At the beginning of all our committee meetings, we read our below covenant for working and worshiping together. In 2015, it was updated to include the scriptural significance for each of our statements.
SCRIPTURAL COVENANT FOR WORKING AND WORSHIPING TOGETHER
Preamble
Believing that God has called us to order and to peace, we covenant before God and one another to conduct ourselves in the following manner:
• The Word of God says: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15, ESV).
Therefore, we will be as honest as we can with each other.
• The Word of God says: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10, NIV).
Therefore, we will speak to one another with respect.
• The Word of God says: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” (Colossians 3:23, NLT).
Therefore, we will all be responsible for the successful implementation of any action we decide to take.
• The Word of God says: “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:25, NIV).
Therefore, we will communicate directly to each other using the first person “I.”
• The Word of God says: “Each one of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4, NIV).
Therefore, we will recognize and identify merit in another person’s idea
before we note its weakness.
• The Word of God says: “The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out” (Proverbs 20:5, ESV).
Therefore, we will repeat what the other person has said to confirm we have understood them, and ask them to do the same if we feel we have not been understood.
• The Word of God says: “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, NLT).
Therefore, we will not jump to conclusions.
• The Word of God says: “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (James 1:19, NLT).
Therefore, we will listen to understand, but don’t necessarily have to agree.
• The Word of God says: “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (2 Corinthians 13:1, NIV).
Therefore, we will deal only with “Directly Observable Data” (D.O.D.), not rumors, and seek to understand all sides.
[1] “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people” (1 Corinthians 14:33, NIV).
Once a year, we recite our church covenant from 1644.
OUR 1644 CHURCH COVENANT
We, whose names are underwritten, do covenant with the Lord, and with one another, and do solemnly bind ourselves before the Lord and His people that we will, through the help of Christ’s strengthening of us, walk after the Lord in all His ways according as He has traced them out to us in His word of grace and truth.
And, 1. We avouch the Lord to be our God, and give up ourselves (with our seed after us in their generations) to be His people, in truth and sincerity of our hearts.
2. We give ourselves up to the Lord Jesus Christ, to be ruled and guided by him in matters of His worship, and in our whole conversation, acknowledging Him not only our alone Savior, but also our King, Sovereign, and Ruler over us, and our Prophet and Teacher by His word and spirit, forsaking all other teachers and doctrines, which He has not commanded; and we wholly disclaim our own righteousness in point of justification, and look to it as filthy rags, and do cleave unto Him for righteousness and life, grace and glory.
3. We do farther promise, by the help of Christ, to walk with our brethren and sisters of the congregation, in the spirit of brotherly love, watching over them and caring for them; avoiding all jealousies, superstitions, backbitings, censuring, quarrelings, and secret risings of heart against them; forgiving and forbearing, and yet seasonable admonishing and restoring them by a spirit of meekness, set them in joint again that have been through infirmity overtaken in any fault among us.
4. We will not in the congregation be forward to show our gifts of parts in speaking, nor be ready to disgrace our brethren, or discover their failings, but attend an orderly call before we put forth ourselves, doing nothing to the offense of the church, but in all things endeavoring our own brethren’s edification and trust in God.
5. We farther bind ourselves, in the strength of Christ, to labor how we may advance the gospel, and how we may advance the kingdom of Christ, and how we may win and gain them that are without, and how we may settle grace and peace among ourselves, and seek, as much as in us lieth, the peace of all the churches, seeking the help, the counsel, and direction of other churches if need be, not putting any stumbling block before any, but laboring to abstain from all appearance of evil.
6. We do hereby promise to behave and demean ourselves obediently in all lawful things to those that God hath placed over us in the Church and the Commonwealth; knowing that it is our duty not to grieve them, but to encourage them in their places, and in the administration of their charge that God hath committed to them.
7. We resolve in the same strength to approve ourselves in our particular callings, shunning idleness, not slothful in business, knowing that idleness is the bane of any society, etc. Neither will we deal hardly or oppressingly with any wherein we are the Lord’s stewards; promising to our best abilities, to teach our children the good knowledge of the Lord, that they may also learn to serve and fear him with us, that it may go well with them and with us forever.