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Covenant Resource Paper
CHICAGO, IL (April 24, 2008) – Following is the description of a Covenant Resource Paper that was distributed to delegates to the 2007 Annual Meeting, who later approved the resource paper process.
Description
Over the years a number of “occasional papers” have been written and published within the context of the ECC. While these papers have been a gift to the church and have significantly helped Covenant people consider difficult and challenging issues, there has been no uniform process by which these papers were commissioned, written, adopted and disseminated. The following is a proposal for a new Covenant document that will follow in the important tradition of the “occasional paper,” but will have a uniform process to aid Covenant people to exercise communal discernment on the most critical issues in the life of the church. This new proposed document will be called a Covenant Resource Paper.
A Covenant Resource Paper is a teaching document approved by the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church to provide context and clarity for Covenant churches on critical issues of concern in matters of faith, doctrine and conduct. A Covenant Resource Paper seeks to apply biblical teaching to critical issues in the context of the historical character and ongoing missional identity of the Evangelical Covenant Church. A Covenant Resource Paper exists to inform discipleship and practice in the life of Covenant people without rising to the level of creed, confession, or binding doctrine. A Covenant Resource Paper provides a uniform way for the church as a whole to provide communal discernment to those issues that are most critical in our journey as people who follow Jesus Christ.
Similar to a Resolution of the Annual Meeting, a Covenant Resource Paper will be non-binding in keeping with Covenant understanding that the Word of God is the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct, and in keeping with the Covenant’s long-standing emphasis on freedom in Christ. Unlike a resolution which is meant to offer a summary and crystallization of biblical thought, a Covenant Resource Paper will be a longer, more dialogical and nuanced discussion of critical concerns. Unlike a resolution, which is focused primarily on ethical and political concerns, a Covenant Resource Paper will inform ongoing discipleship and practice in all matters worthy of specific concern - matters of faith, doctrine and conduct. A Covenant Resource Paper will remain in effect to inform ongoing discipleship and practice in the life of Covenant people until such time as it is replaced or removed by the Annual Meeting.
A Covenant Resource Paper exists to educate and inform and call Covenant people to the full nature of the biblical message and life in Christ. Covenant Resource papers are not approved for the purpose of discipline. The only basis for discipline is the Word of God. In order to help Covenant people understand the Covenant Resource Paper as a process of communal discernment (to inform ongoing discipleship and practice in the life of Covenant people rather than attempt to move the Covenant toward becoming a creedal church), we recommend that the first Covenant Resource Paper be written on the topic, The Evangelical Covenant Church and the Bible.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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