Concerning The Purpose of Our Membership Covenant
When anyone enters into relationship with God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ they are entering into two covenants. The first is to journey with God for the rest of their lives and love Him fully. The second is to journey with His children in the community of a local church. Your membership in a church is an official recognition of this, and the purposes of the Ekklesia Membership Covenant are:
- To clarify the biblical obligations and expectations for both the pastors of Ekklesia Muskogee and the individual members of the Ekklesia Muskogee church body.
- To establish teaching and doctrinal parameters for the Ekklesia Muskogee church body.
- To serve as a tool for reflection and growth toward holiness.
This covenant does not imply that you will never fall short of the goals, but that the desire of your heart is to fulfill each of the responsibilities stated to the best of your ability by the grace of God. We trust that your commitment will be a personal blessing to your own relationship with Christ Jesus, as well a blessing to those around you.
What We Agree To
The pastors agree with the following: With the help of the Holy Spirit,
- We will lovingly care for you, seeking your growth in Christ above all (Heb. 13:17; I Thess. 5:12).
- We will provide teaching, preaching and counsel from the Scriptures (Gal. 6:6; I Tim. 5:17-18).
- We will make sure our teaching will span the whole counsel of God’s word (Acts 20:27-28).
- We will help you in times of need (Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-35, Jm. 2:14- 17).
- We will make sure your pastors and deacons meet the criteria assigned to them in the scriptures (I Tim. 3:1-13 & 5:17-22, Titus 1:5-9, I Pt. 5:1-4).
- We will pray for you regularly, particularly when you are sick (James 5:14).
- We will be on guard against false teachers (Acts 20:28-31).
- We will exercise church discipline when necessary for God’s glory and your good (Matt. 18:15-20; I Cor. 5; Gal. 6:1).
- We will equip you for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-13).
- We will seek God’s will for our church community to the best of our ability as we study the scriptures (Acts 20:28, I Peter 5:1-5).
- We will set an example and join you in fulfilling the duties of church members (1 Co. 11.1, Philip. 3:17, I Tim. 4:12 ).
The church members agree with the following: With the help of the Holy Spirit,
- I am a Christian who has been saved from my sins and made righteous by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. I have been baptized after my coming to faith in Jesus to a give public testimony of my identification with Christ as well as his church, in obedience to the scriptures.
- I have read and understood the Ekklesia Muskogee Forms of Unity and agree to not be divisive to its teaching. I also understand the importance of submission to church leadership and will be diligent to preserve unity in the bond of peace (Heb. 13:7, 17; Eph. 4:1-3).
- I will endeavor to be ever-increasing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and commit to regular personal Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship and practice of the other spiritual disciplines. My journey in Christ will be evident through my regular participation in the corporate worship gatherings, and involvement with other believers are a personal level (Ps. 119:97, Acts 2:42-47; Heb. 10:23-25, 2 Pet. 3:18).
- I will properly manage the resources God has given me, including my time, body, gifts and talents, attitudes, finances and possessions (Eph. 5:15-18; Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 4:1-16; Gal. 5:22-26; Prov. 3:9-10).
- I will be committed to the Ekklesia Muskogee church family and agree to aid in fulfilling its stated purpose to make disciples, love cities, and plant churches. I commit to being on mission to reach the lost, disciple the saved, and help plant other gospel-centered churches that do the same (Matt. 28:19-20).
- I will use the spiritual gifts and abilities God has given me for the building up of the church, both at Ekklesia and universally (I Pet. 4:10-11; Rom. 12:1-8, 1 Cor. 12:7-31).
- I will practice the humility and sacrificial attitude of Christ by considering the needs of others (Phil. 2:1-11), not gossiping (Prov. 16:28, Matt. 18: 15-17), and seeking spiritual friendships (Prov. 17:17).
- I will have friendly Christian relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ from other churches, but I will not function in leadership or as a member in another church family (Heb. 13:17).
- I will follow the biblical procedures of church discipline and submit myself to discipline if the need should ever arise (Matt. 18:15-17, Gal. 6:1-5).
- I will submit to the authority of the scriptures as the final arbiter on all issues (Ps. 119, 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
God enabling me, I will strive to consider my commitment to this Membership Covenant on a yearly basis. I understand that it is an evaluative tool, as well as an affirmation of my continuing conviction and purpose. My responsibility will be to notify the Ekklesia Muskogee pastors if at any time I can no longer commit to this covenant, or if I have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding Ekklesia Muskogee.
