COVENANT OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN

AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES OF NEW JERSEY AND MEMBER CHURCHES

American Baptists understand their relationship to God through Jesus Christ as a freely accepted covenant. We also believe and understand that the local body of believers is autonomous. It is fitting, therefore, that relationships of organizations created by Christians be bound together by mutually accepted covenants.

God has called us to be the covenant people of God, living in loving relationship with our Creator and Redeemer, and with one another. Our covenant relationships and responsibilities to each other are rooted in the unconditional love of God, who has called us to live a life that expresses the full dimensions of that love and who has sent us to witness to all people concerning God's grace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We as Christians believe that we have been led by the Spirit of God to give expression to our faith and purpose in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through the local church. We believe that this same Spirit calls us into a wider relationship as American Baptist Churches of New Jersey, in order that we may better accomplish common purposes related to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.

We therefore covenant with one another and with God, to be associated as a fellowship of churches committed to a common purpose, and sharing in common activities and fellowship. As American Baptist Churches of New Jersey - both as a regional organization and as local churches - we trust that our relationship will surpass any list of expectations as we seek to be obedient to the mandate of sharing the gospel throughout the whole world. Our life and actions, both as persons and as churches, are to be consistent with the confession of faith we have made and the covenant vows we have taken. Through God's divine grace, we are called to be responsible to one another in our relationships within congregations and with each other in the wider fellowship.