Skip Heitzig (born 1955) is the founder and senior pastor of Calvary Church, a Calvary Chapel fellowship located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. [1]
A native of Southern California, Heitzig has three siblings (his brother, Bob, died in a motorcycle accident in 1975 and his brother, James, passed away in 2019).
He has been described as a former "marijuana smoking surfer dude." [2] Heitzig was witnessed to by a friend, Gino Geraci, senior pastor of Calvary South Denver. [3] Skip's conversion came while watching a Billy Graham crusade on TV and giving his life to Jesus. Shortly after this experience, Heitzig began to study under Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. [4]
In 1981, Heitzig married his wife, Lenya, and together they moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to continue his work in the medical field. [1] Together, they have one son, Nathan. [5]
In 1982, Heitzig began a home Bible study that eventually grew into Calvary of Albuquerque. [1] In 1988 and 1989, Calvary of Albuquerque was listed as one of the fastest-growing churches in America. [6] In 2009, Calvary of Albuquerque was listed as one of the 15 largest churches in America, with an average weekend attendance of 13,000. [7]
After a brief pastorate in San Juan Capistrano (Ocean Hills, 2004-2006), Heitzig returned to Calvary of Albuquerque as senior pastor in 2006, [8] following the resignation of the previous pastor, Pete Nelson. [9] [10]
Heitzig serves on several boards of directors, including that of Samaritan's Purse. He also serves as Associate Professor of Pastoral and Biblical Studies at Veritas International University.
Heitzig attended Victor Valley Community College in California and UCLA.[ citation needed ]
Heitzig earned a Ph.D. from Trinity Southwest University in New Mexico and an M.A. and B.A. from Trinity Seminary, Newburgh, Indiana. [11]
Heitzig is the author of several books and booklets, including:
Heitzig can be heard throughout the United States and worldwide on his radio broadcast, The Connection, [12] as well as various cable and internet-based television channels (His Channel, KNET). [13]
Thousands of his teachings are available on the Calvary Church with Skip Heitzig YouTube channel, which has nearly 250,000 subscribers. The Connect with Skip Heitzig podcast is featured on OnePlace.com and Pray.com. With dozens of studies available on YouVersion, readers can find daily devotional plans covering a range of topics and specific books of the Bible, as well as a widely popular reading challenge—the 30K 30 Day Challenge, which offers a fast-paced overview of the New Testament.
As a musician, songwriter, and producer, Heitzig has been featured on several musical projects, including:
Heitzig wrote the lyrics to the modern hymn (with Brian Nixon) "Gloria Exaltus" (2008), which was released on the album Stars Shine Bright. [14]
Heitzig hosted the video documentary Epicenter (Tyndale 2007), with author Joel C. Rosenberg, as well as the documentary The Jesus Boat (2009). In 2010, Heitzig released two additional documentaries, Shattered and Riptide. Heitzig has also been a featured guest on several documentaries and video teachings, including A Venture in Faith.
Calvary Chapel is an international association of charismatic evangelical churches, with origins in Pentecostalism. It maintains a number of radio stations around the world and operates many local Calvary Chapel Bible College programs.
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Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa is a Christian megachurch located near the boundary between the cities of Costa Mesa and Santa Ana in Orange County. Although the church takes its name from its original facilities on the Costa Mesa side of the boundary, it is now in Santa Ana. The original Calvary Chapel, the church has grown since 1965 from a handful of people, led by senior pastor Chuck Smith, to become the "mother church" of over one thousand congregations worldwide. Outreach Magazine's list of the 100 Largest Churches in America lists attendance as 9,500, making it the thirty-ninth largest in America.
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KLYT is a non-commercial FM radio station broadcasting a Christian talk and teaching radio format, branded as "The Light." The principal station is in Albuquerque, with two FM translators and two repeaters around New Mexico. The station is owned by Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque, Inc.
Charles Ward "Chuck" Smith was an American pastor who founded the Calvary Chapel movement. Beginning with the 25-person Costa Mesa congregation in 1965, Smith's influence now extends to "more than 1,000 churches nationwide and hundreds more overseas", some of which are among the largest churches in the United States. He has been called "one of the most influential figures in modern American Christianity." The founding of Calvary Chapel is depicted in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution, with Smith being portrayed by Kelsey Grammer.
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