Arley First Baptist Church Membership Covenant
As members of Arley First Baptist Church, we covenant together through the Grace of Jesus, for the Glory of God and our good.
Who We Are
Our covenant and fellowship together is founded on our individual faith in Jesus ChristI. We affirm that we have been born again through faith in Christ as evidenced in our conviction of sin, drawing of the Spirit, personal repentance of sin, calling on the Lord, and a lifestyle filled with the fruit of the SpiritII. We covenant together believing that the saving grace of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all sin past, present, and futureIII. We affirm that the proper response to the grace of Jesus in our lives is the pursuit of holiness and growth in our relationship with Jesus, not as a means to obtain salvation, but as a fruit of those who have received salvationIV. We affirm that after we have been born again through faith in Jesus, we are commanded to make our faith in Christ public by being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy SpiritV. We covenant together to affirm the Holy Bible as the infallible, inerrant, all-sufficient Word of GodVI. We view the Holy Bible when properly interpreted and enlightened by the Spirit, as God’s means to direct all actions of life personally and within the churchVII. We affirm that the Bible is true and the standard for truthVIII.
What We Do
We covenant together to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus locally and globallyIX. We commit to maintain a burden for the lost and a desire to win souls to Jesus for the Glory of GodX. We commit to continue in efforts to share the Gospel regularly through loving service, intercessory prayer, and living an evangelistic lifestyleXI. We commit to maintain the unity of the church, recognizing its importance in completing the mission of ChristXII. We joyfully accept the truth that the primary responsibility of our lives is to bring Glory to God by advancing the GospelXIII.
What We Expect
We covenant together that the church is the Bride of ChristXIV. We commit to meet regularly and joyfully to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truthXV. We commit to minister to God by ascribing to Him all the praise and glory that He is dueXVI. We commit to take on the individual responsibility of being obedient in every area of worship including prayer, tithes and offerings, fellowship, communion, and the adherence to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God XVII. We commit to pursue the presence of God as manifested in our gatherings by the means of His Spirit through His people and to His people XVIII. We commit to continue our regular gathering as we look to the return of Christ XIX.
We covenant to fulfill our responsibility as members of this fellowship to minister to each other under ChristXX. We commit to love each other, serve each other, encourage each other, bear with each other, and hold each other accountable to a lifestyle in obedience to ScriptureXXI. We affirm that this ministry towards each other is every member’s responsibility and is facilitated through the personal use of every believer’s spiritual giftedness and the ordained office of deaconsXXII. We agree together that every member of the church has the responsibility to carry out proper ministry towards each other and to expect that ministry towards ourselves as neededXXIII. We agree that this ministry towards each other includes restorative discipline when necessaryXXIV.
We affirm that Christ is the head of the church and that He has entrusted the leadership of His church to its God-ordained PastorsXXV. We commit to honor God by serving harmoniously with and submissively to the God-ordained Senior Pastor and pastoral leadership of our fellowshipXXVI. If for any reason we should ever leave this local fellowship of believers, we commit to do so in a manner that maintains the unity of this fellowship and to join another like-minded fellowship of believers quickly.
May the Grace of the Lord Jesus be with us, granting us peace, being built up, and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and may we continue to increase for the Glory of GodXXVII. Amen.
Scripture References