What is a church covenant? Who are the covenantal members of the local church? What is the purpose of a church covenant? Where does the church covenant come from? What does a church covenant do? Why does the church covenant exist? When does the church covenant begin? Why should I consider being a member in a Covenantal Church

Community?

All of these questions can be answered by looking to the truth of Scripture. A covenant is a chosen relationship between a minimum of two parties which brings about a relationship of binding promises between the parties who agree to the terms and conditions of the covenant. These agreed-upon conditions become the basis for accountability in the covenant giving one party the right and responsibility to call the other party into covenant faithfulness should they begin to falter in the performance of the agreed terms. A covenant must be distinguished from a contract because it is a personal relationship which the parties voluntarily enter into.

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CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

Our Church Covenant is a document that brings accountability to the membership. It substantiates a minimum set of qualities, set forth from Scripture, that the Elders expect to be set. This gives everyone the same clear expectations and responsibilities of what it means to be a member.

We believe that God wants every Christian to become a covenanted member of the local church. This decision is transformational to the member and should not be taken lightly. The preaching, teaching, worship, fellowship, along with opportunities to utilize the gifts that God has given you to serve as a member of the church will dramatically change your relationship with the Lord and with His people. Therefore, we want potential members to take time to get to know us, how we are fulfilling God’s greatest commandment to love God and Neighbor (Matt 22:37-40), to make disciples from all nations (Matt 28:18-20) and for us to get to know you better through meeting with our Elders, going through a Basics class, and agreeing with our church covenant.

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OUR CHURCH COVENANT

Having been led, as we believe, by the Holy Spirit of God, to repent and believe on Christ as our Lord, Savior, and on the profession of our faith, having been Scripturally baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, angels and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenantal community with one another as the body of Christ.
We engage, therefore, by the aide of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this church and her mission in knowledge, holiness and peace; to promote its spirituality and fruitfulness; to sustain its worship, ordinances, and discipline; to welcome, and test biblically, instruction from the Scriptures by the elders of the church which accords with rich doctrine and theology seeking to grow toward biblical unity in the truth; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all the nations.
We also engage to maintain family and personal devotions; to educate our children in the Christian faith; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in all our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment, to avoid all tattling, backbiting and excessive anger; to seek God’s help in abstaining from all drugs, food, drink, and practices which bring unwarranted harm to the body or jeopardize our own or another’s faith.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.
We acknowledge that implicit within this covenant is the consent to be governed by the loving leadership and direction of the Elders of this church and to be cultivating a spirit of humility and teachability that accords with Christian conduct.
We moreover engage that when we remover from this place, we will, if possible, unite with a likeminded church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all — Amen.