Skip Heitzig

Skip Heitzig (born 1955) is the founder and senior pastor of Calvary Church, a Calvary Chapel fellowship located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.{{cite book |title=Reinventing American Protestantism |last=Miller |first=Donald E. |year=1999 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-21811-6 |pages=157–159 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBWWeHnqH0YC&dq=%22Skip+Heitzig%22&pg=PA157 |accessdate=2008-11-02}}

Personal

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."{{cite book |title=One Faith-Many Transitions |last=Powderly |first=K. G. Jr |year=2002 |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-0-595-24920-6 |pages=394 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7KrSY0coj4MC&dq=%22Skip+Heitzig%22&pg=PA394 |accessdate=2008-11-02}} Heitzig was witnessed to by a friend, Gino Geraci, senior pastor of Calvary South Denver.{{cite web |url=http://www.calvarycsd.org/staff/gino-geraci/ |title=Gino Geraci |access-date=2018-05-20 }} 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.Harvest, WFT Publishers, 1995

In 1981, Heitzig married his wife, Lenya, and together they moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to continue his work in the medical field. Together, they have one son, Nathan.Skip Heitzig, skipheitzig.com

Ministry

In 1982, Heitzig began a home Bible study that eventually grew into Calvary of Albuquerque. In 1988 and 1989, Calvary of Albuquerque was listed as one of the fastest-growing churches in America.{{cite book |title=The Almanac of the Christian World |year=1988–1989 |publisher=Tyndale House Publishers }} In 2009, Calvary of Albuquerque was listed as one of the 15 largest churches in America, with an average weekend attendance of 13,000.{{cite news |title=100 Largest U.S. Churches |url=http://churchrelevance.com/100-largest-churches-in-america-for-2009|work=Outreach Magazine |year=2009 |accessdate=2010-09-17 }} In November 2018, CBS News listed Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque as the 22nd largest megachurch in the United States with about 16,830 weekly visitors and more than 13,000 followers on Facebook.{{Cite web |last=Fieldstadt |first=Elisha |date=2018-11-26 |title=America's biggest megachurches, ranked |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/30-biggest-american-megachurches-ranked/9/ |access-date=2025-01-25 |website=CBS News |language=en-US}}

After a brief pastorate in San Juan Capistrano (Ocean Hills, 2004-2006), Heitzig returned to Calvary of Albuquerque as senior pastor in 2006,{{cite news |title=Calvary reunion: New Mexico megachurch pastor returns after leadership conflict |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-20052081_ITM |work=Christianity Today |date=October 1, 2006 |accessdate=2008-11-02 }}Christianity Today, October 2006 following the resignation of the previous pastor, Pete Nelson.{{cite news |title=Unaccountable at Calvary Chapel |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/mayweb-only/119-12.0.html |work=Christianity Today |date=May 8, 2006 |accessdate=2008-11-02 }}{{cite news |title=Calvary Reunion: Skip Heitzig Returns to N.M |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/october/14.128.html |work=Christianity Today |date=September 28, 2006 |accessdate=2010-08-30 }}Christianity Today, September 2006

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.

Education

Heitzig attended Victor Valley Community College in California and UCLA.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}

Heitzig earned a Ph.D. from Trinity Southwest University in New Mexico and an M.A. and B.A. from Trinity Seminary, Newburgh, Indiana.Jesus Up Close, Tyndale 2001

Publishing and media

Heitzig is the author of several books and booklets, including:

How To Study the Bible and Enjoy It (Tyndale House, 1996)
Jesus Up Close (Tyndale House, 2001)
When God Prays (Tyndale House, 2003).
Encounter: Face 2 Face with Jesus (Bridge-Logos, 2009).
God Print (Bridge-Logos, 2009).
The Daily God Book (Tyndale House, 2010).
Homeland Security (Bridge-Logos, 2010).
You Can Understand the Book of Revelation (Harvest House Publishers, 2011)
Defying Normal (Worthy Books, 2015).
The Bible from 30,000 Feet (Harvest House Publishers, 2017).
You Can Understand™ the Book of Genesis: Experience Its Meaning and Message (Harvest House Publishers, 2018).
Bloodline: Tracing God's Rescue Plan from Eden to Eternity (Harvest House Publishers, 2019).
Soaring Through the Bible: A Travel Guide from Genesis to Revelation for Kids (Harvest House Publishers, 2019).
You Can Understand the Book of Revelation: Exploring Its Mystery and Message ([https://harvestprophecyhq.com/ Harvest Prophecy], 2020).
Biography of God (Harvest House Publishers, 2020).

Heitzig can be heard throughout the United States and worldwide on his radio broadcast, The Connection,Connection Radio, connectionradio.org as well as various cable and internet-based television channels (His Channel, KNET).His Channel, hischannel.com

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.

Music

As a musician, songwriter, and producer, Heitzig has been featured on several musical projects, including:

Lively Hearts (1999)
Everywhere I Go (2000)

Heitzig wrote the lyrics to the modern hymn (with Brian Nixon) "Gloria Exaltus" (2008), which was released on the album Stars Shine Bright.The History of a Modern Hymn, Assist News, October 2008

TV and documentaries

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.