The Covenant and Articles of Faith
of Grace Baptist Church, Canton, Ohio
The Covenant and Articles of Faith are a complete doctrinal statement about our beliefs. They contain references to relevant Bible verses so you can research it yourself and understand why we believe what we believe. If you have any questions, we would be happy to sit down and talk with you. There are several ways you can reach out to us and we encourage you to use the format you are most comfortable using.
The Covenant
Having been brought by the sovereign grace of God to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we publicly declare our reliance upon and allegiance to Him. With joy, we covenant together to worship Him and to live in Christian love for the glory of Christ within His body, the church. We do now, in the presence of the triune God and before angels and men commit ourselves to walk worthy of His calling and seek His enablement for the fulfilling of this covenant.
We covenant together to uphold the public worship of God in accordance with His Word: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, honoring the preaching of the Word, submitting to Christ’s ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and giving ourselves faithfully to corporate prayer. We agree to contribute freely and cheerfully of our income, as God has graciously prospered us, for the continuing of an edifying and evangelistic ministry among us, for the support of the needy, and for the spread of the gospel throughout the world. We will serve in the ministries of this church by discovering and practicing our spiritual gifts and God-given talents.
In reliance upon the grace of our Living God, we determine to exercise a mutual care and watchfulness for one another to fulfill the law of Christ. We will strive for the good of this whole church to protect and promote the spiritual unity of this church and to turn away from a divisive spirit. We will promote the knowledge of the truth which is in accordance with godliness, by instructing, encouraging and correcting one another in a spirit of meekness, and praying for one another according to the will of God. Within our homes, we will commit to personal and family worship, diligently instructing and training those entrusted to our care in Biblical doctrine and conduct.
As “the salt of the earth”, we will strive to live a Spirit-filled and controlled life and remove ourselves from ungodly practices and passions that hinder pure worship of a Holy God and bind us again to the “old nature of sin”. We further commit to forsake personal liberties that may hinder the gospel or cause another to stumble. We shall, in fear of God, be instead zealous for good deeds and the goal of a clear conscience before God and man, so as not bring any reproach upon the name of our Savior or His Body the Church. It is our desire to enjoy our God by glorifying Him and spreading His gospel to everyone.
Should we remove ourselves from this church, we will, as soon as possible, unite with another church of like faith and practice where we can continue to carry out the spirit of this covenant.