I had to visit this church because I did not believe the reviews, but they were correct. People did smile at us and seemed friendly, but no one was quick to approach us. Everyone seemed engrossed in important conversations and not in ministering or welcoming visitors. I can see how the reception would be very disappointing for new Christians or those seeking to know more about Christ. In fact if you fall into either of these groups (new Christians or seeking to know more about Christ), please ask someone you know, who is a Christian for church recommendations. Visit those churches firsts, and if you still want to visit this church then go. I don't want you to be disappointed with religion from the start. Well, after being there for about 15 minutes, we were finally greeted by a guy who told us that no one said a word to him when he first came to the church, so he felt like he should come welcome us. He told us many months went passed before he decided to stand up and tell the congregation that he was there. (I'm assuming he did this during the designated time in the worship service.) What is that? Get this. We sat a row away from one deacon and three rows away from another--we didn't find this out until near the end of the service when the deacons and staff were called to the pulpit to be prayed for (church transitioned today to a new team). Neither of these guys approach us when the congregation was asked to say, "Hello to someone near you." Wow. Is this a demonstration of the second greatest commandment? Unfortunately, there are a lot of churches out there like this. Churches like this would probably ignore Jesus if he came visiting. I'm giving this church three stars because of the lone Christian that did come to greet us. read more

My husband and I attended this church for THREE YEARS and not once did the pastor greet us or anyone else for that matter. We attended the bbq's, church in the park, etc and no one ever talked to us. It seemed like cliques were already established. We hung in there because the message was good; but that was it. We started longing for more fellowship so we went and found another church that is much more welcoming and loving. read more

They are holding large services and events with absolutely no Covid masking- be advised before you go.

My family and I went to Calvary from summer 2014 up until a few months ago. Where do I begin? If you love walking into a church with an already established "clique" where the pastors wife is rude and you're shut down when you ask for help, this might be the church for you.... When we first started going, we mainly kept To ourselves, and as we continued to attend, we really wanted to find a home church where we could grow and be a part of the community. That being said, the first year we sent our kids to preschool here and the teacher at the time was phenomenal, I would've given her 10 stars if I could. Second year wasn't so great. I'd volunteered in my Sons preschool class and was in charge of getting their snack ready. I went Into the church kitchen and ran into Shawnie, the pastors wife. Proceeded to say Hi and ask her how it was doing... she wouldn't even look at me, held her head down and grumbled "fine". She has to be one of the coldest people I've ever met in a church setting. Talked to pastor Shane about this and he said he wasn't going to address his wife on this because it would "hurt" her feelings. Another time was going through a crisis with my son, reached out to Shane for help... never received a follow up or even him asking me how the situation was. It's pretty pathetic when you have to reach out to social services because your church who wants to call you all the time to volunteer can't even check in on your well being. There's clearly a clique of the original Calvary clan, and you know it because when small group sign ups come out, the "in" groups fill up immediately (pastors house small group, worship leaders small group, everyone else is wide open). I think a church body is a group of people that welcome and accept others instead of pushing them away, which they've done a pretty good job of. The pastors wife obviously never planned on being a pastors wife because you can tell she hates talking to people. After almost 3 1/2 years of trying, it was clear we needed to go somewhere else, and glad we did. read more

I've been here a couple times for the Sunday morning service, and one time when attempting to attend the evening bible study. I thought it would be ideal because it's within walking distance and I don't drive. As others have mentioned, this church is extremely clique-y. Though it's always packed with people, no one wants to talk to you. I had an awful experience when trying to attend the bible study- walked in the door and every one of the about 30 people there turned to stare at me, none of them saying anything. I asked if there was a bible study happening tonight and one guy finally says "Uh...yeah..." I asked if it was a closed group and he said no, I could attend. Then he walked away. After standing there for about ten minutes while being alternately completely ignored and glared at (I attempted to make some conversation and was shot down right away) I walked out the door. There are plenty of welcoming churches in Lake Stevens, so I recommend avoiding this one. read more

Wonderful worship led by a team of talented, committed believers who want it to be about Him. Solid Biblical teaching - Shane puts much study and prayer into his sermons and God is using him. Great childcare program. Lots of weekly ministries and meaningful family events happen regularly. I love watching this church grow as more people come but most importantly in building supportive relationships that encourage faith. read more

Calvary chapel Has been a great help for me the spirit of the Lord is there The youth program is incredible And they always have things to do I love this church the of made me feel very welcome and warm read more

Went here after visiting many churches in the area to find a new one since moving to the area and didn't want to drive an hour to my old church... well this church gave me a sign to quit looking... not welcoming at all, no one comes to introduce themselves, and when you leave they send you off with 4 flat tires... read more

