Toowong Baptist Church Membership Covenant
Having trusted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and having made this profession public by baptism and being in agreement with Toowong Baptist Church’s doctrine, mission, vision and strategy, I now feel led by the Holy Spirit to unite with Toowong Baptist Church family. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to the other members to do the following:
Reasons for the Membership Covenant
Baptists are not creedal. We cooperate through a statement of faith as reflected in the church constitution. The church covenant is a declaration in which our duties as members towards God and fellow believers are outlined. It is a fraternal agreement, freely endorsed, that establishes what are according to the Holy Scriptures, the duties of a Christian and the responsibilities each church member pledges himself or herself to honour in the best way possible. This covenant shall be read at every significant church meeting. For example, acceptance of new members, induction of new deacons and pastor(s).
BIBLICAL BASIS
Covenants are prominent throughout Scripture. God made covenant with Noah, Abraham and David. Jesus established the New Covenant. A covenant is a voluntary expression of future intentions. It has binding consequences. Churches in the book of Acts related to each other this way. Paul’s response to the church in Jerusalem is a good example. Believers in Jerusalem began to experience hardship and loss of income due to their commitment to Christ. When he heard this, Paul went to the churches he had started, taking up an offering to ease their suffering and loss (Acts 11:27-30). Their commitment to Christ would not allow them to sit idly by and do nothing while another church member struggled. This is should be the spirit of Toowong Baptist church members to Church Covenant. We accept personal responsibility and mutual accountability for the welfare of others.
PURPOSE
1. A Church Covenant provides a basis for our unity.
Those who are members of the church must agree not only with the church’s doctrinal statement, but also with the standards set for membership and service. The church covenant spells out those duties while leaving much flexibility in how they are carried out. People ought to be taught that they have responsibilities toward the church and their brothers and sisters in the church and so shown what is expected of them in church membership to accomplish those duties.
2. A Church Covenant provides a guide for teaching and discipleship.
The church has a responsibility to see each member grow to maturity in Jesus Christ. This responsibility is not the sole responsibility of the Pastor(s), as if one can hire another complete one’s own spiritual obligations. The church covenant establishes a goal toward which the church may work with regard to each of it’s members while also providing guidance with regard to how these goals may be accomplished. In working toward these goals, we acknowledge the necessity of the Holy Spirit to effect change and growth in the lives of believers but also acknowledge our responsibilities in this regard.
3. A Church Covenant provides a standard for discipline
Church discipline has fallen in most churches today, but it is an important, though painful, part of the church’s responsibilities. However, people cannot be faulted for not doing what they do not realize they ought to do. The church covenant guides the members in encouraging each other toward spiritual growth and explains the basic elements of Christian growth. When someone is disciplined, it should not come as a shock to them because they have understood form the very beginning what they must do to contribute to the spiritual growth of the church.
This post is also available in: 繁體中文