St. Matthew United Methodist Church

Baptismal Covenant

We Covenant Together With God And With Members Of The Local Church To Keep Vows Which Are A Part Of The Order Of Confirmation And Reception In To The Church:

1. To renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of the world and repent of our sin.
2. To accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice and oppression.
3. To confess Jesus Christ as Savior, put our whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as our Lord.
4. To remain faithful members of Christ’s holy church and serve as Christ’s representatives in the world: Faithful members regularly engage  themselves in private and public prayer, worship, the sacraments, fellowship, discipleship (bible study), Christian action (evangelism, ministry), systematic giving (tithing), and holy discipline.
5. To be faithful in discipleship which includes the obligation to participate in the corporate life of the congregation with the fellow members of the body of Christ; to be bound in sacred covenant, to shoulder the burdens, to share the risks, and to celebrate to joys of fellow members; to speak the truth in love always ready to confront conflict in the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation.
6. To make disciples for Jesus Christ, to be witnesses for Christ in the world, a light and leaven in society, and a reconciler in a culture of conflict.
7. To be loyal to the United Methodist Church and do all in our power to strengthen its ministries.
8. To faithfully participate in its ministries by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service.
9. To receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
10. And to be held accountable to fulfill this covenant; for faithful membership is essential for personal growth and for developing a deeper commitment to the will and grace of God.