Our Membership Covenant
(in black italics below, following some words of explanation)
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A covenant can be defined as "a written agreement or promise--usually under seal--between two or more parties, especially for the performance of some action."* In other words, a covenant is a formal commitment that defines and guides a personal relationship. One familiar example is marriage, in which a man and woman--beginning with their wedding vows--commit to faithfully love each other in certain specific ways, usually giving each other rings as a seal symbolizing their promised relationship.
The Bible contains numerous examples of covenants. Some of these are between God and man (Genesis 6; Genesis 9; Genesis 15; Ezekiel 20; Hosea 2; Jeremiah 31; Matthew 26), while others are solely between men (1 Samuel 18, 2 Samuel 5). Additionally, a covenant can be either unconditional (with one party committing to fulfill the agreement regardless of another's actions) or conditional (with one's obligation being contingent upon the faithfulness of others).
Our society is very familiar with conditional covenants, which are very much like contracts. For instance, a cell phone service provider and a customer often commit to keep doing business with each other for a set period of time, with certain penalties in place if one does not keep their end of the deal. Unconditional covenants, on the other hand, are not so readily understood; even our most familiar earthly example--marriage ("in sickness and health, in poverty and wealth, as long as we both shall live")--is sadly now often even easier to break than a cell phone service contract. (Redemption Hill is passionate to reclaim the significance of the marriage covenant, but we digress...)
Our church's membership covenant is a commitment that we take very seriously, because it is a commitment that didn't start with us. The Bible teaches that the greatest covenant ever made is the eternal, unconditional commitment that our triune God made to save a people for His glory from every tongue, tribe, nation, and people, choosing them for Himself based on no merit of their own and securing them to Himself through no strength of their own. Applied to us, this means that Redemption Hill is merely a collection of ordinary people who are the recipients of the extraordinary, unconditional covenant love of God--a love that we can't help but turn around and share with others. And our membership covenant directs what our response to God's faithfulness will look like within our church family.
In some ways, this membership covenant is a conditional one. Before officially joining the church, a person must: be able to give a credible profession of repentance from sin and faith in Christ, be (or have been) baptized by immersion as a believer, affirm certain beliefs, and fulfill a couple of other requirements. And because God seals each of His children at conversion (kind of like a wedding ring marks someone as married) with the indwelling presence of His Spirit--steadily pointing them to Christ and patiently growing them to be like Him--we must also carefully remove from membership anyone who is habitually, carelessly sinning and thereby misrepresenting our Savior.
Ideally, though, we want to approach our commitment to one another as being unconditional, meaning that our effort and consistency in caring for each other isn't based on who is most lovable at any given time. Ultimately, this is because this membership covenant isn't just a response to God's unconditional love, but is also a partnership in God's unconditional love. Since our sovereign God has chosen to use His people as His agents for leading others to Himself and for keeping them in the faith, we believe we have a huge part to play in how He faithfully fulfills His promises regarding each other's salvation. Therefore, the following promises that we make together aren't just a matter of convenience to be kept when we feel like it; rather, they are a matter of each other's eternal life or death...
Having each been brought by God’s redeeming grace to repent of sin and believe in the good news of Jesus Christ, and having been baptized upon our profession of faith, we do now—still relying on His grace—solemnly and joyfully affirm this covenant with each other. We will pray and labor to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ—devoted to the glory of God, resting in the gospel of His Son, and dependent upon the work of the Holy Spirit. To that end:
We will not forsake assembling together but will faithfully take part in our church’s regular gatherings, treasuring these weekly opportunities to sing, pray, and receive the whole counsel of God’s Word. We will pursue and defend a gospel-centered fellowship by upholding and giving careful attention to biblical preaching and teaching, the administration of the sacraments, the exercise of church discipline, and the faithful ministry of our pastors.
We will walk together in a brotherly love that befits members of the family of God—regularly praying for and sacrificially serving one another, exercising an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other, rejoicing with those who rejoice, and endeavoring with tenderness and sympathy to bear each other’s burdens and sorrows.
We will actively oppose our shared inclination toward sin by maintaining transparent accountability, pursuing those who wander, seeking reconciliation as soon as any offense becomes apparent, and celebrating evidences of God’s grace. We will reject all opportunities to speak or hear gossip or slander, instead seeking to encourage one another and build each other up in the faith.
We will seek to proclaim and adorn the gospel of Christ before our family, friends, and neighbors and to faithfully transfer the gospel to future generations.
We will contribute cheerfully, regularly, and sacrificially to the support of our local church, to the care of our members, and to the spread of the gospel locally and throughout all nations.
We will, if we move from this place, as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the teaching of God’s Word.
