Founded on March 25, 1866 as Midway Baptist Church, Calvary was the first church in Clearwater and the first Baptist church in Pinellas County. The first building was a log cabin located on the site of the present Clearwater cemetery.
Throughout Calvary’s rich history, the church has experienced many transitions, including several name changes, and has been served by generations of pastors.
In 1923 we adopted the name Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater. In 1926, Calvary occupied its building in downtown Clearwater that was destined to become a landmark for generations. Membership at that time was 400.
Calvary’s ministry in downtown Clearwater flourished and grew throughout the 20th century. Calvary had the privilege of serving our community by starting new churches, including Indian Rocks Baptist Church, and many ministries, including Calvary Christian High School.
Desiring to reach more people for Christ, Calvary began preparing for its future in 1999 by acquiring land for a new campus (now known as our Clearwater campus) at McMullen Booth and Drew. Calvary relocated to its new ministry home in December 2005.
In 2013, Calvary launched its second campus, our East Lake campus, in order to reach more people with the message of the gospel.
In 2015, Calvary celebrated 150 years as a church, and set a bold vision to multiply God’s blessings by 150 (now known as our X150 movement).
In 2017, Calvary launched its third campus, our Seminole campus, as part of the X150 movement to multiply our church’s influence.
In 2022, Calvary launched its fourth campus, our Crystal Beach campus, as part of the X150 movement to multiply our church’s influence.
Calvary’s history reminds us of our timeless mission; to build relationships to bring people to dynamic life in Christ.
