Calvary Church is an evangelical church committed to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. It was founded in 1939 upon the belief in and commitment to the preeminence of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and only Savior from sin and spiritual death, and on the belief in the inerrancy of the Bible in its original text. Therefore, the foundation of our beliefs is our position that the Bible is our authority and ultimate source of truth. Additionally, we are guided by the Articles of Faith contained in our church’s constitution.

The Purpose of Calvary Church is to glorify God in the salvation of souls; the edification of Christians through the teaching of God’s Word; the world-wide proclamation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; the promotion of godly worship; the defense of “The Faith Once Delivered;” and cooperation with Christian activity functioning in harmony with God’s Holy Word, the Bible, until He comes.

The Mission of Calvary Church is to develop authentic followers of Jesus Christ through a balanced ministry of worshiping God, preaching and teaching the Word, edifying the saints, caring for the needs of others, and evangelizing the world.

Calvary will continue to emphasize strong biblically-based preaching and teaching that is well grounded in the truths of the Bible and in agreement with the Articles of Faith in each of its corporate worship services, Adult Life Groups, classes, and small group meetings. We believe that the Bible is inspired by God and is the divinely authoritative Word of God. Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the life of Calvary Church and is our only authority. The Bible is both timeless and timely, relevant to the needs of all people at all times, and to the specific problems of contemporary living. We believe, therefore, that the Bible must be taught and preached in the church.

Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preacher’s or teacher’s opinions or the ideas of the age. Similarly in all facets of our ministry (including classes and programs for children, teens, and singles) and for all small groups, the Bible’s eternal truths must be taught and applied. We are committed to preaching “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” to the lost and equipping believers through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word to know the Triune God and to follow Christ in every sphere of life. God’s Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth. Psalm 19:7–14; John 17:17; Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 1:18–2:16; Ephesians 4:11–16; 2 Timothy 2:14–19; 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 4:12

Calvary is committed to having inspiring worship as we celebrate who God is and what He has done. We do this by expressing our love and devotion to God in spirit and truth through our praise and through the proclamation of the Word of God. We must focus on God in our worship rather than the satisfaction of our own personal needs. Biblical worship is dynamic — not passive. Therefore, meaningful and understandable congregational participation in worship is essential. Believing that worship is our highest priority, and that Calvary Church is a local expression of the family of God — we strongly encourage people of all ages (children, teens, singles, families, adults, and seniors) and of all backgrounds to worship together as the people of God — so that God-centrality in the life of our church is demonstrated.

Also believing that the people of God should be united, we will seek to have corporate worship with a blend of musical styles and a blend of traditional and contemporary music. We believe that for the Christian, all of life is to be lived as an act of worship to God — and corporate worship should be a great encouragement to a life of worship and holy living. In all cases, the worship and music must glorify God and exalt Jesus Christ, and never be mere entertainment or emotionalism. We are prayerfully committed to striving for authentic biblical worship, so that our corporate worship is not supplanted by the entertainment culture where the emphasis is one of performance and taste, rather than God-centeredness. Psalm 115:1; Psalm 145–150; Isaiah 6:1–9; John 4:23–24; 1 Corinthians 1:10–17; 1 Corinthians 14:14, 24–25; Romans 12:1–2; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:15–17; Hebrews 13:15

Calvary will seek to build communities of faith within its membership through enabling relational ministry in small group settings for the purposes of Bible study, discipleship, support, encouragement, exhortation, accountability, and fellowship.

Calvary will continue to give its people and financial resources to evangelizing the lost within our community, region, and around the world. We will seek to accomplish this through prayer, training, and intentional development of programs, services, and events. We will also support such work by other Christ-centered churches and ministries throughout the world. We believe that God desires us to reach as many people as possible with the Gospel of the grace of God. Therefore, we seek to take seriously the great commission to evangelize and disciple the lost world at home as well as overseas.

We believe that an important part of evangelism is discipleship of believers, their baptism, their responsible membership in a local body of believers, and their being equipped for worship and service. We will pursue various methods and outreach to the “unchurched,” which will facilitate this biblical commitment to evangelism and discipleship without compromising in any way our commitment to biblical truth and our integrity. We will seek to be and make disciples who not only proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ but also who display Him. It is the Lord who saves and causes growth. Our salvation is of God, has been accomplished by God, and is for God’s glory. We affirm that we must glorify Him always, and so self-improvement, self-esteem or self-fulfillment must never be allowed to become alternatives to the Gospel of God’s grace.

What we seek to do in Charlotte and surrounding areas, we also seek to do throughout this continent as well as overseas. Calvary Church is committed to being a church with a “global vision” seeking to identify, send, pray for, help, encourage, train, support, and generally minister to those who are called by God for either short-term or long-term missions. We also seek to educate everyone (including children and teens) at Calvary Church in this vital ministry of missions. Psalm 127:1; Matthew 28:18–20; John 1:12–13; 3:8; Acts 1:8; 2:47; 1 Corinthians 3:1–2; 3:6–7; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9

We believe that God desires His people to pray, and that He hears and answers prayer. Therefore, we ought to pray with and for one another, sharing our burdens, sorrows, and joys. Furthermore, we believe that the ministries and activities of Calvary Church will be characterized by our reliance on prayer in their conception, planning, and execution. Matthew 6:8–15; Matthew 7:7–11; Luke 18:1; John 15:5; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 6:18–20; James 5:13–18