Commanding the attention of his 50 congregants with a Bible in hand, Hillman, 47, plunges his congregants into the roots of his church, based on the Jesus People Movement of the late 1960s that galvanized college hippies and young evangelical Americans who spawned a revival in the contemporary Christian church.

"We are not formal. We don’t have any dress codes. We are not concerned with liturgy or tradition. We just teach the Bible," said the nine-year pastor of Calvary Chapel of Montclair, the only such non-denominational Evangelical Christian fellowship in Essex County and one of about 22 Calvary Chapel churches throughout New Jersey.

The Montclair congregation, formed from a Bible study group circa 1980 at Montclair State University, meets every Sunday in Montclair High School’s main auditorium, but the church is seeking its own place to call home.

"We’d like to stay in Montclair, if possible," said Hillman, who was raised in Montclair and resides in neighboring Verona. He admits the diverse congregation that comprises Asian, Hispanic, black and white families is slow in its growth, but it is large enough to claim its own building.

Hillman’s style of worship somewhat counters those of traditional Christian churches. "In the Bible, Jesus spoke a lot about tradition and those who will hold tradition above what he taught," he said.

Hillman has observed that many local worshippers, particularly thousands of Catholics in Montclair, tend to cling more to tradition, and he attributes that to his congregation’s somewhat static growth.

But he said if more people knew about the church more would come. "People are looking for something where they can be themselves and be free from tradition, and we are a combination of that with people being disillusioned and leaving tradition or a church. And I think we are a good fit for both types of people," Hillman said.

The Montclair arm of the Calvary Chapel is an affiliate of the Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, established in Southern California in 1965.

Back then, some hippies and youth disillusioned with traditional church worship were still hungry for the Holy Scripture, yet they were shunned for walking barefoot, wearing long hair and sporting blasé dress, Hillman said.

But Calvary Church embraced waves of young Evangelicals of the Jesus People Movement, teaching the Bible to youths on a "verse-by-verse" basis. Emphasis was placed on getting to know Jesus just as they were, not wearing their Sunday finery.

"Religions can be self-serving … Some churches will preach to you because their objective is to conform people rather than to minister to them the way that they are," Hillman said. "Tradition is something that is generated by people and is not thoroughly following the commandments of God."

Today, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa houses more than 20,000 weekly attendees. It is one of the 10 largest Protestant churches in the nation, with 1,300 affiliates worldwide, including the Montclair congregation.

Participation is an important element of the church, which emphasizes the contemporary Christian music played during services, mostly to the strum of an guitar.

Hillman, a former recording artist who led his one-man band in the 1980s and released a contemporary Christian music album, "Walls of Freedom," in 1994, frequently brings out his electric guitar to lead the congregation in song. Some tunes are popular within the Calvary Chapel Church. Others songs the pastor has written specifically for worship services.

Hillman said the music, just like the casual style of worship, is what compels the people.

Hillman summed up the root of the church in a verse from First Samuel, 16:7, "For the Lord does not see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

"We don’t judge people according to appearance," Hillman said. "We judge them according to what’s inside, just as God does."

Contact Tanya Drobness at drobness@montclairtimes.com.