It originated in Orange County, CA (natch) during the 1970's. The oleaginous "Pastor" Chuck Smith aggressively reeled in the surfer/stoner crowd from the OC beaches at that time, and it was a big deal that they didn't have to dress up to come to church.
Despite the casual dress code and "Youth Ministry" horseshit, it is a diehard Fundie church. And like most of these outfits, it is very well funded and blatantly theocratic.
It was probably one of the first "mega-churches," sort of, in that it spawned a purely commercial offshoot called Maranatha Village. This is one of those tacky Xian shopping centers full of blond Jesus-As-Celestial-Stormtrooper pictures, smarmy bumper stickers, and Xian bookstores.
The chapel is also franchised, which makes sense considering the rest of the marketing campaign. And they're spreading like algae:
http://www.calvarychapel.com/affiliates/