(951) 676-8700
[email protected]
Calvary Baptist Church | Temecula, CA

About Us

In a day when many groups are attempting to incorporate each new cultural trend into their idea of worship, Calvary Baptist Church has continued to emphasize the unchanging truths of the Word of God. Our primary objective is not so much to be pleasing to the culture around us as it is to be pleasing to our Saviour. Because of that objective, we have fervent Bible preaching, Christ-honoring music with a clear message, and a strong emphasis upon world missions and fulfilling the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20). At Calvary Baptist Church you’ll find that friendly home town church atmosphere, and a place where God still touches hearts and changes lives to His glory.

We would be glad to answer any questions you may have, about the church or spiritual things in general. We would be happy to have you in our services, or to come and visit you personally. Please call us if we can be of help.

Our History

First Services – May 1987

In 1987, Pastor Rench moved his family to Rancho California (now Temecula), a small town with only one stoplight. He knocked several hundred doors weekly to proclaim the Gospel and invite people to a new church starting down the road.

Fifteen people attended that first service with only the Rench family (Pastor, Wendy, Nicole, Nathan, and Ryan) returning that night.

They met on Sundays for five years at the Hillcrest Carden School on Santiago Road, and on Wednesdays at Pastor’s house.

First Baptism – August 1987

For the first baptism, the church met at a local apartment building and used their swimming pool.

Property Purchase – 1989

The church raised $25,000 to put money down on our current five acres.

Third Anniversary – May 1990

The church rented a tent and held their third anniversary services on the new property!

Building Construction – June 1991

The first building is being built in the background behind Pastor Rench and Pastor Ryan (age 4).

First Building – October 1992

The church moved into their first building, which included an auditorium (served as the fellowship hall), classrooms, bathrooms, and a kitchen.

Constructing the New Sanctuary

The new addition was built by donated labor and took 2.5 years. We enjoyed “rugged” activities and fellowships in the area under construction.

Tenth Anniversary – May 1997

We met in our new sanctuary which was under construction at the time.

Complete!

We were finally able to complete the building project and dedicate its use to the Lord. Praise God!

Fellowship and Sunday School Expansion – 2006

Seeing the need for a larger fellowship hall, more classrooms, and additional bathrooms, we started another multi-phase building project.

We completed the Fellowship Hall and 2-story Sunday school wing in 2008.

Sanctuary Expansion – 2008

We moved our services into the Fellowship Hall while we expanded the sanctuary.

Expansion Complete – 2009

Praise the Lord for our current facilities!

Timeless or Trendy?

Should churches feel timeless or trendy? Malls are trendy. Churches should feel timeless.

With the forceful current of constant change sweeping over every part of our lives, people have the need to connect with something enduring and firm. We believe Christ designed the church to fulfill that need by representing an eternal kingdom and ageless truth with no need to imitate the culture.

Welcome to Calvary Baptist Church! We’re a place that still feels like church. It won’t feel like a rock concert, comedy club, or motivational seminar. It’s not old-fashioned, as in 50 years ago. It is timeless, as in 2000 years ago. It’s still church.

Since 1987

Since our beginning in 1987, Calvary Baptist Church has been contending for truth, not traditions or trends. We believe that since God’s ways are timeless, we should anchor our lives to His timeless Word.

Are new and trendy things bad? No. But they’re new. They haven’t been tested by time. New paths don’t always mean better paths. We’ve chosen to stick to the same old path that has worked for generations before us. We choose to be timeless.

Still Preaching

Dynamic, passionate preaching straight from the Bible still brings more lasting change than comedy routines, drama, or motivational talks. Come discover the benefit of Bible preaching.

Preaching conjures up a lot of different images in people’s minds these days. Boring. Dry. Irrelevant. Maybe you haven’t heard real Bible preaching! Preaching is simply a passionate and dynamic communication of an important and vital truth from the Bible. The preaching you hear will first of all be Bible-centered. We still believe in the absolute truth of the time-tested Word of God. Be sure to bring your Bible because you will need it. Second, it will be relevant and clear. You won’t wonder what the point was and you will be able to use it immediately. Last, it will be passionate and unapologetic. In a culture of “believe-whatever-you-want-regardless-of-whether-it-is-actually- true,” preaching might seem offensive to sensitive ears. Rather than water it down and mix it with entertainment, we still believe in that timeless, biblical practice called preaching.

