Sunday, May 31, 2009

FBC Farmersville's Proposed Covenant

In this morning's worship services the members of our congregation will receive copies of our proposed church covenant. This is a momentous occasion in the 144-year history of our congregation, representing a key element of our prayerful quest to become more and more a church in the New Testament pattern.

I am thankful to say that the process of developing this proposed covenant is representative of the best in church polity. It bears the mark of the leadership of our pastors/elders/overseers, who first began to labor over some of this wording as much as five years ago. It demonstrates the value of congregational leadership, having been considered by a committee of lay leadership and our deacons. Many improvements have taken place in the development of this covenant. Each group has given transformational leadership to the initiative, with the result that this document now legitimately belongs to our congregation and not to any individual person.

So today, we place it before our congregation. We have already done so with our proposed Constitution & Bylaws. We will be voting on both of these documents together in our July 19 business meeting. For our members of FBC Farmersville, and for whoever else has interest, below is our proposal. This may very well not be the document that we eventually adopt, for the membership of the congregation will have the same opportunity to improve the document that others have had. Nevertheless, we are happy at this stage to place the document before the broader Christian family in the hope that it might open a conversation that will clarify the discipleship journey of other congregations as it has our own.

God established the church to change every member—especially me—into a Christ-like disciple to carry out the Great Commission. (Matthew 28: 19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 1:6) Because such transformation is impossible apart from being born again, I make the following two affirmations (which are prerequisite for church membership):

  • That I have been born again, having personally repented of my sin before God; sought and received His forgiveness; believed upon Jesus Christ—crucified, buried, and resurrected—as the one-and-only Savior of all mankind; surrendered to Him as the master of my life; and identified myself publicly as a Christian. (Mark 8:38; John 14:6; Acts 3:19, 16:31; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Timothy 2:5)

  • That, after having become a Christian as described above, I have received New Testament baptism as explained in this congregation’s statement of faith. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:21-22)

I want to see God change my life according to His plan, and I need the help of the entire church body for that to happen. I am not perfect, and God will not be finished perfecting any of us until we get to Heaven. That is why, whatever commitments we make, we will need much love, grace, and gentleness to keep us together. (Proverbs 27:17; Ephesians 2:19-22; Philippians 1:6) As a member, in spite of my failures, I commit never to quit trying to live up to the following affirmations:

  • To join with my fellow members in this congregation to seek God’s will in our common decision-making; to allow every member the privilege of seeking to influence the church in its pursuit of God’s will; to accept congregational decisions without grumbling; and to work to prevent division in the church. (Matthew 18:15-20; Acts 15:1-33; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 2 Corinthians 2:6; Philippians 2:14; Jude 19)

  • To confess and repent of personal sin; to practice personal worship, prayer, and Bible study; to participate in corporate worship and Bible study with this congregation, except as prevented by illness, travel, necessary labor, or other serious incapacity; to join my fellow members in observance of the Lord’s Supper; to discover and use my spiritual gifts for the common good of the congregation; to seek the conversion of those who are lost; and to serve others in Christian ministry. (Mark 9:35; Luke 22:19; John 4:23-24; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, 12:7; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Hebrews 10:25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 2:2; 1 John 1:9)

  • To treat other people as the Bible teaches me to treat them. (Matthew 22:37-40; Philippians 2:1-8)

  • To practice biblical stewardship of my resources, including the faithful support of this congregation. (Malachi 3:8-12; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; 1 Timothy 5:8; 1 Peter 4:10)

  • To pursue brotherly love in my relationships with other members of this congregation, to aid them in times of difficulty, to pray for their spiritual and physical needs, to encourage them toward spiritual growth, to resolve conflict with them as the New Testament teaches, to pursue peace with all, and to be eager to forgive fellow members of this congregation. (Matthew 18:15-35; John 13:35; Romans 12:10, 14:19; 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, 13:1-13; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 4:32; Hebrews 10:24-25, 12:14, 13:1; James 5:13-18)

  • To respect the spiritual leadership of pastors (also called elders or overseers in the Bible) and the service of deacons as taught in the Bible. (1 Timothy 3:1-13, 5:17-19; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5)

  • To keep my speech and my conduct pure and unstained by the world, pursuing biblical morality as a consistent lifestyle (James 1:27; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Ephesians 4:29). In particular, I commit to pursue biblical holiness with regard to those sins that pose the gravest dangers in this age, including my commitments:

    • To employ chemical substances such as alcohol and drugs only as informed by the teachings of the Bible, wise medical counsel, and the dictates of the law (Proverbs 23:29-35; 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Timothy 5:23).

