As the CC movement continued to expand, Bible schools were formed to train eager new believers who wanted to grow in their knowledge of God’s Word. Many of those men went into ministry. Read more in this installment of our continuing series honoring the life of CC founder Pastor Chuck Smith. This installment is reprinted from Issue 97 (Fall 2023) of the print magazine.

The Bible College

During the early 1970s, crowds were flocking to concerts by LoveSong, Parable, Chuck Butler, and other musicians and hearing the Gospel presented by Tom Stipe or Mike MacIntosh—with several hundred new believers being baptized monthly at Pirate’s Cove at Corona Del Mar. Pastor Chuck Smith asked Don McClure, then 24, to teach on Friday nights. 

The clean-cut Don was good-naturedly dubbed “The IBM Salesman” by his hippie brothers because of his collared shirts and “square” demeanor. “My Friday night Bible study was the smallest thing going at the time,” Don chuckled. “Someone suggested I have LoveSong come play to draw more crowds. So I talked to Chuck about it.” In Chuck’s office, Don asked his advice. In Chuck’s gentle leadership style, he asked Don what God was leading him to do. “I told him I wanted to keep my teaching focused on exposition. My heart was always for Bible school, because that’s where my life was really changed. My growth [came] when I had five hours a day of Bible school, and that’s what I wanted to give people. Chuck said, ‘I’m all for that.’” 

At first, Don started a new Tuesday night Bible school; to his chagrin, 1,500 people showed up. “How do you disciple 1,500 people? It was wonderful and terrible,” he laughed. So he searched for a place where students could come away and be immersed in Bible study. He found it: a resort-style property in Twin Peaks, high up in the San Bernadino mountains. Soon, classes started in 1975 with about 60 students who lived on campus and studied the Word for 13 weeks. “Pastor Chuck would come up and teach a few days,” he said, a practice that continued over the years. “A lot of those students went off into ministry. Not long after that, in California Raul Ries started a school in West Covina and Mike MacIntosh started a School of Evangelism in San Diego. Different pastors began different schools with their own style and emphasis.” 

Initially dubbed Calvary Bible School, it was overseen by Don McClure until God called him away to plant a church a few years later. Pastor David Grisanti was invited by Paul Smith to be one of the on-campus pastor-teachers in the 1980s. “When I met the students, I saw such a hunger and eagerness in them to learn,” recalled David. “One of my students in 1980 was David Guzik,” who has since become one of the most popular Bible commentators in the Calvary Chapel family. 

The Grisantis watched as the two young students, David and Inga-Lill, fell in love at Bible college; their former teacher eventually officiated their wedding. “We still keep in touch to this day. In fact, we just helped lead a pastors and wives retreat together in Uganda,” David Grisanti said. “The East African pastors were very thankful that Dave was able to participate in the retreat, as most of them had read his commentaries. Inga-Lill and a team of ladies conducted a dental clinic all week, bringing a special dimension the participants never had before.” David Grisanti noted that, as a student, David Guzik was an eager learner and asked intelligent questions. “One Bible college student went on to translate for Wycliffe.” Another student would later impact the entire Deep South. 

Southward Expansion

The Word for Today was heard in faraway places across the country. Sandy Adams began listening to Pastor Chuck Smith’s radio broadcast in his hometown near Atlanta, GA. Though growing up a Southern Baptist, he was intrigued by the verse-by-verse teaching and hearing of the amazing impact of the Jesus Movement. In 1980, Sandy began attending Calvary Chapel Bible College. What he learned, in the classroom and out, would continue to shape his ministry, even to this day at Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain in Atlanta’s suburbs. The Deep South Pastors and Leaders Conference, held at Stone Mountain, is a very precious time for many pastors in the South. Sandy is currently one of the CCA board members who lead and helped shape the future of Calvary Chapel after the death of Pastor Chuck. 

Also instrumental in the South, Malcolm Wild was a top Christian artist with the British duo, Malcolm and Alwyn. He served as an assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa before he and his wife, Carol, answered the call to plant a church in Merritt Island, FL, close to Cape Canaveral.  John Spencer began Coastline Calvary Chapel in 1983 in his hometown of Gulf Breeze, FL, influencing the panhandle of Florida for Christ. 

Unique Yet Like-Minded

During the 1980s, the Lord raised up hundreds of men and women to serve Him—making the Calvary Chapel Movement one of the fastest-growing in recent history. Each story was unique, yet shared commonalities in transformed lives and the power of teaching the Word of God. 

From CC Costa Mesa’s Shepherd’s School, Bill Stonebraker and Raul Ries became friends—the introverted surfboard shaper from Hawaii and the aggressive martial artist who grew up in Mexico and Los Angeles. Though different, there were striking similarities: Both had been healed of anger through Chuck’s Bible messages. While Bill shared Chuck’s tapes in his North Shore home, Raul had played them for a group in his dojo; both groups had flourished into churches within a year. Encouraged by Chuck in their calling as pastors, both men would go on to plant other churches. Both growing up without a loving dad, Raul and Bill also saw Chuck as their spiritual father figure, a mentor who encouraged them and modeled a gracious, loving father. 

Transformed radically from a violent and troubled ex-sniper in the U.S. Marines special forces, Raul went on to become pastor of Calvary Chapel Golden Springs, CA. His life is featured in the film aptly titled, From Fury to Freedom. Raul recalled his early days: “I had to learn to be a Christian father … to be a shepherd to God’s people and to lead a ministry. … Chuck taught me something: ‘If you defend yourself, the Lord won’t defend you.’ [My wife] Sharon has taught me a lot—she has a real heart for people—to wait on the Lord and love people.” Sharon, the daughter of missionary parents, has helped spearhead the translation of Raul’s books and sermons into Spanish and other languages. Raul’s program, Somebody Loves You, is heard internationally on more than 350 radio stations and translators. 

In our next installment, learn more about young men, mentored in God’s Word, who became pastors of thriving Calvary Chapel fellowships.

© 2023 Calvary Chapel Magazine (CCM). All rights reserved. Articles or photographs may not be reproduced without the written permission of CCM. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.® Used by permission.