A friend of mine, Barry Wallace, did a series on church covenants a while back and I wanted to discuss church covenants here. Most of our church have church covenants. Yet, most of them are almost completely irrelevant and most church members does not know there purpose.
Below are the posts:
Church Covenants in Baptist History
What difference does a church covenant make?
What about your church- Does it have a covenant? What is its purpose? Do the members at your church even know of its existence and purpose?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Matt,
We still use the old Church Covenant (it has been slightly revised). It is available at least in index card size through LifeWay or Broadman Church Supplies. We keep it in our church Tract Rack and sometimes print it on the back of our church bulletin.
While some of the language is a little dated, I think it is still very relevant today. Check it out closely and it still applies. Times and technology change, people don’t much. It was originally written, I think, in the 1850s; just shows how they had the same struggles and problems we have today. We don’t use it to beat people over the head, just to point them in the right direction.
I also think it is just another small way to let members know a little more about the fact we are Baptist and what Baptists believe. It can keep us in touch with some of our history. Maybe it can remind them of some things we should and shouldn’t do. The Church Covenant can also make a good brief Bible Study and new member’s study.
David R. Brumbelow
Hey, Matt. I just wanted to point out that this is still a work in progress. The first two posts were fairly random, but thanks to your probing questions, I decided to try to approach the subject a little more systematically; which means that the last two links are actually the first two posts in a still unfinished series.
This is a very practical concern for me, since I’m currently involved in a group effort to write a new covenant for our church. I hope your post generates a lot of discussion here at SBC Voices. I’m eager to see how everyone answers your questions.
Thanks, Matt.
Barry Wallaces last blog post..No, Mr. President: John Piper to President Obama
I’m not a big fan of church covenants. They are never mentioned unless leadership wants to hang something over your head. “if you’ll remember this is part of our church covenant.” In my head, “that’s wonderful, what does that have to do with anything. We never talk about, think about, look at or do anything with the covenant”. Talk to me like a human, don’t manipulate me by referring to a never-used covenant.
@John Inman,
You make an important point. How a covenant is used is at least as important as what it says. Careful thought needs to be given to the former. Even Scripture can be used in a manipulative manner, but that doesn’t mean the problem is with Scripture. The fact that the Bible, or a sermon, or a church covenant (or anything else good) can be misused isn’t a legitimate reason not to use them at all.
Barry Wallaces last blog post..No, Mr. President: John Piper to President Obama
We took that old covenant that most baptist churches have and tweaked it about 4 years ago. Here are a few examples of tweaks.
We made it more bullet pointed and less dated in language.
We took out things that we didn’t have a verse for (selling alcohol for example)
We added the expectation to attend church ‘unless providentially hindered’.
We also added, “will recognized congregational authority in matters of membership and discipline”. That way its up front that your membership is conditional and not sentimental.
THEN
We started reading it, outload and together at every months members meeting.
After a year, we asked people to read it before joining. After another year we began requiring they affirm it before joining.
We have not retroactively required previous members to affirm it, although that would be ideal and may happen some day.
Time will tell how useful the covenant is. But I would say that it has only helped people understand their role as a member.