    • To flee sexual immorality; to shun pornography; to dress modestly; to reserve sexual activity solely for one man and one woman united in marriage; and not to initiate a divorce, except optionally if wronged by an adulterous spouse. (Genesis 2:24; Leviticus 20:13, 15-16; Psalm 101:3; Malachi 2:13-16; Matthew 5:28, 19:1-12; 1 Corinthians 6:18, 7:10-16; Ephesians 5:3; Philippians 4:8; 1 Timothy 2:9; Hebrews 13:4)

    • To protect and defend the lives of my children from the moment of their conception; to abstain from abusive violence in my home; to practice biblical discipline of my children; to obey my parents so long as I am a child and to honor them always; and to encourage every member of my household to learn about and serve God. (Exodus 20:13; Psalm 139:13-16; Proverbs 13:24, 22:15; Colossians 3:19-21; Ephesians 5:22-6:4; Hebrews 12:6)

    • To practice justice and compassion toward all people, including the poor, the sick, the disabled, widows, and orphans. (Leviticus 19:32; Proverbs 14:31; Isaiah 1:17, 47:6; Luke 14:13; Galatians 2:10; James 1:27; 1 John 3:17)

    • To conduct all business in honesty and integrity, practicing the Golden Rule in my dealings with others. (Deuteronomy 25:13-15; Matthew 5:37, 7:12; James 5:1-6)

  • To pursue the growth of the fruit of the Spirit in my life. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Because I am a sinner, I know that I will not fulfill the terms of this covenant perfectly. Nevertheless, I affirm the ambitions of this covenant as my own, and I commit always to try to fulfill its terms. As I fail to live up to this covenant, I commit to yield to correction, to seek forgiveness and reconciliation, and to turn from my sin. (James 1:19-25)

Because my fellow members are also sinners, I know that they will not fulfill the terms of this covenant perfectly. Nevertheless, I commit to encourage them to pursue spiritual growth by following this covenant. As they fail to live up to this covenant, I commit—as much as it depends upon me—to correct and restore them in gentleness and humility, never refusing forgiveness and reconciliation in the face of repentance. (Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20)

If I find myself unwilling even to try to fulfill this covenant, I commit to remove myself from this congregation. If relocation outside the community prevents me from fulfilling this covenant, I commit to unite with another congregation and to continue to pursue growth as a Christian.

I enter into this covenant voluntarily. I believe that attempting to follow this covenant will benefit me spiritually, so I ask my fellow members to interpret this covenant, apply it to my life, and live a life of mutual spiritual accountability with me.

22 comments:

Alex said...

The intention of the document my heart echoes. But shouldn't a covenant be in the language of 'we' or 'us' not 'I' and 'me'?

In the same context it is obviously not true that God established the church to change 'every member - especially me'. It makes it look like 'I' am the centre of the church or the covenant.

And in general it looks very long compared to the call of Christ in the New Testament. I would think it is unneccesarily daunting for a new believer, rather like using antenatal classes to describe how to handle teens.

But it's your fellowship and if it helps, to form at outward-looking local body of humble believers, praise God.

volfan007 said...

Excellent. One of the best Church Covenants I have ever seen. Also, I like the "I's" and "me's." It makes it more personal....not just for those people...but for me!

David

Bart Barber said...

Alex,

Thanks for the feedback. "Iron sharpens iron," you know. I appreciate the recognition of our autonomous nature as a congregation in your last paragraph, and I know that you meant well by it. But I try to keep reminding myself that it is not my fellowship. I further try to keep reminding the congregation that the fellowship does not belong to them. It belongs to the Lord, the Head of the Church. If we have done anything in this covenant that is contrary to His will, may you, He, or someone else point it out to us clearly!

