Our Church Covenant
Having received Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and realizing that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the only way to salvation from our sins and eternal life in heaven, and on profession of our faith in Him, we do now in the presence of God enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.
We agree, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love, faithfully seeking by all means to grow in grace and in our understanding of the truth of God’s Word, the Holy Bible, as the authoritative guide for daily living.
We agree to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and obedience; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; and to contribute as God prospers us, for the expense of the church at home and abroad.
We agree to work and pray for the coming Kingdom of God, seeking to have God’s will done in our lives, in our homes and in the affairs of our community and world and to expose ourselves, our children and our families to the Word of God and the community of fellowship.
We agree further to be faithful in our engagements, to be watchful of our manner of life and speech, to guard carefully the good name of the church and its people, to be slow to take offense but always ready for reconciliation, to remember each other in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress and to do unto all people as we would have them do unto us.
We agree and believe that God has given us clear instruction on acceptable and Holy Living, and that we will endeavor to live lives that are above reproach in both word and deed. These instructions include temperance in all things, including but not limited to Biblical relationships, finances, and family and work ethics. We also believe that God has established the family for the good of mankind, that human life is a gift from God and should be respected in all stages from conception to death, and that He has ordained marriage as the sacred union between one man and one woman. Anything that threatens to destroy that sacred institution, such as pornography, adultery, homosexuality, co-habitation, drug and alcohol abuse, and sexual promiscuity, are all sins and condemned by the Word of God. We agree that if or when such sins begin to draw us from our relationship with God and others, we will quickly repent of these sins, and seek a Godly person of influence for assistance and to hold us accountable for our actions.
We pledge when we move from this area that we will find another church as soon as possible that believes in and practices this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.
Statement on Marriage, Gender and Sexuality
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image of God. (Gen.1:26-27) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. Due to these convictions, every person that comes on to the First Baptist Church of Arcade property must use the bathroom and similar facilities that correspond to the gender of their birth. (Unless the person has been completely, successfully, surgically changed and has medical verification.)
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union as delineated in Scripture. (Gen.2:18-25) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (I Cor. 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb.13:4) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt. 15:18-20; I Cor. 6:9-10)
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the First Baptist Church of Arcade as the local Body of Christ and to provide a Biblical role model to the First Baptist Church of Arcade members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the First Baptist Church of Arcade in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender and Sexuality. (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-16; I Thess. 5:22)
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 10:9-10; I Cor. 6:9-11) We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the First Baptist Church of Arcade.