What We Believe

Jesus matters most
And where Jesus matters most, transformation follows

What do we mean when we say Jesus matters most?

God’s grace is prevalent in the world, even though sin was introduced through human action. In love, God purposefully worked redemption through Jesus Christ alone. The good news of Jesus (his birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and promised return) is an invitation to salvation available to all people. By God’s grace, through faith, we trust Jesus’ sufficient salvation. Because of this, we are intentionally Christ-centered in our expressions, commitments, and endeavors.

What is transformation?

Transformation is the change-process Christians experience by God’s grace through the Holy Spirit’s effective work as we trust, draw upon, and fully embrace Jesus’ sufficient salvation. Transformation begins when a person who does not know the good news about Jesus hears and personally trusts Jesus’ salvation. Transformation deepens as we learn to draw upon Christ’s salvation for personal understanding and identity. Likewise, transformation widens as we embrace Christ’s purposes in our church and in the world.

At Calvary Church,
Jesus Matters Most in...

...Inspiring Worship

Christ-centered gatherings are our first commitment.

...Meaningful Connection

Our second commitment is growth in relation settings.

...Irreplaceable Impact

Discovering, moving toward, and meeting real physical and spiritual needs with sustainable ministries is our third commitment.

Therefore these goals are central to the work of every ministry at Calvary:

We communicate the good news of Jesus Christ consistently and clearly.
The truth and beauty of the good news is for all people to believe—every generation, every ethnicity, every origin story.

We cultivate wholehearted, Christ-centered identity.
Salvation through Jesus Christ touches the whole of a person’s life (their past, present, and future ). Growth in Christ-centered identity goes hand-in-hand with growth in self-awareness, satisfaction, and security.

We cultivate Christ-centered community.
Gathering with love and grace persistently among each other is a reflection of Christ in us all.

We cultivate resilient faith.
Christ-centered practices (beginning with singing, praying, reading Scripture, gathering, serving, and weekly rest) aid our trust in Christ’s sufficient salvation.

We represent Christ in the world.
The good news of Jesus echoes through His people into our homes, city, and world by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus works through us to advance His kingdom as we love our enemies, care for the hurting, and share the good news with all.

Foundational Beliefs

God

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

The Bible

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

The Human Condition

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus-Israel’s promised Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

The Work of Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

The Church

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

Christian Living

We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

Christ’s Return

We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

Response and Eternal Destiny

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

Calvary's Positions

What does Calvary have to say about sex and marriage?

This Statement, drawn from Scripture as our ultimate authority, sets forth a Christian vision of human sexuality as a good gift of God. In all that we do, we will seek to honor Christ, to preach and teach the truth, to be transformed by the power of the gospel and to reflect the grace and love of Christ to our community and our world. Calvary Policy Statement on Sexuality.pdf

What is our position on race, the value of life and our common humanity?

This Statement, drawn from Scripture as our ultimate authority, sets forth what we can affirm about our common humanity and how that overflows into our understanding of life, race, and relationships. What We Affirm Concerning Our Shared Humanity.pdf