Two ordinances: believer's baptism by immersion and Lord's Supper as memorial
Calvary Chapel observes two ordinances: water baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is administered to believers by immersion as a public declaration of faith, not as a saving act itself. Infant baptism is not practiced. The Lord's Supper is observed regularly as a memorial — recalling Christ's death — rather than as a means of conveying grace in a sacramental sense.
Calvary Chapel rejects Roman Catholic sacramentalism and transubstantiation, holding instead a broadly Protestant memorial or symbolic view of communion. The ordinances are important acts of obedience and public witness, but salvation is understood to rest on faith in Christ alone, not on the performance of these rites.
Key Distinctions
- Term used:
- ordinances
- Sacrament count:
- two (Baptism and Communion)
- Baptism mode:
- immersion
- Baptism recipients:
- believers only
- Eucharist presence:
- symbolic memorial
Scripture References
Sources
- Calvary Chapel Statement of Faith
- Calvary Chapel Distinctives (Chuck Smith)