Exploring Providence Part 4: The Church Covenant
Thesis Membership at Providence Community Church means committing to a thirteen-point covenant that governs how we worship, study Scripture, pursue Christlikeness, care for one another, preserve unity, serve, evangelize, and gather regularly.
The shape of the argument
14 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.
- The church covenant is the defining commitment of Providence membership and integrates all the values and expectations discussed throughout the series. unit #3
Full transcript
0 · The pastor transitions from the previous session content (church attitude and values) to the main focus of this session: the church covenant
All right. Any questions on our church attitude or how these values play out? Any questions on that?
! Be clear? All right. Then let me go over our church covenant, which we have a whole blank slide, but I will read it to you.
1 · The pastor introduces the church covenant reading and explains that the full text will be made available on Basecamp
I will read our church covenant to you. And what we'll do is when this is all over, if you're not on base camp, let me know.
We'll get you on base camp. But if you are on base camp, I will add you to a group that has our church covenant that has any resources and is an opportunity to fellowship within people who are either fresh to Providence or exploring Providence.
So we'll get you on that base camp group and you can read the church covenant there.
But let me read it to you guys and then I'll talk about next steps.
2 · The pastor reads the entire thirteen-point church covenant verbatim
So church covenant commitment.
I will worship the Lord both privately and corporately, rejoicing in his grace and giving thanks to the Father for the sacrifice of his son, Jesus, and for the benefits that sacrifice purchased, especially forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and for the gift of the Holy Spirit who empowers us to believe and live a life that glorifies God.
Two, I'll devote myself to the study of Scripture and to prayer, both privately and in group contexts.
I'll submit to the authority of the Scriptures as the final arbiter on all issues.
Third, I'll devote myself to growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is seeking to become more Christ-like as I apply the Scriptures to my life.
Fourth, I will live together with my brothers and sisters in love and will seek only their good by establishing relationships that promote holiness and discipleship.
Fifth, I'll be vigilant to guard the welfare and joy of my brothers and sisters, admonishing anyone whose practice of sin requires it.
And I'll humbly receive admonishment from my brothers and sisters when my sin requires it.
Six, I'll extend the grace of forgiveness to others just as the Lord has forgiven me.
Seven, I'll support the Church's doctrine and practice of Church discipline.
Eight, I will care for my brothers and sisters in Christ as needs arise.
I'll strive to use my spiritual gifts for the building up of Providence Community Church.
Nine, I'll be diligent to preserve the unity of the Church.
Therefore, I'll support the statement of faith of Providence Community Church and not be divisive.
I will affirm the leadership that God has appointed and I'll reject all opportunities to hear or speak gossip and slander.
Ten, I will serve the Church's ministries and mission by regularly and sacrificially and cheerfully giving of my time, gifts, and money.
Eleven, I will seek to spread the glory of God by proclaiming the Gospel both in word and deed to those within my sphere of influence who do not yet believe.
Twelve, I will actively seek regular biblical fellowship with my brothers and sisters and neglecting to meet together with them in corporate worship and in care groups.
And thirteen, I will, if I move from this place, be united with some other church where I can carry out the spirit of this agreement and follow the teaching of God's word.
3 · The pastor identifies the covenant as the binding commitment of membership and connects it explicitly to the content of the entire Exploring Providence series
So, that's the Church Covenant.
That is what you would be committing to by becoming a member of Providence.
I think you probably see a lot of the connections in the Church Covenant to everything we talked about throughout this class.
We talked a little bit, you know, how do we live out the Church Covenant a bit?
But this really encapsulates, as a member of Providence, this is what we hold ourselves to and expect of our members.
4 · The pastor transitions from covenant presentation to practical guidance, framing the next section around the question of what attendees should do now that they've completed the class
So, any questions on that?
Okay, then next steps.
Next steps.
What do we do now that we've attended Exploring Providence Community Church?
You know, we've come here a few times.
We want to explore more and get to know more.
What do we do?
5 · The pastor directs attendees to access expanded written materials on Basecamp and Medium that explain covenant commitments in greater detail, particularly church discipline and forgiveness practices
So, first of all, let me get you guys all the written church membership material.
There's a whole lot more that you can explore and read.
This is kind of like the foundation, the basic stuff.
But there's more if you're interested to read and learn more.
And it's all in that Basecamp group.
So, there's a Church Covenant of the Basecamp group.
There's a link to a bunch of materials that are in Medium, off of Medium.com, where we just published some materials that you can read some more about.
Like, the Covenant talks about church discipline.
What does that mean?
The Covenant talked about forgiveness and peacekeeping.
You know, granting forgiveness to people.
So, what does that mean?
All this stuff can be found within the Basecamp group that I can get you guys on.
Recent preaching context
The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.
Discuss · apply · pray
Prayer for Covenant Commitment
Father, we come before you with gratitude for the church you have called into being — this local body at Providence, and the universal bride of Christ across the ages. You have given us not merely a gathering place, but a covenant community, a communion of saints bound together by your Spirit and by solemn commitment to one another. We adore you for the clarity and grace with which you call us into this kind of binding love.
We confess that we are prone to shallow belonging. We want the benefits of community without the cost of covenant. We want the encouragement of the church without the accountability. We want to be known without truly knowing others. We shrink from the thirteen commitments laid before us — the call to worship faithfully, to study your Word, to pursue Christlikeness, to speak truth in love, to forgive as we have been forgiven, to give generously, to evangelize boldly, to gather regularly, to serve with our gifts. These commitments expose our self-centeredness and our resistance to being bound to one another in the way Christ binds himself to us.
