In the presence of God and one another, we affirm this covenant to each other as the body of Christ. We profess that we have been baptized by immersion as a public declaration of our saving faith in Jesus Christ through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. We rejoice in Godâs provision of this local fellowship and express our thoughtful commitment to its purposes. We understand that the commitments we make to each other can only be fulfilled through the grace of our Lord and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
We commit to cultivate personal and family spiritual growth; to demonstrate integrity in our speech, relationships and commitments; to abstain from sexual immorality, drunkenness, gluttony, laziness and other sins of the body, treating our bodies with the respect they deserve as temples of the Holy Spirit.
We commit to love and care for one another, to minister to one another in sickness and distress, to encourage one another in attitude and speech, to be slow to take offense and always ready for reconciliation, pursuing it without delay.
We commit to pursue the growth of this church in scriptural knowledge and holiness; to consistently participate in its weekly services, smaller group relationships and celebration of the ordinances; to submit to its leadership and discipline and to abide by its Constitution and Bylaws.
We commit to cheerfully and consistently give generous tithes and offerings to support this local churchâs ministries; to faithfully exercise our spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personality and life experiences; to pray for and seek the salvation and spiritual growth of those around us; and to contribute to the making of disciples that make disciples among all peoples of the world.
We praise our Great God and Father, His Wonderful Son Jesus Christ and the Powerful Holy Spirit for their goodness to us as individual believers and through this flock of God. We pray for grace and strength to keep this Covenant in letter and in spirit to the glory of God Almighty.
We commit to cultivate personal and family spiritual growth; to demonstrate integrity in our speech, relationships and commitments; to abstain from sexual immorality, drunkenness, gluttony, laziness and other sins of the body, treating our bodies with the respect they deserve as temples of the Holy Spirit.
We commit to love and care for one another, to minister to one another in sickness and distress, to encourage one another in attitude and speech, to be slow to take offense and always ready for reconciliation, pursuing it without delay.
We commit to pursue the growth of this church in scriptural knowledge and holiness; to consistently participate in its weekly services, smaller group relationships and celebration of the ordinances; to submit to its leadership and discipline and to abide by its Constitution and Bylaws.
We commit to cheerfully and consistently give generous tithes and offerings to support this local churchâs ministries; to faithfully exercise our spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personality and life experiences; to pray for and seek the salvation and spiritual growth of those around us; and to contribute to the making of disciples that make disciples among all peoples of the world.
We praise our Great God and Father, His Wonderful Son Jesus Christ and the Powerful Holy Spirit for their goodness to us as individual believers and through this flock of God. We pray for grace and strength to keep this Covenant in letter and in spirit to the glory of God Almighty.
~Birthed on April 4, 1999 / Organized and Chartered on October 3, 1999
C2 is a safe place to hear the âdangerousâ message of Jesus Christ. But proclaiming Godâs Great News alone doesnât make us a church. What makes us a church is that we are a family of familiesâŚa community. We have attenders and guests, but we also have partners. People can belong to our fellowship, and they can know theyâre connected.
We use the terms partner instead of member, as you might be familiar with if you come from another church setting. Thereâs nothing wrong with it per se; we believe that partnership better describes what Jesus has called us into. Membership denotes something that you join, many times for the benefits that you personally receive as a result of your membership and whose services you may or may not use, at your choice. We believe the local church is the Body of Christ, a PARTNERSHIP of several PARTICIPANTS working together in ONENESS for the common good of another.
Partners are not just names in a database â they are the church's core -- committed to authentic, biblical community.
Three reasons for having a formal Covenant Partnership:
Three reasons for having a formal Covenant Partnership:
- Partnership is a concept implicit throughout the New Testament. Believers clearly identified themselves with a specific local body and were challenged to become devoted âparticipantsâ. While neither the term âpartnerâ nor âmemberâ is ever
used, the concept is throughout the New Testament - Partnership is valuable to the Elders of the church as they seek to fulfill their God-given task of shepherding and guiding the flock - keeping watch over their souls as commanded in Hebrews 13:17. C2 by its very design, attracts the uncommittedâseekers, observers, guests. We hope that will always be the case. But at some point, it is important to identify those who truly comprise the partnership at C2 - the core that can be counted on to build and sustain the ministries of the church, those committed to mutual responsibility and accountability. These are also the
committed âfamily membersâ who should receive priority in allocating finite church resources (as commanded in Galatians 6:10). - Finally, and perhaps most importantly, experience shows that Partnership benefits the individual. In a culture where commitment is no longer highly valued, recognizable partnership is an important step that moves each of us out of the vague clouds of our good intentions and into the clear light of committed participation. It presents a challenge to âstep out of the standsâ and publicly affirm a commitment to Christ and to a specific local body. In this sense, partnership can be a significant âdefining momentâ in oneâs lifelong journey with Christ.
If you are interested in becoming a Covenant Partner and would like to talk with one of the Elders, please click here for more information.
To review our Crossroads Connections Notebook, a guide for potential new members, please click here.
If you've already met with one of the Elders and are ready to become a Covenant Partner, please click here to sign and return the Partnership Covenant. You can either print it out and bring it to the office or email it to admin@direction4living.com.
