Two Campuses in Sarpy County
Calvary Christian Church has been meeting in Bellevue, Nebraska for over fifty years. Today it gathers as one church in two locations: the Bellevue campus on Cedar Island Road and the Shadow Lake campus on Papillion Drive in Papillion. The church calls itself non-denominational and Bible-focused, identifying simply as a Christian church that follows the New Testament pattern with Christ as the sole head.
Lead Pastor Scott Beckenhauer and his wife Michalene began serving at Calvary in July 1999. After eight years in student ministry, Scott moved into the senior pastor role and has watched the congregation grow into a multisite family. The church is governed by an Elder Team that includes Doug Rausch as Elder Chair and Trent Williams as Elder Vice Chair, alongside Will Little, Drew Severson, David Madden, Justin Widick, and Shane Varejcka. A minimum of ten percent of the annual general fund is earmarked for missions, reflecting a long-standing commitment to take the gospel beyond the church's own walls.
The Five Rhythms of Discipleship
At the center of Calvary's teaching is a simple framework the church calls rhythms. Five practices shape what it means to follow Jesus here:
- Gather - align hearts to God and lives to His mission in weekly worship.
- Connect - find community in life-giving smaller groups that help one another follow Jesus.
- Serve - love the church family and the wider community so that God's love becomes visible.
- Share - invest in "one life" and invite others into relationship with Jesus.
- Give - return a portion of finances to deepen trust in God and impact lives beyond our own.
These rhythms are not treated as a linear sequence. Take one or two away, the church says, and life starts to look incomplete. Anyone exploring the church for the first time is invited to start a conversation about which rhythms are already strong and which need attention.
Sunday Mornings at Calvary
At the Bellevue campus, services run at 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 a.m. The Shadow Lake campus meets at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Each gathering lasts about sixty minutes: a time of worship led by a live band followed by a Bible-centered message from one of the teaching pastors. Communion is celebrated every Sunday, and the observance is open - any believer is welcome to participate.
Visitors at Bellevue walk through the lobby to a Welcome Center, where a fresh cup of Hardy coffee awaits before heading past the Calvary Kids sign to check in children and on into the Worship Center. Shadow Lake mirrors the flow, with its own Welcome Center and coffee bar just inside the entrance. The dress is casual and the atmosphere is described as "come as you are." A smaller gathering space called The Venue, also on the Bellevue property, offers a 9 a.m. video-only service in a more intimate setting and is available for weddings and funerals.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 a.m., and past messages are available along with weekly study guides. Right Now Media, an extensive streaming Bible study library, is offered to all members free of charge through the Calvary App.
Next Generation: Kids, Preteens, and Students
Children's ministry at Calvary is organized by age, with a dedicated team at each campus. Calvary Kids welcomes children from babies through fourth grade in safe, age-appropriate environments where the Bible is taught creatively. Each Sunday begins with large group worship and teaching, followed by small group time with activities, questions, and relationships. Parents check children in at a station and receive a security tag with a matching code for pickup, with every volunteer screened and trained. A pre-registration option online helps first-time families save time at the welcome desk. Family First events run throughout the year to deepen connections between kids, parents, and the church.
Calvary Preteens is built for fifth and sixth graders and meets during the 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. services at Bellevue and the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services at Shadow Lake. An additional program called Ignite gathers on Sundays from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. during the school year. Games like Super Smash Bros and Tetris share space with small group discussion and teaching tailored to the questions preteens are actually asking. Landyn Den Hoed and Ethan Martin lead the students ministry across the two campuses, with Laya McAllister serving as Youth Resident.
Calvary Students, also called Collective, gathers seventh through twelfth graders on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bellevue campus. Each week includes worship, teaching, small groups, and time for fun. Every fourth Sunday is Donut Sunday, when students between services at both campuses can grab a donut and connect with friends. The ministry exists, in the words of its leaders, to equip students to live and love like Jesus.
Baptism: The Biblical Response
Baptism at Calvary is by full immersion, understood as the biblical response of willfully surrendering to God and joining Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. The church teaches that grace meets faith at the moment of baptism and that salvation is granted to those who repent. Infants are not baptized at Calvary; instead, baptism is reserved for individuals who can personally confess Jesus as Lord. The church does not set a minimum age but seeks "biblical readiness" - a child able to explain the gospel, who Jesus is, and why they personally want to be baptized.
Re-baptism is offered for anyone who lacked understanding, was coerced, or was insincere at their first baptism. Those who have fallen into sin after baptism are encouraged to repent and seek forgiveness; re-baptism is not considered necessary in such cases. The church draws on Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, and Romans 6:1-8, and summarizes the act as "the divinely authorized act by which the repentant sinner approaches God and in which God fulfills his promises."
