Church Covenant
In the presence of the heart-searching God, of angels and men, we declare the Lord Jehovah to be our God. We give up ourselves, our time, talents, and all we have to the Lord. We resolve, by the help of Divine grace, to cleave to God and the Lord Jesus Christ in the way of Gospel obedience. We propose to make the Holy Scriptures, at all times, the rule of our faith and practice, so far as, by the grace of God, we shall be enabled to understand them.
We do also, by a solemn Covenant, give up ourselves to this church according to the will of God, promising to walk with one another in the holy communion and ordinances of the Gospel, willingly subjecting ourselves to the watch and discipline of this church, and engaging to watch over our fellow members with love, care, and faithfulness, for our mutual edification.
Articles of Faith
1. We believe there is only one living and true God, the Creator of all things, and that in the god-Head there are three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and that these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory, although distinguished by their personal properties.
2. We believe the Holy Scriptures contained in the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God to be the rule of faith and practice.
3. We believe God made all things for Himself; that known unto Him are all His works from the beginnings; that He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will; and that His laws and the principles and administration of His government are perfectly holy and just and good.
4. We believe that God created man in His own image, perfectly holy, and that he fell from that happy state by transgressing the divine command, and in consequence of the first apostasy, all men, previous to regeneration, are destitute of holiness, unreconciled to God, and under condemnation.
5. We believe the Son of God has, by His obedience, sufferings and death, made an adequate atonement for sin, and that all who are saved will be wholly indebted to the sovereign grace of God through His atonement.
6. We believe that such provision is made in the Gospel, that whoever will, may take of the water of life freely, yet, that sinners will not come to Jesus Christ except they are made willing by the special regenerating influences of the Spirit of God.
7. We believe, that for those who are ordained to eternal life, who alone will believe in Jesus Christ, there is no condemnation; but they will be kept by power of God through faith unto salvation.
8. We believe the qualification of admission into the church of Christ is, in the sight of God, real piety, and in the sight of man apparent piety, and that all who are in regular standing in the church have a right to all the ordinances of His house, and baptism for their children.
9. We believe that every church has authority from the Great Head of the church to administer censure upon members who walk disorderly, and that it is not required to refer their decisions to any other earthly tribunal.
10. We believe, that secret and family prayer, reading of the Scriptures a religious observance of the Sabbath, a punctual attendance of the public worship of God, and such appointments of the church for prayer or conference meetings, as are in accordance with the Scriptures, are important privileges and duties of professed Christians, and that a holy life is the best evidence we can give of piety.
11. We believe that, at the second coming of Christ, there will be a resurrection, both of the just and unjust; when all mankind will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, to receive a just and final retribution, according to the deeds done in the body; and that the wicked will then go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.
Although not official documents of the First Congregational Church, the following have long been recognized as standards of historic Congregationalism. The Cambridge Platform speaks to how Congregational Churches in early New England understood their local church government, and the Savoy Declaration is a Congregational response to the Westminster Confession of Faith.
