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baptist, baptist encylopaedia, christian, christianity, church, church covenant, church covenants, church history, church membership, covenant, Hebrews, history, James, scripture, The Baptist Encyclopedia, theology, William Cathcart
Back before the ice storm hit, I was planning to blog a little about church covenants. I wrote the first post and opened it with some questions. I received a few responses, which I really appreciated. I would love for even more of you to go back to that post and answer the questions I asked.
But that was as far as I got. The next night, freezing rain began to fall; the night after that we lost our power and spent five chilly days and nights in the dark. I’ve spent a lot of my time since the 
power came back either cleaning up or helping others clean up the damage from the ice storm.
Now I’m thinking about church covenants again, partly because I’m on a committee assigned the task of reviewing and revising a portion of our church constitution. Included in that portion is our church covenant, which is currently a standard document used by many Baptist churches. I say “used by many Baptist churches” but in reality very few churches, including ours, actually use their covenant. That wasn’t always the case.
It would seem that at least a few Baptist churches 125 years ago placed a high value on their covenants, and used them profitably. Don Elbourne frequently posts excerpts from The Baptist Encyclopedia (published in 1883) on his blog. One of those excerpts describes the covenant meetings held by some Baptist churches during that time period:
Covenant Meetings. Before the monthly celebration of the Lord’s Supper, in many parts of our country, a meeting is held for the members of the church, where they relate briefly their religious experience and renew their covenant with God and with each other. After the devotional exercises at the commencement of the service are over, the pastor relates such of God’s dealings with his soul as in his judgment it is proper to communicate, then others follow, commonly in the order in which they are seated, beginning at the right or left of the pastor, and continuing until the end of the opposite side is reached. In these meetings the sisters speak as well as the brethren. No one is obliged to utter a word. In some sections of our country covenant meetings are unknown. Where they are held they are regarded as eminently profitable. They are generally observed on the Saturday before the Lord’s Supper is celebrated. (Cathcart, William. The Baptist Encyclopedia. 2nd ed., 1883.)
That seems to me like a great way (although certainly not the only way) to obey several important but often neglected biblical commands:
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13)
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
…confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:16)
I can’t help but wonder how different our Baptist churches might be today if they had all continued to take their covenant commitments to God and each other that seriously.
Resources:
- The Baptist Encyclopedia – Vol. 1
- The Baptist Encyclopaedia – Vol. 2
- The Baptist Encyclopedia – Vol. 3
Isn’t it sad that for years Christians have been able to “join” churches and not have a single brother invest in their lives? I think the Western world has created an affluent, optional religion where we feel offended if someone attempts to love us by correcting us or praying for us or holding us to a Biblical standard. It’s easy to think that we don’t “need” the church – we can survive just fine without anyone getting into our lives. We like to call that “sola boot-strappa.” My husband re-wrote our church documents not too long ago – we feel your pain! We pray that our church knows what it believes and lives out our mission statement – Honor God and Help People – in true, loving action.
A very important subject! Church Covenants are a great tool to be used to enhance fellowship and accountability. IMO, all churches should employ them (and not just as a tag-on to the Constitution and Bylaws).
Jennifer,
“Sola boot-strappa” — that’s great. The phrase, I mean, not the concept! Have you thought about ways your church might make good use of your new covenant?
James,
Any thoughts on how best to employ church covenants?
Barry,
Maybe I missed this in an earlier post, if so, just point me in the right direction.
Could you give me 3-5 short reasons as to why you think churches should have covenants at all? What is the biblical reasoning for them? I think the answer to those questions will be the best bridge for ‘how to implement.’
Matt,
That’s an excellent question.
To begin with, I doubt you’ve missed anything. Up to this point I haven’t given a list of reasons for creating and using a church covenant, but I’m sure I should.
My pastor gave a brief, partial answer to your question in this comment on my first post. And I alluded to an answer in this post when I said that the covenant meeting described in the 1883 Baptist Encyclopedia sounded like “a good way to obey some important but often neglected commands.”
When I first read your comment, I thought I would try to give a quick response off the top of my head, but instead I think I’ll wait and try to answer a little more thoroughly in a separate post.
In the mean time, if any of the rest of you want to take a stab at answering Matt’s question, feel free.
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