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Week 2: Church Covenant & Polity

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Week 2: Church Covenant & Polity

How Biblical Metaphors for the Church Require Church Membership

What Is a Church?

The Great Commission given to the church by Jesus recorded in Matthew 28 helps us understand what the mission of the church is. And understanding the mission of the church helps us appreciate the value and centrality of the church in God’s redemptive purposes.

In the beginning, Adam and Eve were made in God’s image and told to subdue the earth and multiply. Their mission was to extend the boundaries of the Garden of Eden by subduing the earth and multiplying. God’s goal was to have a world filled with worshipers, who were imaging him rightly and extending the knowledge of his glory to the ends of the earth.

When they rebelled at the suggestion of the serpent, we might have presumed that God would give up on accomplishing that mission. But he promised that a child of Eve would crush the head of that serpent. He would come to restore Eden and multiply those who would help carry out God’s mission of making his glory known to the ends of the earth.

God eventually called out Abraham and told him that all the earth would be blessed in him. From Abraham comes the nation of Israel. God rescued them from slavery in Egypt and planted them in the promised land like a new Garden of Eden. And through Israel, God would instruct and model what rightly imaging God looked like for the sake of the nations that surrounded them. They were to make God’s ways known on earth, by the nations. King David ruled over Israel, and his rule was a blessing to the nations. His son Solomon’s wisdom was so well known and attractive that the nations came to him for guidance.

But Israel ultimately failed to rightly image God. Their kings were sinful and they became corrupted by the nations. Their kings failed like Adam, and so Israel was exiled from the promised land. Israel’s prophets came with a message of judgment against Israel along with a promise of restoration and the inclusion of the nations into God’s people.

After 400 years of silence, Jesus broke onto the scene as the true and better Adam and Israel. In Matthew 1, his genealogy is traced back to Abraham. And wise men from the nations come to honor him. And he draws the Canaanite woman from the nations. He miraculously feeds 5,000 from Israel with fish and loaves in Matthew 14. Then he does it again with Gentiles in Matthew 15. He is drawing all kinds of people to himself. He is restoring God’s image-bearers across the world. And after his death, burial, and resurrection, he gives all authority on earth to the church and commands them to carry on the mission: to subdue the earth and multiply. To extend the knowledge of his glory to the ends of the earth. Which, now in light of the gospel, means to spread the good news and multiply disciples by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus created his church in order to carry on that goal, so that the knowledge of the glory of God might cover the earth and those made in his image would begin to rightly image God. One day he will return to fully restore all things. But in the mean time, he leaves his church as a picture of what that new creation will look like. A group of God’s image bearers, joyfully submitting to his authority and rightly worshiping him and enjoying his glory.

Ephesians 3 tells us that God is making his glory known in and through the church. That’s the story Christians are wrapped up in.

God’s church is central in his plan of redemption. It’s not something we invented, it’s something we are stewarding.

Why Join a Church?

You’ve read the article in your packet called How Biblical Metaphors for the Church Require Church Membership before class this morning. So you’re familiar with some of the biblical reasoning behind the historic practice of church membership.

Last week in the Statement of Faith, under the section about the church, we read this:

We believe Jesus Christ is the head of the universal church—the body and bride of Christ. It is made up of all the children of God throughout the ages.

We believe local churches are God’s plan for glorifying himself by making disciples of all nations through the proclamation of the gospel. Local churches consist of elders, deacons, and members.

There’s a connection between those two clauses: when someone becomes a Christian, they become a member of the universal church. The universal church is made tangible on earth in particular local churches. Belonging to the universal church becomes visible by belonging to a local church.

Four Potential Reasons Christians Don’t Join a Church.

Don’t See the Need—Church membership isn’t a new idea; it’s the way that church has been practiced throughout most history. But Arizona has an independent, pioneering spirit and we can tend to be suspicious of authority or formality or institutions. As a result, many Evangelical churches have moved away from practicing membership and never teach about it. It’s possible that someone has simply never been taught that it’s vital to the Christian life.

