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2007 Study
Schedule:
Sunday Evenings @
6:00
The Church
August 19, Paul Loyd
The Covenant
August 26, Tim Kinnard
A Covenant to Cooperate
September 2, Tim Kinnard
A Covenant to Contribute
September 9, Tim Kinnard
A Covenant to Be Consistent
September 16, Paul Loyd
A Covenant to Be Controlled
September 23, Tim Kinnard
A Covenant to Care
September 30, Tim Kinnard
A Covenant to Make Peace
October 7, Tim Kinnard
A Covenant to Commune
October 14, Tim Kinnard
The Cheif End
October 21, Paul Loyd |
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According to
historian Charles W. DeWeese, "A church covenant is a series
of written pledges based on the Bible which church members
voluntarily make to God and to one another regarding their
basic moral and spiritual commitments and the practice of
their faith." (Baptist Church Covenants, p. viii). At
Crystal Valley Baptist Church, we have adopted a traditional
Baptist church covenant to serve as the written pledge and
agreement between our people. |
The Covenant |
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 "Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to
receive
the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, 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 and
this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into
covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.
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
comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to
sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and
doctrines; 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.
We also engage to maintain family and secret devotion;
to religiously educate our children; to seek the
salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk
circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings,
faithful in our engagements and exemplary in our
deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and
excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and use of
intoxicating drink as a beverage1, and to be zealous in
our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Saviour.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly
love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each
other 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 Saviour, to secure it
without delay.
We moreover engage that, when we remove from this place,
we will as soon as possible unite with some other church
where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and
the principles of God's Word." |
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1. The pastors of Crystal Valley
Baptist Church acknowledge that "abstinence from the
sale and use of intoxicating drink as a beverage"
benefits from little scriptural support as a defining
marker of biblical church membership. As such,
they
are cautiously tolerant of those who may responsibly
involve themselves with such practices and are pending
the revision (or the drafting of a disclaimer) of this statement. |
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