Church Covenant

Our Church Covenant expresses the mutual commitment between a new member and the congregation to pursue the calling the New Testament gives us toward one another.

Faith

Personal Faith: We have accepted God’s free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ apart from our works and have affirmed that decision through baptism in a church that preaches the gospel (John 3:3-7, Matt. 28:19, Acts 2:37-39), and we will pursue upright and holy lives in obedience to Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit out of gratitude for his grace, reflecting the goodness of God’s law (Exodus 20:1-17; Matt. 28:20; Gal. 5:13-26; Eph 4:17-24).

Church Confession: We are in agreement with the Forestdale Church “Statement of Faith” and will uphold the integrity of our faith by testing the teaching of this church against the Scriptures (Acts 17:11; Gal. 1:2-9; Eph. 4:11-14; Jude 1-3).

Church Constitution: We willingly submit to and participate in the structure of our church government under Christ as elder-led, deacon-served, and congregationally governed (Matt. 18:15-18; Eph 4:10-13; Heb. 13:17; 1 Thess. 5:12-13).

Conduct

Spiritual Growth: We will help one another pursue personal spiritual growth in Christ through God’s word and prayer, and we will join the public worship of the church, observing baptism and partaking in the Lord’s Supper, as a habit of our lives (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 14:26; Heb. 10:24–25).

Spiritual Health: We will both give and receive gospel encouragement in seasons of doubt lest the enemy snatch away seeds of faith, and gentle correction in times of sin to help one another live free of the bondage of sin (Matt. 13:18-23; Rom. 6:1-14; 1 Tim 4:1-6; Gal. 6:1; 1 Thess. 5:14; Eph. 4:15, 29–31; Heb. 3:13; 6:4-12; James 5:16; 1 Jn. 1:6–10).

Church Unity: We will promote the unity of the Spirit by walking together in the love of Christ, bearing patiently with one another, avoiding gossip, freely forgiving as we have been forgiven, and applying the biblical principles of reconciliation when relational difficulties arise (John 13:34–35; 1 Cor. 13; Eph. 4:1–3; 25; Rom. 12:10; 15:5-6; 1 Pet. 3:8-9; Eph. 4:32; Matt. 18:21–35).

Generous Living: We will commit to the ministry of prayer and hospitality to pursue each other’s good and serve one another in times of need. We will contribute regularly and cheerfully to the ministry of the church, using our spiritual gifts to serve the body as well as our material gifts to share with the body (Rom. 12:10-15; 15:7; Gal. 6:2; 5:13; Php 2:4; 1 Cor. 16:1–2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; 1 Tim. 5:3; 6:17-19; 1 Thess. 5:15; 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Jn. 3:17–18; James 2:15-16).

Outreach & Evangelism: We will work together to serve the needs of our neighbors and spread the gospel from our local community to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:18–20; Acts 2:47; Gal. 6:10; 1 Tim. 2:1-4).

Departure

The Universal Church: Should God ever call us elsewhere, we agree to inform the Elders in advance, do our best to leave with honor and integrity, and join another gospel-preaching church, as soon as possible, to carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word, believing no one can faithfully follow Jesus alone (1 Cor. 12:12–27; Prov. 18:1).