Love of Independence—Someone may love Jesus but would rather be out doing his own thing on Sunday mornings. People can be messy (even in the church!) and life is smoother when you’re not getting bogged down with the lives of others. The resistance to commit to a particular church is sometimes tied to selfishness.

Consumerism—It’s tempting to view the church as business that provides spiritual goods and services. When that’s the case, the church is seen merely as a place to go to learn or grow or be encouraged. Someone might only show up to a church if there’s a fun event or an interesting sermon series. They don’t embrace the fact that they’ve been given gifts by Christ in order to help build up the church, not just consume from the church.

Past Hurt—Officially joining a church can feel oppressive and dangerous to those who have been hurt by a church in the past. Spiritual abuse is a horrifying reality. And when someone has undergone legitimate manipulation in a religious setting, there may be an understandable hesitance or resistance to trust another spiritual institution.

Four Reasons Christians Should Join a Church.

God Created You for Committed Relationships—We are relational beings by design. There’s a reason that solitary confinement is used as an elevated level of punishment. It’s fairly common to hold onto relationships loosely so that when it gets difficult or uncomfortable (as all relationships do!) we can dip out. But that’s not how we’re told to live as Christians. We’re reminded over and over again in the New Testament that we need one another to fulfill the responsibilities given to us. We’re told to regularly gather with other Christians (Heb. 10:24–25), and to seek peace with one another (Rom. 14:19; Jas. 3:18), and build one another up (1 Cor. 12, 14; Eph. 4:11–16), and warn and admonish one another (Rom. 15:14), and pursue reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18–21), and bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). We need to be in committed relationships in order to do those things, don’t we?

The Church is Christ’s Gift to You—Ephesians 4:8–16 says this, “Therefore it says, ‘When he [that is, Jesus] ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’” ... Picking up in verse 11, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” When Christ ascended, he and the Father sent the Holy Spirit as a gift to empower and equip the church as the body of Christ in order to bring individuals to maturity in and through teaching and loving relationships. Left to ourselves, we would be more vulnerable to human cunning, craftiness and deceitful schemes. And if someone is wandering from the truth or into unrepentant sin, the church is a gift to us to bring corrective discipline, always with a goal of growing us up into maturity in Christ.

It’s Good for Leaders—The elders take Hebrews 13:17 seriously. It says, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” I believe I will be held accountable for how I shepherd those in my care along with Stephen and the other elders. Phoenix has over 5 million people in the metropolitan area. I’m not a pastor to all of them. So how do the elders know who they’re responsible for? Well it’s those who have joyfully submitted themselves to this local church. Having a clear membership helps the leaders narrow our focus of responsibility.

It’s Evangelistic—John 13:34–35 says, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” That level of love is only really possible in a committed relationship between brothers and sisters. The best place for that to happen is in a local church. At my kids’ school, students can bring in Valentines as gifts for other kids, but they can’t put other kids names on them. They just have to be generic and impersonal. That seems to negate the whole purpose of an expression of love! It’s a generic love that goes out to no one in particular without any knowledge of who they actually are. That’s not the kind of focused, self-giving love that Christ calls us to. God calls us to committed love with other Christians. And he uses it as a way to evangelize the world.

Church Covenant

Our Church Covenant outlines how we will strive to live together. This statement is meant to be a helpful reminder to live in a way that that adorns the gospel rather than detract from it.

Let’s walk through line by line. Feel free to ask questions.

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All members of Trinity Bible Church consent to this Church Covenant. Depending on the leading and enabling of the Holy Spirit, we make a sincere commitment to strive consistently to:

Honor the Lord Jesus Christ as we apply the teachings of His Word to our own lives and seek to grow in His likeness.

Welcome and love one another as God has loved us in Christ—sacrificially and without discrimination.

Show our love in warm, open friendliness and practical care for one another, sharing our real needs, our joys, and our sorrows.

Become personally involved with one another so that we build-up each other in spiritual understanding and growth toward Christian maturity.

Be considerate and kind to one another, slow to take offense and quick to forgive and to ask forgiveness.

Pray for and with one another, our Church, its leadership and staff, and our community.

