by book through the Bible and it is clear that anyone attending CCSD continually is sure to be exposed to a regular diet of scripture.

What Calvary Chapel actually believes about the scriptures is quite a different matter, however. Instead of a clear statement of faith as to what they believe, CCSD chooses instead to hang its theological hat on the catch phrase “Simply Jesus!” While this may seem really spiritual and non-threatening on the surface, it belies what they really believe. Although CCSD (and all Calvary’s for that matter) claim to not put a strong emphasis on doctrine because it causes division, a careful examination of the movement’s teaching and writings tell a different story. In his book Calvary Chapel Distinctives (Word for Today Publishing, 2000), founding Pastor Chuck Smith writes: “In Calvary Chapel we value the teaching of the Word, and possess an open heart to the work of the Holy Spirit. This balance makes Calvary Chapel a distinct and uniquely blessed movement of God. (emphasis mine).” The bottom line is that it is precisely their doctrine that makes them a Calvary Chapel. Any deviation from their core doctrinal beliefs and a church can no longer be called a Calvary Chapel. Out of one side of their mouth, Calvary Chapel pleads for unity and non-division…out of the other side of their mouth, they view themselves as “a distinct and uniquely blessed movement of God.” Simply Jesus, huh? (Note: Pointing out distinctions in doctrine is NOT a bad thing. It is what churches should do. It is doctrinal distinctions that separate a truly biblical church from a cult. The problem we have with Calvary Chapel is that, under the guise of being spiritual, they claim to not do it. Their actions and writings prove otherwise.)

Another problem at CCSD, and most other large mega-churches, is a lack of pastoral oversight and community. The church keeps no formal membership which makes biblical church discipline non-existent. With its well-attended, multiple services, it is very likely that you will never see the same people very often, at least not often enough to build any strong relationships. And forget about actually knowing or meeting the pastor or elders (do they have elders?)! As with most large churches, the real ministering and discipleship is said to be done in small groups (or home fellowships). While small groups are important and a vital part of any church, it should NEVER be a substitute for the corporate gathering of God’s people and the oversight of godly shepherds. At CCSD, there is something to do every night of the week: married fellowships, single fellowships, drug/alcohol recovery groups, youth groups, teen groups, Spanish-speaking groups and on and on. Again, while small groups are good, is this the biblical model of community, everyone divided into groups and sub-groups based on age, gender, nationality or vice? It is conceivable that one could be very busy and active in the church and NOT experience true fellowship and community. Unfortunately, it is all too easy in a church this large to slip through the cracks…

While Calvary Chapel faithfully preaches through the Bible, it seems as if many of the scriptural admonitions about the importance of the local church are neglected or flat out ignored. Thus, the growth of an individual Christian in this environment is sure to be affected in the long run. A new Christian may find the church very helpful and learn a great deal about spiritual disciplines like prayer, bible study, evangelism and service. However, because of their extremely narrow and shortsighted doctrinal positions we can only give Calvary Chapel a half-hearted recommendation.

Website: http://www.newhopefriendship.org/

Church Review
Scriptural View: 3/5
Beliefs: 3/5
Community: 4/5
Preaching: Topical, Exegetical
Worship: Hymns
Service Times: 8am, 11am

Website Review
Site Usability: 1/5
Site Design: 1/5
Site Content: 1/5

Review: New Hope Friendship Missionary Baptist Church has a name that doubles as a sentence. I attended a service in October 2004. In September, Reverend Dr. Robert E. Houston Sr. submitted his resignation as the Pastor of New Hope Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. After serving nine years as the senior pastor, Reverend Houston decided to enter a preaching-evangelism ministry. Assistant Pastor, Alonzo Brooks Sr., since has taken over as the interim pastor. Reverend Brooks said, “(The resignation) was a bit of a surprise to a lot of people in the church. We are still going on. It is a process but the church is moving on.”

The service I attended was preached by a visiting preacher, Minister Lieutenant Hodges. Reverend Brooks told me that in the month he has taken over, two times he has had visiting ministers preach. This practice seems common in the African-American Baptist community.

Hodges focused heavily on delivery. He varied volumes and tempo of his speech. Dramatic arm and hand movements emphasized points in the sermon. He repeatedly asked, “Can I get some hand-praises to God?” and the congregation replied with vigorous applause. The congregation shouted “amen”, “preach, reverend” and other encouraging phrases throughout the sermon. When the congregation responded well to a particular sermon point, Hodges smiled and turned to Reverend Brooks and shook Brooks’s hand.

