Our Biblical Philosophy of Ministry |
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At Calvary Baptist Church we recognize that our culture is constantly changing. As a society, our understandings of truth, morality and purpose are in constant flux as we grapple with technological advancements, scientific discoveries and moral revolution. We also recognize that the dominating trend in all of this tends to be movement away from the word of God and His Holy standards and toward a man-centered humanism. How is a church to respond to these developments? Well, we can take great comfort in knowing that the church of the very first century faced a very similar predicament. At Calvary we believe the best way to be relevant to our culture is to do precisely what the first century church did. Namely, stake out our ground on the word of God and declare an undiminished, unchanging gospel to an ever-changing world. We believe our search for relevance begins and ends in the Word of God. For this reason, we have adopted a philosophy of ministry which is firmly rooted in clear Biblical truths. In all that we do at Calvary Baptist Church, we are committed to operating in harmony with the following six principles. |
A High View of God |
 The scriptures reveal that God is a loving God who, as a heavenly Father, has chosen to adopt men and women into His family thus ushering them into a close, intimate relationship with himself. We believe we can come to God boldly like a child comes to his Father and rely upon Him as one who cares for our every need. We also recognize that the same God which has given us the privilege of calling him “our Father” has also told us to “hallow” His name. That is, we are to recognize that our heavenly Father is holy, majestic, separate and higher than us in every way. The Bible teaches plainly that the God of Heaven is to be worshiped in reverence and awe. This speaks of a reverential recognition that He is holy and is to be worshiped as such. Practically how does this affect the way we do church? At Calvary Baptist Church we refuse to mix the flippant, irreverent or inane into our worship service. We believe our worship is not only in response to God’s holiness but should be a reflection of it. We love the world and seek to reach the world, but we will not, in the name of “relevance” allow the world to infiltrate the worship of our holy God. |
The Sufficiency of Scripture |
 We believe the word of God is sufficient for all of man’s spiritual needs. The scriptures are they which produce faith, bring forth spiritual life and aid in spiritual growth. It is the word of God alone which carries the authority and power of God to accomplish all of His purposes. For this reason, at Calvary we make much of the word of God. We teach, preach, study, memorize, sing and share the scriptures. Our preaching is expository and we seek to present the Word without admixture of novelty or gimmicks. We believe the Word accurately spoken by godly believers is God’s means to build His Kingdom and so we emphasize the word of God far above any tradition or denominational distinctives. This is reflected in all that we do at Calvary. |
A Recognition of the Spirit’s Ministry |
 The Holy Spirit draws us to salvation, secures us in the faith, and empowers us to live for God. The Spirit is the believer’s constant companion and is ever-working to transform him into Christ-likeness. In all that God does for and in the believer, the Holy Spirit is active. How does a recognition of the Spirit’s ministry affect the way we conduct our ministry? First, because the Spirit brings forth real, spiritual life in every believer, we reject legalism. We refuse to place onerous demands or pressure upon people to conform outwardly. The Spirit transforms from the inside out, legalism seeks to have people conform from the outside-in. Legalism is a perversion of grace and does not properly recognize the work of the Spirit. Secondly, our recognition of the Spirit’s ministry compels us to keep the preaching of the gospel pure and undiluted. Because it is the Spirit who draws men to salvation and opens their ears to the gospel, we seek to please Him in all of our preaching, including our gospel presentation. Repentance and the Lordship of Christ may be unpopular notions but they are integral to the gospel which the Holy Spirit blesses. |
An Accurate View of Man’s Nature |
 The Bible reveals that Man is by nature a sinner and separated from God. All men are spiritually dead and hopelessly lost. Because man is dead spiritually, he has no capacity to rectify his fallen spiritual condition in his own power. For this reason, salvation is wholly an act of God. God mercifully intervenes in the life of a spiritually dead sinner and breathes into him new spiritual life. Because of the reality of Man’s fallen state, God must receive all glory and credit for the salvation of every human being. Apart from His grace, no one would seek Him of their own volition. This truth has a dramatic affect on the way the gospel is preached and the manner in which sinners are confronted at Calvary. Because God is the chief mover in the salvation of any man, we seek to please Him with the manner in which we present the gospel. We do not seek to satisfy the “felt-needs” of unbelievers but address their real need – spiritual transformation. We do this through the undiluted presentation of the gospel. We do not believe the gospel needs to be innovated, but preached clearly and plainly and entrusted to the sovereignty of God as He draws spiritually dead sinners to Himself. |
A Right View of the Purpose of the Church |
 The church is not merely a social gathering but rather an assembly of believers who seek to carry out Christ’s commissions together. The Lord has designed His church for specific purposes. At Calvary we understand that we exist to worship God; to teach and defend His truth; to love, edify and fellowship with one another; to train and grow people through the application of teaching and the exercise of their spiritual gifts; and to evangelize the lost. Understanding our purpose as a church both enables and protects us. It enables us to better serve God with a clear mandate and direction. It also protects us from deviating from God’s intended purposes and becoming some other institution than one which is dedicated to the glory and purposes of God. |
Godly, Qualified Leadership |
 The scriptures clearly enumerate the qualifications for those who would lead God’s people. The third chapter of the book of Timothy and the first chapter of Titus indicate that a church leader is to be blameless, devoted to his wife, vigilant, self-controlled, hospitable, gifted to teach, not associated with alcohol, not violent or ill-tempered, patient, gentle, not covetous, not a new believer and possessing a good reputation with those in and outside the church. Each of these requirements with the exception of the ability to teach deal with ones character. The scriptures say nothing of dynamic leadership or visioneering as a qualification or requirement for church leadership. Where leaders are concerned, God is more concerned with holy character than anything else. At Calvary we seek to uphold God’s high standard for church leadership and guard ourselves against unbiblical or trendy concepts of church leadership which may be popular within Christendom at any given time. |
Listen to Pastor Rick teach on our Biblical Philosophy of Ministry: |
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Part 1 |
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Part 2 |