Still Hymns

Most church music amounts to dumbing down the lyrics and cranking up the volume to build interest. The hymns we sing still generate an attitude toward God that is anything but lifeless and boring.

Have you noticed that church just doesn’t sound like church anymore? The latest music trends rule the pew and no one really knows where that will stop. Isn’t it amazing how rock stations can make it promoting the oldies, but the modern church is now scared of the hymns? Even the oldies stations want the music pure, but if today’s church includes a hymn, it has to be reworked in modern rock to be accepted. We still believe the hymn is the most truthful and exciting form of music used in the church. Where it is appreciated, it is not boring. Even the hymnal is alive and well. Public schools know that if you want the most learning and participation, give the kids a book. Don’t get us wrong. We love new music and we like it to be loud. We just enjoy the volume coming from the congregation rather than from the guitar speaker. Come rediscover the excitement from the hymns.

Still Reverent

Every American institution knows that being casual affects our attitude. While you won’t find a judgmental spirit here, you will find a place that still believes reverence is right for the presence of God.

American culture has become obsessed with casual. Having invaded every major institution including schools, businesses, and courtrooms, each of these have already lived to regret it. It is rare to find a serious classroom or courtroom that promotes “do as you want” and “drink as you please.” On the other hand, it is just as rare to find a church that doesn’t promote a casual or even careless approach in the services. We still believe that the presence of a Holy God deserves our attempt to express respect and reverence; not because it impresses Him, but because it affects our own hearts and attitudes. Reverence is a fading virtue in America, not because God no longer deserves it, but because churches no longer promote it. While we believe God deserves our best, we don’t try to police what that is. A heavy-handed  judgmental spirit can often be worse than lack of reverence that is expressed in the casual approach to worship.

Still Men

The rumor that masculine men hate church is greatly exaggerated. Come discover an environment where plenty of real men still believe God expects them to step up and provide strong, loving leadership in the church and in their families.

Look inside most churches today and one of the most notable vacancies is men. In particular, masculine men. We want you to know that’s not true everywhere. Calvary Baptist Church can be called a “man’s church” because of the generous involvement of men in every facet. We still believe men are expected to provide strong leadership within the church and their homes. Generations of that kind of leadership is one secret to America’s greatness. Feminism would have you think that masculinity demeans the woman, yet biblical masculinity is humble and compassionate and values a lady more than life itself.

Still Family

Our culture’s experiments with the family have left the American home in a mess. We still teach the biblical roles for the family as the best answer and only hope for stable, fulfilled homes.
The family has been redefined in America until there seems to be no absolute standard. In fact, the traditional, biblical definition of the home has become the minority. Even the most casual observer would have to admit that the American home is in trouble. A marriage with a mom and a dad whose love for each other grows year by year, surrounded by children who are happy and respectful is little more than a fairytale. Yet, in truth it really is more than a fairytale. It can be a reality and we still believe the key is the biblical roles for the family. Call them old-fashioned or timeless; the biblical plan still works when people work the plan. Our church is full of homes of various kinds, whether starting out right or trying to restore broken relationships around the proven biblical standard. With an abundance of young families and children, come enjoy a church that is still family.

Still Exciting

God doesn’t need the Top 40 or latest fads to be exciting. We still enjoy several timeless practices that stir the soul in a way that strobe lights and dancing in the aisles can never manufacture.
There is a mistaken idea these days that God needs the help of the latest fads and technologies to be considered exciting. The truth about Him just isn’t enough; it takes the latest music styles and entertainment trends to bring life to His attributes. Entertainment and true worship don’t produce the same result, though. Once a church starts down the path of entertainment, the destination is unpredictable and likely undesirable. What is exciting to the older folks is not tolerated by the younger and a church becomes divided generationally. That doesn’t quite sound like the church Christ had in mind. We still believe that church can be exciting without borrowing the latest fads to kick-start the crowd. Several practices have been used for centuries and they haven’t gone out of style because entertainment is not the standard. It can still be exciting even when it still feels like church.