Hodges broke into song three times during his preaching. Taking a lead from Ezekiel’s mention of dry bones, the minister sang, “The knee bone is connected to the thigh bone and the thigh bone is connected to the hip bone…the neck bone is connected to the head bone”. Minister Hodges ended his sermon by reminding the congregation that “God can do anything, including bringing life to the dry bones of people who do not believe in Jesus.”

Much of the sermon appeared to be a show and the content of the sermon lacked any meat. In between the two services are bible studies, where I hope more time is spent diving into God’s word. I did ask Reverend Brooks what his church believes about life after death. He explained, “We believe your soul goes to heaven if you are a Christian. If not, your soul is doomed to eternal damnation. To become a Christian, God chooses us before the foundations of this world. He sends the Holy Spirit to give us the unction to follow him. Without the Holy Spirit indwelling us as believers, we would never accept Him.” He answered a few other theological questions with orthodox comments which increased my confidence in his ministry.

A 2-star church based on the visiting preacher but the interim Reverend Brooks seemed solid in his beliefs. If you plan on attending, I would recommend you investigate the bible studies and other classes to ensure that you will grow in your knowledge of God’s Word.

Website: http://www.faith-bible.net

(Located in Murrieta)

Church Review
Scriptural View: 5/5
Beliefs: 5/5
Community: 4/5
Preaching: Expository
Service Times: 10:00 am

Website Review
Site Usability: 3/5
Site Design: 3/5
Site Content: 3/5

Review: There is much to like about Faith Bible Church. They adhere to Scripture by living out a lot of the things most modern churches have lost. For example, they hold to a plurality of elder model of church government with deacons helping run the administration. In addition they have done a great job laying out much of what they believe (doctrine), their philosophy of ministry and how this implicates our life as believers. As I’ve reviewed Churches and their websites I’m finding a connection between how much a Church communicates what they believe with their desire to honor God by living scripturally.

I have not attended a service at Faith Bible Church. I do have a friend who knows their college ministry leader and based on his comments, I believe this is a solid church for people to attend. From reading through their website beliefs, book recommendations and other materials I would encourage someone in the Murrieta area to check out this church. My only observation is their comments on missions being ‘elsewhere’ (Afghanistan) and not next door. (I say this because often churches that are ‘reformed’ can miss the mark on missiology.) But they do speak about their belief that evangelism is what the Church is about so this may be a non-point.

A church with a strong biblical position and a desire to live this out as a community. I recommend this church.

What exactly is a healthy church? How do we discern what church to attend. I ran across a great ministry that helps “local churches pursue, develop, and maintain nine of the most important marks of any healthy church. In identifying and promoting these nine, we are not intending to lay down an exhaustive or authoritative list. There are other significant marks of healthy churches, like prayer and fellowship. We want to pursue those ourselves as well, and we want you to pursue them with us. But these nine are the ones we think are most neglected in most local churches today, with the most damaging ramifications. So we think it is wise for us to concentrate on these nine and let other parts of the Body universal promote other important marks of a healthy local church.

Here’s a brief summary of what we mean by each of the nine marks. Read the rest of this entry »

Website: http://www.matthewshouse.com

(Located in Oceanside)

Church Review
Scriptural View: 3/5
Beliefs: 3/5
Community: 5/5
Preaching: None
Worship: Contemporary
Service Times: Wednesday 7 pm, Thursday 7pm

Website Review
Site Usability: 3/5
Site Design: 3/5
Site Content: 3/5

Review: Matthew’s House (MH) is part of a growing house Church movement. Each week in different homes people gather together to ‘be the church’. This Church is highly missional and they desire to reach the neighborhood where God placed them. As I spoke to one of the Pastors, Rick Horton (Who doesn’t like to be called pastor) he shared with me stories of people who were neighbors, friends and acquaintances who participated in this gathering and ended up being saved.

Pastor Horton explained, “Over and over again we saw people who would say something or pray and ask God into their life. No one told them how to do it or explained the process. They just realized they wanted what everyone else was talking about.” During my visit to MH I met a number of people who had been Christians 6 months to one or two years. This church is focused on living out the gospel.

MH does not have formal preaching. Each week they gather and talk about the things of God and share what is going on in their lives and then bring up scripture to apply to it. I am uncomfortable with the lack of expository preaching of God’s Word. This is too important of an element to not have in a healthy church. (see: 9 Marks of a Healthy Church)

After gathering with them and talking to a handful of people, it is clear they hold to the Nicene/Apostle’s Creed. They hold scripture to be the inerrant Word of God. There are many things that MH is doing that mainstream churches can learn from, particularly their high level of community and outreach.

