We have already established, by walking through the first several phrases of the first paragraph of the body of our church covenant that we are committed to depending on the power of the Holy Spirit to demonstrate sacrificial love for each other as members of the church. We have also pledged to build up each other in the knowledge of Christ, to pursue holiness both for ourselves and others, and to comfort one another by speaking God’s word in appropriate ways and at appropriate times. We have also agreed to support the decisions of the church body by thinking on spiritual things rather than our own preferences and opinions. But there are still more affirmations to be found in this paragraph.
“We engage, therefore…to sustain its worship ordinances, discipline, and doctrine…”
To sustain is to support or uphold something, and so we pledge first of all to maintain the ordinances of the church. These are specific commands that were given to the church by Jesus Christ its head while he was on the earth with his disciples. The first is baptism, as ordained in Matthew 28:19 to be the entrance into discipleship, that is, by immersing a professing believer in water, the church initiates his membership in the body and recognizes his commitment to Christ. We dare not allow members into the church who refuse to be baptized, nor ought we to separate baptism from the practice of discipleship which is the responsibility of the church. The second and final ordinance given by Christ to the church is the Lord’s Supper which is described fully by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-34. It is a meal of remembrance by which believers are called to reflect on Christ’s bloody sacrifice and the promise of his 2nd coming in glory. As members of this church, then, we have agreed to support these ordinances both by faithfully participating in them with the church body and by striving to restrict their practice to follow the biblical pattern and teaching.
Furthermore, this clause states that we will support the practice of church discipline. In our day church discipline is much maligned and rarely practiced, but it is laid out clearly in the pages of Scripture. Jesus taught in Matthew 18:15-20 that we must confront our brother when he sins against us, seeking to reconcile with him. This confrontation begins privately and progresses to involve more and more people until the whole church is notified and called to judge between them if the brother refuses to repent. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul explains that an unrepentant brother ought to be removed from the congregation’s fellowship both for the protection of the church and the hopeful salvation of the unrepentant sinner. This break in fellowship is to extend beyond just church functions to include ongoing social engagements between the members of the church and those who have been disciplined for unrepentant sin.
Thirdly, we have pledged to support the doctrine or teaching of the church. This does not mean that we must accept any teaching or preaching that we hear from the church, but that we must agree with and maintain the orthodox doctrine by demanding that Scripture be our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. This means that we must be careful to which voices we pay heed, whether in books or magazines, Bible studies, recorded sermons or lessons, and even friendships with other believers. All things must be measured against the clear teachings of Scripture and the church’s doctrinal statement which helps to define and describe what we as a church believe God’s word teaches in major areas of theology. This doctrinal statement itself must be able to stand up to biblical scrutiny if it is to be a worthwhile standard for the church.
“…to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry and expenses of the church, the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.”
This clause concludes the first body paragraph and speaks to our commitment in several key areas. First, we pledge to support the ministry of the church. This involves our active participation, goodwill, positive and encouraging words, and prayers on behalf of the ministries of the church. It doesn’t mean that we have to be an active partner in every ministry, but we must not oppose or neglect any of the church’s ministries, and we must do what we can to encourage them to continue and succeed. Our second pledge is of financial. This includes all of the areas of need within the congregation, such as providing and maintaining a building, purchasing curriculum and supplies, planning activities for outreach and discipleship, supporting necessary pastors and staff, and whatever other expenses are agreed upon by the congregation. It further includes, according to the covenant, moneys for people in need. This phrase must be interpreted in light of the NT instructions concerning the church, and therefore it must be speaking primarily about supporting those within the congregation who are facing financial need. It may be that the church will engage in ministry to the poor among the unbelievers in the community from time to time, but this is never given as a specific calling of the church in the Scriptures and therefore we cannot make it a primary emphasis. Finally, we have pledged to support the spread of the gospel to all nations. This certainly involves the financial support of missionaries who go to other peoples in other places to preach the gospel and plant churches, but it also demands that we faithfully pray for their safety, both physically and spiritually, and their boldness to preach the gospel. We must, therefore, seek to know the state of our missionaries affairs and needs so that we can pray effectively and accurately, sharing in the joys and sorrows of their ministry.