Membership Covenant
Having repented of my sin and placed my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, having been baptized as a believer, and being in agreement with Metro Bible’s doctrinal statements and structure, I now feel led by the Holy Spirit to unite with the Metro Bible Church family. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to the other members to do the following:
I will support the testimony of my church…
- by pursuing the Lord Jesus Christ through regular Bible reading, prayer and practice of spiritual disciplines (Lk 18:1; Acts 17:11; 1 Cor 9:24-27; Eph 5:1-21; 1 Thess 5:12-22)
- by living a godly life, taking seriously the responsibility of Christian freedom, especially actions or situations that could present a stumbling block to another (Eph 1:4; 1 Cor 8:1-13, 10:23, 31; 1 Pet 1:14-16)
- by repenting and confessing my sin to God and fellow believers (Jas 5:16; 1 Jn 1:9)
- by showing my commitment to Christ and His church through being with the body when it gathers for Sunday worship, regular observance of the Lord’s Supper and being pastored by a Small Group (Acts 2:42-47; Titus 3:14; Heb 10:23-25)
- by rearing our children and those in our care in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Prov 22:6; Eph 6:4)
- by imparting the Word and my life through service and discipleship to the body, and evangelization of the lost (Matt 28:19-20; 1 Thess 2:8; 2 Tim 2:2)
I will protect the unity of my church…
- by acting in love toward other members, being willing to die to myself and my preferences, bearing one another’s burdens and rejoicing with those who rejoice (Jn 13:34-35; Rom 12:15; 1 Cor 15:31; Gal 5:13; Eph 4:2; 1 Thess 5:13; Heb 10:24)
- by forgiving one another as God has forgiven us (Matt 6:14-15, 18:21; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13)
- by admonishing the unruly, encouraging the fainthearted, helping the weak, and receiving the same with humility and graciousness (Phil 2:3-8; Col 1:28; 1 Thess 5:14; 2 Tim 4:2)
- by refusing to gossip (Prov 20:19; Eph 4:29; 1 Tim 3:11, 5:13; Titus 2:3)
- by following the leaders (Acts 20:28; Heb 13:17)
- by submitting myself to church discipline should the need arise (Matt 18:15-18; Gal 6:1; Titus 3:10-11)
I will serve the ministry of my church…
- by praying for its spiritual growth, its leaders and others in the body (Eph 6:18-19; Col 1:9; 1 Thess 5:17, 25; 2 Thess 3:1; 1 Tim 2:8; Heb 13:18)
- by being equipped to serve by my pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11-13; 2 Tim 2:15, 3:16-17)
- by giving regularly of my time, talent and treasure (Matt 25:14-30; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 16:1-2; 2 Cor 8-9; 1 Pet 4:10-11)
- by warmly welcoming those who visit and by showing Christian hospitality (Rom 12:13; 1 Tim 5:10; Heb 13:2; 1 Pet 4:9)
Covenant members should also have certain expectations from both Metro Bible's leadership and fellow members. Those expectations include instruction from the Word of God (2 Tim 4:2), accountability according to the teachings of Scripture (Eph 4:15), pastoring from the shepherd leaders (1 Pet 5:2) and exhortation to service (Gal 5:13).