Introduction to New Covenant
Christian Church
1. The Meaning of New Covenant Christian Church
New Covenant Christian Church is the commitment of the believer to be identified and dynamically involved with a local body of Christians who have placed themselves under the authority of Jesus Christ.
New Covenant Christian Church is a divinely established relationship between God and His people whereby they agree to function in harmony with other believers under His designated structure of authority in accordance with the revealed guidelines of scripture resulting in long term consequences over time. This relationship is called a covenant.
2. The Goal of New Covenant Christian Church
It is God’s desire that each member of His church become a Disciple of Jesus Christ. Discipleship is that process whereby a Christian progressively learns to bring every area of their life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 10:24-30; 28:19-20; I Corinthians 10:31)
3. The Philosophy of New Covenant Christian Church
The Church has been established to be a spiritual community that models the Kingdom of God on earth. As such, it is the role of the church and its members to provide a divine alternative of God’s activity in the world without, at the same time becoming a part of the world. (John 17:14-19)
4. The Vision of New Covenant Christian Church
Since it is the role of the church to be God’s alternative in society, then it is the vision of this church to develop a comprehensive program of outreach, not only in the church, but also in the community. This outreach should be extended into every social sphere whether it is education, economics, politics, etc., so that the Sovereignty and Supremacy of Christ is demonstrated through the impact of the members of His body, the church. (Ephesians 2:19-23; Colossians 1:14-19)
5. The Accountability of New Covenant Christian Church
When a person becomes a member of the local church, he is responsible for pursing godliness through the application of the scripture in their daily lives. It is the responsibility of the church to assist the believer in achieving this goal as well as holding the member accountable through the process of church discipline when they refuse to submit themselves to biblical authority. (Matthew 18:15-20; I Corinthians 5:1-13; 6:1- 8; II Thessalonians 3:14-15)
This willingness to be accountable is reflected in the two symbols Christ left for the members of His church to observe.
- Baptism: This symbol is where a believer publicly identifies with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in doing so pledges to live under His Authority in the context of the local church (Romans 6:1-11)
- Communion: This symbol is the ongoing renewal of the Christian’s commitment to Jesus Christ. It reflects one’s continuous pledge of faithfulness through confession of sin and renewed dependency on God’s grace. (I Corinthians 11:20-34)
6. The Experience of New Covenant Christian Church
Worship (Acts 2:42)
In worship, the goal is to get those who enter into the local church to make the exaltation of God in their lives and the submitting to His authority the supreme purpose of their lives. This is to be demonstrated by their faithful participation in the corporate Sunday gathering of the church and regular participation in communion.
Education (Acts 2:42)
Each member is to grow in biblical literacy and its application in their lives. Participation in the Wednesday Bible Study and/or Sunday School is expected of each member.
Outreach (Acts 2:41, 47)
Each member is to be serving in one ministry area of the church so as to further the ministry of a church both internally to the membership for the building up of a local body and externally to the world for salvation of souls and the bettering of society.
Fellowship (Acts 2:42-47)
7. The Expectations of New Covenant Christian Church
All members of New Covenant can expect to receive:
a. The faithful teaching and preaching of God’s word so that they can grow
b. A program designed to minister to the unique needs of all members of the family (children, youth and adults)
c. A leader who will maintain regular contact with them so that the church is kept abreast of their needs, prayer requests, and praises
d. A dynamic context of fellowship and the building of quality Christian relationships.
8. The Responsibility of New Covenant Christian Church
All members of New Covenant are to fulfill three areas of responsibility
Grow – This is the responsibility to regularly and obediently expose oneself to the Word of God so that the Spirit of God can produce the process of spiritual maturity in one’s life (I Peter 2:2)
Serve – This is the responsibility to use one’s abilities and time to serve the broader body of Christians in the church. This is accomplished through the selection and faithful participation in one area of church ministry (I Corinthians 12:12-27).
Give – This is the responsibility to share one’s resources with the Lord and His church for the furthering of the ministry of the church. This is accomplished through the giving of a minimum of 10% from the totals of one’s earnings to the church (I Corinthians 16:1-2).