Members of Assembly Mennonite Church affirm faith in God and commit themselves to follow Jesus Christ. We also commit to:
active participation in congregational life
ongoing spiritual formation
acting on our commitment to biblical peace, nonviolence, and justice
The words of the "Assembly Covenant" are typically used when new members join our church. Our "Assembly Practices" provide a framework for our membership commitment, and serve as guidance for newcomers considering membership with us. We recognize that every new member affects our congregation, and this ever-changing is a welcome opportunity for God to do new things among us.
ASSEMBLY
COVENANT
As a community of God's people, we receive with joy
God's gracious love.
In response, we join in worship and praise and make this
covenant with God and each other.
We affirm our faith in God, the source of life and love,
and Sovereign of the world.
We commit ourselves to follow Jesus Christ, who redeems,
reconciles, and reveals God to us.
We invite God's Spirit to transform, empower, and guide
us, as together we discern and follow God's word.
We pledge to nurture and care for each other and call
out the gifts of each person.
We repent of sin, both private and social, and join God's
plan for healing the earth and bringing peace and justice to its people.
We accept God's call to share the good news of redeeming
love, and invite others to faith in Christ and membership in his church.
We encourage and pray for each other as we live out
this covenant in hope for the time when God brings all of creation to its fullness
in Christ.
March 28, 1993
Assembly Practices
ASSEMBLY PRACTICES
We believe our Covenant calls
us to the
following practices in this time and context:
1.
Active
participation in
congregational life
a.
Worship
– God calls us to be the church; not an audience. We
encourage participants to nurture gifts
for teaching, preaching, leading and otherwise contributing to our
corporate
worship.
b.
Discernment
– members share responsibility for discerning the direction of the
congregation
in congregational meetings and in other discernment venues.
c.
Community
building – small group participation is one important way we build
community
and invite others into the life of the congregation.
2.
Ongoing
spiritual
formation
a.
Spiritual
practices – in addition to participation in Sunday worship, we engage
other
avenues of spiritual growth such as practicing spiritual disciplines;
attending
spiritual retreats; meeting with a spiritual director; and regularly
reviewing
our stewardship of time, money, gifts, and other facets of faithful
living.
b.
Nurturing
children – we seek to lead children to faith by the Christ-like love,
care, and
model we offer the young among us.
c.
Spiritual
journey – we encourage each other to publicly claim and proclaim faith
in God,
and we also grant each other the freedom necessary for real searching
and
questioning.
d.
Giving
and receiving counsel – we believe we are not an island unto ourselves
but need
the larger body of Christ for our mutual growth.
3.
Acting on our
commitment
to biblical peace, nonviolence, and justice
a.
Relationships
–
our commitment to peace begins with fostering healthy relationships. We commit to practicing Christian love and
faithfulness in our primary relationships, supporting healthy marriages
and
families, and seeking reconciliation in situations of brokenness.
b.
Economics
– we seek to follow God by growing in grace and generosity, releasing
more of
our financial resources, and contributing an extra 2 % of our income as
partial
restitution to the exploited people of the world.
c.
Creation
care – we commit to better understanding our impact on God’s creation
and
acting to reduce the adverse effects of our actions.
d.
Justice
for oppressed people – we advocate for concerns local and global, act
on our
biblical convictions against war/militarism, and are a congregation
which seeks
inclusion for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.
The
points listed under each practice are not meant to define the totality
of how
we engage a particular practice. They
are meant to highlight key aspects of that practice to which members
are
committed. Also, we intend for this list
of practices to be periodically reviewed and for changes to be made as
we
discern new ways in which God is calling us to faithful discipleship.