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.
*Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
A covenant can be defined as "a written agreement or promise--usually under seal--between two or more parties, especially for the performance of some action."* In other words, a covenant is a formal commitment that defines and guides a personal relationship. One familiar example is marriage, in which a man and woman--beginning with their wedding vows--commit to faithfully love each other in certain specific ways, usually giving each other rings as a seal symbolizing their promised relationship.
The Bible contains numerous examples of covenants. Some of these are between God and man (Genesis 6; Genesis 9; Genesis 15; Ezekiel 20; Hosea 2; Jeremiah 31; Matthew 26), while others are solely between men (1 Samuel 18, 2 Samuel 5). Additionally, a covenant can be either unconditional (with one party committing to fulfill the agreement regardless of another's actions) or conditional (with one's obligation being contingent upon the faithfulness of others).
Our society is very familiar with conditional covenants, which are very much like contracts. For instance, a cell phone service provider and a customer often commit to keep doing business with each other for a set period of time, with certain penalties in place if one does not keep their end of the deal. Unconditional covenants, on the other hand, are not so readily understood; even our most familiar earthly example--marriage ("in sickness and health, in poverty and wealth, as long as we both shall live")--is sadly now often even easier to break than a cell phone service contract. (Redemption Hill is passionate to reclaim the significance of the marriage covenant, but we digress...)
Our church's membership covenant is a commitment that we take very seriously, because it is a commitment that didn't start with us. The Bible teaches that the greatest covenant ever made is the eternal, unconditional commitment that our triune God made to save a people for His glory from every tongue, tribe, nation, and people, choosing them for Himself based on no merit of their own and securing them to Himself through no strength of their own. Applied to us, this means that Redemption Hill is merely a collection of ordinary people who are the recipients of the extraordinary, unconditional covenant love of God--a love that we can't help but turn around and share with others. And our membership covenant directs what our response to God's faithfulness will look like within our church family.
In some ways, this membership covenant is a conditional one. Before officially joining the church, a person must: be able to give a credible profession of repentance from sin and faith in Christ, be (or have been) baptized by immersion as a believer, affirm certain beliefs, and fulfill a couple of other requirements. And because God seals each of His children at conversion (kind of like a wedding ring marks someone as married) with the indwelling presence of His Spirit--steadily pointing them to Christ and patiently growing them to be like Him--we must also carefully remove from membership anyone who is habitually, carelessly sinning and thereby misrepresenting our Savior.
Ideally, though, we want to approach our commitment to one another as being unconditional, meaning that our effort and consistency in caring for each other isn't based on who is most lovable at any given time. Ultimately, this is because this membership covenant isn't just a response to God's unconditional love, but is also a partnership in God's unconditional love. Since our sovereign God has chosen to use His people as His agents for leading others to Himself and for keeping them in the faith, we believe we have a huge part to play in how He faithfully fulfills His promises regarding each other's salvation. Therefore, the following promises that we make together aren't just a matter of convenience to be kept when we feel like it; rather, they are a matter of each other's eternal life or death...
Having each been brought by God’s redeeming grace to repent of sin and believe in the good news of Jesus Christ, and having been baptized upon our profession of faith, we do now—still relying on His grace—solemnly and joyfully affirm this covenant with each other. We will pray and labor to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ—devoted to the glory of God, resting in the gospel of His Son, and dependent upon the work of the Holy Spirit. To that end:
We will not forsake assembling together but will faithfully take part in our church’s regular gatherings, treasuring these weekly opportunities to sing, pray, and receive the whole counsel of God’s Word. We will pursue and defend a gospel-centered fellowship by upholding and giving careful attention to biblical preaching and teaching, the administration of the sacraments, the exercise of church discipline, and the faithful ministry of our pastors.
We will walk together in a brotherly love that befits members of the family of God—regularly praying for and sacrificially serving one another, exercising an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other, rejoicing with those who rejoice, and endeavoring with tenderness and sympathy to bear each other’s burdens and sorrows.
We will actively oppose our shared inclination toward sin by maintaining transparent accountability, pursuing those who wander, seeking reconciliation as soon as any offense becomes apparent, and celebrating evidences of God’s grace. We will reject all opportunities to speak or hear gossip or slander, instead seeking to encourage one another and build each other up in the faith.
We will seek to proclaim and adorn the gospel of Christ before our family, friends, and neighbors and to faithfully transfer the gospel to future generations.
We will contribute cheerfully, regularly, and sacrificially to the support of our local church, to the care of our members, and to the spread of the gospel locally and throughout all nations.
We will, if we move from this place, as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the teaching of God’s Word.
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.
*Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary