WORSHIP
We are committed to doing everything for the glory of God. We believe that God created us for the purpose of worshiping Him and glorifying Him in all that we do. We believe that the essence of worship is treasuring God and we believe that God is most glorified in our lives when we treasure Him above all else. For this reason, the ultimate aim of everything we do at Calvary Baptist Church is to glorify God by knowing Him and treasuring Him above everything else the world has to offer. [Mt 6:19-21; 13:44; 22:36-38; 1 Cor 10:31; Is 43:6-7; Ps 29:1-2]
BIBLICAL PREACHING AND TEACHING
We are committed to using biblical, expository preaching and teaching to help people know who God is, what He has done, and what He desires of us. It is through the Bible that God reveals His character, convicts us of sin, effects salvation, and equips us for lives of worship and service. We believe that in order to treasure God one must first come to rightly know Him as He has revealed Himself in Christ and in scripture. For this reason, we believe that the centerpiece of our Sunday worship service ought to be a sermon that seeks to explain the meaning of a biblical passage in its context and to apply the truths of that passage in relevant ways to our lives today. [Ps 1; 19:7-11; Mt 7:24-27; Jn 17:17; Acts 6:2-4; 17:11; 1 Thess 2:13; 1 Tim 4:13; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-4:5; James 1:18, 21-22; 1 Pe 1:23]
PRAYER
We are committed to relying on God through prayer for everything we do as a church. We believe that God answers prayer today and that without His power and guidance in our lives all our ministry and efforts are in vain. We also believe that prayer is an amazing privilege and one of the most important ways to strengthen our relationship with God. For this reason we commit to not only provide times for corporate prayer as a church but to also encourage our members to pursue greater consistency and intensity in their private prayer lives. [Phil 4:6-7; James 5:13-16; 1 Thess 5:17; Lk 18:1-8; Rom 15:30-32; Eph 6:18-20; Col 4:2-4; Mt 6:5-13]
EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS
We are committed to offering God to the world by sending, encouraging, praying for, and financially supporting missionary and evangelistic endeavors both locally and abroad. We believe that every Christian has a part to play in spreading the gospel. Not only do we believe that every Christian is commanded to share the gospel with those in their sphere of influence, but every Christian is expected to do what they can to support those who have given themselves full time to missions or evangelism. [Mt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Is 49:6; Eph 6:18-20; 2 Cor 8-9]
DISCIPLESHIP
We are committed to discipleship in both individual and small group settings. Jesus commanded his followers not just to lead people to Christ, but to make disciples—mature, committed followers of Jesus Christ. We believe that discipleship, this process of making disciples, is best accomplished through personal relationships in one-on-one and small group contexts where individuals are open and honest with each other and regularly challenged to know God better and live for Him more faithfully. [Heb 10:25; 2 Tim 2:2; Tit 2:2-8; Acts 2:42-47]
HOLINESS
We are committed to personally striving after greater holiness and integrity in every aspect of our lives. We believe that saving faith will show itself in a Christian’s life by a lifestyle of faithfulness and obedience to God. We believe that while saving faith may be evidenced in outward actions like church attendance and daily times of prayer and Bible reading, we recognize that what God desires are not just outward Christian actions, but hearts that treasure him above all things. [Tit 2:11-14; Mt 22:37-40; Eph 4:17-5:14; James 2:14-26]
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We are committed to helping people discover, develop, and use their spiritual gifts and God-given talents for the glory of God and the edification of others. We believe that God, through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, has given every believer gifts and abilities and that the church will best function as God intended when each person contributes and uses their gifts for the benefit of others. [1 Cor 12:4-31; 14:1-5; Eph 4:7-16; Rom 12:3-8; Heb 2:4; 1 Pet 4:9-11]
OUTREACH
We are committed to loving, helping, and caring for those in need in our communities and around the world. We recognize our responsibility to help victims of poverty, injustice, abuse, and other forms of human suffering. While our ultimate desire is to see others come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, we believe that God is honored when we love those around us regardless of whether they respond to the Gospel or not. [James 1:27; Mt 25:31-46; Deut 24:17-22; Jer 22:3; Is 58:6-12; Mic 6:8]