The Importance and Value of Church Covenants

Nearly from the very first emergence of Baptists in 17th century England, taking their cue from their fellow Separatist forbears, was the adoption and practice for church covenants. The basic concept behind the church covenant is to answer the question, "How do we commit to live together?" Thus, a church covenant is "a solemn agreement voluntarily entered into by a particular congregation of believers" (from Baptist Confessions, Covenants, and Catechisms by Timothy and Denise George; published by Broadman and Holman; 1996. p.14). This covenantal "agreement" is for the manner in which a local body of believers shall walk together in the name of Christ and unto His glory. At the very core then, a church covenant is really the published expression of the biblical mandate for the communal and missional life of God's people as they gather together as a visible localized church.

Noting the great value and practical effects of having and keeping a church covenant, Mark Dever (in his book The Deliberate Church) offered these helpful observations:

"Implenting a church covenant helps to correct the misperception that members can live in either isolated individualism or unrepented sin and still be members in good standing. It provides a biblical standard of behavior for members, notifying them of what it means to be a member of the local church, and reminding them of the [responsibilities] that membership entails for our lifestyles and interactions with each other. Church covenants make membership meaningful because they clarify the spiritual and relational commitments that membership signifies. Clarifying the commitments of membership promotes health of the local church because it keeps nominalism at bay and keeps us accountable to growing in real Christian piety. And the more we grow in true Christian holiness and love, the more evidence we have that we are indeed [Christ's] disciples."