Are Church Covenants Biblical?

 Like the doctrine of the Trinity, which the Bible doesn’t use but that describes what is clearly seen, covenant is everywhere in the Bible and yet there is no explicit verse that says, ‘thou shalt have a church covenant.’ (Much like we believe ‘no sex before marriage’ but there is no verse that uses those exact words, yet we know from a biblical ethic and helpful verses that is God’s plan). Nevertheless, we see covenant everywhere in the Bible, it is the spine or backbone that holds the Bible together—covenantalism. (See my blog here/printed in mailbox).

Covenant means agreement. It is a relational word. A covenant spells out the nature of two parties’ relationship. Covenants are either vertical or horizontal. Covenants have different orders. The highest covenant is between God and men. In the ancient world there were also sovereign-vassal covenants of varying degrees (King to a prince, a prince to a lord, a lord to an elder, etc). Even covenants could be amended or renewed and hence were not always permanent (this was the case with the Mosaic Covenant Ex 34:1-10, though God’s other covenants were binding, e.g. Noah). There were marriage covenants (Mal 2:14, binding) and also business covenants (Genesis 23; 1 Ki 5). There are different degrees or levels of the wider notion of covenant, which can be between God and man, people; some being binding and others not. (Check out the entry for ‘covenant’ in any Bible dictionary for more info).

As the New Covenant people of God, the covenant community is carried forward into the NT. We see its finger prints everywhere. Words and ideas such as Kingdom, unity, the assembly, the household, the fellowship, the body, etc. These are not merely organic as the Church is an institution (Eph 1:22–23) as much as it is an organism (i.e. skeleton and flesh). While the church is universal it is also local. Membership/covenant is the means to delineate who is part of a local church vs. that church or this church or no church. It has a practical as well as a biblical-theological basis. Different statements of faith will express this by describing the church as an entity of those ‘who covenant together’ or who ‘associate together.’  Not until this is done, formally or informally, can a local church be said to be constituted. What is the difference between 5 Christians gathering together and 15 who covenant together to form a church—commitment and form (officers, worship, preaching, ordinances, etc). For Baptists who stress a believer’s church, baptism and membership (rooted in a covenant) are the visible means by which we show who represents Jesus. As God covenants with us, we covenant in our relationships with others.
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Flowing from covenant in the Bible, a church covenant is a voluntary promissory statement between members that is a reminder of expectations and commitments that are reflective of God’s will for the church/believer.