About Us

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Meet Pastor Ken 

Since October of 1983, Pastor Ken Ortize has been the Lead Pastor of Calvary Spokane. His teaching style has often been characterized as a unique blend of historical insights, comprehensive exposition, personal transparency and an uncompromising commitment to the Word of God.

Prior to coming to Calvary Spokane, Ken served as academic director of the Shiloh Bible Study Center; and then as the Marrieds' Pastor at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. This experience formed the basis for his book, “Marriage The Way It’s Made To Be.” Now in its fifth printing, it has become a trusted resource for a biblical approach to marital life.

Ken’s Sunday and Thursday messages can be accessed on our website under messages, or you can subscribe to the Sunday and Thursday podcasts.

Ken and Jamie were married in 1970 and he became a pastor in 1974. He has four children and ten grandchildren.

How to Know Jesus 

If you are interested in finding out who Jesus is please visit this site to discover what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

How to Know Jesus

If you have any further questions please give us a call at (509) 467-2860 or contact usso that we can meet with you and share with you about the intimacy with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

"In Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." –Ephesians 2:13

Ask a Pastor

What We Believe 

We have taken the time to write out a short summary of what we believe on the following specific areas of the Christian faith. Please take the time to read through these and if you have any questions, please write down your question and send us it through: Ask A Pastor. Click on the one you would like to read about or download.

Quick Reference Guides To:

tools:

Our History 

Calvary Spokane grew out of a series of informal meetings held at the Ridpath Hotel in 1981 by a small group of Christians from Idaho. Jim Kempner, an evangelist with the Calvary fellowship in Costa Mesa, led these initial gatherings and became the first pastor as the group moved to Willard Elementary School in September 1981.

Soon, over 400 people were attending, and the group purchased an old church at 708 W. Nora Street in May 1982. With this move, attendance soared to over 700, necessitating a second Sunday morning service. In September 1983, Jim Kempner returned to the pastoral staff at Calvary Costa Mesa as Ken Ortize left that staff to become the new pastor in Spokane.

God blessed this ministry as the church grew in numbers and spiritual maturity. In 1986, the church added a daily radio program, Matters of the Heart, which was heard on a number of independent radio stations around the country until December 2009.

Expanding as far as possible in this facility and believing God was leading, in 1989, Calvary Spokane purchased a major portion of the Fairwood Shopping Center which offered the potential for 80,000 square feet of space for a sanctuary, meeting rooms and classroom spaces. With severely limited financial resources and mostly volunteer construction help, the first phase was completed in seven months with initial church services beginning in October 1990. Services were held in this "temporary" facility until our new sanctuary was complete. In November 1997, with the Lord's blessing, we completed our new 1,500-seat sanctuary.

Today, many changes have taken place, but our focus remains the same – to bring glory to our Lord through the study of His Word, and having been impacted by His Word, to make His name known "to the ends of the earth."

Mission 

What Is A Mission Statement?

A Mission Statement by definition is “a formal summary of the aims and values of a company, organization, or individual.” To put it more simply, it explains an organization’s purpose for existing, and it seeks to fulfill that purpose. As such, the Mission Statement serves as a frame of reference to evaluate whether or not a person or organization is staying on track with the reason they came into existence in the first place.

Since Calvary Spokane is a Bible-based Church, we seek to understand our mission based on what the Bible and Jesus taught as the primary mission of His Church. Our objective is not to build our kingdom, but His. (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:20)

How We See Our Mission

The Church’s mission, as defined by Jesus in the Four Gospels and Acts, has come to be known as The Great Commission. The following five passages are those from which the Great Commission is derived. They all represent Jesus’ final instructions to His followers after His resurrection.

Mark 16:15-16: Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Matthew 28:19-20: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Luke 24:45-48: Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."

John 20:21: Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Acts 1:6-8: So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Three Basic Objectives

As we read these passages, we have concluded there are three basic objectives a church should be committed to doing:

Saving the Lost

Although it is God who does the work of saving, it is the responsibility of the Church to do the work of evangelism. We are commanded:

To go into all the world and preach.

Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations.

As the Father sent me, I am sending you.

You will be my witnesses.

Clearly God has ordained the world will hear the Gospel through believers who are committed to sharing the Gospel to all who will hear it.

