Membership Covenants

When we designed our membership covenants at The Bridge, we had not ever heard of The Village (Matt Chandler's church in the Dallas area). I, personally, feel that The Village is the top church in American at developing sincere disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. They have been spending the last 3 years redesigning their membership covenants and they unveiled the new work this week. I suggest you read through and notice the similarities and differences to ours. The ones that we address in membership classes such as marriage, church discipline, walking in the light (confessing sin to fellow believers) and authority of the pastors and elders are to be especially noted. Notice the first one which is the authority of Bible -- do you hear that a few times a day around The Bridge?

I covenant...
• to submit to the authority of the Scriptures as the final arbiter on all issues (Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).
• to pursue the Lord Jesus Christ through regular Bible reading, prayer, fellowship and practice of spiritual disciplines (Luke 18:1; Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Ephesians 5:1-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22).
• to follow the command and example of Jesus by participating in the ordinances prescribed to His Church:
° by being baptized after my conversion.
° by regularly remembering and celebrating the person and work of Christ through communion.
• to regularly participate in the life of The Village Church by attending weekly services, engaging in biblical community and serving those within and outside of this church (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:23-25; Titus 3:14).
• to steward the resources God has given me, including time, talents spiritual gifts and finances. This includes regular financial giving, service and participation in community that is sacrificial, cheerful, and voluntary (Matthew 25:14-30; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8-9; 1 Peter 4:10-11).
• by God’s grace through the power of the Holy Spirit, to walk in holiness in all areas of life as an act of worship to Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13-16, 4:1-3). Believers should strive to put certain attitudes and actions to death, while stirring and stimulating love and good deeds through the Spirit. Below are a few examples of actions addressed in the Scriptures:
° I will practice complete chastity unless married and, if married, complete fidelity within heterosexual and monogamous marriage. Complete chastity and fidelity means, among other things, that regardless of my marital status, I will pursue purity and abstain from sexually immoral practices such as adultery, premarital sex and pornography (Romans 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 6:15-20, 10:8; Ephesians 5:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4).
° I will seek to preserve the gift of marriage and agree to walk through the steps of marriage reconciliation at The Village Church before pursuing divorce from my spouse (Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11; for the role of the church in the process of divorce, see Paul’s concern for the resolution of legal matters within the assembly of the church in 1 Corinthians 6).
° I will refrain from illegal drug use, drunkenness, gossip and other sinful behavior as the Bible dictates (Romans 1:28-32, 13:13; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:18; James 3:3-18).
• to refrain from such activities that the Scriptures would deem foolish (Romans 14:14-23).
• to take seriously the responsibility of Christian freedom, especially actions or situations that could present a stumbling block to another (1 Corinthians 8:1-13).
• to submit to the discipline of God through His Holy Spirit by:
° following the biblical procedures for church discipline where sin is evident in another -- the hope of such discipline being repentance and restoration.
° receiving righteous and loving discipline when approached biblically by fellow believers (Psalm 141:5; Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; Hebrews 12:5-11).
• to do the following when I sin :
° confess my sin to God and to fellow believers .
° repent and seek help to put my sin to death (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5; James 5:16; 1 John 1:6-10).
° to submit to the elders and other appointed leaders of the church and will be diligent to strive for unity and peace within the Church (Ephesians 4:1-3; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5).For more information, e-mail membership@thevillagechurch.net.