“IN-PERSON SUNDAY: March 17 @ 10:30 a.m.”

Next Service: Sunday, March 17

Join us at 10:30 a.m.

Click here for bulletin.

On Being Baptist

We’re proudly and stalwartly Baptist around here, because there are many qualities of Baptist faith expression that are too wonderful and valuable to give up, and we cherish the diverse Baptist expression we work to create and maintain at Calvary Baptist Church.  Here are a few we hang onto around here:

Priesthood of all believers

Being Baptist means practicing a faith that affirms and encourages the priesthood of all believers That is, we’re tenacious about the fact that God speaks freely to us all, and that each one of us has an individual and direct relationship with God that is not brokered by an institution or a member of the clergy.

Autonomy of the local church

A great gift of being a Baptist is the autonomy of the local church.  Much like our individual belief in the responsibility of each person to cultivate relationship with God, our church community has that responsibility, too.  As Baptists we are constantly asking where it is God is leading us as a community of faith and how we will respond to that leading.  No larger entity or denominational body dictates whom we hire, who is accepted into membership, where our money goes, or what polity statements we adopt.

Separation of church and state and religious liberty

As Baptists in Washington, D.C. we are particularly conscious of yet another critical Baptist distinctive: the separation of church and state.  Our faith informs our individual politics, of course.  But the church is never a forum for promoting the state.  We answer to a higher calling—we are people engaged in living the radical Gospel of Jesus Christ, and thus we work to keep these allegiances separate.

Holy Scripture

Of course, all of these qualities are encompassed in a high regard for Holy Scripture.  Its prominence and responsible interpretation is important to us…you will soon experience this by our weekly reading of four passages from the Bible in worship and our pastors’ regular insistence that we get into the Bible and grapple with what it has to say.

Lordship of Jesus Christ

Most of all, who we are as Baptists is defined by our affirmation of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which is a kind of old-fashioned way of saying we’re followers of Jesus and that we nurture our community and try our best, with the help of God’s ongoing presence and leadership, to live the two greatest commandments Jesus taught us: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ Matthew 22:37-40

Mission Support

Like many churches, Calvary affiliates and supports many Baptist organizations like: Alliance of BaptistsAmerican Baptist Churches USA, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, DC Baptist Convention, Baptist World Alliance, Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America and the Baptist Joint Committee.

Calvary’s 151st Anniversary Celebrations

In June, 2013, Calvary celebrated its 151st anniversary as a congregation and invited Dr. Rosalie Beck to lead our congregation in a conversation on Baptist characteristics. Click below to hear excerpts from this special event and learn more about the unique Baptist identity.

Bible Freedom

Soul Freedom

Church Freedom

Religious Freedom