FAQ

Sundays at 9:30am, 10:30am and 5:30pm. Wednesdays at 7pm.

Sunday

  • Adult Bible Classes 9:30 AM
  • Children’s Sunday School 9:30 AM
  • Morning Service 10:30 AM
  • Children’s Church 10:30 AM
  • Evening Service 5:30 PM

Wednesday

  • Master Clubs Children’s Ministry 6:45 PM
  • Evening Service 7:00 PM

Loving nursery care provided by trained workers for all services.

Check out our LOCATION section for directions and a map.

The buildings can get a little confusing, but we have plenty of people who can show you the way!

Meanwhile, get a feel for the layout with our BUILDING MAPS page.

Since 1987. We met in a rented school building for 5 years before moving to our current location.

No. We ask nothing of you as a guest, just like you would ask nothing of a guest coming to your home. Financial giving is a way for a Christian to express his gratitude to God for His provision, and is to be done willingly and not under obligation.

Our services are traditional in style yet exciting in nature. We sing hymns because of their truth-saturated content, the choir sings moving songs, soloists or small groups sing excellent specials and the pastor preaches the Word of God at every service. Rather than create a show for people to watch, our services strive to involve everyone in worshiping God in spirit and in truth.

We have no dress code. Many people will come dressed casually, yet others might be dressed up in their “Sunday best” for our services. Everyone–no matter what they wear–is invited and welcomed, but don’t be surprised if men are in suits and ties, and ladies are in dresses or skirts. We figure that if a politician or a business person wears his best for what he deems important (public speech, executive meeting, etc.), the weekly worship of our Creator is at least as important as that. In striving to give God our best in all we do, many of our members will dress up for church as one more small way to show our dedication to Him.

Our church exclusively uses the King James Version of the Bible. This is intentional, but no one will be hateful to you for bringing another version. One of the main benefits of this is that everyone can still bring a Bible to church and be on the same page as everyone else! iPhone and Android Bible apps all include the King James Version, so you can easily follow along (for free).

In our congregational singing, we almost exclusively use the hymns. We figure that if a song-writer from yesteryear could write a song that has endured hundreds of years’ worth of trends and musical tastes, it is still good for us, today. We hear people say OFTEN that they grew up singing hymns, and that they MISS them in the churches that no longer sing them. We also hear people say that they are sad their children do not even know the classics like “Amazing Grace,” “The Old Rugged Cross” and “O For a Thousand Tongues To Sing.” Since contemporary music is (by definition) geared toward current musical tastes and trends, the turnover of new songs through the decades creates an unhealthy taste for “new,” and a disdain for “old.” Instead, we choose to emphasize the timelessness of the truths contained in the hymns.

Nope! Because Scripture teaches that music is more than hymns. While our congregational singing is almost exclusively the hymns, our special choir music and smaller singing groups will use new spiritual songs with a biblical message. With God as our audience, we work to ensure that all our music is pleasing to Him, so you will not find an entertainment mentality among our musicians, but you will hear music that is harmoniously beautiful and shows a level of excellence. The goal of our special music, though, is to be excellent for the sake of pleasing God, not impressing the congregant.

Our children’s classes meet at 10am on Sundays and are divided by age or grade for their teaching times. For more, please see our Ministries page.

Every church exists for its own unique reasons and believes and practices its own teachings (otherwise, why have separate churches?) Several things about our church might be distinct from others in the Temecula Valley:

Baptist Doctrine. As independent Baptists, we are autonomous (not ruled from an outside hierarchy). We identify with the true church that has always existed since Christ and derive our authority from Him. Groups of true believers were not always called Baptist, but were always distinctly separate from the established state churches, and often persecuted by these state churches. (See booklet A Case For Why We Have Church for more; available for free in the bookrack at Calvary Baptist Church.)

