Calvary's Mission
Mission answers the question, "Why do we exist?" Jesus left the church two basic standing orders, and from them we derive the five purposes that give Calvary its mandate. We are committed to a balanced pursuit of these purposes in a way that honours the vision God has given us as a church.

Calvary exists to live out this statement:

A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment
and the Great Commission will build a Great Church.

We pursue this mission by discovering the five purposes of the church in the words of Jesus.
Celebrate, Connect, Reach, Grow and Serve.

The Great Commandment

Purpose #1:
Celebrate

Worshipping God with our whole lives
At Calvary our intention is to create a vision of worship that engages every fibre of our being and every dimension of our lives. We do this through corporate worship, personal devotion and an attitude that carries aconsciousness of God in all that we do and are.

Prayer
Prayer is oxygen to the church. We desire to create a prayer-rich atmosphere by genuinely calling on God at every level of church life, and by setting aside times for corporate prayer to which the whole community is invited.

Integrated Service Design
Corporate worship should engage the whole person, integrating a vision of Christ's calling that affects every facet of our lives. We believe the most effective worship experience communicates as a unified whole, so we plan each element with this in mind.

Worship Style
Calvary desires to connect people to God through contemporary worship that honours the past and embraces the future. Our worship is intended to exalt, encourage and inspire.

Incarnational Approach
Just as Jesus incarnated God's Word in His world, we are called to do so in ours. We deliberately seek ways to make the entire service resonate with real life as most of us experience it. We use a variety of means, carefully selected from sacred and secular sources, to remove every stumbling block to communication but Jesus himself.

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The Great Commandment
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:39-40

Purpose #2
Connect

Cultivating caring community
We want Calvary to be a community that offers love, acceptance and forgiveness to people wherever they are in their spiritual journey. This means an atmosphere of warmth as they come into our community, an effort to build encouraging relationships, and offering healing hope to those who need it.

First Impressions
We want everyone who walks through the doors of Calvary to experience a safe and comfortable atmosphere that encourages them to take their next steps in Christ.

Community
We are concerned for each person who calls Calvary home, and want to be intentional at supporting those who are walking through the everyday challenges of life together.

Care
Sometimes people are looking for practical help and healing as they navigate life's journey. That's why we offer ministries that provide support and counseling to those who desire it.

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The Great Commission
Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 16:15

Purpose #3:
Reach

Showing others God's Love
We're convinced that the best way to proclaim Christ is to show his love in tangible ways. We demonstrate that love to our city through kindness outreach and mercy ministries; and to our world through missionary efforts that meet real needs.

Kindness Outreach
Believing that small deeds done with great love will change the world, we are committed to sowing seeds of God's grace all over our community through random acts of kindness, and hospitality. We want people to hear the music of the gospel, then we want them to hear the words.

Mercy
We believe that God's compassion for suffering and his heart for justice compel us to
demonstrate God's mercy in tangible ways to the world around us. We do this in two dimensions:

• Locally: We partner with community groups that care for the disenfranchised demonstrating God's love to our local community.
• Globally: We serve missionaries who meet real needs around the world, finding worthy projects to support, that help alleviate human suffering.

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The Great Commission

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20

Purpose #4:
Grow

Taking the next step
Disciple-making is a step-by-step process that involves transformative biblical teaching through intentional relationships. At Calvary we pursue this in age-appropriate environments that foster meaningful life-on-life contact in small groups.

Teaching
We believe that God's Word is powerfully relevant to daily life. Our goal is to challenge 21st century people consistently to contemplate ageless truth in fresh ways.

Small Groups
We encourage people into accountable relationships that will inspire growth and provide opportunities for fruitfulness. It's a lot easier to think we're living out our faith when we're doing it alone. The real challenge is doing it with others in a committed way.

Age Related Programs
We provide transformative instruction that meets people where they're at on life's journey. This includes intentional ministry to children, youth, and adults designed for the 21st century.

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The Great Commission
I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. Luke 24:49

Purpose #5:
Serve

Activating my gifts for others
Spirit-empowered ministry is the calling of each Christ-follower. We believe in encouraging individuals to find their full potential in God by releasing their gifts in joyful service of others.

Gift-Based Servanthood
The attitude of a servant marks all we do at Calvary. We believe that God has invested each individual with just the right combination of gifts, passions and abilities to serve others precisely as he intended.

Ministry Covenant
We are convinced that every person is a minister, and we take the commitment to ministry seriously. For those who choose to be involved, we have clear definitions about terms of service and the church's obligation to those who serve.

Major/Minor
Time is our most valued commodity. We recognize that no one person can do it all. That's why we recommend that people pursue no more than one major ministry and one minor commitment at a time.

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