My take on the Six Covenant Affirmations

There is a great deal of freedom within the Covenant Affirmations (my denomination’s statement of faith). Each one is so broad pastors and churches with a wide variety of perspectives on each issue can all agree to the affirmations themselves. I think the greatest concern with being a pastor in light of the affirmations is learning how the culture of your own church interacts with each of the affirmations. That being said I personally do have a theology of ministry related to each of the affirmations.

• We affirm the centrality of the word of God.
• The word of God is a multi-faceted designation. It is generally understood to be the holy scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments. It is the central record of what God has done given to us by the church. It provides the story that frames all ministry and points to the authority through which a pastor has been given their office. A ministry apart from the world of God ceases to be the church, because it ceases to have the formative declaration of Christ that brings it into being. Because of this the Bible must always remain as a core piece of any christian ministry. That being said the Scriptures must never be the central object of worship. God must remain central to worship, the scriptures must always be found in the core of the worshipers.
• We affirm the necessity of the new birth.
• New Birth is a bit of a loaded term. I am sure there are many in the Evangelical Covenant Church who disagree on exactly what this is or what this looks like. To be a pastor in the covenant requires the minister to have a deep and rich theology of what “new birth” is and also what it can mean to others. At the heart of this affirmation is a recognition that Christianity is not an ethnic boundary marker or a cultural designation. It an identity that comes from God and God alone. For many in the church that means they want you to be able to demonstrate tangible signs that you have been claimed by Christ; this is dangerous. Nowhere in scripture is their a objective litmus test of who is (or who is not) “born again.” As a pastor, creating a culture where the places where God promises to be (baptism, Eucharist, worship) are emphasised more then the experiences and feelings are essential to keeping this important affirmation in the right focus.
• We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the church.
• This affirmation strikes at the heart of a dichotomy that emerged within the protestant church in the 20th century. For reasons too complicated to innumerate here many churches began to focus EITHER on Social Justice OR winning souls for Jesus. This bifurcation of the mission of the church often resulted in a demonization of all those who were in the other camp. Social Justice churches seemed to have an allergic reaction to talk about the “sharing the Gospel” while soul winners looked at social justice initiatives as unimportant (or even wrong). Living this affirmation out means that if someone visits your church they will have a really hard time figuring out which “camp” you fit into, because both are strongly present. Point to what Christ has done. Live in what Christ is doing. Stand on what Christ has promised to do.
• We affirm the church as a fellowship of believers.
• There is a common belief held by many people today that they are spiritual not religious or perhaps that following Jesus is a relationship rather then a religion. This de-emphasis on religion is endemic of a culture of individualism. God is someone who you  can meet on your own. This is simply not what the scriptures tell us. The church itself is an institution created by God to be the means by which people come to know God. This affirmation reminds us that it is when we are in community with one another, when all of God’s people are interacting with one another in worship and service, that God’s will is most clearly revealed and discerned. Without the church there is no promise that what is experienced is from God. There is no word (for it was given by the church), no sacrament (for itis administered by the church), no assurance of grace (for it is found within the church), no bond that unites us in Christ (for the church extends to all people). The church is foundational to being Christian.
• We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit.
• The Covenant church affirms over and over again in it’s history that without the Holy Spirit they would have died a long time ago. The Spirit is the one that empowers and enlightens the church and gives life to all within it. The spirit inspired the scriptures and continues to illuminate them. The spirit meets us in the waters of baptism, where we are claimed by Christ. Without the spirit the Cristian life has no power. The Holy Spirit should be affirmed in all we say and be relied on in all we do.
• We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ.
• There are many who are within the Church, but disagree on some very important issues. It is important not to view homogeneity as holy or to consecrate conformity. As Christians we serve a God which is much larger then any system of doctrine. Theologians throughout history knew it was dangerous to try to define God cataphaticly. This affirmation states that church is a place where people who challenge our assumptions about God should always be present, and that God’s grace is much bigger then any theology about it.