Life Groups, Rooted, and Growth Groups
Small groups are organized into three tracks at Calvary. Life Groups are the heart of connection, with separate groups for men, women, married couples, and young adults meeting on various days and times throughout the week. The church describes them as a "third place" between work and home where friendships that challenge and encourage can be found.
Rooted is an eleven-week discipleship experience designed as an entry point for those new to small groups and to faith. The journey includes group discussions, a prayer experience, a serving experience, and a celebration. Rooted meets on Monday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., with childcare provided free of charge for every week of the experience. Scholarships are available for those for whom the $30 registration fee is a barrier.
Growth Groups are seasonal groups that run during the spring and fall. They focus on growing through life's challenges and stages, and childcare is available for each group. Anyone in the wider community is welcome to participate.
Walking Through Hard Seasons
Calvary offers a robust set of support ministries for those walking through difficult circumstances. DivorceCare, including DivorceCare 4 Kids, walks alongside individuals and families navigating separation or divorce. GriefShare provides resources for those grieving the loss of a loved one. Re|Engage is a marriage enrichment program open to couples in any condition. Re|Generation is a healing ministry for anyone who feels stuck or weighed down by hurts and habits. Financial Peace University, Dave Ramsey's money management course, is taught in a small group setting. Unite is premarital preparation for engaged couples.
CityCare Counseling, located on the Bellevue campus, brings together licensed professional counselors who offer faith-based therapy. Counselors combine biblical dynamics of change with current evidence-based interventions in a confidential setting. The care ministry team is also available for prayer requests and personal conversations.
Sarpy Care Center and Foster Care
The Sarpy Care Center sits on the church's Bellevue property and serves as a safe, welcoming place where neighbors in Sarpy County can receive practical help, be connected to a Christ-centered community, and take steps toward a sustainable future. The center distributes food and diapers and serves as a referral point for additional care. Its coordinator, Natalee Severson, helps connect volunteers and donations with people in need.
Through the Calvary Cares ministry, the church partners with the Child Saving Institute to support foster families and those exploring foster care. Practical ways to help include home and car repairs for families at risk of separation, meal preparation for new placements, mentoring children and teens, and praying for birth families, foster families, and child welfare workers. The Upward Sports league extends the same mission through basketball and cheer for kids in the community, including a developmental league for first and second graders.
Reaching Beyond: Missions and the Local Church Initiative
Calvary organizes its global and local outreach around four priorities: starting and strengthening churches, developing church leaders, serving at-risk kids and teens, and unleashing compassion. Beyond Sarpy County, the church supports church planting, leadership development, and mission work around the globe, with efforts in India among the partnerships named on the church's giving page.
The Local Church Initiative takes that same commitment to other congregations. Calvary partners with churches that need help to close, rebound, maintain, or re-launch. The team provides speakers, financial grants, leadership training, strategic planning, and staff placement help. Jim Hardy serves as Local Church Pastor and oversees this work.
A distinctive weekly giving practice called $1 for One invites everyone who attends to contribute an extra dollar each week to bless a nominated person in the community. Gifts are collected in boxes toward the back of each auditorium and through Venmo (@theCalv), and are delivered to that week's recipient.
The For Everyone Expansion
Calvary is in the middle of a three-year expansion campaign called For Everyone. At the Bellevue South building, seating has grown from 600 to 800, a new Kids Lobby and indoor play structure have been added, and a new main lobby connects the worship and children's areas with gathering spaces called the Living Room (for groups of 30 to 35) and the Fireside Room (for 20 to 25). The Bellevue North building, formerly the North Campus, is becoming the permanent home of the Sarpy Care Center, a counseling center with capacity for up to twelve licensed counselors, and a multi-purpose space with a sports court.
At the Shadow Lake campus, the lobby has been remodeled, kids' classrooms refreshed, the worship center repainted with updated technology, the parking lot expanded with added lighting, and the playground extended for older children. The goal of the project is not just more space but a clearer invitation: a place where more people can experience faith, connection, and purpose.
What Calvary Believes
Calvary Christian Church holds to "no creed but Christ." The Bible is the inspired Word of God and the authoritative rule of faith and practice. Members affirm faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of the Living God, with Christ alone as Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit is God Himself, encouraging, guiding, and transforming them in the way of Christ. Communion is celebrated every Sunday as an open observance, and baptism by immersion follows a believer's repentance and confession.
The church describes its unity this way: "In essential beliefs - we have unity. In non-essentials - we have liberty. In all things - we show love." Members are not required to subscribe to a formal creed, but all who hold leadership or teaching positions at Calvary agree to respect the church's statement of faith as a guide for their teaching.
Worship services could be described, in its own language, as "contemporary music and methods," characterized by Bible-centered preaching and teaching, prayer, the breaking of bread, and fellowship. Communion is open to all believers, not just church members.