People attend the Calvary Baptist church as a means to find a place and community that can help them get closer to Christ and understand their Christian faith better. Sometimes, these people are faced with many obstacles and trials in their lives and attending a Calvary Baptist church is considered their last resort towards happiness, fulfillment, and—quite literally—salvation.
They love attending the church because it not only brings them closer to Christ, but it also provides them with a community of people that they can turn to anytime they need help, guidance and advice. Whether it is the mainstream Calvary Baptist church or an offshoot, such as the Calvary Free Will Baptist church, most congregations are very fundamental in their Biblical beliefs.
Difference in Beliefs
So what is the difference between a mainstream Baptist church, such as a First Baptist Church, and a Calvary Baptist church? Well, there are actually many differences. For starters, most Baptist churches subscribes to particular theological beliefs that may not be the same for mainstream Christians. For instance, most Baptists believe in the concept of baptism by immersion, while many other Christians believe in infant baptism.
Also, in the Calvary Baptist church, for instance, they subscribe to the belief that the Bible is the main authority in everything and should be accepted literally. Of course, the Bible is God’s holy word, and it is the ultimate authority for all mankind, not what man says is truth. Many Christians do not believe that everything in the Bible should be accepted, such as the Genesis creation account being only seven literal days in length.
Local Independence
In addition, a Baptist church usually believes in the autonomy of local congregations. The Calvary Baptist church, for example, adheres to this tenet that independence is important for the congregation. What this autonomy means is that they can self-govern without the need to report to any higher type of community. While they may join with the larger national fellowship for mission work and evangelism, they do not receive dictates from a national fellowship group that tells them what to believe or how to hold worship.
Baptists are Protestants instead of Roman Catholic, and are actually one of the largest Protestant communities of faith. In some cases, they are also on the same level as Evangelicalism. While many fundamental churches, such as the Churches of Christ, do not usually have a choir, the praise music at these congregations usually is facilitated through a Calvary Baptist church choir.
Understanding the Faith
If you are interested in joining and attending a Calvary missionary Baptist church, it is first suggested that you read up and research on the community’s type of beliefs and worship practices. It is also of utmost importance to understand what their views are on Christian discipleship.
Numbers Game
In terms of membership, it has been estimated by both the First Calvary Baptist church and the Second Calvary Baptist church that there are over 110 million members of the fellowship worldwide. There are also over 220,000 communities and congregations. In fact, Baptists are deemed as the largest group of Protestants in the world.
These churches easily attract members primarily because most of them do not have age restrictions regarding joining their communities. More often than not, however, young children are not yet allowed to join the church because they probably still do not understand their faith very well. In cases like these, a pastor can deal one-on-one with a child and talk to him or her about faith. God saves an individual by regenerating the heart, and then the individual responds to this free gift of salvation by being obedient in being baptized. Salvation, however, is not credited to the person at baptism, but when God opens their heart to believe the Gospel prior to baptism.
Websites for Local and Regional Calvary Baptist Congregations
- Calvary Baptist Church Winston Salem – The congregation’s website is at www.calvarynow.com and it is located at 5000 Country Club Road (phone 336-766-5542).
- Mount Calvary Baptist Church – The website for Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Lanham, MD is www.mtcalvarybaptistmd.org and they are located at 5120 Whitfield Chapel Road (phone 301-577-4882).
- Calvary Baptist Church NYC – The website for an important Calvary Baptist Church in New York City is www.cbcnyc.org. They are located at 123 West 57th Street (phone 212-975-0170).
- Calvary Baptist Church Tuscaloosa – The website for a major congregation in Tusacaloosa is calvarytuscaloosa.org and they are located at 1121 Paul W Bryant Drive (phone 205-758-0495).
For additional information on church denominations, please review all of our articles on the Internet for Christians website.