Below are six (6) distinct areas of one's life that reflect a maturing relationship with God and are indicative of one's involvement in the life of the local church. They form the basis of our understanding of what it means to be a participating partner with Crossroads Church.
GRACE
Christ-followers understand and have individually received Christ's saving grace. They have abandoned all attempts to earn God's favor through accomplishments of their own and find security only through Christ's sacrificial death on their behalf. In obedience to Christ's command, they have undergone water baptism by immersion as believers, giving outward witness to the inner cleansing and renewal experienced in Him.
GROWTH
Christ-followers know the grace of God that saved them is only the beginning of His work in them. They gratefully respond by actively pursuing a lifelong process of spiritual growth in Christ and seek to become conformed to His image both in the church and in the community. To this end, they consistently nurture their spiritual development through an active prayer life, Bible engagement, and moral purity in their personal life and behavior. (For example, this church will deny partnership, office, or leadership to anyone cohabiting in adultery or fornication, outside the bounds of marriage between one man and one woman).
Christ-followers regard the Bible as the final authority in all areas it addresses and desire to be wholly obedient to it.
Christ-followers honestly confront areas of personal sin and engage the Holy Spirit's power in seeking to turn from sin.
Christ-followers also:
Christ-followers regard the Bible as the final authority in all areas it addresses and desire to be wholly obedient to it.
Christ-followers honestly confront areas of personal sin and engage the Holy Spirit's power in seeking to turn from sin.
Christ-followers also:
- Live life and do church out of purpose rather than habit, routine, or obligation.
- Pursue a positive, fresh environment of Christ-honoring relationships at home, within the church, and in the marketplace, and are committed to pursuing the biblical pattern of reconciliation when conflict arises (first to God, then to the person, then to the Elders).
- Support the leadership of the church in the exercise of their Holy Spirit-given authority and are biblically submissive to them by praying for them fervently and daily, manifesting tender regard for their reputation and contributing to their support regularly.
- Affirm and uphold the fundamental truths of Scripture (as summarized in our statement of faith) and refrain from promoting other pet doctrines and personal preferences in ways that cause dissension.
- Refuse to gossip and sow discord among the brethren but instead commit themselves to personal flexibility of taste and/or preference for the greater good of the body.
Such disciplines are not the goal, but a MEANS toward a more Gospel-centered life â ALL of Christ for ALL of life!
GROUPS
Christ-followers seek to cultivate an abiding, intimate relationship with God through personal and corporate means of worship, Koinonia fellowship, Bible engagement, prayer, accountability, and service. They honor God's call to participate in missional community -- to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, to express and receive love, and to carry out the mission of the church in the community.
While corporate worship experiences engage the believer in worship and teaching, Christ-followers prioritize mission and discipleship through organic, relationally connected communities of encouragement, support, and accountability to live out God's call.
Authentic, biblical community fulfills the church's mission by engaging, equipping, empowering, and encouraging Christ-followers in a daily spiritual walk as the body of Christ - ALL of Christ for ALL of life.
While corporate worship experiences engage the believer in worship and teaching, Christ-followers prioritize mission and discipleship through organic, relationally connected communities of encouragement, support, and accountability to live out God's call.
Authentic, biblical community fulfills the church's mission by engaging, equipping, empowering, and encouraging Christ-followers in a daily spiritual walk as the body of Christ - ALL of Christ for ALL of life.
GIFTS
Christ-followers recognize that the church is composed of interdependent members, each uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit to build up the body and further the church's ministry. They, therefore, seek to discover, develop, and deploy those God-given gifts in humble servitude and to seek a place of service in at least one (1) ministry within the church, with the support and affirmation of the body. They also seek ways to actively invite the unchurched to attend and receive guests with open arms and warm hearts.
GIVING
A faithful follower of Christ does not favor those rich in this world, but is devoted to warmly receiving, giving, and loving the poor, widows, orphans, and those typically considered outcasts in society. They realize that they have been bought with the price of Christ's blood and that everything they are and have belongs to Him. In light of this, they desire to be responsible caretakers of the material resources God entrusted to them. They recognize the tithe (giving 10% of our total gross income) as the historic standard of giving in Scripture in support of the ministry and mission entrusted to the local church. Moreover, in response to Christ's abundant giving, they increasingly submit their resources to His lordship and display a spirit of generosity and cheerfulness in supporting the work entrusted to the local church. (Luke 9:1-6, Luke 14:12-24; James 1:27, James 2:14-17; I Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19)
GOING
Christ-followers also desire to extend the grace they've received to others through discipleship and participation in the collective ministry of the church to their neighbors, their city, and their world. They realize that God perfectly positions them in othersâ lives to share Godâs transforming message. Going is not defined by inconsiderate, rude, or forceful behavior. Discipleship is an integral element and natural response to a genuinely transformed life as stewards of Godâs grace, as outlined in 1 Peter 4:10. (Going is a lifestyle.) Christ-followers recognize the urgency of the âgoingâ mandate outlined in Matthew 28:19-20. Having been transformed, they understand their fearful responsibility to the Lord and labor diligently to persuade others, under the direction of the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 5:11).