Romans 10:13-15: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Strengthen the Weak

Unfortunately, many Christians, once they are saved, never mature in their faith. We believe this is due in large part to the Church’s failure to strengthen the faith of new believers 
(Luke 22:32). Yet Jesus clearly included this part of our mission in His Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19-20: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Luke 24:45: Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

John 20:22: And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

From these passages we can conclude that a person who has been discipled has been baptized, displays obedience to the commands of Jesus, has come to a foundational understanding of the Bible, has been filled with the Holy Spirit and leads a Spirit-led life.

Sending to Serve

Finally, as much as we love to see our churches grow numerically and filled with saved and strong believers, this is not God’s ultimate goal. The church is not meant to be the final resting place of the Church. That is what heaven is for.

Rather, the greater purpose of saving and strengthening is to:

Ephesians 4:12: Prepare God’s people for works of service, so the body of Christ may be built up.

Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

So, just as parents need to release their children when they reach physical, mental and emotional maturity, so also the Church must be willing to release her spiritual progeny into Christian service when they become:

Ephesians 4:13: Mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

We call this last step sending to serve, in imitation of Jesus’ statement in:

John 20:21: Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Summary

Some churches today state their main mission is to save the lost. Others, that they are called to strengthen. Still others call themselves mission churches, because their sole concern is sending.

It is our conviction God has called all Christians and all Churches to be committed to doing all three. Together, saving, strengthening and sending form a process that leads to mature mission. Neglect of any one part of this process will result in spiritual retardation, and eventually into the weakening of the Church, leading to ineffectiveness and a failure to fulfill our purpose.

What to Expect  

There is something going on at Calvary Spokane nearly every day of the week. For our calendar, click here.For events and times, click here.

Our main services are on Sunday mornings and Thursday Evenings. There are two Sunday morning services; at 9:00 & 11:15 am. Thursday evenings Pizza and fellowship starts at 5:00pm; service begins at 7:00pm. Full child-care is available at Sunday & Thursday services.

Worship Services

We welcome visitors at all of our services and events. Worship summarizes all that we do as we live for God, on Sundays and Thursdays we express our worship to God together through singing and listening to the teaching of the Bible. We incorporate both contemporary choruses and traditional hymns, blending together various musical styles.

The messages focus on the meaning of a portion of the Bible in its original context and show its relevance for our lives today. We tend to teach verse by verse through a book of the Bible. We encourage people to bring a Bible to follow along. If you don't have a Bible we would love to give one to you. Bibles are available in the pews.

Getting Involved

The Bible likens the church to a spiritual family, so we encourage people to get to know one another and establish friendships. This doesn’t happen easily in large groups, as we have in our worship services. So we offer a wide variety of smaller group fellowships throughout the week. Additionally, we have found that the best way to build significant relationships is to get involved in serving.

How should I dress when I come?

Calvary invites anyone interested in hearing the message of God's grace, and does not require a certain type of dress to attend. At any given time, you will find people wearing everything from suits to shorts. Since God looks at men’s hearts and not their outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7), we endeavor to do so as well. The most common form of dress could be best described as “casual.”

How many people attend Calvary?

Approximately 4,000 people consider Calvary Spokane to be their church home. A typical Sunday morning attendance is about 2,500 to 3,000. Our main sanctuary seats 1,500.

In an effort to create more informal opportunities to fellowship, we have two community centers on either side of the sanctuary. These are full-service areas with coffee, food services, and a bookstore.

What do you have for kids?

Calvary Spokane makes reaching young people a priority, and that is evident by the excellent programs offered for every age group. Our programs are also designed with the safety of your children in mind. You can create your child’s check-in account in advance from the comfort of your own home at go.kidcheck.comFor more information on this or any of our Children’s programs, visit our page for "Children's Ministry"or "Youth Ministry."

Membership?

Calvary Spokane does not have a formal membership or membership process. For legal purposes, our membership list is composed of those who contribute financially to the ministries of the church.

If you desire to get involved in serving, we require that persons first attend Calvary Spokane for six months. You can click hereto see available opportunities to serve.

What are Calvary's doctrinal beliefs?

For a full statement of our beliefs, download our Statement of Faith, or pick up a printed copy of our Statement of Faith at the Information Center. We also have a number of other short statements on a wide variety of topics. (What We Believe)

How does Calvary receive financial support?

Calvary is supported exclusively through the tithes, free-will gifts and offerings of those who consider themselves a part of the faith community of Calvary Spokane. Online Giving.

Bulletin 

Did you miss this weeks bulletin?  Did you want to view it for the first time?  Please click on the link below and you will be able to view the most current bulletin and print it at your convenience. You can also check about any updates to the bulletin (times, places, etc.) on our Church Calendar.

View the Weekly Bulletin!