When was the last time you actually thought about the promises/commitments that you were making? Have you thought about what you were both to give and receive in regards to your relationship with God and his people? While I have been going through this sermon series I have been drawn to the idea of what we expect from one another.
Many expect a great deal from the Pastor, Elders and other leaders. Yet, how many of us take the time to figure out what should be expected of us? As I was preparing for the last two sermons in this series on the Family of God, I Googled a lot of church covenants and they all have several things in common, uplifting, consistency. So I modified one from Watermark Community Church to what I would dream a covenant for Covenant of the Cross could look like. Let me know what you think.
A Covenant to Consider
Having trusted in Christ alone as my Lord and Savior, and being in agreement with the Vision, Values, Mission, Statement of Faith and governance of Covenant of the Cross, I now am called to unite with the Covenant of the Cross family. In doing so, I commit myself to the Lord and to the other members of the family to protect our unity, share in, serve and support the ministry of my church family through pursuing:
Belonging to His body by…
- regularly and consistently attending Worship.
- praying for the health and impact of our church.
- speak only that which is helpful. Specifically by:
- dealing biblically with conflict according to Matthew 18.
- sharing no one else’s shortcomings (or sins).
- refusing to gossip.
- allowing myself to be given care by the church
- submitting myself to correction should the need arise.
- warmly welcoming those who visit
- committing myself to authentic community with those who attend.
- learning to love God, love believers, and love unbelievers more deeply.
- regularly and consistently giving of my financial resources for ministry.
- regularly and consistently serving others in a ministry area.
Helping others Believe in Christ by …
- sharing my story of grace with others.
- developing relationships with non-believers, unchurched, de-churched, dead-churched and unmoved.
- praying for the salvation of non-believers with whom I have a relationship.
Being Trained in God’s Truth by…
- committing myself to read, understand and apply the Bible.
- availing myself to the tools and resources of the church which are designed to further my understanding of and deepen my commitment to applying God’s Word.
- preparing myself to articulate my faith based on God’s Word.
If you read carefully you will notice that all of these commitments are also reflected into our lives. In short, we are receiving the same support that we give. We receive the support that others share and thus makes the ministry we receive possible.
This, or any covenant is a way to ensure that we communicate clearly what we expect of each other and our relatedness as a body of believers. May we embrace this or some covenant so that we may become a greater people and impact our region with much grace!
