Several years ago, the elders of Covenant Life Church came to the conviction that it was important to teach our congregation about polity, and to have a constitution that our members could read and understand. We believed that a church constitution would help our church family understand the biblical principles that informed our church’s governance. And it would protect and serve our congregation for future generations.

We began to collect and study different church constitutions and to talk to different pastors about these issues. And we made it our goal to write a church constitution that would serve us into future generations. The writing process began in the fall of 2010.

Last summer in the midst of the challenges we were facing as a church, we informed you about this process. We have been working diligently since that time. And the process has been edifying, unifying and instructive to us as elders. And it is our hope that the next six months will be unifying, edifying and instructive for all of Covenant Life Church as we walk through this process.

Like a constitution for a nation, a church’s constitution describes the nature of a church and how it functions, providing an outline or framework for the organization of church life.  We call this “polity” or “church government.” The constitution is a practical document designed to articulate how theological principles get worked out in the ongoing life of the church.  The Bible does not have one structure or system outlined for church governance. That is why there are different applications of biblical principles among various evangelical churches.

Our church’s constitution defines our leadership structures, it clarifies our mission, and explains what it means to be a member. We hope and believe that this constitution will help us to remain faithful to biblical doctrine as well as help us to press forward in our life and mission together.

At the June 28 Members Meeting we presented the first draft of our church constitution. We will be hosting meetings to explain this document, to answer questions about it, and solicit your feedback.

We have described our approach to church government as “Jesus ruled, elder led and congregationally accountable.” Here are some principles that touch on a sound relationship between the congregation and its leaders and inform our governance:

  • Leadership is based on trust.  The authority that pastors/elders exercise is limited by Scripture and is intended for edification (2 Corinthians 10:8; Hebrews 13:17).
  • Church members submission to that leadership is an act of faith toward God. It is not passive but active. It includes members’ timely observations, questions, discussion and deliberation as they engage with and affirm the leadership of the elders in fulfilling the church’s mission.
  • Leaders must resist the temptation to lord it over the flock and also the temptation to abdicate responsibility. Similarly, church members must resist the temptation to be overly assertive as well as the temptation to passivity regarding how the church is governed. This is Christ’s church, and we all have our part to play in it.
  • Leaders must cultivate an atmosphere in which they are approachable and easy to entreat. There must also be a clear process for dealing with charges against an elder.

It is important for you to know that we want open dialogue to be a way of life in our church. For the health of our continuing fellowship, we believe it is essential for you to know that we want you to share your thoughts and concerns with us at any time. We desire a climate in which everyone readily engages in biblical dialogue with respect and grace, even when there is disagreement.

The goal of this new constitution is the well-being of our church—its purpose is to help us preserve the unity and purity of the flock and to advance the mission of the gospel.

With that in mind, some of the ways we hope this new constitution will serve us from Scripture:

  1. A constitution will help us:
  2. Key issues a constitution addresses
    • Statement of Faith: it is essentially the same, but we have added a section on marriage and Scriptures to help each of you to understand the biblical basis for it.
    • The nature of membership – its privileges and responsibilities
    • Process for becoming a member and transferring membership
    • Church discipline
    • How “mission” is defined
    • Church leadership – selection, qualification and congregational role in affirmation
    • The role of deacons
    • Members meetings
    • Financial procedures and processes
    • Process for amending the constitution
  3. What will stay the same under our new constitution?
    • Core theology
    • Elder-led governance
    • Practice of church discipline
  4. What will change?
    • Non-vocational elders
    • A “Governing Board” comprised of vocational and non-vocational elders
    • Congregational affirmation of all new pastor/elders added to the pastoral team
    • Congregational affirmation of key financial decisions, including the annual budget
    • The role of the Financial Advisory Committee
    • A process for the transition of a senior pastor
    • A clear process for amending the constitution, including the Statement of Faith
  5. Who has been involved in giving feedback and input as the new constitution is being drafted? Over 40 people including:
    • Members of Covenant Life Church
    • Pastors from sister Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) congregations
    • Pastors from other evangelical churches outside SGM
    • The Covenant Life Pastors

  6. What will the process be for member input?

    • Give access to the draft online.
    • Schedule several pastors’ coffees where members can ask questions or offer suggestions (July 15 and August 12th)
    • Publish an online form as well as an e-mail address where members can send questions, comment, make suggestions or even propose amendments
    • Respond to personal e-mails
    • Review members’ input and frequently asked questions and provide answers at the pastors’ coffees and/or on the members’ blog.

    We look forward to teaching about and talking through these things with you.

  7. How will we adopt the constitution?

    8. Once we have had ample time for discussion and consideration of congregational feedback, including any proposed amendments to the draft document, the elders will agree upon a final version to present to the congregation for adoption.  We will publish this online and schedule a members meeting. The following question will be put to the congregation at a members meeting scheduled a month in advance:

    Do you, the members of Covenant Life Church, in submission to the rule of Jesus Christ, the leadership of the Elders of this church, and in wise and prayerful consideration of the matter set before you, affirm the adoption of the proposed Constitution of Covenant Life Church?

    If the congregation affirms the proposal, our constitution will be ratified and recognized, under Scripture, as our formal governing document.

Covenant Life Church, we are very grateful for the privilege of glorifying God with you. It is our hope that this constitution process will help us to walk together with one mind, striving side-by-side, for the faith of the gospel for years to come. And we are looking forward to speaking with you about these things during the coming months.

—Kenneth Maresco
on behalf of the Covenant Life pastors

You can download the draft constitution document here (PDF, 282k). Questions and feedback about the draft may be e-mailed to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or you may use the form below.