A Small Church on Sparta Pike With a Big Heart
Calvary Baptist Church gathers at 1702 Sparta Pike in Lebanon, Tennessee, and describes itself as a small church with a big heart that serves a big God. Its purpose statement reads, "Calvary Baptist Church exists to love God, love people, share Jesus and make disciples." The church spells out how it carries out that purpose: loving God through worship and obedience, loving people through ministry and fellowship, sharing Jesus through missions and evangelism, and making disciples through preaching and teaching.
Those who come for Sunday worship are welcomed with sincere warmth and appreciation. The congregation says it is blessed and will be blessed by the presence of those who attend its service on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
Sunday School at 9:30 and Traditional Worship at 10:30
Sunday School begins at 9:30 a.m., with Sunday worship following at 10:30 a.m. The worship service is primarily traditional, heartfelt, and aimed at glorifying God. The congregation sings hymns and hears special music from the choir or other singers, then prays, gives, and invites those who will to be saved.
Pastor Terry Carver preaches in an expository style, taking a passage from God's Word and unpacking it so that people can understand it and hopefully apply it to their lives. Sunday worship is also livestreamed on Facebook at 10:30 a.m.
Children's Church in the Fellowship Hall
Children gather for their own church gathering in the fellowship hall. It begins immediately after the special music and before the pastor's sermon begins, giving families a place for their children to take part in the service.
Wednesday Bible Study at 6:30
Beyond Sunday, the church meets on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. for Bible study.
What Calvary Baptist Holds To
The church's beliefs begin with the Holy Bible as the inspired Word of God and the all-sufficient authority in matters of faith, doctrine, and Christian living. It holds to one God, eternally existing in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is affirmed as true God and man who died on the cross for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of the Father as High Priest and Advocate.
Human beings are described as created in the image of God but fallen into sin and therefore lost, with salvation and spiritual life obtained only through regeneration by the work of the Holy Spirit. Eternal salvation is the free gift of God, entirely apart from human works, and is possessed by anyone who has faith in and receives Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. Church membership is for those old enough to understand their need for Jesus Christ who, of their own free will, accept Him as personal Lord and Savior.
Baptism is by immersion, and the Lord's Supper is a memorial to Christ's suffering and death on the cross, with both observed as ordinances of the church. The church also believes in the bodily resurrection of the dead, the everlasting blessedness of the saved in heaven, the everlasting punishment and separation from God of the unsaved, and the personal, bodily, imminent, and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ, which inspires believers to zealous life and service while waiting for His return.
Calvary Baptist emphasizes the autonomy of the local church, which manages its own affairs and is not subject to any other religious body or organization. At the same time, it subscribes to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention, as its larger statement of faith with scriptural references.
Pastor, Worship Leader, and Deacons
Terry Carver serves as pastor, and Mike Vaughn leads worship. The deacons of Calvary Baptist are Ricky Underhill, who serves as chairman, Eugene Murray, Robert Allen, Mike Matney, and John Alsup.
Finding Calvary Baptist in Lebanon
The church is located at 1702 Sparta Pike, Lebanon, TN 37090, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 967, Lebanon, TN 37088. The congregation can be reached by phone at 615-444-4847, and Sunday services are carried live on its Facebook group. A small church with a big heart, Calvary Baptist opens its doors at 9:30 a.m. for Sunday School and gathers again at 10:30 a.m. for worship.