I agree that each of your critiques, if it validly applies to what our congregation has written, is well taken. I respond not to undermine your important observations about what the churches ought to be, but to see whether these particular critiques actually apply to a carefully considered reading of this document.

1. "shouldn't a covenant be in the language of 'we' or 'us' not 'I' and 'me'?"

As each individual joins the church, that individual is affirming the covenant. We have deliberately chosen something other than archaic language normally employed in covenants as a potential hindrance to informed affirmation of the covenant. Rather, we have chosen language as natural as we know how to make it for how an individual would actually make these affirmations and commitments.

The average person, when affirming for himself what he will or will not commit to do, would employ the first-person singular.

2. "In the same context it is obviously not true that God established the church to change 'every member—especially me'. It makes it look like 'I' am the centre of the church or the covenant."

First, one important clarification. We are not saying that this statement plumbs the full purpose of the church. God has established the church to accomplish other things as well. But among the purposes for which God has established the church is discipleship, which is essentially what we are identifying descriptively in the first sentence.

Second, as to the "especially me" portion of the statement, this is a safeguard against self-righteousness and is an application of the "speck in my eye, log in yours" principle taught by Jesus. If I am in the church to change other people but not to see my own self change, then I am in sin. Believing this to be both a prominent sin in our churches and a sin potentially facilitated by the wrongful use of a church covenant, we elected to lead off the document reminding all of us to apply it in judgment of ourselves and our own need for spiritual growth before we measured anyone else against it.

This, we believe, is quite biblical and we obviously would not acknowledge that it is "obviously not true."

3. "And in general it looks very long compared to the call of Christ in the New Testament."

We think it looks rather short compared to the text of the New Testament. And we know no portion of the New Testament that is unrelated to the call of Christ.

4. "I would think it is unneccesarily [sic] daunting for a new believer."

We think that it is daunting for believers of any stage or age. It is daunting for me, I confess. Some who read regularly will doubtless find the many areas in this covenant at which I have failed publicly. And then there are the many, many more private failures.

We do not believe that "daunting" = "bad" in the Christian walk.

Thanks again, Alex.

Bart Barber said...

Thanks so much, David.

Anonymous said...

Bart:

Congrats on adopting the covenant.

We have had one since we started our church in 1992. Ours doesn't read as yours does, but the things in your covenant are heartily agreed to by the members of our congregation.

Good luck and God bless on this new polity related endeavor.

Louis

Wally said...

bart what is this world coming to?

1st THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT Genesis 12:1- 3
"Go forth from yo
THE THEOCRATIC COVENANTS Pertaining to the Rule of God
ur country to the land I will show you
I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you."

2nd THE MOSAIC COVENANT Exodus 19:5 - 8
"God said to Moses, say to the sons of Israel, 'If you will indeed obey My voice & keep my covenant, you will be My own possession, a kingdom of Priests and a holy nation'"

3rd THE PALESTINIAN COVENANT Deuteronomy 29:1- 15& 30:11-20
"These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel, that you may enter into the Covenant with the Lord that He may establish you as His people, that He may be your God as He swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

4th THE DA VIDIC COVENANT ~ 2 Samuel 7:4 - t~~-_·
-. "TIook youfrom the·pasture that you should be ruler over My people,
I have been with you wherever you have gone, cut off your enemies, And made you a great name. When you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will Establish the throne of His kingdom forever.

5th THE NEW COVENANT Jeremiah 31:31 - 34
There are four provisions in this Covenant.
1. Regeneration God will write His Law on their hearts
2. A national restoration Yahweh will be their God and the Nation will be His people
3. The personal ministry of the Holy Spirit
4. Full justification Their sins will be forgiven & completely removed.
The New Covenant is made sure by the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary's cross. That blood which guarantees to Israel its new covenant also provides for the forgiveness of sins for the believers who comprise the church. Jesus' payment for sins is more than adequate to pay for the sins of ALL who will believe in Him.

6th Covenant What?
AND NOW WE HAVE BART'S COVENANT


wally

Nathan Finn said...

Bart,

I think it's fantastic that your church will soon (Lord willing) adopt a covenant that has been crafted within the congregation, for the good of the congregation, to the glory of God. I know you know that this is a very "Baptist" thing to do in the very best sense.