Faithfully attend and support the services of our Church and help in its ministries according to our spiritual gifts and as we have opportunity.

Give regularly, generously, and cheerfully to the support of the Church, the relief of those in need, and the evangelizing of the world.

Be faithful in personal Bible reading and prayer, and in family devotions if applicable.

Bring up our children in the teaching and discipline of the Scriptures and to be examples to them of consistent Christian living.

Live in the world as responsible, godly citizens, people of integrity, whose lives are above reproach.

Preserve loyalty to biblical truth and promote unity and growth in our Church.

Be actively involved in sharing the gospel of Christ with others.

We want you to know that discipling one another is a necessary part of being a member here. It’s simply a part of our culture. If you sign up for a membership interview, you’re going to be asked to sign this church covenant, which is you dedicating yourself to commit to embrace this part of the Christian life.

Membership and the Ordinances

Baptism signifies the initiation of membership (1 Cor. 12:13, Rom. 6:1-4, Col. 2:11-12)

In the Old Testament, God’s people Israel were marked off by circumcision. That circumcision was a way of illustrating being devoted to God. Those who are circumcised belonged to God. But God’s New Testament people are marked inwardly by circumcised hearts. And that is seen outwardly through the ordinance of baptism. When someone gets baptized, it’s like they’re putting on the jersey for team Jesus. They are baptized into Christ, and thus into his body—the church. The church has authority to baptize, and that baptism visually marks inclusion into God’s people.

Communion signifies the continuation of membership (1 Cor. 10:18, 11:17-20)

In the Old Testament, Israel was redeemed from bondage in Egypt at Passover. A sacrificial lamb would be killed for the households of Israel that signified their faith in the LORD by applying the blood of the lamb to the doorposts of the house. Those covered by the blood of the lamb would be saved through the judgment of the Passover; those who did not would be struck by the angel of death. So God’s people were tangibly marked out by identifying with the blood of the lamb. On the night of Passover they were instructed to cook and eat the lamb with unleavened bread.

Israel was instructed to eat that meal regularly in memory of that night. At Jesus’s last supper, he eats that Passover meal with his disciples. And he declared in the gospels, that the Passover meal finds its fulfillment and true meaning in his sacrificial death. Jesus is the Passover lamb who takes away the sin of the world. He died for his people and accomplished their salvation once for all. In light of this, he instructed his disciples to regularly eat the meal with his sacrifice in mind. In communion, or the Lord’s Supper, Jesus feeds us spiritually and helps establish and confirm our faith. So communion serves to enhance our faith in God. And it’s a witness of our confession before men.

It is a communal meal, meant to be taken together in the context of a gathered local church, as 1 Corinthians 11 makes very clear.

Corrective Discipline removes an unrepentant member from the church with the hope of repentance, restoration, and reconciliation. (Matt. 18:15-17, 1 Cor. 5:1-5)

When a church admits someone into membership, they’re saying they recognize that person’s profession of faith, baptism, and discipleship as valid. So they publicly affirm their confession of faith. But if someone begins to live in a way that is inconsistent with that confession of faith, we want to follow the instruction of scripture given to us in Matthew 18. And if after that process it comes to a place where the person is engaged in outward, serious, unrepentant sin, we can’t, as a church, continue to affirm that person’s confession of faith. So we would need to remove them from membership. Corrective discipline comes down to one question: does the church still believe that the member is really a Christian and are they willing to continue to declare it publicly?

If not, we wouldn’t want them to continue to take communion, because that’s an ongoing symbol of membership in a church, and it’s meant for Christians. That’s why this is sometimes known as excommunication, it’s withholding the ordinance of communion from someone.

Communion is a very serious thing. That’s why when we observe it together, the pastor who is presiding over it explains who the meal is for. Historically, it’s called fencing the table. They’ll say something like this: The Lord has prepared his table for all who love him and trust in him alone for their salvation: All who are truly sorry for their sins, who sincerely believe in the Lord Jesus as their Savior, and who desire to live in obedience to him. The gifts of God for the people of God. So if you’re a baptized member in good standing of a church in which Jesus Christ is professed as Lord and Savior, you are warmly invited to join with us in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

Jonathan Leeman helpfully describes corrective discipline as having 5 purposes: (1) exposing sin so it can be dealt with, (2) to warn as a small picture of the judgment to come, (3) to save and hopefully bring the person to repentance, (4) to protect others within the church from sin, and (5) to present a good witness for Jesus.

