Hello Covenant Partners!

The past year has been filled with God's kindness and faithfulness. Through the struggles, pain, joy, and triumphs, He was with us every step of the way. As we look to the new year, we want to be intentional in our pursuit of Christ and unity as a Body of believers!  Let's all take the opportunity to reflect and remind ourselves of our commitment to Christ and to one another through Covenant Partnership. Please take some time to pray and fill out the questions below by January 21st!

CHCC Covenant Partner Reaffirmation

COVENANT PARTNERSHIP

It is our desire that covenant partners of the Church fulfill the mission of the Church in their personal lives by actively pursuing (*Please note it's about pursuing, not perfection in these areas!) :
LOVING
  • By accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior and living life as a fully devoted follower of Christ. (Matthew 22:37 / John 15)
  • By dealing biblically with conflict and refusing to gossip. 
  • By praying for CHCC’s health and impact.
  • By warmly welcoming those who visit CHCC and committing myself to community with those who attend. (John 13)
  • By having a Life Group and/or mentor that will know me and help me as I seek to love God, other believers, and unbelievers.
  • By praying for the salvation of unbelievers with whom I have a relationship.

LEARNING
  • By committing myself to read, understand, and apply the Bible.
  • By affirming the inspiration, infallibility and authority of God’s Word, as well as the other core doctrines found in CHCC’s Doctrinal Statement.
  • By preparing myself to give a “ready defense” for my faith based on God’s Word.

LIVING
  • By attending CHCC faithfully.
  • By representing Christ well in my daily life, with integrity and character.
(Gal. 5:22-23)
  • By following the leadership in submitting myself to care and correction should the need arise. (Matthew 18)
  • By sharing my story of grace with others.
  • By using my spiritual gifts and/or serving as needed in ministry. (I Cor. 12)
  • By modeling gracious giving as God has graciously given to me. 
  • By annually filling out my 4L Spiritual Growth Assessment.

LEADING
  • Modeling healthy communication with church leadership. 
(Gal. 6 / Matthew 18)
  • Pointing family and friends towards Christ.

For further explanation of these characteristics:

Thirsting for God
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). We believe this is a distinguishing characteristic of a person who is part of the family of God: they have a deep desire to know, love and obey God.  A thirst for God manifests itself in a desire to know Him by reading and studying His word (the Bible), seeking to commune with Him through prayer, and living a life that is obedient to His commands and to His Spirit’s leading.

Personal Purity
Perhaps the greatest evidence that a person is a follower of Jesus is a clear understanding of one’s personal belief and acceptance in the need and sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ as payment for their sins; A commitment of one’s life to serve God and His people; An attitude and practice of submission to His Lordship over their life; A heart’s desire to become more like Christ and to serve God through the care and encouragement of a local church; A commitment to follow the direction set by the elders of the Church; An agreement with the Church’s beliefs and governance as outlined in this document, not only the words they express, but also the life they live. Jesus Christ compared himself to a vine and called those who were dedicated to him the branches. Therefore, personal purity is part of the fruit such a person demonstrates. Personal purity is more than the avoidance of bad moral choices. It is the presence of the right choices. It is a matter of integrity and character. When the apostle Paul pictured a life committed to Christ, he said to look for the Spirit-controlled traits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Relational Integrity
God intends for his people to walk the Christian life together, in spiritual community. The health of our congregation is greatly affected by the actions and the words of its members toward each other, both negatively and positively. It is of greatest importance for covenant partners to build up one another with words and deeds. In contrast, gossip, slander, anger, and malicious talk cause great harm to individuals and the body as a whole. Members must focus on building loving, life-changing relationships with those inside and outside the church. Encouragement, godly admonition, accountability, gratefulness, mercy, and forgiveness are the words and deeds of a healthy body of Christ. However, when relationships are stressed through circumstances, misunderstandings or moral failures, forgiveness and steps toward reconciliation must be taken (Galatians 6 and Matthew 18).

Organizational Loyalty
It is incredibly important for a church and its leadership to have members who can be identified by their passion and loyalty for not only the mission and purpose of the church, but also the organizational aspect of church life. Organizational loyalty can be defined by the following statements: Covenant partners actively participate in the ministry of our church. They are the “players” rather than “spectators.” Covenant partners are committed for the long term; they are faithful and persevering in times of trial and celebrating in times of joy.  Covenant partners agree to follow the doctrine, mission, philosophy, and leadership of City on a Hill Community Church.  Covenant partners are willing to freely give their time, spiritual giftedness, and finances in order to fulfill God’s mission for CHCC.  

A Servant’s Heart
Jesus taught his disciples in John 13 to “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Our expressions of love in our acts of service for each other draw a distinction between the church and other institutions. Covenant partners need to exhibit a servant’s heart to each other, the body as a whole, and to the unbelieving community around them. The Bible also teaches that our service is best utilized when each covenant partner understands and serves as God has gifted and designed them to serve (1 Corinthians 12). The apostle Paul compares the church to a body, where its parts have distinct purposes, yet function in harmony to accomplish the mission of the “body.” Paul continues to say that the greatest component of service is love (1 Corinthians 13). Without love, our deeds are empty. With love, God will produce immeasurable fruit. Covenant partners are active in love-permeated service to each other, the church, and the unbelieving community around us.



Submit

4L Spiritual Assessment

Don't forget to fill out your 4L! This is an anonymous assessment that helps you look at different spiritual disciplines in your life. It also helps us to take a pulse of the body and to find areas where we can offer more support and teaching! 
FILL OUT THE 4L