How Pastor Chuck Smith’s Legacy Continues at Calvary Chapel Bible College

Even if you’ve never heard Chuck Smith’s name, you’ve likely felt his impact.

If you’ve been part of a church where the pastor teaches straight through books of the Bible, where worship is contemporary but reverent, where the atmosphere is relaxed but the message is serious, you’re part of a story Chuck helped shape.

In the late 1960s, Chuck Smith was pastoring a small congregation in Costa Mesa, California, when God brought him into the center of one of the most unexpected revivals in modern history.

The Jesus People Movement turned the world upside down, and Chuck became one of its most unlikely leaders—not by chasing trends, but by holding fast to the Word of God and opening the doors of the church to everyone who came.

He preached through the Bible verse by verse. He welcomed barefoot hippies and heroin addicts alongside businesspeople and young families. He trusted the Holy Spirit to work, but always emphasized order, humility, and the centrality of Christ.

The impact was profound. Calvary Chapel became a hub of revival and a model of what Spirit-filled, Bible-centered, non-denominational church life could look like.

In the decades that followed, countless churches across the country—and eventually the world—adopted elements of what Chuck embodied: systematic exposition of Scripture, contemporary worship free from performance, a casual and welcoming atmosphere, and deep trust in the Spirit’s quiet work.

Chuck Smith didn’t write a strategy for Calvary Chapel Bible College, but the college came into existence because of his influence.

In 1975, the first CCBC campus was established in Twin Peaks, California, providing a place for young people to grow in the Word, seek the Lord, and prepare to serve.

Out of that one school, Bible colleges sprung up in churches and mission fields all across the globe, all with the same vision: to raise up every generation to serve Jesus and reach their world.

Whether in a church basement, a remote village, or an urban campus, the heart was always the same: trusting God to call, shape, and send His people through the power of His Word.

Even if he never served as faculty or wrote our curriculum, Chuck’s fingerprints are on everything we do. At CCBC, we still carry the values that shaped his ministry:

• We search the Scriptures because Chuck showed us that simply teaching the Word simply is powerful.
• We rely on the Spirit because Chuck modeled a posture of expectation, trusting God to lead and empower His people.
• We grow together because Chuck believed God can use anyone. He welcomed people others overlooked and created space for them to discover who they were in Christ, through the Word, through worship, and through one another.
• We aspire to serve because Chuck believed the greatest leaders are servants first. He showed us that washing feet is not beneath us; it’s what Jesus does.
• We answer the call because Chuck didn’t just teach—he equipped and sent ordinary people into God’s extraordinary work.

To some, Chuck Smith is a historical figure. To us, he’s a living legacy. His preaching, his posture, and his priorities continue to shape Calvary Chapel churches around the world and the students who come to CCBC to prepare for whatever God is calling them to do.

Whether you’ve heard his name before or not, we invite you to experience the kind of biblical, Spirit-filled, others-focused life he lived. Because that’s what we’re all about.