ABOUT US | Calvary Baptist Church

WELCOME TO CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH

WORSHIP SERVICE SUNDAY MORNING AT 11:00AM

There is ample parking available during our Sunday service both in the front of the church on Pennsylvania and Baltimore Avenues or in the parking lot behind (and left of) the church. There is also an accessible ramp at the rear entrance.

Church Office Hours

Monday - Friday

9am-2pm

410-825-3360

IDENTITY STATEMENT

We are Calvary Baptist Church—a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own possession, called out of darkness into His marvelous light to proclaim the praises of Him who has called us.

We are the people of God—united in Christ and defined not by a building, a budget, or the circumstances of any season, but by who we are in Him as His redeemed people.

Consecrated for His service and set apart for His purposes, we are committed to living faithfully as His people in this city and generation.

As a church, we seek first to be who God has called us to be, living out our biblical identity faithfully in every season while helping others come to know Christ, grow as His disciples, and establish their own testimony of God's grace and faithfulness.

Scriptural Foundation: 1 Peter 2:9–10

MISSION STATEMENT

Calvary Baptist Church exists to glorify God by proclaiming His praises, making disciples of
Jesus Christ, and raising a people called out of darkness into His marvelous light.

United in Christ, we fulfill the Great Commission through biblical teaching, fellowship, prayer,
worship, service, evangelism, and mission, helping people come to know Christ, grow in
obedience to Him, and participate faithfully in His kingdom purposes.

In obedience to Christ, we make disciples by baptizing believers and teaching them to obey all
that He has commanded, serving as His royal priesthood and living as His holy people in the
world.

We pursue this mission by ensuring that:

Every member is actively engaged in discipleship.
Every believer is connected to biblical community.
Every ministry expression advances the Great Commission through house-to-house fellowship, outreach, evangelism, and mission-driven innovation.
There is a measurable increase in new visitors, conversions, and baptisms.
An active system for identifying and meeting needs is maintained.

Scriptural Foundation: Matthew 28:18–20 | 1 Peter 2:9–10

OUR VISION

Calvary Baptist Church envisions a Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, and biblical multicultural community where people of all ages and backgrounds are transformed by the gospel and equipped to live faithfully as disciples of Jesus Christ.

We seek to be a church where identity precedes strategy, where mission outweighs nostalgia, and where the people—not the building—are recognized as the church.

Our vision is to continually align our identity with Scripture, our practices with the model of the
early church, and our mission with the Great Commission.

We desire to create space for new generations to come to know Christ, grow faithfully in Him,
and form their own testimony of God's grace and faithfulness while remaining anchored in
biblical truth.

CORE VALUES

1. Biblical Identity
We embrace our calling as God’s chosen people, royal priesthood, and holy nation, proclaiming His praises and living according to His purposes.

2. Identity Before Strategy
We prioritize who we are in Christ first. Who we are in Christ determines what we do. Every ministry, decision, and initiative must flow from our biblical identity.

3. Mission Over Memory
We prioritize God’s mission above nostalgia, preferences, traditions, or institutional preservation.

4. Biblical Teaching
We devote ourselves to the teaching of God’s Word as the foundation for spiritual growth, maturity, and obedience.

5. Authentic Community
We pursue fellowship, unity, mutual care, and joyful life together through both corporate gatherings and house-to-house relationships.

6. Prayer
We commit ourselves to prayer as the lifeline of the church and the foundation of all ministry.

7. Disciple-Making
We actively make disciples, baptize believers, and teach obedience to Christ in fulfillment of the Great Commission.

8. Compassion and Service
We serve one another and our community with generosity, humility, and sacrificial love.

9. Worship and Praise
We cultivate a lifestyle of worship, gratitude, joy, reverence, and praise to God.

10. Freedom from Limiting Traditions
We distinguish between biblical convictions and personal preferences, ensuring that traditions never hinder mission or obedience.