A great church of outreach and evangelism to their neighborhood but it lacks strong Bible expository preaching.

The Mission Gathering review has been temporarily taken down. The Pastor of their church Rev. Richard McCullen contacted us. Based on some of his comments we will be investigating the matter further and either re-publishing our review or changing it based on what is discovered.

Also, I have had a chance to visit a House Church (also called cell Churches) and a review will be coming shortly. I would like to know if any of you have attended one previously. What was your experience? Post a comment.

Website: http://www.thefieldschurch.org/

(Located in Carlsbad)

Church Review
Scriptural View: 5/5
Beliefs: 5/5
Community: 4/5
Preaching: Exegetical
Worship: 10am Contemporary

Website Review
Site Usabilility: 3/5
Site Design: 3/5
Site Content: 2/5

Summary: The Fields is a newer church plant in Carlsbad. You can always tell a recent church plant because they typically use non-traditional names. From their website: We have named our new church “The Fields” because Jesus once told his followers, “Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35) At The Fields our desire is to see people grow into passionate followers of Jesus Christ.

I had a chance to visit this church (September 2004) and enjoyed Pastor Dave Fandey’s preaching through the 3rd chapter of Philippians. He dug deeper than most preachers do and did a great job in bringing application to those who attended. The community is primarily younger (20-30 somethings) with a mix of a handful of families. On my visit, the community did a great job of greeting me and welcoming me to their church.

The church is new so their website does not have much information other than the story of their church, the values they hold to and information about when/where they meet. I’m sure more information will be coming shortly…I did have a chance to speak more with Pastor Dave Fandey and was encouraged with his passion and desire to be faithful to God’s Word.

The Fields is a church that does a great job in preaching God’s Word and desires to live this out missionally. I strongly recommend this church.

Website: http://www.clairemontcov.org

Church Review
Scriptural View: 3/5
Beliefs: 3/5
Community: 3/5
Preaching: Topical
Worship: Traditional (9am), Contemporary (10:30am)

Website Review
Site Usabilility: 3/5
Site Design: 2/5
Site Content: 2/5

Summary: Clairemont Covenant Church is a family oriented church nestled amongst the homes in the Clairemont area. The church is made up primarily of families and people in the neighborhood. When I spoke with Pastor Greg White, he spoke about his church being a local church that is family oriented with a focus on children and youth. Each Wednesday night Clairemont Covenant opens its doors to all children up to High School age as a place to come, hang-out and listen to a teaching.

There are a lot of things Clairemont Covenant is doing well. They really do focus on being a member of their community. The church is filled with families and they have a closeness that is present. Surely they desire to live and share the gospel with those who do not know Christ. And for these and many other reasons it is a good church for people to be a part of.

I attended their service (September 2004) and was greeted by a large banner inviting me to ‘discover my purpose’. If you do not attend church or if you are a Christian who has just awoke out of a comma, this banner is part of a neatly packaged program called 40 Days of Purpose. The 40 Days of Purpose by author/pastor Rick Warren has swept through the broad evangelical nation with a force to place it on the NY Times Bestseller and elevate Rick Warren to guru status.

While I have seen this program actually help churches who are fairly weak in their preaching, for the most part I am not a huge fan of these pre-packaged formula’s to doing church. Rather than borrowing from Rick Warren I would like to see Pastors grow in their own study and presentation of the word to their congregation. I believe the job of the pastor is to communicate God’s word in a manner and language that the congregation understands and considers the richness of the scripture as it is examined and applied to their lives.

I believe that this church is preaching the gospel but from my experience (I was raised in a Covenant Church) they do not dive into the full richness of the text and wrestle with issues that have serious implications. Too many areas are avoided and because of this I can only give a mild recommendation.

Clairemont Covenant Church preaches/teaches the gospel but is fairly light on their preaching style.

Website: http://www.sandiegocbc.org

Church Review
Scriptural View: 3/5
Beliefs: 3/5
Community: 3/5

Website Review
Site Usabilility: 3/5
Site Design: 3/5
Site Content: 3/5

Summary: Community Bible Church (CBC) has a good foundational belief in Scripture and God. In their what they believe section most of what they write is both profitable and accurate for both a believer and unbeliever to consider. On salvational issues we are in agreement and so this church is comprised of brothers and sisters in the Lord. There are a few beliefs that they hold to that I believe to be inaccurate. These errors of doctrine should be a caution for the church seeker.

