The CGN Podcast

This season, on Mission & Methods, we are getting to know members of the CGN Executive Team. Rafael Manzaneras is the pastor of  Santa Ponsa Community Church , on the island of Mallorca, in Spain. Rafael has a unique global perspective, having served in the United States and Europe for many years. In this episode, Rafael shares his story of growing up in both Spain and the United States, and h...

This season, on Mission & Methods, we are getting to know members of the CGN Executive Team. Jeff Gipe has a unique background, having been a successful businessman in Southern California, and then planting and pastoring a church. He now uses these skills and experiences to serve Calvary Global Network, both as a member of the staff, and as the head of the Funding Team. In this episode, Jeff t...

Welcome to CGN Voices. We are in a mini series called CGN Voices from Ukraine, a series dedicated to sharing powerful stories of resilience, faith, and service in the face of great difficulty. In this episode, we have the privilege of hearing a remarkable story shared by Lena Morrison from Calvary Chapel in Svitlovodsk, Ukraine. Lena shares her story of choosing to stay in Ukraine after the beginn...

Welcome to "Voices from Ukraine", a mini-series inside look at the resilience, faith, and service of Calvary Chapel believers in Ukraine during the difficult months since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. In this special edition, we sit down with Tanya Kotelenets from a church in eastern Ukraine. Kotelenets shares her harrowing experiences from the first days of th...

Ted Leavenworth is the Lead Pastor of Reliance Church in Temecula, CA. In addition to pastoring Reliance, Ted leads the Care and Coaching Team for CGN. In this episode, Ted discusses the benefits of coaching and church assessment, and describes how their team is able to help provide support for leaders, but also practical training to up-skill those who desire help from other leaders with more expe...

Wayne Taylor is the founding pastor of Calvary Fellowship in Seattle, Washington. As part of the first generation of Calvary Chapel pastors, Wayne has been in pastoral ministry for over 40 years, during which time he was involved in the planting of over 50 churches in the Pacific Northwest, Europe, and Russia. Wayne is passionate about prayer and evangelism, and in this episode, he shares about ho...

Richard Cimino has been a pastor for over 40 years, the majority of which was spent in Northern California. In this discussion, we talk about the importance of cultivating friendships in ministry. Richard shares very candidly about some of his hardest experiences as a pastor, including closing down a church, and how it was his friendships with other pastors and ministry leaders which God used to e...

Kellen Criswell serves as the Global Strategist for Calvary Global Network. In many ways he is the architect of CGN. In this episode, Kellen shares about his background as a worship leader and church planter, and the events which led to him being involved in helping build CGN as an organization. Kellen is currently based in Hungary, and we discuss God’s work through Calvary Chapel in Europe in the...

Bill is the pastor of Calvary Chapel in Inglewood, California — a community that is rapidly changing, and in this episode, Bill shares about some ways they are addressing those changes, reaching out, and discipling the people God is bringing their way.  Bill is also the father of a child with a disability, and he shares how his son’s disability has shaped him and his family, and how it has changed...

Tommy Cota is the pastor of Hope Alive Church in Santa Ana, California.  In this episode, Tommy shares about his background, growing up in Los Angeles and being involved with drugs and gangs, and how God took hold of his heart and transformed his life. Tommy also shares about his journey of planting a church in Santa Ana, and how God has opened doors for him to minister to youth in public schools....

In this bonus episode, Nick Cady speaks with Zhenya Chekushkin, the leader of the Calvary Chapel network of churches in Ukraine. Calvary Chapel has had a presence in Ukraine since the early 1990’s, and currently has around 20 churches in different cities throughout the country. Recently a group of CGN leaders travelled to Western Ukraine to encourage those in the Calvary network who have been mini...

On this season of Mission & Methods, hosts Nick Cady and Brian Brodersen are interviewing some of the members of the CGN Executive Team, so that you can get to know who they are and what they are passionate about. Nate Holdridge is the Pastor of Calvary Monterey , in Monterey, California. He is the author of several books, including his recent book: Whole-Hearted Work, which you can find on hi...