It is my hope that many other Southern Baptist congregations will prayerfully write new church covenants or will truly *own* existing church covenants and seek, by God's grace, to walk together within the context of those covenants. I'll be praying for your church in between now and July 19 as the Lord brings this to mind.

See you in Louisville.

Best,
NAF

RKSOKC66 said...

Dr. Barber:

The covenant is great!

The document itself crystalizes the essence of what the congregation sees as the core shared values that hold them together. It gives some clarity as to what "being a member of this particular local body" means.

The fact that they developed it themselves -- as opposed to a theological "confession" such as the Geneva or Heidelburg confession which is more or a theological statement -- is great.

This is because it is more alive for them if they not only buy-into it buy also they crafted it based upon their own understanding of scripture.

Dr Barber, I'm going to have to apply to you for my "associate membership" in the BI movement. If the Baptist Identity is acknowledging those things which are shared Baptist values and using them to inform our polity then what is there not to like?
Also, this covenant implies to me some accountability between brothers/sisters. It short circuits any tendenancy twords antinomianism since it serves as a marker against novel lone-ranger stuff where people get off on some tangent of their own design.

One time there was a voice in SBC life for more "regenerate church membership". I wonder if there is any corellation between that idea and this confession?

Last time I checked Christianity is not a Lone Ranger religion.

Anonymous said...

Bart:

Better keep on proposing it to members annually after its adoption, as a part of the congregation's integration strategy--else the covenant will become meaningless to future members ("Hey, you guys did this--years ago--before I was here; it's YOUR document, not mine"). Just a thought.

Hey, on the GCRD: it READS like a document put together by senior pastors or former senior pastors. With the same caveats of Vines and Patterson, I'm OK with it as far as it goes; it just seems to ignore totally what already has been confirmed from years of living out the gospel as Southern Baptists AND what reaches people for Christ. Preachers always seem to think that their preaching will be more effective for reaching people for Christ as Savior than the ministry of Sunday School/small groups will be--and, as a result, almost always fail to promote SS ministry; we know from past ministry that 1 in 400 people not enrolled/attending SS will be born-again while 1 in 4 people enrolled/attending SS will be born-again in the course of a single year. The point: as a solution to the SBC's growth/financial/passion problems: promote Sunday School/small groups' ministry done right (they truly are among a senior pastor's "best friends")!


David Troublefield
Minister of Education/Missions
Wichita Falls, TX

Bart Barber said...

Louis,

Thanks for the well-wishes, and blessings upon you today.

Bart Barber said...

Wally,

Our membership covenant is nothing more than our congregation coming to agreement around important biblical principles. In that regard, we direct you to Matthew 18:18-20, where Jesus reminds us:

"Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."

As a congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, we covenant together around these biblical principles, agreeing with one another. We are authorized by Christ Himself to do so. We think that it is enough to have His permission and blessing, even if we do not have everyone else's.

Bart Barber said...

Nathan,

Lord willing, I'll be there. I hope to see you there too. Thanks for the words of encouragement.

Bart Barber said...

Roger,

The paperwork is in the mail to you. ;-)

Bart Barber said...

David,

New members will affirm when they join.

Anonymous said...

Bart:

Good to hear it, though obviously it can't be all the integration new members receive as they join in coming years.

The four HUGE problems each purposeful people-group anywhere (i.e., organization, social system, etc.--large, small, doesn't matter) must deal very well with EVERY single day in order to see a brighter tomorrow: INTEGRATION, MOTIVATION, ADAPTATION, GOAL ACHIEVEMENT (church life: membership, maturity, ministry, mission/s). Best wishes for doing each of them super-well where you are (it's why senior pastors get the BIG bucks--but ministers of education/administration get to hold their hands ;~] )!


David Troublefield
Wichita Falls, TX

Anonymous said...

Dr. Barber (Sorry, can't give up that formality),

Do you have another set of guidelines that will accompany the covenant which addresses any discipline that might be involved? I noticed the one line that reads, "As I fail to live up to this covenant, I commit to yield to correction, to seek forgiveness and reconciliation, and to turn from my sin." I was wondering if the church is also formally setting an understanding of church discipline and what that will involve.

I would definitely be proud of a church body that came together to agree on these things.

