The Local Church as a Body of Covenanting Believers

The local church is a self-governing body. The difference between a local church that honors Christ through wise and efficient self-government, versus arbitrary, tyrannical, or anarchical government, often comes down to the existence and enforcement of the local church covenant.

In an age of misplaced expectations, rampant dishonor, ignorance of the law of God, and individualist autonomy, the membership covenant reminds believers of the law of God and requires them to affirm their duties one to another at the time they yoke with other brothers in Christ under the government of a local church.

The emphasis of Scripture is: assume nothing and constantly repeat the obvious.

Why? Because sinful, forgetful, and self-serving man is ever about the business of changing the rules of engagement and setting aside the revealed and the obvious in favor of the expedient. If men and women were angels, they would not have to recite vows at the time of their wedding. After all, the duties of husbands and wives toward one another is clearly spelled out in Scripture. But they do recite vows, and for good reason! The public affirmation of covenant duties not only establishes a witness, but a public record that the parties to the covenant understand what they are doing, pledge to keep their covenant, and submit themselves to accountability, should that covenant ever be broken. Covenants clarify expectations. They reinforce jurisdictional accountability. They anticipate potential problems and seek to address them through full disclosure well in advance of a problem arising.

Biblical church covenants do not add to Scripture or invent new and arbitrary rules as preconditions for membership. Instead, biblical church covenants reinforce and restate the duties of believers one towards another, and before the Lord, in the context of a specific local church. Thus, the church covenant is a local and specific expression of the covenant the believer entered into with the Lord Jesus Christ at the moment he was redeemed.

Church Covenants and the Founding Fathers of America

This Thanksgiving, it is important to remember that America was founded on ecclesiastical and civil covenants, without which there would have been death, chaos, and no clear Christian origin of our nation.

Without the Mayflower Compact, the tension building between the saints and strangers arriving in the New World would have resulted in mobocracy and social implosion. Without the covenant between the Pilgrims and Massasoit of the Wampanoags (which resulted in fifty years of unbroken peace between the two communities), there would have been tension, slaughter and a sandy foundation for building a stable society. Without the distinctively biblical civil covenants governing the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and later the other colonies, America would have quickly devolved from a Christian nation into a polytheistic nation, much like what our leaders hope to see enshrined today.

The concept of Christian covenant and accountability was the theme of John Winthrop’s writing while en route to Salem aboard the ship Arabella in his Model of Christian Charity:

For the persons, we are a Company professing ourselves fellow members of Christ for the work we have in hand, it is by mutual consent through a special overruling providence, and a more ordinary approbation of the Churches of Christ to seek out a place of Cohabitation and Consortship under a due form of Government both civil and ecclesiastical.

The 1629 Covenant at Salem

Nine years after the first Pilgrims set foot in Plymouth, other separatists and nonconformists established Salem (“city of peace”) and founded its local church around a covenant. Below is the covenant in its entirety. Note the specifics of the covenant, the depth of commitment, the realistic anticipation of difficulties within the body, and the complete dependence on the grace of God:

First we avowe the Lord to be our God, and oursleves his people in truth and simplicitie of our Spirits.

Wee give ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the word of his grace, fore the teaching, ruling and sanctifyeing of us in matters of worship, and conversation, resolving to cleave to him alone for life and glorie; and oppose all contraire wayes, canons and constitutions of men in his worship.

Wee promise to walk with our brethen and sister in the Congregation with all watchfullness, and tendernis, avoyding all jelouseies, suspitions, backbyteings, conjurings, provoakings, secrete riseings of spirit against them, but in all offences to follow the rule of the Lord Jesus, and to beare and forbeare, give and forgive as he hath taught us.

In publick or private, we will willingly doe nothing to the offence of hte Church, but will be willing to take advise for ourselves and ours as occasion shall be presented.

Wee will not in the Congregation be forward eyther to show our own gifts or parts in speaking or scrupuling or there discover the fayling of our brethren or sisters butt attend an orderly cale thereunto; knowing how much the Lord may be dishonoured, and his Gospell in the profession of it, sleighted by our distempers, and weakness in publyck.

Wee bynd ourselves to studdy the advancement of the Gospell in all truth and peace, both in regard of those that are within, or without, noe waye sleighting our sister Churches, but useing theire Counsell as need shall be; nor laying a stumbling, before any, noe not the Indians, whose good we desire to promote, and soe to converse, as wee may avoyd the verrye appearance of evill.

Wee hearby promise to carrye ourselves in all lawfull obedience, to those that are over us in Church and Common weale, knowing how well pleasing it wil be to the Lord, that they should have incouragement in theire places, by our not greiveing there spirites through our iregulareties.

Wee resolve to prove our selves to the Lord in our particular callings, shunning ydlenes as the bane of any state, nor will we deale hardly, or opressingly with Any, wherein we are the Lords stewards: alsoe

Promyseing to our best abilitie to teach our chilren and servants, the knowledge of God and his will, that they may serve him alsoe and all this, not be any strength of our owne, but the Lord Christ, whose bloud we desire may sprinckle this our Covenant made in his name.