Corrective discipline includes withholding communion from the person under corrective discipline. Therefore the two ordinances of the church—baptism and communion—themselves help mark out God’s people as regenerate, authentic believers.

The Membership Process

Attend membership classes

Personal interview with elders and/or staff

Affirm the TBC Membership Policy, which includes the Statement of Faith and Church Covenant

Elder recommendation

Admission by majority vote of the congregation at a Pulse Meeting, that’s a members’ meeting.

Three Offices of the Church

Members (Eph. 4:11-16, Phil. 1:1)

As we’ve mentioned, membership identifies people as disciples of Jesus and gathers a group of identified believers into a specific congregation where they commit themselves to one another.

Read Acts 2:41–47. The congregation gathers to do certain activities. Baptism (v41) and Communion (v42) are two of these activities. We see elsewhere that they also gather for preaching, hearing the Word read, singing, and praying. But the role of the congregation is also to guard the gospel and the gospel people. More specifically, its job is to make disciples and to guard the church against false teachers. In Galatians, Paul tells the church to put out those who teach a false gospel. Just as in Matthew 18, the church is told to put out someone who is living in flagrant, outward, unrepentant sin.

Because all members are believed to be regenerate and are guided by the Holy Spirit, they are to have a voice in matters of church life like voting in new members, doctrinal statements, elders and deacons, and budgets. (Matt. 18:15–20; 1 Cor. 5; Gal. 1:6–9; 2 Cor. 2:6).

There are responsibilities that come with membership. It’s a serious undertaking, so when someone says they’re “just” a member, we want to correct them by saying it’s no small thing to be a member!

The authority of the church lies within the membership. It’s a sacred trust that we must use wisely and only for God’s glory. The elders or pastors are responsible for guiding the church to learn God’s Word and to be obedient to His mission; the congregation is responsible for confronting members and leaders who fall into false doctrine or become disobedient to Christ.

Elders (1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17, Titus 1:5-9, Heb. 13:17)

Elders are referred to variously as pastors, teachers, ministers, overseers, or bishops. The qualifications for elders are laid out in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Elders are men (1 Tim. 2:12) who are established believers. They should have an internal desire for the office of elder, exemplify godly character, be able to teach the Bible, and lead their family well. Elders have spiritual authority and responsibility for local churches, and serve in a plurality (Acts 14:23, 15:4, 20:17; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1; Jas. 5:14). Elders are not responsible for every Christian, only for those for whom they must give an account—members of local churches at which the elder serves (Heb. 13:17).

We currently have six elders. Stephen Andersen, Harry Fair, George Mann, Andy McClurg, Jim Hughes, and myself. Stephen and I are staff pastors, the other four men have vocations outside of the church. But we’re all elders. Pastors and elders are interchangeable terms in the New Testament. Anyone who leads the pastoral prayer during our services is an elder.

Deacons (Acts 6:1-6, 1 Tim. 3:8-13)

According to 1 Timothy 3:8-12, deacons should be dignified, not drunkards, not greedy, sound in faith and life, blameless, and faithful. Deacons act as servants who take care of physical and logistical needs in the church so that elders can be freed up to focus on their unique calling—prayer and ministry of the Word.

Deacons act as shock absorbers for the elders. They take care of administrative tasks and help facilitate the ministry of the congregation under the leadership of the elders.

On female deacons: there are fair-minded Christians who believe there should not be female deacons, but only male. We do have female deacons. The office of deacon is one of service, not of rule or governing. We don’t see any compelling reason biblically to exclude women from the role of deacon as its practiced at Trinity.

(Some churches have deacons who are actually more like elders. If that were the case here, we wouldn’t have female deacons.)

We have currently have 10 or so deacons