Welcome to Season 4 of the CGN Mission & Methods Podcast! This season, hosts Nick Cady and Brian Brodersen are interviewing the members of the Calvary Global Network executive team so you can get to know them, their hearts, and what they are excited about for the future. In this first episode of the new season, Nick and Brian speak with Joel Turner, pastor of Mountain Springs Calvary Chapel in...

Pastor Ray Ortlund is the president of Renewal Ministries and serves as a pastor to pastors from his home base at Immanuel Church in Nashville, Tennessee. A friend of Calvary Global Network, Ray spoke at the 2022 CGN International Conference on the topic of building and fostering gospel-centered culture in our churches. In this second bonus episode, and the final episode of Season 3, we have Pasto...

In the New Testament we see how, as the gospel spread, new churches were established as hubs for discipleship and carrying out God’s mission in a local area. But is there still a need for new churches today? In this final episode of Season 3, Nick Cady speaks with the Core Team of the Cultivate Church Planter Training Program , an initiative of CGN which has developed a local-church based program...

Expositors Collective is an organization that hosts training events and provides resources to help people grow as Bible teachers and preachers of God’s Word. Recently, Expositors Collective came into formal relationship with CGN. Teaching, according to the Bible, is a Spiritual gift, and it is also a skill which can be developed and improved. What is the relationship between the spiritual gifting...

In Acts 20:26 Paul the Apostle tells the leaders of the Ephesian church that he innocent of their blood because, during his time in Ephesus, he taught them “the whole counsel of God’s Word.” What does it mean to teach the whole counsel of God’s word, and how can we be sure we are doing this in our churches? One of the core values of CGN is biblical literacy. In this episode, Nick Cady speaks with...

One of the things CGN exists to do, is to provide care and coaching for those in ministry leadership. How do we help people to avoid burnout? How do we help those who are struggling with very difficult things, either in ministry or on a personal level? This past July, we partnered with Cross Culture Missions to put on a conference specifically for those in our network who have been involved in pro...

What does CGN believe about the nature, purpose, and destiny of the church, both locally and globally? What constitutes a church, and what role do churches, and “the church” as a whole, have to play in God’s mission in the world? Furthermore, what models of church government can be found in CGN churches? In this episode, Nick Cady speaks with Kellen Criswell about CGN’s beliefs about ecclesiology....

One of the phrases you might hear us use to describe who we are and what we’re about as Calvary Global Network, is the phrase: “Gospel-Centered Renewal.” For example, on our website, we describe ourselves as “a family of churches working together for gospel-centered renewal.” But what do we mean by that? What is “renewal” - and what makes “Gospel-centered renewal” unique? In this episode, Nick Cad...

How much of an emphasis does Calvary Global Network put on eschatology: the area of theology that deals with studying the end times? What is CGN’s position on end times theology, and how does the network relate to those who do not hold that position? In this episode, Nick Cady speaks with Brian Brodersen and Kellen Criswell about “Premillenialism," which is one of the theological streams to which...

The recent years have presented new challenges for pastors and leaders, and many studies are showing that discouragement is at an all time high. Even apart the unique events of the past few years, pastoring and leading can be difficult. What is CGN doing as a network to provide care and coaching for pastors and leaders? In this episode, Brian Brodersen, Kellen Criswell, and Nick Cady are joined by...

What is the role of mission and outreach in the life of a church, or in the life of a disciple of Jesus? Is engagement in missions an optional activity, or is it an integral part of what it means to be a Christian? Where exactly is the “mission field”? In this episode, I speak with Kellen Criswell and Mike Neglia about the history of missions and missional engagement in Calvary Chapel, and why thi...

What is CGN doing to help churches in practical ways, including finances, pastoral coaching, and other resources? In this episode, I speak with Kellen Criswell and Jeff Gipe about the Funding and Development initiatives within CGN, and they share stories of how collaborative funds have already been used to help churches during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to fund new church plants.  Jeff...

What do CGN leaders believe about the charismatic gifts mentioned in the Bible — specifically, the spiritual gifts of prophecy, healing, and speaking in tongues? Are these gifts still in operation? Are they available to Christians today? — And if so, how should they be used practically, in our churches? In this episode of the CGN Mission & Methods podcast, I sit down with Brian Brodersen and K...