Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Pastor Doug Sauder

Founded Unknown

Denomination Calvary Chapel

Service Times See website for times

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website calvaryftl.org

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Affirms Nicene orthodoxy and full deity/humanity of Christ.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Affirms inerrancy and authority of Scripture.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Dedicated men's ministry exists within church structure; leadership-multiplication emphasis ('mobilize missional leaders,' 'actively investing in those just a few steps behind us').

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Salvation by grace through faith alone.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Ministry structure shows separate Men/Women ministries consistent with complementarian Calvary norms; no explicit statement on current site; prior senior pastor resigned in 2014 for moral failure.

Calvary Chapel maintains male pastoral leadership

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Doug Sauder lead pastor since May 2014; multi-campus with 9 campus pastors; elder plurality not clearly documented on About page.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Calvary Chapel tradition is verse-by-verse expository (Chuck Smith legacy) — inherited style, not explicitly re-stated on current About page.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Mission explicitly grounded in Matthew 28:19 Great Commission — 'making disciples by connecting people to God, to people, and to outreach.'

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Uses 'advocate for the vulnerable' and 'broken, hurt, and abandoned' language alongside 'better together' — warm community framing, no explicit DEI/CRT terminology; slight soft-inclusivity tone worth monitoring.

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

R63 re-validation: live homepage reachable. Calvary Chapel Association affiliation confirmed via association logo on homepage. Separate Men/Women ministries confirmed in nav (complementarian structure). Current teaching series 1 & 2 Timothy. No women pastors, no affirming language, no CRT materials, no Comer 'Practicing the Way' surfaced. Doug Sauder lead pastor identification not visible on rendered homepage this round. Held YELLOW (CCA informal network accountability is weaker than denominational tie; gender dimension still flagged for explicit-statement absence).

Strong

Assessment

Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale is a Calvary Chapel — part of the network known for verse-by-verse expository teaching through the Bible, founded by Chuck Smith. One of the largest Calvary Chapels in the Southeast.

#calvary-chapel#expository#florida#fort-lauderdale#megachurch#south-florida

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source calvaryftl.org/about
[2] Live source calvarychapel.com/posts/author/doug_sauder/

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.