STARTING POINT
Welcome to Starting Point online! While we would love for everyone to take part in a live Starting Point gathering, sometimes it’s not possible. On this page, you’ll find information and videos that will help you get to know the heart of Calvary Church so you can make an informed decision about making Calvary your church home and your next steps to get involved and invested in the life of the church. Questions? Jump over to the team page to find contact info for one of the pastors or email Sarah Courtney, Director of Connections.
Three Things You Should Know
We have a mission.
Sarah shares Calvary’s mission in Valparaiso and Northwest Indiana. She also gives you 4 R-words that describe our culture here (we call them our values). We hope that culture sinks into everyone who makes Calvary their church home.
We might be different than other churches you’ve seen.
There are a few things that every Bible-believing church should hold sacred, but there are many other issues where Christians can evaluate the words of the Bible differently and still cooperate and worship with one another. Joe explains 5 ways that Calvary’s views might be different from another church.
We talk about the gospel a lot.
We talk a lot about the gospel at Calvary because it’s the beating heart of Christian faith. In this video, Josh explains some of the ways you’ll hear us talk about the gospel and what we mean when we use that term. It’s both beautifully simple and wonderfully nuanced.
The Discipleship Pathway
disciple
1. a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower
2. any follower of Christ
disciple-maker / discipler
1. a person who intentionally, relationally uses every opportunity to encourage and teach others to know and faithfully follow Jesus
2. any follower of Christ
You will hear us say this often: We are disciples who make disciples. That’s what followers of Jesus do (Matthew 28:19-20); as they themselves follow Jesus, they also encourage and, yes, sometimes teach others to follow him too. The graphic shows you how disciples are most often made and formed at Calvary (but it can look different!). We encourage you to make your way through this pathway, taking advantage of the opportunities offered to connect with others, grow in your own faith, serve the church, and ultimately be a discipler here at Calvary and everywhere you go outside these walls.
Next Steps
We believe that real spiritual growth happens when people connect face to face. That’s hard to do in a church row. Small Groups provide a chance to connect with others and to spiritually grow together as followers of Christ.
Attending church is great, but belonging to a church community has added value and benefits you may not even realize yet. Everyone is looking for a place where they fit in and can be of use, and we think church should be that kind of place. Membership Sessions will help you see how joining a church is different from going to one.
