There are various people who you will meet when you visit on a Sunday morning but our goal is that you encounter Jesus Christ. He is the Head of the Church and our Senior Pastor (Eph. 1:22–23, 4:15, 5:23), and He has established His church to be lead by teams of Elders.
Among other people you will also meet our Leadership Team that comprises of Elders and Deacons.
ELDERS serve under Christ and lead congregation as servant leaders (1 Peter 5:1-5). The Elder Board of Calvary currently consists of two men. Leadership in the Bible is always spoken of in terms of plurality because God intends for more than one man to lead and rule over the church as a safeguard for both the church and the man. The doctrine of plurality accommodates for leaders amongst leaders (1 Tim. 5:17), but this is for the purpose of functionality rather than superiority. It is more of a ‘first among equals’ rather than a hierarchy. At Calvary the Elders work together in a plurality seeking consensus on decisions of doctrine, direction and discipline with Simon Lawrenson serving as the Lead Pastor.
DEACONS are the only other office mentioned in the scriptures in the local church (Phil. 1:1) and the word simply means “one who ministers alongside”. Whilst everyone in the church have servant hearts, Deacons are recognised in the church for works of service. (i.e. serving and caring for God’s people in (1 Tim. 3:8–13).) Unlike elders, deacons can be either male or female, as with the example of the woman Phoebe (Rom. 16:1–2). Our deacons, together with and under the oversight of elders, exercise oversight in Life Groups, Worship and other ministries.
ACCOUNTABILITY is very important to us. We believe that the local church is the body of Christ and part of the City of God within the City of Southampton. As a team we actively seek accountability and counsel from independent organisations, other churches and ministries with whom we have relationships. Among these are:
- Gospel Coalition
- Servants Church, Norwich
- Calvary Chapel, Leatherhead
- Calvary Chapel Outreach Fellowship
- Moriel Ministries