***6/24/14: I find it extremely sad that people from CC come to Yelp, see that people are finding their church to be cold and cliquish (4 out of 8 reviews!), and their response is not to look at what their church could do to serve newcomers better and represent Christ in a more acceptable manner, but they find it somehow more appropriate to blame the visitors. How many people visit your church once or twice and just never return because they feel unwelcome? I would venture to guess that less than 1% of these people post something on Yelp. For each of us that have posted about this experience here, there are probably many more that just shake their heads and walk away. Some likely never step foot in a church again. Perhaps those of you from CCLS should spend less time on Yelp trying to convince people that our experiences are our faults, and go fix your church so you stop doing this to people. New people shouldn't have to push themselves into your presence, they should be made to feel welcome. Not everyone is going to be outgoing enough to put themselves out there, people in the church should be finding the new people and making them feel welcome. Not everyone is able to join the small groups or extra-curricular activities, but shouldn't they be made to feel welcome anyway? Until CCLS gets to a place that they aren't making newcomers feel unwelcome, I'm afraid they will remain a clique of Christians and never know what it really feels like to be a warm and loving family where every member is cherished and welcomed. In the mean time... thank God there are other churches that get it! Original review: This is probably the most Bible based church I've ever attended, but they really miss the mark when it comes to people. It's a very "cold" church. I'm about as friendly and outgoing as they come, yet I found it to be impossible to get to know anybody. I think it's probably much easier if you have kids, but without kids there just isn't any way to get to know people. They do have some activities that we could have attended, except they are all later in the evening, which doesn't work for early-risers. All in all, we found it to be very clique-ish and unfriendly. It's too bad because it was the closest thing we have found so far to a church that actually taught what is in the Bible. They just totally miss the mark when it comes to interpersonal relations - which is really what Jesus was all about, isn't it? read more

No church is perfect. If you're looking for a solid bible teaching church, great kids and youth program, great music...then check your heart! We have all those things but you should be asking where you can serve. Consumer minded = what can this church offer me. Jesus came to serve not be be served. read more

I was staying in Granite Falls for three weeks when I went to CCofLS and I was able to get a pretty good feel for the fellowship. The church is very comfortable, well designed with ample parking are a variety of areas to sit during the service. The first Sunday the pastor was teaching and he gave a very good lesson in Revelation 21. The second Sunday the pastor was in Africa on a missions trip and an elder fill in for him. The service was 95% music, the elder got up and talk about how many times he had taught Revelation 22 in the past and how much he wanted to get home to BBQ and watch the Seahawks game. Really? His lesson was pretty weak and showed a lack of preperation and concern for feeding the flock. Our last week there was called Youth Take Over because the pastor was still out of town. The youth group did the whole service an the youth pastor taught. Very, very good. Good music, great message and a proper edification of the Word and the time before the fellowship. I'm planning to go back as soon as I'm back in the area. read more

Reading the first review made me so sad. It's exactly what happened to my husband and I when we visited. What I loved about this church is that they had a Wednesday night service\study. They served a hot meal that tasted wonderful. However we walked in, got dinner sat down and ate, sat through the service and not one person approached us. I also loved the Saturday night service for those who work on Sundays. Fast forward to 4 visits later all the same as the first, finally a nice gentleman approached us and introduced himself which was nice but the pastor who saw us every week never spoke to us. I even emailed him and introduced myself and my husband and the next week he still didn't acknowledge us. The parking lot is always packed on Sundays and as we drive by we always wonder what we were missing. What do all of these people have that we didnt. I do like that the church was musically based, the offering boxes hang in the back so there's no pressure which is how I think it should be. My prayer is that the pastors start to greet new comers into their flock soon as they arrive. It's important for me to believe in my pastor. God Bless read more

My wife and I chose Calvary because the people are 'real' and the teaching is straight from the Bible. The church has grown to the point where not everybody knows everybody else, so it is important to join the small groups and activities in order to truly get to know people. read more

Great worship, wonderful biblical teaching, laid-back environment, wonderful staff and friendly people. If you visit you should stop by the welcome center that is where you can find info on childcare, small groups, retreats,women's ministries, missions trips, etc. The small groups are outstanding and the Wednesday night service is nice as they serve a light soup and salad dinner. On Sunday the pastor and elders are at bottom of the stage to talk or pray pray with you right after service. Music is contemporary and not too loud. Child care is great. I love that there is no pressure for membership or giving by passing the offering plate. They live by faith that God is going to provide (and He always does). Jesus and the gospel are priority and they love missionaries. They also do motorcycle rides in the summer, retreats year round for youth, summer picnic, and many other family oriented things. You will have to make effort to meet people but I have found that in any big church. I love that I can wear jeans or dress up and I am comfortable. Most importantly the people and pastor (as of 2014) are real people and genuinely care. read more

We have been attending this church for about 8 years now and it is amazing!!!! I've just read a couple reviews from people who had found it "cold"- I feel like you really need to get involved to get to know people. Or go on up and introduce yourself! We are a very friendly and welcoming bunch, we don't bite! This church is such a dear family, the people I've met here are so willing to help and they have huge hearts for Jesus! Come on in! read more