Church Covenant

  1. Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive Jesus Christ as the Lord, Savior, and, supreme Treasure of our lives, and, on the profession of our faith, having been 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 covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

  2. We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this church 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 the Congregation Affirmation of Faith and the Elder Affirmation of Faith, 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 nations.

  3. We also engage to maintain family and personal devotions; to educate our children in the Christian faith; to seek the salvation of our family members and acquaintances; to walk carefully and wisely in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our behavior, 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, or hinder the advance of the gospel.

  4. We further engage to watch over one another in Christian 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, mindful of our Savior’s admonishment to secure reconciliation without delay.

  5. We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will, if possible, join the membership of a likeminded church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant.

  6. We acknowledge that implicit within this covenant is the consent to submit to leadership of the elders of this church and to live in accountable relationships with the members; this implies submitting to both the formative and corrective discipline of the church as long as we are a member of this specific congregation.

(Updated) January 22, 2017