Basic Church Information
Church Website: https://tooelesprings.org/
Address: 47 N. Main Street, Tooele, Utah 84074
Phone #: 435-962-9427
Email: chrisbegnaud@yahoo.com
Online Services: https://tooelesprings.org/index.php/messages
Questionnaire
Last time we sent our questions to this church, they declined to answer them. I am currently waiting to see if they are willing to answer them with our new format.
1. What is your church's official position on tithing?
I couldn’t find anything tithing or giving related on the website with the exception of their giving page which allows people to give to their church. There is no compelling people to give by using the Bible or anything like that, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that this church doesn’t pressure giving or even require it of members. We will just have to check this church in person to find out more about this topic.
2. Does your church have a particular set of rules or requirements that members must follow or abide by in order to retain their membership status with the church?
This is another issue that will require a closer look to find the answer. There is nothing on the website to suggest that they have a membership class, requirements, or a membership agreement of some kind. At the same time, Calvary Chapel SLC’s website doesn’t indicate anything like this either, and yet they do have a membership class.
We’ll just have to make this church a priority for physical checking once we’re in the area.
3. Are you transparent with your church's financial information? How much does your church bring in through donations and tithing, and how is that money distributed?
We don't see anything online to indicate financial transparency. We will have to speak to someone directly at the church to find out for sure. We await their response and will update this review once we have it.
4. Which denomination does your church align with the most, if any?
This is a Calvary Chapel. While CC doesn’t come off as a typical denomination and rather presents itself as a group or fellowship of churches, there is a statement of faith that they must be in harmony with in addition to several other standards in order to be considered a Calvary Chapel.
5. Is your church's pastor available for other questions or comments regarding the church, its doctrines, etc.?
I got the impression from pastor Chris last year when I spoke with him that he is very open to answering questions.
6. How is your church's doctrinal flexibility and tolerance? If a member has a disagreement with the pastor or leadership on a certain doctrine, how is it handled? Does the church change its position on doctrines fairly often, if at all?
Based on what we know about Calvary Chapel, it is safe to assume that all Calvary Chapel churches must align with a statement of faith established by Chuck Smith and the other top dogs at the Calvary Chapel Board of Directors. I think if a Calvary Chapel church or its pastor were to change positions on an issue that doesn’t line up with the Calvary Chapel’s statement of faith, they would probably no longer be allowed to bear the Calvary Chapel name.
As far as handling disagreements and doctrinal disputes within the church itself and between individuals, we won’t know this without further investigation.
7. Does your church require that its members be baptized? What is your church's official position on baptism?
Calvary Chapels do not typically believe in baptismal regeneration. Calvary Chapel SLC does have a baptism class and Calvary Chapel Sevier Valley has no requirements regarding baptism in their church whatsoever, so it’s pretty safe to assume that this church lines up similarly. They don’t mention baptism on their website at all, so I’m guessing while they do baptisms, they must not push it or require it for members in the same way some of the legalistic churches we’ve checked do.
8. Please describe what a typical service and/or meeting looks like in your church.
This is how they describe their services on their website:
“Our Services consist of contemporary Christian worship music. Relevant practical verse by verse Biblical teaching. Fellowship of believers dedicated to loving one another, and prayer.”
9. How many people do you have on staff at your church, both paid and volunteer?
They don’t have any of this information on their website, so unless pastor Chris or someone with Tooele Springs Calvary Chapel decides to share this with us, we don’t know.
10. What is the pastor's educational history?
On the homepage of the website, it says pastor Chris “...attended Bible College at Joshua Springs Calvary Chapel where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Biblical Studies.”
11. How does the church discipline its members with their sin?
We won’t know this either until we investigate this church further since pastor Chris has yet to answer our questions.
12. How is the pastor compensated (income, benefits, bonuses, etc.)?
The church has so far declined to answer this question.
13. What is the size of your church and any other space the church owns for meetings and church services?
As we’ve already mentioned, they have over 900 Facebook likes and follows, which probably makes their actual congregation size somewhere around 200-400 members. The size of their building or any other space they own is unknown to us.
14. What is the preaching style at this church?
Calvary Chapels all seem to have the same preaching style, which is verse by verse teaching through the Bible.
Have helpful information on Tooele Springs Calvary Chapel? Let us know in the comments below!