“When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.” (Ecc. 5:4–5)
PURPOSE
When anyone enters into a relationship with God by grace and through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, they enter 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 other children in the community of the local church. Your partnership in a church is an official recognition of this, and the purposes of the LifeConnection Partner Covenant are:
- Join -
To join the Spirit in forming authentic community that reflects the relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit.
- Clarify -
To clarify the ongoing blessings and responsibilities of each partner.
- Encourage -
To encourage consistency, accountability, and loving unity within the church family.
- Accomplish -
To accomplish God’s call for the LifeConnection Church family.
This agreement 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. We trust that your commitment will be a personal blessing to your own journey in Christ, as well a blessing to those around you.
THE FACTS OF PARTNERSHIP
With the help of the Holy Spirit, the church leadership covenants the following:
We commit ourselves to lovingly caring for you and seeking your growth in Christ (Heb. 13:17; 1 Thess. 5:12).
We covenant to provide teaching and counsel from the Scriptures (Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17–18).
We commit that this teaching will span the whole counsel of God’s Word (Acts 20:27–28).
We commit to helping you in times of need (Acts 2:42–47, 4:32–35; James 2:14–17).
We covenant that your pastors and deacons will meet the criteria assigned to them in the Scriptures (1 Tim. 3:1–13; 5:17–22; Titus 1:5–9; 1 Pt. 5:1–4).
We covenant to pray for you regularly, particularly when you are sick (James 5:14).
We covenant to be on guard against false teachers (Acts 20:28–31).
We covenant to exercise church discipline when necessary (Matt. 18:15–20; 1 Cor. 5; Gal. 6:1).
We covenant to help you become equipped to serve Christ (Eph. 4:11–13).
We covenant to seek God’s will for our church community to the best of our ability as we study the Scriptures and follow the Spirit (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1–5).
We covenant to set an example and join you in fulfilling the duties of church partners (1 Cor. 11:1; Philip. 3:17; 1 Tim. 4:12).
With the guiding help of the Holy Spirit, I, the undersigned, publicly proclaim as follows:
I believe Jesus Christ is exactly who He claimed to be (Isaiah 5:6; Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:70; John 4:25–26; 6:29; 8:58; 11:25–27; 14:6–7; 15:5). I have renounced my old way of life, repented of my sins, asked God to forgive my sins, to cleanse me, and make me a new creation (1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 5:17). I confess Jesus Christ is the Lord and Master of my life (Romans 10:9).
I recognize that, before faith in Christ, my sin nature had separated me from God and made me his enemy, the object of his wrath. Because of my sins I deserve eternal torment and separation from God, i.e., Hell (Romans 3:10, 23).
I recognize that there is only one way to God, salvation, the kingdom of heaven, and eternal life: Jesus Christ. There is no other way. My redemption and the forgiveness of sins is an unmerited gift of grace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, accomplished by His death and shed blood on the cross at Calvary (John 14:6; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8–9).
I am a Christian who has been saved from my sins by the grace of Jesus Christ. I have accepted His gift of salvation bought by His death on the cross, the penalty for my sins, and His resurrection, by which I am assured of eternal life (John 3:16–18; Romans 3:23–26).
In obedience to Scripture, I have been baptized after I became a believer in Jesus Christ as evidence and testimony of my commitment to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, my Savior (Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21).
I have read and understood the LifeConnection doctrinal statement 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 and peace (Ephesians 4:1–3; Hebrews 13:7, 17).
I will endeavor to maintain a close relationship with the Lord Jesus through regular personal Bible reading, prayer, fellowship and practice of the other spiritual disciplines. My commitment to follow Jesus Christ will be evident through my regular participation in the Sunday assembly and worship services, my willingness to serve where needed, and my involvement in fellowship with other partners of the church body through a Gospel Community, Men’s and Women’s Bible Studies, or Equip Classes (Psalms 119:97; 105:1–2; Acts 2:42–47; Hebrews 10:23–25).
I will strive to properly manage the resources God has given me, including my time, body, spiritual gifts and talents, attitudes, finances and possessions (Proverbs 3:9–10; Romans 12:1–2; Ephesians 4:1–16; 5:15–18; Gal 5:22–26). This includes regular giving and service to the local church (LifeConnection) that is sacrificial, cheerful, active, and voluntary (Romans 12:1–8; 2 Corinthians 8–9; 12:7–31; 1 Peter 4:10-11).
I commit myself to the LifeConnection Church family and agree to aid in fulfilling its missional purpose to bring the gospel to Kansas City by being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only, serving Jesus as my Master and Lord in every area of my life.
I covenant to practice the humility and sacrificial attitude of Christ by considering the needs of others (Philippians 2:1–11), by seeking spiritual friendships (Proverbs 17:17), and by not gossiping (Proverbs 16:28; Matthew 18:15–17).
I covenant to have friendly Christian relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ from other churches, but I will not function in leadership or as a partner (member) in another church family (Hebrews 13:17).
I covenant to be self-disciplined, to follow the biblical procedures of church discipline regarding my brothers and sisters in Christ, and submit myself to church discipline if the need should ever arise (Matthew 18:15–17; 1 Corinthians 5:1–5; 2 Corinthians 2:5–8; Galatians 6:1–5, 8; 1 Timothy 5:20; 2 Timothy 2:25; Titus 1:9; 3:10–11; Revelation 2:5–7, 14–25).
I covenant to submit to the authority of Scripture as the final arbiter on all issues (Psalm 119, 2 Timothy 3:16–17).