About Us
Getting Acquainted
We are delighted to have you inquire about Calvary Bible Church. Nothing brings greater joy or has more eternal value than worshipping and serving our Lord Jesus Christ in His church. Our passion is for you to see Christ in our lives and come to know, serve, and joyfully worship Him with us. Because of the wide variation in churches these days, we want you to be able to quickly discern the heartbeat of our church through this brief introduction
We are an Independent Bible Church that holds to a traditional Reformed position with regard to the doctrines of God’s sovereign grace in salvation. These truths not only kindle within our hearts a reverential awe and deep humility for the work of grace God has performed within our souls, they also animate our confidence in Him and embolden us to rise up and preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to a world that hates Him.
While there are many noble emphases other churches pursue, we are focused primarily on the following five foundational categories:
- Expository Preaching that proclaims and protects the truth of God’s authoritative Word without apology or compromise.
- Christ-exalting Song Worship that is passionate and pure in doctrine.
- Sharing the Gospel of God’s Sovereign Grace with humility, boldness, and love.
- Personal Discipleship and Counseling that teaches believers to observe all that Christ has commanded, growing them in a deeper understanding and application of God’s transforming truth.
- Prayer—disciplined, fervent, private, and persistent prayer.
As a church, we look solely through the lens of Scripture to determine how we shape our lives and ministry. Therefore, you will find we are not enamored with trendy methods to entertain and attract bigger crowds. We see a grave danger in constantly reinventing ourselves according to the naive theologies of evangelical pragmatism. In light of this we strive to conduct God-centered, rather than man-centered, worship services, with an emphasis on the verse-by-verse exposition of Scripture—the pinnacle of authentic corporate worship.
Expository preaching, modeled and mandated by Christ and His apostles, carefully conveys and passionately applies the God-intended meaning of a text to the contemporary issues of life. Because nothing else can nourish our soul, bring us into conformity with our precious Savior, and bring glory to God like the unleashing of His revealed truth, you will find that every ministry within the church is laser-focused to do the same.
Moreover, in a society that applauds compromise and prefers tolerance to truth, we believe it is our duty to remain distinctively the church of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our difference from the world that attracts people to Christ, not our similarity with it. Therefore, as we endeavor to remain faithful to Scripture, we are committed to the following biblical mandates:
- Maintain a high view of God, ever mindful that we exist for His glory—He does not exist for our glory.
- Maintain the divine purposes of the church, namely, to exalt the Savior, equip the saints, and evangelize the lost.
- Maintain a commitment to the absolute authority, sufficiency, inerrancy, and inspiration of Scripture.
- Maintain a commitment to teach sound doctrine, allowing doctrinal precision to separate truth from error.
- Maintain a commitment to personal holiness, avoiding spiritual and moral compromise that would grieve the Holy Spirit and put us to shame before our enemies.
- Maintain a high degree of readiness as we live in anticipation of our Lord's imminent return.
The objectives of all our ministries fall within these biblical parameters. For more information, please refer to our website or contact us by phone. Please know we are devoted to ministering to your needs in any way we possibly can. If you love the Lord Jesus Christ, be assured there is a place in our family for you.
In the Master's Service,
David Harrell, DPhil
Senior Pastor-Teacher