What We Believe
When new members join a Covenant church, they are asked just two questions about belief: “Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and promise to follow him as Lord?” and “Do you accept the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct?” We then make pledges to live as faithful followers of Christ and members of the church and denomination. The Covenant Church was founded as a group of people who cared deeply about the new life found in Christ and believed that scripture is essential to that new life. In many ways, it’s that simple. Still our history and theology gives certain shape and distinctiveness to our belief and practice.
We are an apostolic church. That is to say, we trace our beliefs back to those of the apostles, the first witnesses of Christ’s resurrection. We rely upon their testimony (the New Testament) and the scriptures they held true (the Old Testament). Our belief and practice aims to be consistent with the orthodox, historic Christian faith and we affirm the Apostle’s Creed and Nicene Creed as reflective of the apostolic faith.
We are a catholic/universal church. That’s not to say, “Roman Catholic”, but from the Greek word kata-houlos meaning “whole” or “universal”. We are a Universal church in that we share faith and fellowship with believers in all times and all places who confess Jesus as Lord. We make no claim to be “the only true church”. Because of this we have an “open table” at communion where all who trust Christ are welcome to partake. Similarly, we honor both interpretations of Christian baptism: infant and adult.
We are a reformation church. With historic roots in the Lutheran tradition we are heirs of the Protestant reformers who taught that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone; revealed by scripture above all other traditions. While we affirm that God calls some men and women into special vocations of church ministry, we stand with the reformers that all baptized Christians are members of, “the priesthood of all believers.”
We are an evangelical church. Before that word came to mean something political or cultural, it was used to indicate a whole-hearted devotion to Christ and a desire to share the gospel. Our church was born in the Pietist revival movements in 19th century Europe and Great Awakening movements in America that emphasized personal conversion marked by a living and active faith, inner spiritual transformation, a desire to practice holiness, and the conviction to share that faith with others.
The Evangelical Covenant Church is a unique movement of believers and congregations who understand themselves to be Evangelical, but not exclusive; Biblical, but not doctrinaire; Traditional, but not rigid; Congregational, but not independent.
You can learn more about the Covenant Church, its beliefs, practices, and affirmations here.
How We Love
Our congregation is a spiritual family. We strive to be like Christ in all our conduct towards one another. As a congregation we make these promises to one another in our “relational covenant” of loving behaviors:
We care for each other, pray for each other, and commit our energies and resources towards the church’s mission.
We believe the best in each other and give each other the benefit of the doubt.
We demonstrate open, respectful communication and love one another enough to speak directly with each other. We avoid gossip and talk “face to face” when deliberating important matters. We support each other and hold each other accountable to this goal.
We seek forgiveness when we cause pain for others and forgive when others cause us pain.
We seek to discover what is best for our church as a whole, not what may be best for us as individuals or a particular group within the church. We recognize that the church is more than “me” it is “we”.
We speak our opinions and listen to other opinions with charity, gentleness, and humility. We seek to understand before seeking to be understood.
We respect and honor the offices of pastor and lay leaders. They will aim to be trustworthy, and ask for the trust of those they serve.
We accept disagreement and even conflict as normal and healthy. Leaders, staff, and members will aim for consensus in our discernments, and strive to honor the decisions made even if they differ from our own views.