Pastor Bill Holdridge, Senior Pastor
Bill Holdridge has been the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Cruz since July of 2010, having assumed the pastorate of Pastor Dave Johnston, founding pastor of CCSC.
Bill received Christ in 1969 at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, and in 1973 was filled with the Holy Spirit. It was at that time that the Lord called him into ministry. Within a couple of years he discovered that his call meant pastoral ministry, and the ministry of God’s Word.
Bill began with involvement in a home fellowship of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, and eventually became its pastor. Bill studied and learned under Pastor Chuck Smith for four years before moving to the Monterey Peninsula to start his first church in February of 1978. He obtained a degree in ministry from Melodyland School of Theology in Anaheim, CA.
His first official Sunday as pastor of what was then called Calvary Chapel of the Monterey Peninsula was March 1, 1979. Bill continued as the church’s founding pastor for 27 years, until he stepped down in February of 2006. During those years, the church grew into a large and solid fellowship that was able—eventually—to purchase property and build its own facility.
Over the years, Bill has taught in international and domestic Bible colleges; been a consultant for churches, spoken at conferences and retreats, been a transitional pastor and an interim pastor, provided pulpit support for many churches, written two devotional commentaries and numerous blogs, and been on the board of directors of a number of non-profit churches and groups.
In the present, Bill and his wife Sheri are blessed and thrilled to be brought to CCSC, and to be called back into the ministry of shepherding this great group of people. They look forward to being a part of all the Lord wants to do.
Bill and Sheri live in Soquel and together have three married children and eight grandchildren, the ninth coming very soon.
Check out Pastor Bill’s personal blog
Check out Pastor Bill’s personal website
Founding Pastor – Pastor David Johnston
Having served as Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Cruz since planting the church on July 17 of 2000, Pastor Dave has a passion for God’s people, and for seeing them grow to maturity in and through His Word.
Dave was born and raised as a “preacher’s kid,” giving his life to the Lord at the early age of four in Mrs. Green’s Sunday School class. In his early 20′s the Lord clearly called Dave into pastoral ministry, and over the past 25 years he has had the privilege of responding to the Lord’s call on his life to simply “Preach the Word, Love the People.”
To that end, he served tirelessly for the first 10 years of the life of CCSC, preaching faithfully and without compromise the truths of the Word of God, the passion of his life.
He and his wonderful wife, Lynette, have four beautiful children, Ashley, Johnny, David, and Mark.
In all things, Pastor Dave’s heart is to live as did the Apostle Paul, that “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21)
