FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH COVENANT

We believe that God’s love is demonstrated through Christ and that His love should be the foundation for all relationships. Through His love, First Baptist Church believes in a vision of a fellowship that accepts all those who confess Jesus as Savior and Lord, and a commitment to love God and all people.

With God’s help, we now enter into this covenant:

• We commit to live under the authority of Jesus Christ and to the open worship of God with dedication and devotion, respecting the call of God for both male and female into any lay or professional ministry of the church.
• We commit to serious study of the Bible, the inspired word of God, with the guidance of responsible scholarship and teachers under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
• We commit to regular giving of money, time and abilities, and to the faithful care and creative use of our land and buildings.
• We commit to practice religious liberty by respecting the rights of the individual Christian, by affirming the autonomy of the local church, by upholding the separation of church and state, and by respecting the freedom of all people in matters of conscience.
• We commit to ministry and prayer for each other, participating in each other’s joys and sharing each other’s burdens.
• We commit to evangelism and missions, and to make known through word and deed the love of God and the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
• We commit to the example of Jesus Christ, working for justice and peace.
• We commit to voluntary cooperation with other churches in the body of Christ.
• We commit to the free and open exchange of ideas concerning the governance of the church.

Believing that God sustains this covenant relationship and relying on the power of God’s love and grace, we joyfully pledge to uphold this covenant.
We are the people called First Baptist Church: “Caring People Sharing God’s Love.”