First, an error that many churches make, is taking a firm stance on ‘End Times’ issues. It is sad to see so many churches read through Revelation as a book of clues to try to figure out the symbolic language and interpret all of the world’s events through this filter. CBC spells out their beliefs on Dispensationalism (the Rapture, Tribulation, etc.), or as most people now view it the ‘Left Behind’ ideas brought by Tim Lahaye. As a church we should be firm in areas we are sure of, such as the need for Jesus Christ as our savior, but quiet on areas we are not certain and the end times is one of these issues. A disproportionate amount of time is being spent in the church devoted to the sensational tribulation ideas. And quite frankly, we don’t know these things and we will never know them.

Secondly, the book of the month is a book called, “Treasure Principle”, by Randy C. Alcorn. The review on their site tells us, “God has entrusted His wealth to us and called upon us to manage and invest His money. This is in everyone’s best interests, including our own.” I read one critique on the book that a reader posted at Amazon.com saying ,”Jesus never said that you can “invest” your worldly money in the church to receive rewards in heaven.” Too often American churches are focused on what we should receive as treasures, how God should bless us. (Just consider the Prayer of Jabez which made God a giant piñata.) Our country does have more wealth than we need and we should be stewards of this, including distributing it to the needs of the church worldwide.

Overall CBC looks to be a mainstream church with an evangelical position. With that said I can recommend this church but I would urge you to examine the above ideas and others that are often being taught by churches today. Far too often the average ‘christian’ is ignorant of scripture and easily swallow the concepts of people like Tim Lahaye who spend way too much time emphasizing areas away from the good news message of Jesus Christ and our mission as a church to communicate this to our world.

CBC preaches/teaches core salvational beliefs but I can’t strongly recommend them.

Over the next few weeks I plan on examining 4 trends that the church is seeing in America. These are:

The Emerging Church - This will look at church planting and why so many people are joining these new churches. Often these churches are moving from the modern traditions to express worship and encounter God. We will look at both the good and the bad.
The House Church Movement - A further reaction to the traditional church is a movement that is happening quietly in neighborhoods near you. People often in small groups of 10-20 are gathering together in homes to ‘do church’. It is here that an organic church is connecting each other to the loss of community in the mega-churches.
The Modern Church - These are the churches who continue to grow and represent the ‘modern’ ideals of entertainment and production to draw in the masses to hear the gospel.
The Dying Church - Each year across the country 100’s of churches close their doors for the final time. These are the churches that our grandparents attended. They have reached their twilight and now as the congregation has matured there is no youth to replace the empty seats swallowing the sanctuary. We will look at why they are dying.

If you have an example in San Diego county of any of these types of churches, please post them in the comment section.

Here are some reviews of some local ‘younger’ churches with a bent toward ‘postmodernism’ or ‘emerging worship’.

The Flood (emerging worship, 3 Stars)
Kaleo Church (emerging worship, 5 Stars)
The Rock (near campus, 3 Stars)
Mission Gathering (postmodern, 1 Star)
Coastlands Church (postmodern, 2 Stars)

The New Testament repeatedly emphasizes the importance of local assemblies. In fact, it was the pattern of Paul’s ministry to establish local congregations in the cities where he preached the gospel. Hebrews 10:24-25 commands every believer to be a part of such a local body and reveals why this is necessary.

“And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

It is only in the local body to which one is committed that there can be the level of intimacy that is required for carefully stimulating fellow-believers “to love and good deeds.” And it is only in this setting that we can encourage one another.

The New Testament also teaches that every believer is to be under the protection and nurture of the leadership of the local church. These godly men can shepherd the believer by encouraging, admonishing, and teaching. Hebrews 13:7 and 17 help us to understand that God has graciously granted accountability to us through godly leadership.

Furthermore, when Paul gave Timothy special instructions about the public meetings, he said “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). Part of the emphasis in public worship includes these three things: hearing the Word, being called to obedience and action through exhortation, and teaching. It is only in the context of the local assembly that these things can most effectively take place.

Acts 2:42 shows us what the early church did when they met together: “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” They learned God’s Word and the implications of it in their lives; they joined to carry out acts of love and service to one another; they commemorated the Lord’s death and resurrection through the breaking of bread; and they prayed. Of course, we can do these things individually, but God has called us into His body-the church is the local representation of that worldwide-body-and we should gladly minister and be ministered to among God’s people.

Active local church membership is imperative to living a life without compromise. It is only through the ministry of the local church that a believer can receive the kind of teaching, accountability, and encouragement that is necessary for him to stand firm in his convictions. God has ordained that the church provide the kind of environment where an uncompromising life can thrive.