God has first loved us, and so we covenant together.

Members of Calvary are committed to two complementary themes of Christian faith:

what we believe, together (summarized in our Statement of Faith), and
what we live, together (summarized in our Local Church Covenant).

Our Local Church Covenant explains the fundamentals of the Christian life, and how we can live together as Christians in a way that brings care and encouragement to one another, and thereby glory to God.

“The Bible does not say explicitly, ‘Thou shalt have a written church covenant,’ any more than it says, ‘Thou shalt have marriage licenses,’ or, ‘Thou shalt have wedding rings.’ . . . One way to look at it is that a church without a covenant is like a marriage without vows. Marriage vows are not spelled out in the Bible just like church covenants aren’t. Both follow necessarily from the nature of the relationships.” John Piper

Calvary Local Church Covenant

Having been brought by God’s initiating grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we now, depending upon the Holy Spirit, affirm and reaffirm this covenant with one another.

We will, in all we do, aim to glorify and enjoy the God of our salvation, from whom and through whom and to whom are all things: to Him be all glory forever (1 Cor. 10:31; Rom. 11:36)!

We will eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace by walking together in love and in the Spirit, and by exhorting one another daily, and by putting away all bitterness, anger, and injurious speech (Eph. 4:3; Gal. 5:16, 25; Eph. 4:29, 31, Heb. 3:12-15).

We will, with humility and gentleness, patience and love, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us (Eph. 4:1-2; Luke 17:3; Col. 3:13; 1 Thess. 5:11; 1 Pet. 1:22).

We will carry each other’s burdens, rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep (Gal. 6:2; Rom. 12:15).

We will train our children in the instruction of the Lord, seeking to walk in a way that adorns the gospel of Christ before our family, friends, and neighbors (Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4; 1 Pet. 3:1).

We will strive to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, as we wait for and are encouraged by the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Gal. 5:22-24; Titus 2:12; 1 Pet. 1:14, 1Thess. 4:13-18).

We will not neglect to gather together, but will support and treasure the biblical preaching and teaching of the whole counsel of God, the faithful observance of believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and the loving exercise of church discipline, aimed at restoration and protection and the building of Christ’s church (Heb. 10:25; 2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 2:38; 1 Cor. 11:26; Matt 18:17; 1 Cor. 5:13, Eph. 4).

We will contribute cheerfully and generously to the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the advancement of the gospel both to our neighbors and the nations (Matt. 28:19; Luke 12:33; 2 Cor. 9:7).

We will faithfully covenant with God’s people through His local church in whatever circumstances and season of life we are in.

In all these things, we rely on our God who has made a new and everlasting covenant with us, saying:

“They shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them…I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good…with all my heart and all my soul.” (Jeremiah 32:38-41), Because the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is with us all.