Calvary Baptist Church is a Baptist church located in the Chinatown neighborhood in Washington, D.C. affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, the Alliance of Baptists, the District of Columbia Baptist Convention, and the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists.

In July 2012, the church severed ties with the Southern Baptist Convention. Since 2017, Calvary's Senior Co-Pastors have been Rev. Sally Sarratt and Rev. Maria Swearingen.

History

19th century

The church was founded in 1862. Calvary's sanctuary building was designed by the U.S.-German architect Adolf Cluss, who also designed a number of other leading buildings in Washington, D.C.

Calvary is the founding church of the Northern Baptist Convention, which is now American Baptist Churches USA, a leading church of the Baptist Sunday School movement at the turn of the century.

20th century

Calvary is unique in Baptist life for having simultaneously had the presidents of the American Baptists, then pastor Clarence Cranford, and that of the Southern Baptists, former Democratic member of Congress from Arkansas Brooks Hays, as members of the congregation.

In accordance with its vision statement, Calvary concentrated on its relationship with the Latino, and especially Salvadoran population by introducing bilingual services and partnering with a church in El Salvador, led by Rev. Edgar Palacios.

Calvary has been active in immigration reform efforts, along with the issue of marriage equality.

In 1983, Calvary founded the Calvary Women's Shelter, now Calvary Women's Services, the first women's homeless shelter in the Washington metropolitan area.

Senior pastors

• Sally Sarratt and Maria Swearingen (married), 2017–current
• Amy Butler, 2003–2014
• Lynn Bergfalk, 1987–2000
• George W. Hill, 1971–1986
• Clarence Cranford, 1942–1971
• William S. Abernethy, 1921–1941
• Samuel Harrison Greene, 1880–1920
• Auguste Frank Mason, 1876–1879
• Joseph Parker, 1870–1875
• Thomas R. Howlett, 1863–1869
• Joseph Spencer Kennard, 1862

Historic members

As a church in Washington, it has had a number of high-profile members including:

• Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States
• Brooks Hays, former Democratic member of Congress from Arkansas and president of the Southern Baptist Convention
• George W. Hill, former pastor of Calvary and a leader of the American Baptist Convention whose peace activism was influential in the founding of the United States Institute of Peace
• Charles Evans Hughes, first president of the Northern Baptist Convention and former Governor of New York, United States Secretary of State, and Chief Justice of the United States
• Amos Kendall, the 8th United States Postmaster General; the first floor of Calvary's sanctuary building is named Kendall Hall in his honor.
• Fred Schwengel, former Republican member of Congress from Iowa and founding president of the United States Capitol Historical Society.
• William Shadrack Shallenberger, former Republican member of Congress from Pennsylvania appointed Second Assistant Postmaster General by President William McKinley Shallenberger Hall, Calvary's largest meeting room, is named after him. Shallenberger served as the superintendent of the Sunday School and taught the Vaughn Class.