Our Covenant
As members of Gunpowder Baptist Church, we affirm this covenant with one another by God’s grace, for our good, and ultimately for God’s glory.
Having been brought by divine grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to surrender our lives to Him, and having been baptized as Christians in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we covenant together to glorify God by making disciples of all nations.
By His grace, we will draw near to God in worship. We will delight in the glory of God, depend on the presence of God, grow in the knowledge of God, and submit to the Word of God as the all sufficient authority in our lives and in His church.
By His grace, we will hold fast to the hope we profess. We will regularly participate in communion as we solemnly and joyfully remember the past work of Christ on the cross, celebrate the present work of Christ at the Father’s right hand, and anticipate the future work of Christ in His return for His bride.
By His grace, we will spur one another on to love and good deeds. We will meet with one another consistently, pray for one another regularly, and serve one another selflessly.
We will share each other’s joys and bear each other’s burdens. We will edify one another with our speech and encourage one another with our example. We will humbly and gently confront one another and receive correction from one another in accordance with a New Testament understanding of church discipline and restoration. We will give cheerfully and generously to the support of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.
By His grace, we will submit to the leadership of elders who have been entrusted by God to serve and care for this body by teaching the Word of Christ to us and modeling the character of Christ before us, and we will affirm deacons as leading servants in the church. If we move from this local body, we will as soon as possible unite with another local church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.
Our Mission
We seek to glorify God through making disciples, which includes reaching the lost, equipping the saints and becoming like Christ.
Our Core Values
Together we will pursue:
A Commitment to Scripture – We commit to stand on Scripture as God’s inerrant Word, and the foundation for all of our faith and practice. We will teach the Word in such a way that it is understandable to everyone. We will always seek to give specific, relevant, personal application to encourage believers toward obedience. (2 Timothy 3:16-17); 1st John 5:2; Ezra 7:10; Nehemiah 8:8
A Passion for Mission – Our mission is to exalt Christ and make followers of Him to the ends of the earth. This calling is given to every believer. Therefore, we will devote substantial time and resources to individual and corporate disciple making. We will also seek to support those who are called to the nations with the same vision. Our greatest desire is to see a supernatural movement of people who reflect and live for Christ while reproducing themselves in others. (2nd Corinthians 5:20); Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 3:21; Romans 3:24; Colossians 1:15-18; 2nd Timothy 2:2
A Lifestyle of Worship – Our God is worthy all worship, glory and honor! We believe worship is a lifestyle, not just the block of time when we gather for public services. Worship is the outpouring of our devotion and love for God into all that we do. (Romans 12:1-2); John 4:24; Revelation 4:11; Revelation 5:12
A Dependence through Prayer – We acknowledge our utter dependence on God for everything. As such, we commit to live dependently on His wisdom, power and provision through prayer. We also desire our church to be a force of prayer in and for our community. (John 15:7); Jeremiah 33:3; James 5:16; Luke 10:2; Luke 11:9-13
A Connection through Community – We will strive to provide the opportunity for every member to connect in intimate community. We call these groups Life Groups. Through these relationships, we will engage in Christ-centered fellowship, gain wisdom, seek accountability and use our spiritual gifts as we follow Christ together. Life Groups will be our primary channel to serve our local communities through service and proclamation. (1st Corinthians 12:12-27); Hebrews 10:24-25; Galatians 6:2; Acts 4:32-35
A Dedication to Serving – We desire to be a people who want to serve each other and our communities. We will encourage and help every member to be involved in service according to their spiritual gifts, talents and passions. (Matthew 25:31-40); Matthew 7:12; Mark 12:31; Luke 4:18-19
A Model of Simplicity – In an effort to provide adequate time for family and missional activity, we will endeavor to keep our church model simple with respect to programs and events. We will evaluate all activities in light of our mission vision and modify or cease doing any activity that fail to support that vision. Our desire is to spend more time cultivating relationships, ministry and fellowship in Christ, rather than religious busyness. (Luke 10:38-42); Revelation 2:2-4; Psalm 127:1-2