But we rejoice that our Savior has already made the covenant that covers all our covenant-breaking. He kept the law we could not keep. He bore the judgment we deserved. He rose from the dead and sent his Spirit to make us new — to make us capable of the very commitments we struggle to embrace. In him, we are forgiven. In him, we are empowered. In him, we are loved with a love that will never let us go.
We ask you now to grant us courage to step into membership at this church with full commitment. Give us hearts that treasure the relationships you are calling us to build here. Show us where we are to serve with our gifts and our hands. Guard us from pride, from judgment, from the desire to withdraw when community requires sacrifice. Bind us together in love. Make us, in this place, a sign and foretaste of the new creation where all covenant is fulfilled and all brokenness is healed. And grant those among us who are still exploring, still discerning, the clarity and peace to know whether you are calling them to join this covenant community.
We commit ourselves to you, and to one another, as members of this body. All glory and honor belong to you alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Why this verse: The covenant's requirement to gather regularly finds its biblical foundation here — membership at Providence means committing to corporate worship and mutual encouragement, not isolation. This verse captures the covenant's insistence that the gathered church is not optional but essential to the Christian life.
6 questions for your group this week
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When you read through the thirteen commitments of the church covenant, which one stands out to you as the clearest — the one you feel you already understand pretty well — and which one feels most unfamiliar or challenging to you right now?→ What would it look like for you to grow in that challenging area over the next few months?
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The covenant asks members to commit to 'studying Scripture consistently and allowing it to shape our thinking and living.' What does that actually look like in your week right now, and where do you feel friction between what the covenant asks and how you're currently spending your time?
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Look at the commitments around accountability, forgiveness, and church discipline. Why do you think a healthy church needs to be willing to have hard conversations with one another, even when those conversations are uncomfortable?→ Can you think of a time when someone else's willingness to speak truth to you actually helped you?
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The covenant emphasizes both 'pursuing Christlikeness' and 'extending grace to one another in light of our ongoing struggle with sin.' How do you hold those two commitments together? What happens if a church emphasizes one but forgets the other?
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If you committed to this covenant, you would be saying yes to regular gathering, to a community group, to giving, and to evangelism — in addition to personal worship and study. What would you have to say no to or rearrange in your life to make space for those commitments?→ Is that reordering something you sense the Spirit inviting you toward, or does it feel like burden rather than calling right now?
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Chris said that membership is not about 'arriving' but about 'committing.' What's the difference between exploring Providence because you want to find a perfect church and exploring Providence because you want to be committed to a real, imperfect congregation of people who are pursuing Jesus together?
5-day reading plan
The church covenant binds us together in thirteen commitments that reflect our union with Christ and our calling to build his kingdom together. This week, we explore how Scripture anchors each dimension of covenant life.
Christ declares that on the rock of his confession, he will build his church. When we enter a church covenant, we are not joining a human organization—we are consciously placing ourselves under Christ's lordship and his vision for a gathered people. The thirteen commitments are not arbitrary rules; they are the shape of belonging to something Christ himself is building.
Paul's image of the body demands that no member can say, 'I don't need you.' When we commit to the covenant—to worship together, to study Scripture together, to serve together—we are acknowledging that our individual sanctification is inseparable from our corporate life. The covenant calls us out of isolation into the reality of mutual need and mutual provision.
The writer to the Hebrews forbids forsaking the assembling of ourselves together and commands that we provoke one another to love and good deeds. Providence's covenant commitment to regular gathering is not an arbitrary expectation—it flows from the biblical understanding that we cannot grow in Christ alone. Each Sunday, each community group meeting, each service opportunity is an occasion to be shaped by the people God has placed around us.
Paul opens Ephesians 4 by insisting that the way we live must reflect our calling as the body of Christ. The covenant commits us to pursue unity, to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to submit to church discipline when necessary. These commitments are demanding because they require us to die to our own preferences and preferences for the sake of the peace of the body. This is the cost of belonging to the church, and it is also the way we grow in Christlikeness.
The Great Commission is not given to individual Christians in isolation; it is the calling of the church gathered and sent. When we commit to the Providence covenant—to grow in Scripture, to evangelize, to give, to serve, to pursue Christlikeness—we are positioning ourselves to be instruments of Christ's kingdom expansion. The thirteen commitments are not an inward-focused list; they are the preparation required to go out and make disciples, starting in our own neighborhoods.
What We Promise Each Other
This sermon introduces the church covenant — the thirteen commitments members make to one another at Providence. The goal of this prompt is to help your family understand that church membership isn't just personal belief; it's mutual promise-keeping with the people around you. Listen for what commitments your kids notice or ask about.
At Providence, when people become members, they make thirteen promises to each other — about how they'll worship, study the Bible, care for one another, forgive quickly, and show up for community. If you were going to make a promise to our church family, what's one thing you'd want to commit to doing? Why does that matter to you?
What We're Promising Together
- Which of the thirteen covenant commitments stirred something in you — conviction, joy, or a question — as you heard them read?
- Where might our marriage need to grow in order to live out these promises more faithfully — in how we worship together, study Scripture, pursue forgiveness, or serve?
- What is one specific way you want to pray for me this week as we both consider what it means to be committed to Providence and to Christ?
About the church
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# Providence Community Church A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible. ## Sermons - [Exploring Providence Part 2: Leadership & Ministries (2025-05-04)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/05/exploring-providence-part-2-leadership-ministries) - [Exploring Providence Part 3: Expectations for Members (2025-05-04)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/05/exploring-providence-part-3-expectations-for) - [Exploring Providence Part 1: Vision & Values (2025-05-04)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/05/exploring-providence-part-1-vision-values) - [Exploring Providence Part 4: The Church Covenant (2025-05-05)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/05/exploring-providence-part-4-the-church-covenant) ## About - [About the church](/about) - [Plan a visit](/visit)
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