Warren

Anonymous said...

Bart

For what its worth, I really like this document and the idea behind it.

My only additions would be as follows:

To confess and repent of personal sin; to practice personal worship, prayer, and Bible study; to participate in corporate worship and Bible study with this congregation, except as prevented by illness, travel, necessary labor, or other serious incapacity; to join my fellow members in observance of the Lord’s Supper; to discover and use my spiritual gifts for the common good of the congregation; to seek the conversion of those who are lost; and to serve others in Christian ministry. (Mark 9:35; Luke 22:19; John 4:23-24; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, 12:7; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Hebrews 10:25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 2:2; 1 John 1:9)

Also insert Superbowl Sunday as an official church holiday especially if the Cowboys are playing.

To respect the spiritual leadership of pastors (also called elders or overseers in the Bible) and the service of deacons as taught in the Bible. (1 Timothy 3:1-13, 5:17-19; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5)

I would also add a statement that describes a church members responsibility of discernment in making sure that what is preached or taught is biblical to keep heresy from invading the church.

I have seen what was once a very solid SBC church that brought a new pastor in who began to teach universal salvation, then tried to use his "authority" to keep the church from removing him - ie who were we to question the Lord's annointed..We left that church quickly, but the damage was done and he wound up staying there for over five years

Jim Champion

Wally said...

bart no one can disagree withwhat Jesus says.
wally

Chris Johnson said...

Brother Bart,

This is an excellent thing for your church family to do! The wording of the covenant suggests that a lot of thought was put into the document,…. and to have the entire church family involved should be comforting to those that choose to be members.

You touched on love near the middle of the document, and I was wondering if you think it may be important as well to include love for others outside the fellowship. In other words, love for your neighbor and love for your enemies. The reason I ask, is that sometimes (more often than not) the church down the street quickly becomes the antagonist, especially if it is another Baptist congregation that has split from another. As you know 1 John 3 teaches us a distinctive kind of love. A love that is not just putting up with the folks down the street and using the popular phrase “I love you in the Lord” as if that is some sort of consolation prize to the ones in the crosshairs,…but a love that truly extends and embraces, especially those estranged from Christian congregations through church splits.

Just some thoughts,…

I love what you are doing!…because a church that has such a long history is a difficult thing to budge sometimes….

Blessings,
Chris

Jeff Richard Young said...

Dear Dr. BB,

I had to chuckle at the section which, if quoted out of context, reads, "my commitments: To employ chemical substances such as alcohol and drugs."

How was the conclusion reached to phrase that particular section positively rather than negatively?

Love in Christ,

JRY

Anonymous said...

I applaud your attempt at this. I'd like to comment about this part:

"I want to see God change my life according to His plan, and I need the help of the entire church body for that to happen. I am not perfect, and God will not be finished perfecting any of us until we get to Heaven. That is why, whatever commitments we make, we will need much love, grace, and gentleness to keep us together. (Proverbs 27:17; Ephesians 2:19-22; Philippians 1:6) As a member, in spite of my failures, I commit never to quit trying to live up to the following affirmations:"

How about an alternative? You seem to go to great lengths (saying repeatedly) that we are not perfect, but that we will "never quite trying to live up to these affirmations." I notice the word, "grace," in that paragraph, but I think you mean "mercy," not "grace." If you were using the concept of grace, then I think you'd have a stronger motive for believers to strive toward those affirmations.

The Apostle Paul, I think, might be alarmed that so much in your covenant stresses the affirmations, without rooting (and prefacing) them in God's grace--his power for us to live-out those affirmations.

The first half of the book of Ephesians lays the theological motive for the second half, but your covenant does not lay that foundation. It puts the weight on the backs of people without telling them God will freely do this in us by his Spirit and by the power of his living word.

I notice only a small mention of the work of the Spirit (a reference to the fruit of the Spirit) from Galatians 5. I think Paul would tell us that the Spirit enalbes us to grow into Christ's character.

I'd encourage a simpler Covenant, focusing on our trust in God's Spirit to transform us in our relationships, etc.

Thanks for the dialogue.

DMP

Bart Barber said...

I hope to have time soon to catch up on responding to comments. Thanks to all!