STATEMENT OF FAITH, BELIEFS, AND PRINCIPLES

We believe:

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (Trinity)
Jesus is the Son of God, was virgin born and took on human flesh
Jesus died on the cross to pay our sin debt in full (past, present and future). We believe that He rose on the third day and has conquered death and all those who believe in Him and confess Him as Lord have been given the free gift of salvation
To be saved and justified through the saving grace of Jesus Christ one needs to be born again
The Bible is the inerrant Word of God, written by men but divinely guided by God. We believe that the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to sinful man
Believer’s Baptism (full immersion) and the Lord’s Supper as instituted by Jesus Christ Himself
Jesus will come again to gather His church home
One should have a personal relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ rather than just a rule and regulation-based religion.
The church is God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation called out of darkness into His marvelous light to proclaim His praises.
The church belongs to God and exists for His glory.
The church is fundamentally the living spiritual community of redeemed people rather than a building, institution, or collection of memories.
Biblical teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer, unity, generosity, and worship are essential practices of the church.
Christ has commissioned His church to make disciples, baptize believers, and teach obedience to His commands.
Faithfulness requires distinguishing essential biblical truth from personal preferences and traditions.
Identity in Christ must guide every ministry strategy and decision.
The past may inform our future but must never hinder obedience to God’s present calling.

Scriptural Foundations

1 Peter 2:9–10
Acts 2:42–47
Matthew 28:18–20

CHURCH COVENANT

Having been called out of darkness into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ and united as the family of Calvary Baptist Church, we joyfully and solemnly covenant before God and one another:

In Worship and Prayer
We covenant to gather faithfully for worship, prayer, and the breaking of bread, offering God sincere praise with gratitude and joy.

In Teaching and Discipleship
We covenant to devote ourselves to biblical teaching, to receive and obey God’s Word, and to make disciples who follow Jesus faithfully.

In Fellowship
We covenant to pursue unity, authentic relationships, mutual care, and life together as one body in Christ.

In Service and Generosity
We covenant to serve others sacrificially, care for the needy, and demonstrate Christ’s love through practical compassion.

In Mission and Identity
We covenant to pursue God’s mission above personal preference, institutional preservation, or nostalgia, remaining faithful to our identity in Christ.

In Faithfulness to Scripture
We covenant to align our identity with Scripture, our practices with the early church, and our mission with the Great Commission.

In Dependence upon the Holy Spirit
We covenant to seek the leading, power, and guidance of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of church life and ministry.

In Membership and Mutual Accountability
We covenant to walk together in love, truth, humility, and accountability, handling conflict biblically and pursuing unity in Christ.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To glorify God through worship, praise, and faithful obedience.
To cultivate a church rooted in biblical identity.
To devote ourselves to teaching, fellowship, prayer, and mutual care.
To make disciples through evangelism, baptism, and spiritual formation.
To strengthen unity and authentic community.
To care for the needy and serve others sacrificially.
To help people encounter Christ, grow in Him, and walk faithfully with Him.
To align continually with Scripture, the early church model, and the Great Commission.
To pursue faithfulness in every season for the glory of God.

DEFINING FAITHFULNESS IN THIS SEASON

Remaining rooted in biblical identity
Choosing mission over comfort and nostalgia
Helping people form new spiritual memories in Christ
Building genuine community and discipleship
Letting go of traditions that hinder mission while preserving biblical truth

MINISTRY GOALS

Ministry Goals (Qualitative & Quantitative)

Spiritual Growth

75–80% of members actively engaged in discipleship or Bible study

Community Development

Establish house fellowships across demographics
At least 70% member participation in small groups or house fellowships
Minimum of 2 fellowship touch points per member monthly

Missional Expansion

Quarterly outreach initiatives
Measurable increase in new visitors, conversions, and baptisms
Every new believer assigned a discipleship pathway within 2 weeks

Care and Service

Maintain an active needs assessment and response system
Monthly acts of compassion and generosity

Cultural Transformation

Reduce tradition-driven decisions that hinder mission
Launch at least 2 new mission-driven initiatives annually that engage new people