STATEMENT OF FAITH

    The great end of any missionary society or fellowship should not be the sending forth of missionaries, but the sending forth of God’s truth through missionaries. It is unwise and even perilous to make missions or evangelism a rallying point for believers or congregations of diverse or undefined doctrinal viewpoints. Truth and the desire to make it known among the nations must be the uniting force.
       
    Since missions is primarily a task of communicating God’s truth to the nations, biblical doctrine is primary. Any missionary society or agency that does not concern itself with biblical doctrine or generalizes its doctrinal statement in order to maintain fellowship with the greatest number of professing Christians (i.e., supporters) has lost its very purpose.

    Calvary Fellowship Missionary Society is not a para-church organization. We are a ministry under the authority and supervision of a local New Testament Church and its elders. We call ourselves a society simply because the word denotes a proper association of people with similar interests, purposes, or passions. Those of our church and those who faithfully support this ministry have one abiding purpose: That God’s Name be great among the nations through proclaiming Truth which leads to the redemption of men and the building up of Christ’s bride.

    Our church is Calvary Fellowship located in Arden, North Carolina.  We are a Church concerned with the restoration of the true Gospel and the biblical principles that ought to govern the local church. The elders serving at Calvary Fellowship Noel Hendrix, Dan Davis, Joe Worley, Mike Worley and Henry Ledford

Since we are not a para-church organization, but a ministry of Calvary Fellowship, our doctrine is entirely that of Calvary Fellowship.

1.    Missions is an Impossibility apart from the Power of God. All men of every culture are born radically depraved, at enmity with God, and restraining the truth. The conversion of a man and the advancement of missions are an absolute impossibility apart from the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit in regeneration. Modern church growth strategies and many new mission methodologies often overlook this essential truth.

2.    A True Gospel must be Proclaimed. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16) and the preaching of the Gospel is the great “means” and “methodology” of missions. The Gospel is, first and foremost, God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). It answers the eternal question of how a just God can rightly justify wicked men (Romans 3:26). It points to Christ alone, who bore the sins of His people upon the cross, was forsaken of God, and crushed under the full force of His just wrath against sin. The Good News of the Gospel is that through Christ’s death, the justice of God was satisfied, and salvation was won for a great multitude of people. This is evidenced by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead - “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:25).

 3.    The Gospel Transcends Culture. The greatest need of all men of every culture is the clear proclamation of the Gospel. Men are saved through the Gospel and continue in sanctification through continued growth in the full counsel of God’s Word. Although differences in culture are to be considered, it is more important for the missionary to be biblically sensitive than culturally sensitive. A missionary was once asked how he preached the Gospel to a certain remote tribe. He declared, “I do not preach the Gospel to a remote tribe. I preach the Gospel to men!”

4.    Incarnational Missions is Essential. Although there may be some effective non-personal means of communicating the Gospel, there is no substitute for one man living among a people, teaching the Gospel to them, and living out his faith before them. God sent his own Son, and He became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1,14; 3:16).

5.    Superficial Evangelism is one of the Great Obstacles to Missions. Non-theological preaching, entertaining skits, and Gospel films are no substitute for the biblical exposition of the Gospel. Inviting men to raise their hands and pray a prayer is no substitute for the biblical call to repentance, faith, and personal discipleship. Biblical assurance of salvation does not flow from a past decision or a prayer, but from the examination of one’s enduring lifestyle in the light of Scripture.

6.    Church Planting is the Primary Work of Missions. There are many gifts and callings in the body of Christ, but all of them are to work together on the mission field with the primary goal of planting a biblical church. It is one thing to do mass evangelism and to boast of the numbers of decisions; it is quite another to establish a biblical church.

7.    True Missions is Costly. Amy Carmichael explained that missions is no more and no less than an opportunity to die. We live in a fallen world that is at enmity with God and opposes His truth; therefore, missions and suffering go hand in hand. Any advancement of the kingdom of Christ into the dominion of the devil will be met with warfare. There are many countries and people groups where martydom cannot be avoided.

Acknowledgements: Calvary Fellowship Missionary Society acknowledges that, since we fully agree with all that encompasses HeartCry Missionary Society, the above proclamations were obtained from HeartCry Missionary Society either in part or in whole.  HeartCry Missionary Society is under the authority of The First Baptist Church of Muscle Shoals, Alabama.