When a person becomes a believer in Christ, they are united to Him, placed into the body of Christ, and connected with other Christians in a unique way. Membership in a local church is an official recognition of the spiritual reality of our union with Jesus and with one another, and the resulting commitment to each other that should exist according to the New Testament.

The Purposes of the SCC Membership Covenant are:

1. To form a recognizable community that demonstrates the gospel of Jesus Christ through our commitment and care for one another.

2. To state the blessings and responsibilities of each member of the body.

3. To encourage unity in our church family, as well as consistency and accountability.
   

Note: Affirmation of this covenant does not imply that you will never fall short of the goals, but it expresses that your heart desire is to fulfill all that is written to the best of your ability by the grace and enabling of God.

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As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, purchased by His righteous blood and baptized according to His command in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we enter into a solemn relationship with one another as one body in Christ before almighty God in response to His grace toward us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We pledge ourselves, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us, to these vital spiritual duties:

We will seek to live carefully in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and remembering that as we have been willingly buried by baptism and raised again from the symbolic grave, so there is on us a special obligation now to lead a new and holy life. (Eph 5:15; Tit 2:12; Rom 6:4; 1 Thess 4:7; 1 Pet 1:13-25) 

We will walk together in brotherly love, exercise an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other and faithfully admonish and entreat one another as occasion may require. (Rom 12:10, 16:17-18; Gal 6:1-2; Matt 18:15-17; Jas 5:19-20; Col 3:16; Heb 3:12-13; 1 Thess 5:11; 1 Cor 5)

We will rejoice at each other’s happiness and endeavor with tenderness and sympathy to bear each other’s burdens and sorrows, and learn to regard one another as more important than ourselves. (Rom 12:15; Gal 6:2)

We will be slow to take offense at one another and always ready to forgive and reconcile with one another, remembering how much we have been forgiven by God. (Col 3:12-13; Eph 4:32)

We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together for the purpose of worship and fellowship, nor neglect to pray for ourselves and others. (Heb 10:23-25; Eph 6:18; 1 Thess 5:17, 25)

We will work together for the continuance of a faithful evangelical ministry in this church, as we sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines. We will contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations. (Eph 2:21-22; Heb 10:25; Matt 28:19-20; 1 Cor 11:24-34; Rom 16:17; 2 Thess 3:6; 1 Cor 5; Acts 2:42; 2 Jn 1:9-11; Matt 10:10; Gal 6:6; Mal 3:8-10; Acts 11:29; 2 Cor 8:1-5, Lk 24:46-48; Acts 1:8)

We will seek to stay informed of the most pressing matters facing the church, for the sake of our prayers, our partnership in the ministry of the church, and our pursuit of unity as one body in Christ. We will work and pray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, as we pursue unity in our doctrine, in our love for one another, and in our commitment to the Great Commission. (1 Cor 12:25-26; Eph 4:1-3; Matt 28:18-20)

We will pursue the salvation of our children, our families, our acquaintances, and the members of our community through a ministry of prayer, humble love, and Gospel proclamation. (Deut 6:1-12; 11:18-20; Matt 6:6; Eph 6:4; Mk 5:19; Lk 5:19; Matt 5:16; Eph 5:15)

We will submit to the Scriptures in all things as the sole infallible authority of our faith and will gladly receive and submit to them when they are faithfully proclaimed and taught to us. We will

joyfully submit to our pastors as they faithfully serve under the authority of Jesus Christ as His

under-shepherds. (2 Tim 4:17; 2 Pet 1:19-21; Heb 13:17)

We will, when we move from this place, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word. (Acts 18:27-28; Rom 16:1-2; 1 Cor 15:58; Col 3:23; Heb 10:24-25)

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. (2 Cor 13:14)