Calvary Church

Church planting typically involves launching a fully independent church. Campus multiplication, on the other hand, means that we will expand as one church family in multiple locations. One church—sharing the same vision, leadership, and resources. This allows us to reach more people in our community with the gospel while staying united as a church family.

Our mission at Calvary is to see the gospel changing people’s lives forever. We are called to be on mission (Matthew 28:19-20) and want to see the gospel saturate communities across Northwest Indiana. God has abundantly blessed us at Calvary, and this blessing was never intended to terminate on us! This is what drives us as we seek God’s guidance in cultivating a family of healthy, gospel-centered churches in this region.

Our new campus, which we are calling Calvary West, will be situated on Grand Boulevard, just off Route 30, between Shorewood and Merrillville. This strategic location offers excellent visibility from Route 30, easy access, and is situated in a rapidly growing population area. The property offers both presence and permanence in the community, with potential for future expansion. This isn’t just an empty lot; it has infrastructure that would cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop elsewhere. A new campus could gain significant momentum here.

Most importantly, our pastors and elders have had a clear sense that the Holy Spirit has been guiding us to this location.

The earliest we can realistically launch is the fall of 2026, and we've outlined a plan and timeline for what needs to be done by then. However, we’re also open to launching later in 2026 or even early 2027. Ultimately, this depends on how quickly we can finish the purchase and renovations, as well as secure the necessary funding. We are open to God’s guidance!

Based on what we've learned from other multisite churches, a healthy goal is to reach approximately 300 weekly attendees during the first year, with about half of them having transferred from our current campus. Within one or two years, we aim to increase weekly attendance to around 400 people.

We will invite current Calvary attendees living in and around this area to prayerfully consider whether God is leading them to join the launch team. However, no one should feel pressured to start attending Calvary West!

We are excited that Pastor Joe Wittmer has agreed to serve as the Campus Pastor at Calvary West! Pastor Joe will lead and shepherd the people attending that campus. He will also continue to be part of Calvary's leadership and teaching teams. Please pray for Joe, his wife Ashley, and their family as he prepares to take on this new role!

We will also introduce a coordinator for children’s ministries and an administrator, both of whom will be part of our staff team at Calvary. Many administrative functions of the new campus will be handled by our existing ministry team. This will help ensure we use our resources wisely and effectively.

In the first year, we will focus on Sunday morning services, prayer, connections, children’s ministries, and small groups. Other ministries at our Valparaiso campus—including care, students, and missions—will be open to attendees at both campuses. In the second phase of growth for Calvary West, we will begin adding further ministries, including those for students.

As you know, we have a talented team of worship leaders and musicians at Calvary who will be fully engaged in leading live worship at Calvary West. We also plan to stream preaching via video to the new campus. From our discussions with pastors from other multisite churches, we've learned that this approach is highly effective. Ensuring all Calvary locations receive the same message will foster unity and alignment. One intriguing statistic is that multisite churches using video teaching grow at rates up to twice as fast as those that do not use this method!

This is a vital question! Three main areas will need funding: acquiring the site, renovating, equipping, and furnishing the Calvary West facility, as well as covering ongoing operating and ministry expenses. The cost of purchasing the land, making renovations, and equipping the facility will likely be at least $2.5 million. We hope to cover as much of this as possible with cash, and we have already received or secured pledges for significant donations toward this.

Our finance team has started developing a financial plan and budget for Calvary West, with the goal of making the new campus financially self-sustaining within three years. As part of this effort, we are allocating some initial funding for the new location, including funds that became available after we refinanced our mortgage earlier this year. We will share more details about our financial plan for Calvary West as it progresses, and we trust God for his provision for these needs!

We remain committed to reducing our debt! The mortgage on our Valparaiso campus has decreased from over $5 million to less than $2 million in the past three years. We will continue to make focused efforts to reduce this further, and people are welcome to help us pay this off as quickly as possible.

At the same time, we believe it is essential that we boldly step out in faith and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading when we are given a clear call to do so, and we are open to seeing how God will provide for our financial needs through the generosity of his people!

You’re right—this is a significant change! That’s why we’ve spent the past eighteen months praying about it. We’ve also consulted with other churches that have moved to multisite and

with The Unstuck Group—church leaders who have assisted hundreds of other churches—to guide us through this process. We are confident we are receiving the best advice as we make crucial decisions about becoming a multisite church.

Please join us in prayer, both personally and with your small groups, asking for God’s wisdom, provision, and favor as we seek his guidance. Pray that:

o People’s lives will be changed forever by the gospel at Calvary West!

o We will come to know God’s wisdom as we continue to move forward. Pray that we will respond with bold faith when He calls us to step out and follow Him.

o People’s hearts would be stirred for this new campus, and they would be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit regarding how they should get involved.

o God’s people will provide for the financial needs of Calvary West. Pray all needed funds will be received!

As you do so, if you have any questions, insights, or feel that the Holy Spirit is placing a word in your heart about this, we would love to hear from you and discuss it further.

If you feel that God is calling you to “go” and be part of Calvary West, please reach out to Pastor Joe or another pastor and share how you believe God is prompting you.

We would also be grateful if you would prayerfully consider making a financial contribution toward this new campus. We see this not just as a land purchase and renovation project, but as a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with those who desperately need to hear about Christ’s love. Your generosity could significantly impact our efforts to reach more people and see their lives transformed forever by Jesus.

Thank you for joining us as we continue to explore how God is leading us. We’re excited to see what He has in store for Calvary as we move forward!

Feel free to reach out to any of the pastors and elders listed below with any questions, feedback, or insights you have about CalvaryNEXT and the addition of a new campus.

Matt Parker

Josh Reasoner

Joe Wittmer

Kurt Felsman

Dave Kurt

We look forward to hearing from you!