Five Distinctives:
Calvary Baptist Church is currently home to ~100 members, located in historic East Millstone, NJ.
We believe that these questions are best answered by highlighting the five distinctives that characterize our church and our mission. These are:
1. Expository Preaching
Systematic, verse-by-verse teaching through the Bible
The Bible is the living, breathing, and inerrant Word of God. (2 Tim 3:16) Everything that we need for life is contained within it!
At Calvary, we are dedicated to verse-by-verse preaching through the books of the Bible, not going beyond it nor leaving anything out. Preaching that plunders the depths of the God's Word will quench your thirst and satisfy your soul (Jeremiah 15:16). We invite you to come experience it in person, or listen to some of our sermons online.
2. Genuine Fellowship
Practicing a love for the brethren
Christians are characterized by their love for one another (John 13:35). In fact, according to the Bible, fellowship is no optional matter for believers. Not only is it joyful and fulfilling, it is commanded by God (1 John 3:23), it results in our sanctification (1 John 1:7), and it is proof of our salvation (1 John 3:14).
True fellowship consists of spending time with one another, praying for (and with) one another, serving one another, encouraging one another, weeping with one another, rejoicing with one another (Romans 12:15), and admonishing one another when necessary (Romans 15:14). It includes privileges, responsibilities, and accountability. Genuine fellowship often takes effort and initiative, and requires people to be open, honest, and purposeful.
Everyone is encouraged to practice these things on their own, but at our church, we try hard to create an environment where genuine fellowship thrives. To this end, we have organized home groups, bible study groups, weekly prayer meetings, monthly men and women prayer meetings, church picnics, fellowship meals, camping trips, and many other activities throughout the year where people have the opportunity to gather and interact as the family of God.
3. Urgent Evangelism
Taking the Gospel to the lost, locally and worldwide
The greatest evangelist who ever lived Jesus Christ Himself (Matt 4:17). He was constantly proclaiming the good news that salvation from God's wrath and judgement was available to all who would repent and believe. Jesus then commanded us to make disciples (Matt 28:19-20), even to the remotest parts of the earth (Acts 1:10).
Our message is urgent. The time of opportunity is now, and can end anytime without warning. The message must go out!
Calvary is dedicated to local evangelism. For instance, we hold evangelism training classes to equip our members in their personal evangelism. We often visit those that our church has had contact with, to ensure that they've properly understood the good news. In addition, we regularly set up a table at the Bridgewater mall, where we pass out tracts and engage the local community one-on-one, face-to-face. We also visit a local nursing home, where we provide a brief worship service and then engage the residents.
Calvary is also committed to world evangelism. We support (financially and in prayer) missionaries around the world, including groups dedicated to frontier missions (e.g., New Tribes Mission). Our church also participates in short-term missions trips (we have recently been to Mexico and Ecuador).
4. God-centered Worship
Meaningful, passionate worship through truth-filled lyrics
Worship is not just about singing songs; instead, worship is the process of living one's whole life for God. Our worship in song is merely an overflow of ongoing worship in all other areas of life.
Of course, a requirement for worshiping in truth is for songs to actually contain truth! At Calvary, we are careful to choose only songs with lyrics that contain good doctrine (hint: if you can substitute "my girlfriend" every time you hear "Jesus" in a song, and it still makes sense, the song has probably failed the test!). For example, we sing a good number of hymns with updated music, as well as some excellent songs from Sovereign Grace Ministries.
We believe that the human voice is the primary instrument to be used for worship. The role of musical instruments is to adorn and compliment the human voice, and indeed, there are many instances in Scripture where instruments are used to joyfully praise the Lord (Psalms 33:2). We therefore sing both traditional hymns (occasionally in 4-part harmony in our choir), and more modern songs accompanied by a praise band containing guitars, percussion, violins, pianos, etc.
5. The Doctrines of Grace
Rejoicing in the absolute sovereignty of God
The Scriptures clearly teach that God is absolutely sovereign, even over a person's salvation. The Doctrines of Grace (or the 5 Points of Calvinism) are briefly summarized as follows:
Total Depravity
Man is totally depraved, unable to save himself, even unable to want to save himself, left on his own. Without the intervention of God, we are spiritually dead, and our rebellion against God is total.Irresistable Grace
When God decides to save someone, He cannot fail, and his drawing cannot be resisted or rejected by man.Limited Atonement
While the sacrifice of Christ is sufficient to save the entire world, it covers the sins of only those who repent and believe, whom He chose before the foundation of the world.Unconditional Election
God elects whom he chooses, not based on any conditions that man must meet. Man, being totally depraved, cannot meet any conditions in order to elected. Faith is a condition for salvation; but election is a condition for faith.Perseverance of the Saints
No one who God has elected can ever lose their salvation, but their faith will endure to the end. God alone has secured it, and God alone keeps it.
For more in-depth information, we heartily recommend reading John Piper's article What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism.
We chose our adherence to the Doctrines of Grace as a Distinctive because, sadly, they have largely fallen out of favor in our day. Many churches, including those around us, no longer teach them or adhere to them. Here at Calvary, we believe that the church is meant to be the pillar and support of the truth. It is here that a correct view of the sovereignty of God must be upheld (2 Tim 3:16).