KJV. Our church exclusively uses the King James Version of the Bible. We are not militant or hateful about it, but we are intentional and reasoned as to why we believe it is the best version for English-speaking people today.

Sunday Evening Services. We may not be the only church in town that has a Sunday evening service, but we receive a lot of comments on how many churches only do one service, repeated multiple times to accommodate the congregants’ schedules. Our evening service is somewhat less formal, but still a completely fresh service with all new music, specials, and preaching content rather than a repeat of the morning service. (See booklet A Case for Sunday Evening Church for more; available for free in the bookrack at Calvary Baptist Church.)

Wednesday Evening Services. In addition to our Sunday night services, our members also meet on Wednesday night for another preaching and prayer service. The children and the teens meet separately from the adults (combining only for special events), but the Wednesday night services are an encouraging mid-week boost to every Christian who attends.

Weekly Outreach. Every Saturday (and at other times through the week), our church meets together for door-to-door outreach. Another comment we receive OFTEN is, “Oh, I didn’t know Christians did this! We only get Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses coming to our door.” Our church regularly reaches out with the Good News (the Gospel) in public places and door-to-door. (See booklet A Case For Saturday Soul-Winning for more; available for free in the bookrack at Calvary Baptist Church.)

Hymns. As mentioned before (see previous “FAQ” questions), our church intentionally keeps the hymns alive by lifting them up as one of the best ways to worship our Father–through an entire congregation focusing on truth-saturated music all at once.

Choir. Maybe not exclusive to us, but certainly less common in our Valley is the church choir. Our choir meets one hour weekly to rehearse for weekly specials and occasional special events. We consistently sing challenging music to the standards of secular competition choirs. We do not do so for the sake of entertaining, but for worshiping our Saviour and to “EXCEL to the edifying of the church.” 1 Cor. 14:12.

Reverence. While many churches across Southern California might lean more and more casual, we believe a certain level of reverence is healthy for the worshiper. We are reverent when the occasion demands it (i.e. at funerals), and we hold the worship of our Creator high enough to deserve at least a greater level of respect than a business meeting or movie theater. (See booklet A Case for Reverence for more; available for free in the bookrack at Calvary Baptist Church.)

No. Calvary Baptist Church uses the name Baptist as a sort of label–like on a can in your pantry. We hope you come no matter what your background is! You can expect an encouraging service with a thoroughly explained and applied biblical sermon.

Aside from the beliefs already detailed in this FAQ section, you can find our Statement of Faith here.

We teach that baptism and communion are ordinances that are given to the church, and are to be observed only through the church. Our church members partake in communion only a few times per year as a way to reflect on Christ’s sacrifice and express our unity with Him and one another within His body, the local church.

What We Believe

THE SCRIPTURES

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God and therefore are the final authority for all matters of faith and life. We hold the Authorized King James Version to be God’s Word preserved and blessed of God for the English speaking world.

THE GODHEAD

We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections.

THE SON

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that he might reveal God and redeem sinful man.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come; and, that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption.

SALVATION

We believe that salvation is brought about by the grace of God, where by the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of his sin, God righteousness and judgement to come, and the sinner recognizes his lost condition and receives the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. We believe that it is the incorruptable blood of Christ shed on Calvary’s cross which cleanses the sinner and pays the penalty for his sins.

THE ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVERS

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever.

THE CHURCH

We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again baptized persons. It exists for the purpose of edifying the saints, administering the ordinances, and evangelizing the world. We do not subscribe to the theory of a universal, invisible church. We believe that God’s work in the world is to be carried out through his churches, and that world evangelism through missionary endeavours is an essential element of the world of Biblical churches.

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

We believe in that “blessed hope” the personal, imminent return of Christ who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel.

THE ETERNAL STATE

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when the soul and body are reunited, and they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire.

THE PERSON OF SATAN

We believe that Satan is a literal being, the author of sin and the cause of the fall of man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire.

If you would like a more detailed statement of what we believe please feel free to contact us at (951) 676-8700.