our congregation

As a "community church," our members come from many denominational backgrounds but are united by a love of Jesus Christ and a commitment to the Bible as the Word of God. 


We have 367 members, down from 408 in 2010, and 434 in 2005.  

Attendance at our 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. services is as follows: 


                      9:30 a.m.       11:00 a.m. 

2015          229                  133

2010          303                  142

2005          255                  203


During the summer we have a combined service at 10 a.m.  

Attendance in 2015 averaged 314. 


In the fall of 2015, our congregation took a survey covering demographics, our hopes for the next Pastor, and how we feel about our church.  Here is a summary of the results, based on 269 responses. 

   

Who We Are 

79% are members.  61% are female.  64% are over 50 years old.  75% are married.  44% have at least a bachelor's degree.  24% have minor children at home.  97% are Caucasian.  36% are retired.  63% have attended Calvary for over 10 years, and 35% have attended for more than 20 years.


What We Want in our Next Senior Pastor

Most important professional skills:  Preaching (81)%.  Leadership & Communication (81%).  Working well with council & staff (70%).  Teaching (69%).  Shepherding (59%).


Top 3 time priorities:  Sermon preparation (81%).  Prayer (68%).  Meeting with ministry leaders who plan and organize ministry activities (38%). 


How much change should the new pastor make?  12% want none.  49% want some small changes.  36% want significant changes.  3% want to really shake things up.


92% think it's fine for the pastor's wife to have her own career.


Sermons on controversial topics like abortion and homosexuality:  7% want a lot. 51% want some.  34% want just a little. 8% want none.


Ideal sermon length?  28% say about 20 minutes.  51% say about 30 minutes.  6% say about 40 minutes.  14% say "other." 


What We Believe About Calvary

On a scale of 1 for weakness to 3 for strength, Calvary's greatest strengths are: youth ministry (2.81), missions (2.77), sound Biblical doctrine (2.72), and VBS (2.70). Our weaknesses are ministering to singles (1.49) and openness to change (1.88). 


We strongly believe that the congregation "cooperates well with our current senior pastor" (2.80), and that "our members care about one another" (2.69). 


Questions for Pastoral Candidates

In addition to answering specific questions, over half of those responding shared questions of their own they would like to ask a candidate for senior pastor. Here are a few examples: 


"Do you believe that the Bible is written by the Almighty God and cannot be changed, watered down or compromised by man?" 


"Will you stay true to the word of God?" 


"Do you believe the whole Bible to be the true, infallible, inspired word of God?" 


"How much time do you spend in prayer daily?"


 "What would you say the value of failure has in the life a believer?  In your life?" 








circleleftarrow Back: Our Staff              Top               Next: Our Worshipcirclerightarrow