Priorities and Beliefs

Priorities at Calvary Chapel Saddletowne

- Devotion: The heart of CCS is to foster wholehearted worship of Jesus, engaging mind, emotions, and will in faith. The believer’s battle is won through surrender to Christ in worship.

- The Word: A church thrives as it dives into God’s Word, and it falters when it drifts from this anchor. The Bible equips us to know God and life, personally and corporately.

- Simplicity: By focusing on the core of church life — Jesus and His Word — we maintain a steady, deep-rooted ministry that resists fleeting trends and distractions. We are vigilant to keep the main thing the main thing.

- Hospitality: Like a shepherd, we seek to know and facilitate the needs of our flock, welcoming with warmth and kindness.  

- Relationships: As God is relational with us, we prioritize connections with one another, reflecting His faithful love like family.  

Theme Scriptures:

- Psalm 1:2–3: “Instead, his delight is in the LORD’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

- Jeremiah 23:28–29: “‘The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has my word should speak my word truthfully, for what is straw compared to grain?’—this is the LORD’s declaration. ‘Is not my word like fire’—this is the LORD’s declaration—‘and like a hammer that pulverizes rock?’”  

- Deuteronomy 29:29: “The hidden things belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.”  

- Isaiah 55:10–11: “For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” 

Calvary Chapel Saddletowne inherits the ministry philosophy of the thriving family of churches known as Calvary Chapel. 

Calvary Chapel Saddletowne is a church plant commissioned by Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel. We are a "mini RMCC", rooted in the Calvary Chapel movement, founded by Chuck Smith, which emphasizes:  

- Verse-by-Verse Bible Teaching: Expository preaching through entire books of the Bible.  

- Simplicity in Worship: Accessible, Spirit-led worship that avoids overly complex structures.  

- Dependence on the Holy Spirit: Calvary Chapel ministry philosophy insists on trusting God to lead and empower ministry. A few memorable phrases help to capture this:

- ”Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit” - Zechariah 4:6

- “If you strive to gain, then you will have to strive to maintain.”

- “God’s work done God’s way will never lack God’s supply”

- “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be easily broken.”

Our ministry philosophy balances fidelity to this heritage with relevance to Northeast Calgary’s multicultural community, welcoming all to participate in a distinctly biblical identity.

Beliefs held at Calvary Chapel Saddletowne

While any guest is welcome to come and participate in our fellowship as long as they do not pose a probable threat to the health of our congregation, good standing as a believer in our fellowship requires alignment with standard evangelical belief.

This include the following basic doctrines:

• Personal salvation by grace through faith in Jesus

• The Trinitarian Nature of God 

• Monotheism

• The Authority of the Scriptures

• A Biblical Understanding of Sexuality

In addition to the basic Christian unity the congregation expects, our elders, when established, will affirm a more detailed statement of faith ensuring doctrinal unity and accountability.

This includes the following more detailed doctrines:

• The Inerrancy of the Scripture in the original manuscripts

• The Centrality of the Ministry of the Word in the Local Church

• Davidic Kingdom Theology (Premillennialism)

• Complementarianism in Marriage and in Church Governance

• Believers Baptism

• The Continuation of the Gifts of the Spirit

Finally, we want to be clear about the pastor’s preaching position. The pastor’s preaching philosophy and humbly held doctrinal positions include:

• Young Earth Creation

• Pre-Tribulation Rapture

• An affinity for Classical Theism and Post-Reductionist Christianity

Bible teaching will be predominantly expository verse-by-verse teaching, with practical application throughout. The pastor will typically teach using the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), as this translation is an articulate and clear rendering of the Biblical languages.