Why We use a Membership Covenant (Part 1 of 5)

A Membership Covenant is a Biblical Idea

Most churches today completely ignore the idea of a Membership Covenant. One of the questions that gets asked most often here at The Bridge Church is whether we have a biblical right to demand a Membership Covenant or not. Does this church really have the right to place expectations regarding belief and behavior on its members? Does the Bridge Church have the right to ask prospective members to adhere to a certian common faith and to live according to a certian moral ethic? The short answer is yes.

The book of Hebrews was written to a bunch of back-sliding Christianized Jews, and the author of Hebrews discusses the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant in chapters 8-9. The author is clearly trying to persuade these back-slidden Jews not to continue in their backsliding. He couches almost ALL of his rhetoric in terms of covenant language. This is interesting. The sign of the Old Covenant was circumcision, and the sign of the New Covenant is Baptism. But both symbols have certain behavioral, doctrinal, and moral principles attached to those symbols. They both carry an ethical guideline and anticipate that individuals who engage in those symbols of mutual Covenant will be accountable to those symbols. This is the whole reason that the author of Hebrews is even writing the letter- because these Jews got baptized but decided to go on living like Jews. It’s comparable to a man getting married, putting a wedding ring on his finger, and going on to hit on other girls at Cactus Jack’s!

Because of their behavior the author of Hebrews starts spitting out consequences for bad behavior in chapter 10 in verses 26-39. If you think about it, Hebrews is nothing more than an explanation of doctrine of Christology, an explanation of the differences between the two Covenants, and a demand that these Christians start living according to their Baptism. Warnings and blessings are scattered throughout accompanied by examples of people under the covenants who were either punished or blessed because of their faithfulness, and the letter concludes with an exhortation to certain moral behavior including “submit to your elders,” as found in Hebrews 13:7 & 17. A Church Membership Covenant, therefore, is a document that is based on the pattern of the book of Hebrews. It is a document that affirms adherence to a certian Christology and attaches certain moral and behavioral guidelines to that faith in Christ. An appendix to the Covenant that discusses consequences or church discipline for a failure to adhere to those guidelines is nothing more than a snapshot of Hebrews 10:26-39. Basically, a Membership Covenant could be considered to be an abbreviated and simplifiedversion of the book of Hebrews.

In addition, asking people to sign the membership covenant with their signature is eerily similar to Hebrews 13:22, “I appeal to you brothers, bear with my word of exhortation.” The author of Hebrews is asking the audience to bear with or, in other words, to adhere to the things he has written. A signature is nothing more than an agreement to “bear with,” the things in the Member’s Covenant. It is right and biblical to ask people to bear with the principles of the New Covenant. If we agree that Scripture is God breathed… then we could argue that “I appeal to you to bear with my exhortation,” is God’s direct appeal to members of His church. So if God asks people to bear with the New Covenant, then it is not sinful for the church or church leadership to do so. In fact, as we follow the example of scripture, as we follow the example of God himself -I argue that we are wrong NOT to appeal to people to bear with the “exhortation.” Therefore, a Membership Covenant is Biblically faithful because it is a document that exhorts Christians to adhere to a particular doctrine of Christology and then attaches certain moral guidelines and consequences. A signature on the covenant is a modern day expression of obedience to “Bear with my exhortation.”

In conclusion, a Membership Covenant is a biblical idea. A signed membership covenant does not violate the Scriptures but allows prospective members an opportunity to honor those Scriptures.