Baptist Churches in Calgary Have High Goals

Baptist churches in Calgary are looking to the future, challenged by an ambitious goal of “1,000 healthy, reproducing, cooperating churches by 2020.”

To the left is a picture of the Old-Baptist-Church as shown on one of the churches' websites.

Although some churches in Calgary remain independent, most belong to the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists (CCSB), which officially separated from its earlier affiliations and adopted its own constitution in 1985.

Since then, the CCSB has steadily increased its membership and now boasts 234 churches and congregation seeds throughout two territories and ten provinces, with almost four dozen churches in Alberta alone.

Local churches must obtain membership approval from CCSB and follow the official statement of faith.

The CCSB’s offices are in Cochrane, but its website at Canadian Convention of Southren Baptists brings church directories and information to a visitor’s fingertips.

The site lists seventeen churches in Calgary that enjoy CCSB membership. Within the framework of the Southern Baptists’ core beliefs, these individual churches remain autonomous as they strive to reach the target membership goal of 1,000 churches.

This common objective of strengthening the Baptist's presence is a dominant theme in the Calgary churches, despite any differences in language or culture.

For those who feel more comfortable in a church environment with a particular background, there is considerable variety in Calgary to suit those needs, although the churches welcome people from all walks of life.

By scrolling through the CCSB website’s directories, visitors can see the diversity that exists among the Calgary Baptist's churches.

The Arabic-Baptist Church, which meets at the Center Street Church at 3900 2nd Street NE, calls itself the only Arabic church that preaches and teaches the Bible.

It aims to spread the word of God by communicating with Arabic-speaking people in Calgary and by initiating Islamic-Christian dialogues, using evangelical missions, spiritual gatherings, and revival days to effect its mission.

Bridge International Church convenes at the Beddington Heights Community Centre at 375 Bermuda Drive NW and ministers primarily to southern Alberta’s Filipino community.

Its website details the church’s history and announces upcoming events and ministries on a weekly basis.

The Vietnamese Community Church at 248 Templeton Circle NE speaks to the “Christian Education and Revival Generation of Vietnam” and maintains a website that is written in Vietnamese.

The Calgary Chinese-Baptist Church at 3907 44th Avenue NE and the South Calgary Chinese Church Plant at #222-2250 162nd Avenue SW brings teachings to different parts of the city.

In addition to this cultural and linguistic diversity, there’s variation in approaches among Calgary’s churches, with some using more traditional methods and others employing unconventional ones.

Mountain View Christian Fellowship at 277 Strathcona Drive SW originated as a home group twelve years ago, and its first Sunday morning service took place 90 meters above ground in the Ski Jump Tower at Canada Olympic Park.

Richmond Hill Church at 7251 Sierra Morena Boulevard SW relies heavily on music to teach the word of God, and its lively choir performs at services and at concerts throughout the year.

These two churches may demonstrate different styles, but they share with all the churches a common purpose of serving God and welcoming others into the Baptist community.

Calgary also has independent churches that are not affiliated with CCSB and are therefore not listed in its online directories.

The Western Church at 4324 19th Avenue is an independent, fundamental Baptist church following the teachings of the King James version of the Bible.

And the Bowness Church can be visited either online or at at 8103 48th Avenue NW.

All are invited to join in the important work of building a stronger future for Baptist churches in Calgary.

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